Samantha Fryer Ward celebrates the birthday of the greatest English playwright by exploring the true story behind a scene
St George’s Day on April 23 also marks the birth and death day of William Shakespeare. The Bard is arguably England’s greatest playwright. Although none of his plays were set in Cirencester, the town does get a mention in Richard II, at the start of Act 5, Scene 6.
Henry IV says to the Duke of York:
Kind uncle York, the latest news we hear
Is that the rebels have consumed with fire
Our town of Ciceter in Gloucestershire,
But whether they be ta’en or slain we hear not.
Northumberland enters and says:
“ …the next news is, I have to London sent.
The heads of Oxford, Salisbury, Blunt, and Kent.
The manner of their taking may appear
At large discoursed in this paper here.”
Ciceter is the old medieval name for Cirencester. The event Shakespeare describes is when supporters of the deposed King Richard II were moving against Henry IV, touring the country trying to drum up support.
Our lectern notes in the Medieval Gallery share this story.
In 1399, Richard II was usurped by his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke. King Henry IV’s early reign was nearly brought to an abrupt halt by the Epiphany rising of January 1400. Richard’s allies, including the Earls of Kent and Salisbury, conspired to kidnap Henry IV and put Richard II on throne again.
The King was informed of plot and was absent when they arrived (too many plotters and not enough discretion). The conspirators arrived at Windsor Castle to find the king gone. They went on from there via Wallingford, Abingdon and Farringdon declaring Richard had been reinstated all the way.
The story goes that a wool trader overheard this and hotfooted to Cirencester to warn John Cosyn, the town’s bailiff, about the 30 to 40 armed conspirators that were due to stay in one of Cirencester’s inns. The conspirators arrived under cover of darkness, with horses, baggage and money.
The next morning, the aggressive, impudent attitude of some of the townsmen made them uneasy. They decided to leave, but were surrounded by a crowd armed with bows and sticks. A fight ensued, some townsfolk were killed, the conspirator’s chaplain tried to distract the crowd by trying to start a fire. This made the townsfolk more angry. Kent and Salisbury and some others were captured and put in the abbot’s gaol. The abbot allowed the imprisonment. He also did not prevent some townspeople, including John Cosyn, taking the earls to the market place at sundown and, without a trial, beheading them. The heads were conveyed to the king.
In thanks, Henry IV gave John Cosyn a pension; granted some of the earls’ possessions to the townspeople; and sent them wine from Bristol and venison from Brayden Forrest. Some of this money went to the building of the parish church’s tower shortly after. After the Epiphany rising, the townspeople petitioned the king about their rights. The king was kindly disposed towards them, concessions were made and Cirencester’s townspeople gained privileges and franchise from the abbey.
