| Battle Of Deptford Bridge, 1497 |
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The Battle of Deptford Bridge (or Blackheath) was the culminating event of the Cornish Rebellion Of 1497 . It took place on 17 June 1497 on a site in present-day Deptford in south-east London , adjacent to the River Ravensbourne . Rebels from Cornwall , led by Michael An Gof (also known as Michael Joseph; ''An Gof'' is Cornish for blacksmith) and Thomas Flamank (a Bodmin landowner's son), had marched to London to protest about the unfair taxation of Cornwall (the money was being raised in order to finance an invasion of Scotland ). En route, they gathered support from the yeomen of Plymouth and forces led by James Touchet, Lord Audley in Somerset . After fighting a minor battle near Guildford , Surrey , they were hopeful of gaining further support from people in Kent (the focus of Jack Cade 's rebellion of 1450 ), but despite rallying at Cade's meeting place at nearby Blackheath were disappointed. Estimates vary, but it is said that at Blackheath some 15,000 Cornish faced 25,000 troops of the King. The Cornish lacked the horse and artillery possessed by the King's army, and the result was inevitable. As a result, the Cornish rebels were soundly beaten by King Henry VII 's forces led by Lord Daubeney . Much of the battle took place on the eastern side of the Ravensbourne, on the hillside up to the plateau of Blackheath - as a result, it is sometimes called the 'Battle of Blackheath'. Figures from the battle vary though they generally place the losses of Daubeney's forces within single figures next to perhaps 1000 Cornishmen. Two of the leaders (An Gof and Flamank) were executed, on 24 June 1497. An Gof and Flamank suffered the traitor's fate of being Hanged, Drawn And Quartered at Tyburn , while Audley was beheaded on the 25 June Tower Hill . Their heads were displayed on pike-staffs (" Gibbet ed") on London Bridge . An Gof before his execution is recorded to have said that he should have "a name perpetual and a fame permanent and immortal". Thomas Flamank was quoted as saying - "Speak the truth and only then can you be free of your chains" 1997 was the 500th anniversary of the An Gof uprising and a commemorative march ( Keskerdh Kernow 500 ) was held, which retraced the route of the original march from St Keverne, Cornwall to London. A statue depicting An Gof and Flamank was unveiled at An Gof's home town of St. Keverne and a commemorative plaque was also unveiled on Blackheath common. See also External links
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