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The History of Kettlewell Village - Arthur Raistrick
Dissolution of the Monasteries
An event which must have stirred Kettlewell to its depths was the Pilgrimage of Grace, at the time of the dissolution of the Monasteries.
For many reasons, not all well founded, the people of west and north Yorkshire thought that the end of the monasteries was going to cause a great deal of distress, and under various leaders, formed a great army which marched in three sections, partly to prevent the loss of some of the smaller monasteries, and partly against the King's troops sent to put them down. The men of Dentdale and round about formed an army of 6,000 which marched on Preston; from Wensleydale and North Yorkshire, 40,000 marched to Pontefract, and from Coverdale and West Yorkshire dales a smaller army of a few thousand marched on Sawley on the way to join the others at Preston.
On the 16th October 1536, the men of Coverdale, Nidderdale, Langstrath and Craven, under the leadership of Jaques of Cray and Fawcett of Kettlewell, gathered at Dale Head and Niels Ing farms between Penygent and Stainforth, then went to Monubent Farm, 1 1/4 miles north of Bolton-by-Bowland, where on October 22nd they were joined by the men from all Craven. They marched to Salley Abbey and restored the Abbott and his monks, then went on to Preston. The Duke of Norfolk met them and by false promises persuaded them to return home. He wrote to the King, "whatever I may promise the rebels, I shall observe no part thereof." The men returned but "kept every man his own house ready to be up and come together at an hours warning."
The gathering of Coverdale and Langstroth men in Kettlewell must have been long remembered.
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