Michael Joseph (An Gof) and Thomas Flamank Who Laid Down Their Lives For Cornwall

"a name perpetual and a fame permanent and immortal" (Michael Joseph)

"Speak the truth and only then can you be free of your chains". (Thomas Flamank)

As crowds gathered in commemmoration in St Keverne & Bodmin and amongst Cornish diaspora, 'Kernow Matters' Secretary Matt made a hard hitting and well received speech during the Bodmin ceremony attended by Cornish folks and supporters, local Councillors and Clergy, Bards of Gorseth Kernow and many others.

This was followed by singing including of 'Trelawny' and 'Bro Goth Agan Tasow' (Old Land of Our Fathers)

Matt, archaeologist, academic and historian said:

"Ottany oll warbarth arta – here we all are again.

What has changed since we were last together? Are the Cornish better represented, better housed, better educated and better looked after than before? The answer is no on all counts.

In 2010 Cornwall lost an entire tier of representation when the district councils were dissolved. Since then, John Pollard’s crew agreed the loss of Cornwall Councillors in a move that will end independent people representing their communities. By reducing the number of councillors from 123 to 88, they prevent ordinary people from having the capacity to campaign in their new, huge wards. From now on, Cornwall will only be represented by the professionals – and we see now what the Lib Dems, what Labour and Conservatives do with Cornwall, and it is not pretty.

Tim Dwelly has left the Labour group, but him and his Labour pals apparently still cite a house survey to claim that most new builds go to Cornish people. It was only after repeated demands to produce this survey that Cornwall Council admitted such a survey does not exist. No; houses remain a luxury only in-migrants can afford, but even now you find officers and councillors citing this non-existent survey. We remain in what Bernard Deacon calls the “Boscoppa Triangle” where our modest housing needs are actually not met by the National Planning Policy Framework, and Cornwall Council consistently fails to challenge this madness, but instead sucks up to the greedy developers who misuse “local need” to further their profits at our expense.

Will the Lib Dems save us? Why should they? They never have in the past! The Liberal Democrats treat Cornwall as their private fief – in this regard they resemble our Duke. While individuals among them strive for Cornwall, the party agreed the destruction of our thousand year old border with England. This is what they do. This is the result of Lib Dem representation.

Yet the conservatives will save us, won’t they? You would think, with all Cornwall’s MPs being conservatives, the party of our current government, that Cornwall would receive better deals at all levels. None of this has materialised and we have sadly discovered that our MPs represent the Conservative party in Cornwall, and utterly fail to represent Cornwall at Westminster, and we are left worse off as a result. We hope that Steve Double will reverse this shameful trend, but frankly, we wait to be impressed.

Still, we have the Framework Convention to thank for the Cornish being better educated in schools, right? Wrong. Despite more and more children in every succeeding year asserting their Cornish identity, Cornish schools remain an Anglo-imperial project with NONE of our Cornish history, language, dance, sport, cuisine, or our Cornish engineering taught in Cornish schools beyond mere token projects. Our schools remain English schools in Cornwall and fail to service the Cornish minority – despite the Cornish minority being a Cornish MAJORITY in Cornish schools. The discrepancy between the number of children who claim their Cornish identity, and the courses on offer to them highlights the anti-Cornish education system.

But we are better looked after, aren’t we? No – health spending in Cornwall remains at a lower per-capita spend than our neighbours in England. All of those in-migrants retiring to Cornwall who add nothing to our economy, but add an extra burden to our health service, still the NHS in Cornwall is under funded every year, more than it is in England.

On this day in 1497, 521 years ago, Thomas Flamank and Myghal Joseph Angove were hung drawn and quartered. They were murdered by the English state for daring to speak the truth. Thomas Flamank said “Speak the truth, only then can you be free of your chains” – well the chains are heavy and it is past the time when we cast them off. Will you speak the truth, or will you silently allow our Cornishness to be erased by a hostile English state?

Ottany oll warbarth arta, here on this #SpeakCornish week. If there were no hope, I would not speak, but while we remain to remember what Cornwall truly is then hope is with us. They have not killed us, they have not assimilated us in 521 years. While we draw breath, they never will." 

We have hope in the appointment of Cornishman, Steve Double MP as our Cornish representative at the Council of Europe and the advancement of our cause. He has already spoken out for us in Westminster.

Historical background

People often forget the reasons why the events of 1497 happened even though there are statues and memorial plaques in St Keverne, Bodmin and up in Blackheath itself. 

On 27th June, 1497, Michael Joseph, Blacksmith (An Gof) of St Keverne and Thomas Flamank, Lawyer and former MP of Bodmin, were hung drawn and quartered for leading a Cornish army against the English King of the day. 

The primary cause was the response by the impoverished Cornish population to the raising of war taxes by King Henry VII to raise money for his campaign against Scotland.

In 1496, after disagreements regarding new regulations for the tin-mining industry, King Henry VII suspended the Stannaries.

Then in late 1496 Henry’s council approved a forced loan to which Cornwall contributed a disproportionately large share. The terms of the levy violated the Stannary Charter of 1305 which prohibited these taxes from being raised in Cornwall.

It is said, mainly by English commentators, that Michael Joseph and Thomas Flamank “incited rebellion” but the truth is that they led a popular uprising against an English centralising state.

Under the leadership of blacksmith Michael Joseph (or Michael An Gof; An Gof simply translates as the man’s profession - 'The Smith' (blacksmith)) and barrister Thomas Flamank (or Flammock) — injudiciously joined by one Lord Audley — 15,000 or so Cornish marched to the outskirts of London, where they were defeated in the Battle of Deptford Bridge.

Henry VII had also ordered Lord Daubeney to assemble an army of 8,000 soldiers in London in preparation for the war against Scotland. Thus, the city gates of London were closed in the face of an Cornish army which was now reported to be 15,000 strong.

The rebels reached Blackheath Common on the 16th June 1497 The day of the battle is best described by Webb, who describes how An Gof and his army were encamped "at the top of a hill" with the intention of charging down on the English troops.

However, as Webb describes, things went wrong for the rebels as the English troops had surrounded the area around Blackheath Common, and were ready to attack the Cornish soldiers holding Deptford bridge, with their archers behind them on 17th June 1497:

"Next morning, the hill was surrounded and Daubeney was sent to attack the bridge, and at six o'clock, a group of spearmen under Sir Humphrey Stanley moved forward, they soon broke (through) the rank of the Cornish archers. The greater part of the Cornish army was too far behind to give assistance. As their was no second rank of archers to give support to the first, as they were regrouping after the English attack, they were no equal to Stanley's soldiers".

Daubeney, at the head of his men, charged (up Blackheath Hill), and took the Heath. So great was the strength of the attack that Daubeney rode straight into the middle of the ill-armed Cornish, and although he was surrounded and taken, they failed to kill him. The Cornishmen fought well and with great courage, although the battle was soon lost. Michael Joseph was captured as he fled towards Greenwich, and Audley and Flamank on the battlefield. The rebellion was at an end. Two hundred Cornishmen had been killed compared with eight of the King's soldiers".

Henry VII was said to be delighted and gave thanks to God for deliverance from the rebellious Cornish. An Gof joined Flamank and Audley in the Tower and a week later they were tried and condemned. An Gof and Flamank "enjoyed" the king's mercy by being hanged until they were dead before being disemboweled and quartered. Their head's were then stuck on pikes on London bridge. Audley's sentence was "commuted" to beheading in the Tower of London.

On the morning of the execution on the 24th June 1497, An Gof was dragged with Flamank from the Tower of London to Tyburn where he declared that they would have "a name perpetual and fame permanent and immortal" for leading the Cornish in this struggle against the English crown. Thomas Flamank was quoted as saying "Speak the truth and only then can you be free of your chains".

The heads of the men were displayed on spikes on London Bridge. (The King had intended to have had Flamank and An Gof executed in Cornwall for "more terror"; but, being advertised that the country was "yet unquiet and boiling", he thought better not to irritate the Cornish further.

These were not to be the last rebellions by the Cornish: they were followed by others in 1498 and 1546, which were brutally crushed with thousands of innocent people being murdered by the English.

It is our job now, to commemorate these brave men who laid down their lives for Cornwall, and were punished viciously for doing so.

Cornish in London event! - Poster attached as received

Kowethas Kernewek Lyenn Sita (City Lit Cornish Language Society) invite you all to the annual Rosyer Lecture at the City Lit college in Holborn on the 7th July for what we expect to be a fascinating lecture on early Cornish history by leading Cornish academic, author and historian, Dr Bernard Deacon. Dewgh onen hag oll!

Gool Kernewek Speak Cornish Week Event! - Poster attached as received

An event celebrating 'Speak Cornish Week' being held at Heartlands on Sunday 1st July, 2018 to which all are invited.

Kernow bys vyken!

John, Teresa, Craig, Tony, Matt, Mike, Clive, Ronan, Alex & Mark

Elected Members of the KMTU Steering Group