Thomas Baker (died 4 July 1381) was an English landowner and one of the leaders who initiated the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

of 1381. Thomas Baker's holding was "Pokattescroft alias Bakerescroft" in

Fobbing Fobbing is a small village and former civil parish in Thurrock, Essex, England, and one of Thurrock's traditional (Church of England) parishes. It is between Basildon and Corringham, and is also close to Stanford-le-Hope. In 1931 the parish ...

. This holding still exists, although by the time of the 19th-century

tithe map The term tithe map is usually applied to a map of an England, English or Wales, Welsh parish or township, prepared following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The map and its accompanying s ...

it had become known as Whitehall Six Acres. Randal Bingley, ''Hanged on the 4th of July'' (in Panorama - the Journal of the Thurrock Local History Society, 1996)

Role in the revolt

The Peasants' Revolt was triggered by incidents in the

Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...

villages of

and Brentwood. On 30 May,

John Brampton The Archdeacon of Hastings is a senior ecclesiastical officer in the Church of England Diocese of Chichester. The Diocese of Chichester almost exactly covers the counties of East and West Sussex and the City of Brighton and Hove, stretching for ...

attempted to collect the

poll tax A poll tax, also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. ''Poll'' is an archaic term for "head" or "top of the head". The sen ...

from villagers at Fobbing. The villagers, led by Thomas Baker, a local landowner, told Brampton that they would give him nothing and he was forced to leave the village empty-handed. Robert Belknap, Chief Justice of Common Pleas, was sent to investigate the incident and to punish the offenders. On 2 June, he was attacked at Brentwood. By this time the violent discontent had spread, and the counties of Essex and

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

were in full revolt. Soon people moved on London in an armed uprising.Maurice Hugh Keen, ''England in the Later Middle Ages: A Political History'' (Routledge, 1975)

Death

For his role in the uprising, Thomas Baker was

hanged, drawn, and quartered To be hanged, drawn and quartered was a method of torturous capital punishment used principally to execute men convicted of high treason in medieval and early modern Britain and Ireland. The convicted traitor was fastened by the feet to a h ...

on 4 July 1381 at

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Colchester and Southend-on-Sea. It is located north-east of London ...

. Randal Bingley, ''Fobbing, Life and Landscape'' (Pheon Heritage in association with Thurrock Council Museum, 1997)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Thomas English revolutionaries Year of birth missing 1381 deaths People from Fobbing Peasants' Revolt Executed people from Essex 14th-century English landowners English rebels People executed under the Plantagenets by hanging, drawing and quartering