John Ball

Family: rebels · Role: preacher and commander · First appears: Book 2, Chapter 3

Before the 1381 rising, John Ball, a priest in Kent, was imprisoned three times for his preaching. He preached in the market-place after Sunday mass, and his words helped inflame the people with rebellious ideas. In 1381, he met Wat Tyler and Jack Straw at Canterbury; they resolved to march on London and call on people from other counties to join them.

Ball joined Tyler and Straw in leading the rebels toward London, where the gates were opened to them. The three commanders marched through the city with their followers, and later Ball and the others forced their way into the Tower and seized Archbishop Simon, who was beheaded. The rebels’ continued presence in London led to plans to pillage the city; at Smithfield, they assembled under Tyler, Straw, and Ball.

After the rising was suppressed, Ball and Straw were betrayed by their own men and found hiding in an old ruin. They were beheaded, and their heads were displayed on London Bridge.