ABSTRACT
Two royal writs from the register of Abbot Curteys of Bury St. Edmunds, printed in Archaeologia in 1831, throw some light on the history of Lollardy, one of them making specific reference to Kent. An examination of the contents of the writs may help to date them. The diligence of the duke of Gloucester had enabled the government to do execution on the traitors, whose aims however still continued. The writ of 5 June, addressed to the abbot, contains a description of disorders which do not coincide with what is known of the 1431 rising. The writ continues by saying that a number of the offenders had been arrested, but that there were rumours of similar troubles in Cambridgeshire. The possible connexion of heresy and revolt in the troubles of 1438 suggests moreover that religious dissensions may have been one of the influences in stirring up the latter revolt.
