The Battle of Bossenden Wood, 31 May 1838, near Hernhill in Kent. The last battle on English soil
Illustration from V R I Her Life And Empire published in 1901. Info from wiki: The Battle of Bossenden Wood took place on 31 May 1838 near Hernhill in Kent; it has been called the last battle on English soil. The battle was fought between a small group of labourers from the Hernhill, Dunkirk, and Boughton area and a detachment of soldiers sent from Canterbury to arrest the marchers' leader, the self-styled Sir William Courtenay, who was actually John Nichols Tom, a Truro maltster who had spent four years in Kent County Lunatic Asylum. Eleven men died in the brief confrontation: Courtenay, eight of his followers and two of those sent to apprehend them. On 29 May, Oak Apple Day, Courtenay and a band of followers began to march around the nearby countryside with a flag and a loaf of bread on a pole (a traditional symbol of protest).[3] Courtenay rode a grey horse; his followers were on foot. Although at this stage the protesters were acting peacefully some wealthier landowners were becoming alarmed, and on 31 May 1838, a local magistrate, Dr Poore, issued a warrant for Tom's arrest.[4] It is not clear exactly what the warrant was for – to arrest Courtenay or to arrest workers who were in breach of contract with their employers. [5] A parish constable, together with his brother, Nicholas Mears, and an assistant, went to find Courtenay at Bossenden Farm, where he was staying with his followers. Courtenay shot and killed the constable. When news of the killing reached the magistrates, they sent to Canterbury for soldiers and a detachment of the 45th Foot was dispatched from the barracks.
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