Semper Fidelis: the civic community of Exeter and the memory of the Western Rising of 1549

Abstract

This article explores the legacy of the western rising of 1549 and concentrates, in particular, on how memories of that insurrection were subsequently exploited by the town governors of Exeter for their own political purposes. It begins by noting that Exeter was the only local community to hold out against the rebels. It then goes on to explore why the town governors decided to remain loyal to Edward VI’s regime, and concludes that they were chiefly motivated by their determination to preserve the enhanced local authority which had recently been vested in them by the Crown. Next, it describes how the civic elite first basked in the warmth of royal favour throughout the remainder of the protestant King Edward’s reign, and then found themselves shivering in an altogether different climate following the accession of the Catholic Queen Mary - who might well have regarded the religiously-conservative rebels as proto-Marians. Next, the article shows how, with the accession of the protestant Queen Elizabeth, in 1558, the way became clear for Exeter’s civic elite to trumpet their loyalty during ‘the commotion time’ once more, and how the city’s chamberlain, John Hooker, did just that: producing a series of increasingly detailed and laudatory accounts of the citizens’ behaviour during the siege of 1549. The discussion then moves on to demonstrate how, as a result of Hooker’s labours, memories of the siege became enshrined at the heart of Exeter’s civic identity - and inspired the city’s purportedly ‘ancient’ motto: Semper Fidelis. The final part of the article draws out some general conclusions.

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