Battlefields›Dussindale 1549 — Defeat of Kett
Tudor

Dussindale 1549 — Defeat of Kett

1549
Norfolk, England
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Norfolk, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Kett rebels (Robert Kett)
VS
Victor
Royal forces under the Earl of Warwick (John Dudley)
Forces involved

Rebels: approximately 16,000 East Anglian rebels led by Robert Kett. Royal army: approximately 14,000 troops under the Earl of Warwick, including English forces, Welsh and Spanish mercenaries and German landsknecht mercenaries (about 1,400 of whom arrived on 26 August 1549)

Outcome
Rebel army routed after a royal cavalry charge; most rebels accepted pardon; Robert Kett fled but was captured the next day at Swannington, later tried and hanged for treason.
The Battle

History & Significance

Dussindale 1549 — Defeat of Kett was a Tudor pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought in the area of Norfolk, England in 1549. Royal forces under the Earl of Warwick (John Dudley) prevailed over Kett rebels (Robert Kett). Rebel army routed after a royal cavalry charge; most rebels accepted pardon; Robert Kett fled but was captured the next day at Swannington, later tried and hanged for treason.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Dussindale 1549 — Defeat of Kett lies on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

Casualties & Losses
  • Approximately 3,000 rebels killed; royal army losses approximately 250 killed (some sources give a wider range of 1,000 to 10,000 rebel dead)
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Roman Britain
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Domesday
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Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
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Local Names
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Historical Maps
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Literature
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Dussindale 1549 — Defeat of Kett

Remains of St Leonard's Priory
Remains of St Leonard's Priory
Scheduled monument · ~1.3 mi

Remains of St Leonard's Priory is a medieval religious establishment located in Norfolk, England. The priory dates from the medieval period and represents the fragmentary survivals of what was once an active monastic community. The standing remains and archaeological deposits preserve evidence of…

Watergate, The Close
Watergate, The Close
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 mi

Watergate, The Close is a Norman gateway dating to the twelfth century, located within the cathedral close at Norwich in Norfolk. The structure survives as a substantial stone archway that originally provided access to the cathedral precinct from the river to the south. It represents one of the f…

Irid Escent / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bishop Bridge
Bishop Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~1.4 mi

Bishop Bridge is a medieval bridge located in Norwich, Norfolk, dating from the fourteenth century. Constructed in stone, it carries the road across the River Wensum and represents an important example of medieval bridge engineering in East Anglia. The bridge was built under the authority of the…

Pierre Terre / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower
Blockhouse known as the Cow Tower
Scheduled monument · ~1.5 mi

The Cow Tower is a circular stone artillery tower located in Norwich, Norfolk, dating to the late fourteenth century. Built circa 1378-1385, it represents one of the earliest purpose-built artillery fortifications in England, constructed to defend the river crossing and city against raids during…

Robert Powell / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
St Ethelbert Gate
St Ethelbert Gate
Scheduled monument · ~1.7 mi

St Ethelbert Gate is a fourteenth-century gatehouse forming part of the precinct wall of Norwich Cathedral. The structure, built of flint with stone dressings, stands as one of the most substantial surviving monumental gateways of its period in East Anglia. It served as the principal entrance to…

Gareth Williams / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Bishop's Palace gate
Bishop's Palace gate
Scheduled monument · ~1.7 mi

Bishop's Palace Gate is a scheduled ancient monument in Norfolk, England, constituting a substantial surviving gateway structure associated with the medieval episcopal residence at Norwich. The gate dates from the medieval period and represents an important element of the fortified precinct that…

Malc MacDonald / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Former Norwich Second World War IN-Station
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles
Carrow Priory (ruined portions)
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Dussindale 1549 — Defeat of Kett

Siege of Norwich Castle (1075)
1075
~1.6 miles away
Amicable Grant Resistance in Norfolk, 1525
1525
~1.6 miles away
Danish Raid on Norwich, 1069
1069
~1.6 miles away
Æthelberht of East Anglia Resists Mercia 792
792
~1.6 miles away
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