Charity searches for descendants of rioters involved in 1525 uprising
More than 100 men stormed Bayham Abbey, near Tunbridge Wells in Kent, with makeshift weapons, in protest at its closure as part of new religious reforms.
Wednesday, June 4 marks the 500th anniversary of the 1525 riot, which is seen by historians as a 'harbinger' of Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries a decade later.
English Heritage, the charity which looks after the ruins of Bayham Abbey, are now searching for the relatives of the villagers who stormed the Abbey 500 years ago.
Michael Carter, English Heritage historian, said: 'The Bayham Abbey uprising is a fascinating precursor to Henry VIII's religious reforms, a harbinger not only of the dissolution of the monasteries just ten years later, but also of the Pilgrimage of Grace.
'This act of rebellion could have cost them their lives and, as we reach the 500th anniversary of the riot, we are keen to remember and celebrate these brave men.'
More than a decade before the dissolution of the monasteries, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, Henry VIII's chief adviser at the time, had already begun to suppress many of England's smaller monasteries, to fund new university colleges at Oxford and Ipswich.
Cardinal Wolsey's eventual successor, Thomas Cromwell, began the dissolution of every English monastery in 1536, under Henry VIII's instruction.
On June 4 1525, more than 100 men with painted faces, armed with longbows, crossbows, swords and clubs, assembled at the abbey to reinstate the evicted canons, the priests living within the abbey.
'Whilst they will undoubtedly have feared the loss of their spiritual leaders, their loss of income would have been of equal concern,' said Mr Carter.
They stormed the gatehouse and temporarily restored the canons, until they were removed a week later and 31 men were indicted by the Crown.
The rioters were predominantly local tradesmen, including shoemakers, labourers and farmers.
English Heritage is searching for the descendants of those men, who are listed on their website.
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He says he cannot believe now that 80 years ago he was happy to shoot Japanese forces with his camera, as well as his gun. "I'm not very proud of that," Yavar says, "but that's how you feel when you are on the front."Yavar has something to show me, that he had found that morning. He takes out a faded notepad with loose leaves of paper that have yellowed with age. It's his diary from the front line. He had carried an ink pot with him in battle and written in the diary with his fountain pen. He reads out an entry from the day that Fort Dufferin fell on 20 March 1945."Thank goodness it is all over and that I'm still alive. I can still hear the noise of shelling not far away. Maybe it is the Japanese guns firing at the Fort. I'll find out tomorrow. Two o'clock in the morning now, and I must go to sleep." Yavar wonders aloud how in the midst of battle he found time to sit and write this when he had to be up again at five in the morning.I ask him if he thinks he is brave. He looks at me as if that is a strange question. "Absolutely not," he VE Day, 8 May 1945 - when the war ended in Europe - Yavar was in Rangoon filming the recently re-taken capital. However, it was so inconsequential he didn't note it in his diary. Little had changed for him. The war against Japan was still ongoing. But then, completely unexpectedly months later, America dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan unconditionally surrendered on 15 August 1945, the day that VJ Day is marked each the war, Yavar was posted with the 268 Indian Brigade as part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Forces under the overall command of US Gen Douglas McArthur. He went to Hiroshima months after the bombing. Yavar says he saw the wasteland and people with horrific injuries. "There were no buildings, it was just one tower that was left. Otherwise the whole thing was flat."It's the first time since we have spoken that Yavar's bearing changes - he has a look of horror as he remembers."It still haunts me," he says. "I couldn't believe that human beings could do this to each other. Hiroshima was a terrible experience."The British did leave India, as Yavar had hoped. In August 1947, India was partitioned and two new states were born: Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Yavar was a witness to the bloody aftermath, and was heartbroken at the decision to divide India. Two years later, he came to Britain. He worked for many years at the BBC as a news cameraman travelling the world. He would go on to be an acclaimed independent film-maker, winning numerous awards. VJ Day - on 15 August - is not a day Yavar ever celebrates. Current events weigh heavily on him. Yavar's message, as one of the last remaining survivors of World War Two, is clear."War is a crime. War must be banned. I think it's mad. We didn't achieve anything really."He says at the time he felt he was part of something worthwhile, for the sake of humanity - he doesn't feel that wars engulfing the world 80 years on - particularly Gaza - are on his mind."We seem to have learnt nothing, " Yavar tells me. "The killing of innocent men, women, children, and even babies goes on. And the world, with some honourable exceptions, watches in silence..."It was all futile, because it's still happening. We haven't learned anything at all."
