The lovely town of Wymondham looks like a serene painting of an unspoken beauty that, though impossible to put in words, is shared among the deeper senses of all of us. With all its physical beauty, though, Wymondham has always had something of a dark side. It isn't sinister, exactly, but this undercurrent of raw emotion and power that can be found in Wymondham speaks to that unreachable feeling that resides inside of our subconscious, our psyche, our anima, our soul, or anything that one may believe in as our inner being. Throughout the years Wymondham has experienced events of riot, revolt, or simply discontent that show this simmering drive that enmeshes our souls and thus the tranquil appearance of the town has been rent asunder at various periods in history.
Robert Kett, a resident of Wymondham in the 16th century, was the first notable figure to cause a ruckus in Wymondham and this uproar had to do with the mistreatment of farmers and peasants at the hand of the nobility and the aristocracy. This is a trend that continued in Wymondham throughout the years and that is a large part of why the town's name continues to resound with those that tout the strength and power of the working class when it sticks together. At any rate, Kett was the leader of the rebellion of farmers and peasants in 1549 who were angry at the leaders in Norwich Castle who were simply taking the land from the hard-working toilers. What was astonishing, though, was the fact that these mostly unarmed men managed to take over the castle and actually hold the land for over six weeks before the King and his massive forces restored order. Kett was hanged from the castle but his name was never forgotten and to this day visitors to Wymondham can see "Kett's Oak", the supposed meeting place where the revolt officially took off.
In 1615 another tragedy struck Wymondham except this time the motive was a bit less noble. Basically, three gypsies started two different fires on June 16th and the town went up in a blaze almost instantly. Over three hundred houses were destroyed and many buildings that dated back to the thirteenth century and beyond were lost forever. The guilty parties were executed in public again but this time there was nobody lamenting the loss as in the event involving Kett. It is truly a shame that some of the most historic buildings in the town's history, such as the Town Hall, will never be seen again but it is rather refreshing that the ghosts of these gypsies also haven't been seen in the years since. Wymondham was struck with other rebellions, however, and one of the most notable ones took place in the 1600s and included Thomas Lincoln, John Beal, and other religious reformers. The problem in this instance was the widespread religious intolerance that was evident in pre-Cromwell England. All the same, the fact remains that Wymondham is easily among the most fascinating towns for anybody who is intrigued by the real, human history of mistreatment and what it does to a species and a country. Those fascinated by the works of Steinbeck or Marx would no doubt find countless thrills within Wymondham, though anybody who loves beautiful towns will also find much to love.
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