04/10/2026
The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 is coming to the big screen in The Uprising, the new historical drama directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Andrew Garfield. The film tells the story of the uprising against the rule of the young King Richard II.
But did you know that the events of 1381 have a very real connection to Llanthony Secunda Priory?
*Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester*
When unrest reached Gloucester and the surrounding area, Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester and uncle of Richard II, came to Gloucester to suppress the rising. In July 1381, he stayed at Llanthony Secunda with around 200 armed retainers, helping to restore royal authority in the city.
For the Augustinian Canons at Llanthony, the arrival of armed force must have provided some reassurance. Just a month earlier, violence had erupted at the great Abbey of St Albans in Hertfordshire, where rebels had attacked the abbey and challenged the authority of its abbot.
The revolt itself was sparked by an unpopular poll tax, introduced to help finance England’s continuing war with France. But the uprising reflected much wider tensions in medieval society.
Alongside the King’s poll tax, ecclesiastical tithes may also have contributed to resentment. Established monasteries and church hierarchies were closely tied to the existing social and economic order, and they regarded rebellion as a challenge to the divinely ordained hierarchy of medieval society.
Yet opposition to the rising was far from universal among the clergy. Radical religious figures such as the priest John Ball openly supported the rebels, questioning the inequalities of a society in which the wealthy and powerful held considerable privilege.
*Llanthony’s medieval tithe barn*
In medieval England, all parishioners including peasants, farmers, and landowners, were required to pay tithes. Tithes were compulsory payments traditionally amounting to a tenth of agricultural produce or income, much of which was collected and stored locally. The remains of Llanthony Secunda’s great medieval tithe barn can still be seen on the site today.
So, when you watch The Uprising this October, remember that the story didn’t just happen somewhere in medieval England, some of it happened right here in Gloucester, at Llanthony Secunda Priory.
🎟️ The Uprising is released in UK cinemas on 9 October 2026.
📍 Come and explore Llanthony Secunda and discover the medieval history behind the film for yourself.
