John Ball
John Ball was a priest who took part in the peasant revolt in 1381. He lived at York then Colchester. He gained fame while being a preacher for by expounding the beliefs about John Wycliff and most because of his insistance on social equality. Committed to prison three times and at one point no one was aloud to hear him preach. In June 1381 he was in prison at Maidstone, but quickly released by Kentish rebels. He urged the people to kill the principal of the kingdom and the lawyers and among those who rushed to the tower of London to kill Simon of Sudbury, archbishop of Canterbury. When the rebels dispersed Ball fled to the midlands, but was taken prisoner at Coventry and executed in the presence of Richard II on the 15 of July in 1381. Ball was called the ¨the mad priest of Kent¨ by Froissart. John was also able to rhyme.