her will in 1385. In 1388 Burley, along with other favourites of the King, was impeached for treason by the commons under the Merciless Parliament. He was executed on 5 May 1388. Role in 1381 Peasants' Revolt In some histories, Sir Simon Burley figures as the trigger for the explosion of the English Peasants' Revolt in 1381 in the county of Kent. In the story related by the Anonimalle Chronicle, Simon Burley appeared in Gravesend with two sergeants on 3 June 1381, and laid claim that one of its residents, a certain Robert Belling (or Bellyng), was his runaway bondsman. When the townsfolk of Gravesend pleaded with Burley on the man's behalf, Burley demanded £300 in silver for manumission. It was an enormous sum that Belling could not afford nor his Gravesend supporters raise for his release, so Burley ordered the royal sergeants to arrest Belling and confine him to nearby Rochester Castle until the money was raised. This incident hit a nerve in the region, long tired of corruption and abuses by royal officials, and led directly to a riot in Dartford (just seven miles from Gravesend) the next day. An armed band was raised that would go on to attack Rochester Castle on 6 June and spring Robert Belling out of jail. Wat Tyler would be elected leader of this Kentish rebel band a few days later. There are a few problems with the Anonimalle story. Firstly, Simon Burley was abroad at the time, negotiating the king's marriage with Anne of Bohemia, and so could not have appeared at Gravesend in person. Secondly, uniquely among English counties, villein service was not practiced in Kent at the time. Nonetheless, the release of Robert Belling from Rochester is well-attested in other sources. So it is possible that Belling may have run away from Burley's estates in another county (e.g. Essex), and that the claim in Gravesend was carried out by another official in Burley's name. Family Simon Burley had no children (that survived). His father was a John Burley of Birley, Hereford, and Simon was the younger brother of another Sir John Burley who, along with his son Richard had also served under the Black Prince and were also both Knights of the Garter. References Attribution 1330s births 1388 deaths Knights of the Garter Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports People executed under the Plantagenets for treason against England Year