When Adam delved and Eva span

`When Adam delved and Eva span’ tells the story of the English peasant rising of 1381. The first chapter paints the backdrop of fourteenth-century England in terms of class composition, daily life, the social experience of the peasantry and ideology. It is designed to lead the reader into the period. The second chapter describes the impact of the Black Death and the ways in which that event impacted on English society. It draws out the social, economic, political and ideological consequences of the plague. The aim is to set the scene for the drama that follows, and to introduce the main players. Chapters 3 to 5 describe the events of the rising, conveying their breathtaking speed and bringing the characters to life. Chapter 3 describes the beginnings of the revolt; Chapter 4, the key events up to and including the taking of London and the murder of Wat Tyler. Chapter 5 describes the revolt in the regions beyond London and the end of the rising. Chapter 6 offers some reflections on the revolt in a wider historical perspective and some observations on the transhistorical human desire for freedom.