Procession to Remember Camborne Rebel John de Rosewarne, 27th June

More than 500 years after he was dragged before the English army, a Camborne man who escaped execution is about to be remembered with a procession through the town.

John de Rosewarne was one of the leaders of the 1497 Cornish Rebellion. He was arrested, but unlike many of his fellow rebels, he avoided the noose. Instead he was banished. Now, on the 27th June, his life is being marked with a commemoration that brings together four local organisations.

A procession through the town

The event, known in Cornish as Cofheans dhe Gambron, begins at St Meriadoc Junior School at eleven in the morning on Saturday the 27th June 2026. From there, a procession will make its way to Camborne Parish Church, where a service of remembrance will be held.

The organisers put it like this, in Cornish and then in English:

“Deugh ha bos gennen ny rag Cofheans John Rosewarne ha tus 1497, 27ves Mys Metheven, unnek ur yn myttin ogas dhe Skol Gres Meriadoc. Ny a vyn kerdhes orth an eglos rag an gofheans ena.”

“Come and be with us to commemorate John Rosewarne and the people of 1497, on the 27th June at eleven in the morning at St Meriadoc Junior School. We will walk to the church for the rememberance there.”

The day remembers John and those who fought and died in the 1497 rising.

Who was John de Rosewarne?

Also known as Gentleman John de Rosewarne, John lived from 1480 to 1540. He was one of the many leaders of the 1497 Cornish Rebellion who were arrested by the English army. He escaped the hangman and was banished instead.

Four groups, one commemoration

The commemoration is the work of Agan Tavas, the Camborne Old Cornwall Society, Camborne Church and Camborne Town Council. The idea to remember John first came from the chairman of Agan Tavas, and in 2025 Agan Tavas hosted the first ever “John de Rosewarne day” alongside the same three organisations.

The procession sets off from St Meriadoc Junior School at eleven in the morning on the 27th June.