Rebels and outlaws often took on such sobriquets in the wake of the popularisation of the Robin Hood legend. It is more than likely that 'Jack Straw' was a nickname for Wat Tyler himself. Of the three named ringleaders, Wat Tyler, John Ball and Jack Straw, little to nothing is known. If their interests had not been threatened, it would never have occurred. The Peasants' Revolt was, in fact, a revolt of the yeoman gentry. However, it was not led by the peasantry either. The Peasants' Revolt was the first ever mass uprising of the common man in England. For, even the most fundamental attempts at social change, like the rebellion of Simon de Montfort in 1265, had previously been initiated and led by the English barony. The Peasants Revolt is the only truly popular uprising in English medieval history. This was the outcome of simmering resentments and the surprising social shifts, in part caused in part by the Black Death. Kent rose up under the leadership of Wat Tyler and marched on London in 1381.
Fired up by John Ball's strong words, and outraged by the demands of the new boy-king Richard II's government for a poll tax of 1 shilling from every man in the land. This was because the Kentish peasantry had been able to improve their lot considerably in the wake of the Black Death. Such words struck a deep chord among the men of Kent more so than in other places like Durham, where feudal lordship still held strong sway. A reconstruction of Richard II riding to Smithfield during the Peasant's Revolt.