The people’s bishop
In 1997, the Right Reverend Bill Ind was made Bishop of Truro. Bishop Bill was well respected because he cared about Cornwall and its people. He was known as “the people’s bishop”.
Brutal and stupid
In 2007, Bishop Bill was given the Trelawny Plate, an award for people who make an outstanding contribution to Cornish life. During his speech accepting the award, Bishop Bill apologised for the actions of the English government in the Prayer Book Conflict of 1549. The Bishop said that the government had acted “brutally and stupidly and had killed many Cornish people”. The Bishop did not think that saying sorry for events that happened 500 years ago would help, but he did think they had been “an enormous mistake”.

Illustration by Vita Sleigh
Official apology
Bishop Bill’s apology was very significant because he was an important man who represented the Church of England and the government. It was the first time that anybody had officially apologised for what had happened in 1549. The apology also showed a growing awareness of Cornwall’s distinct identity and history.
Did you know?
During the Prayer Book Conflict, the English army killed several hundred unarmed Cornish prisoners at Clyst Heath in Devon. This became known as the Clyst Heath Massacre.