Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Jack Straw (probably the same person as Rackstraw) was one of the three leaders (together with John Ball and Wat Tyler) of the Peasants' Revolt or Great Rising of 1381, a major event in the history of Britain. Little is known of the three leaders. It has been suggested that Jack Straw may have been a preacher, but his name may suggest a link to thatching. Some have suggested that the name may have been a pseudonym for Wat Tyler or other peasants' leaders. According to information in the church of St Mary in Great Baddow, in Essex, England, Jack Straw led an ill-fated crowd from the churchyard to one of the risings. The British politician John Whitaker Straw (born 1946) adopted the name Jack Straw after the rebel leader. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.