A mouldwarp is an ancient dialect word for a mole (''Talpa europaea''). However, a mediaeval prophecy declared that the sixth King of England after King John would be the 'Mouldwarp', a proud, contemptible and cowardly person, having a skin like a goat.

Prophecy

According to the first prophecy of the 'Six Kings to follow King John', (sometimes known as the

Prophecy of Merlin In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain di ...

) written about 1312, at the time of the birth of

Edward III Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring royal authority after t ...

the six kings could be likened to animals. The sixth king after

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

would be the Mouldwarp or Mole, who would be proud, contemptible and cowardly, having a skin like a goat. He would be attacked by a dragon, a wolf from the west and a lion from Ireland, who would drive him from the land, leaving him only an island in the sea, where he would pass his life in great sorrow and strife and die by drowning. The prophecy was the most popular prophecy of the 14th century and was used by the enemies of Henry IV and alluded to by Shakespeare in ''

Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the Battle of H ...

'' (written before 1597).I Henry IV, III, 1,149. The prophecy was again used during the disturbances leading to the

Pilgrimage of Grace The Pilgrimage of Grace was an English Catholic popular revolt beginning in Yorkshire in October 1536 before spreading to other parts of Northern England, including Cumberland, Northumberland, Durham and north Lancashire. The protests occurre ...

1535–37 but this time was applied by the rebels to

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

Contemporary references

C.J. Sansom in his novel ''

Sovereign ''Sovereign'' is a title that can be applied to the highest leader in various categories. The word is borrowed from Old French , which is ultimately derived from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to ...

'',

Hilary Mantel Dame Hilary Mary Mantel ( ; born Thompson; 6 July 1952 – 22 September 2022) was a British writer whose work includes historical fiction, personal memoirs and short stories. Her first published novel, ''Every Day Is Mother's Day'', was releas ...

in her novel '' The Mirror & the Light'' and

Philippa Gregory Philippa Gregory (born 9 January 1954) is an English historical novelist who has been publishing since 1987. The best known of her works is ''The Other Boleyn Girl'' (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Roman ...

in her novel '' The Last Tudor'' each refer to

being described as the 'Mouldwarp'.

References

{{cite journal , last =Dodds , first =Madeleine Hope , title =Political Prophecies in the Reign of Henry VIII , journal =The Modern Language Review , volume =11 , issue =3 , pages =276–284 , publisher =Modern Humanities Research Association , date =July 1916 , doi =10.2307/3713525 , language = , url =https://www.jstor.org/stable/3713525 , jstor =3713525, url-access =subscription Prophecy