william of orange and hungerford william of... · 2020. 1. 28. · james i, 1603-1625 •...
TRANSCRIPT
When William of
Orange came to
Hungerford
Dr. Hugh Pihlens
When William of
Orange came to
Hungerford
Dr. Hugh Pihlens
The Bear Hotel,
Hungerford Dating from 13th century
The Bear Hotel,
Hungerford
WILLIAM AND MARY
On 7th December 1688
William of Orange arrived at The Bear
on his march from Torbay to London
meeting here on the morning of the 8th
James II’s Commissioners Lords Halifax
Godolphin and Nottingham
HUNGERFORD CELEBRATION 1688-1988
Britain in the 16th and 17th centuries
Religion
the source of much
conflict
The Tudor Royal Family
• 1509-1547 Henry VIIIReformation across Europe (Martin Luther 1517)
1531 – proclaimed himself head of the new protestant Church
of England.
Began the dissolution of the monasteries
• 1547-1553 Edward VIEven more fanatical Protestant.
Completed the dissolution of the monasteries and priories
• 1553-1558 Mary IDaughter of Catherine of Aragon
An ardent Catholic –
“Bloody Mary” – over 280 dissenters burned at the stake
• 1558-1603 Elizabeth IProtestant again!
No heir. There was trouble ahead…!
James I, 1603-1625
• Protestant – and only partly tolerant.
Lots of plots, especially…
• 5th November 1605 - Guy Fawkes and the
Gunpowder Plot.
• 1605 Popish Recusants Act
• Relative tolerance – only a few prosecutions
• Died 1625, succeeded by his son Charles…
Charles I, 1625-1649
• Covert Catholic
• Married Catholic Henrietta Maria of France
• The Divine Right of Kings to govern
• Absolutism – the supremacy of the Crown
over all individuals
• Since the Reformation a century earlier,
most citizens were Protestant
• The English Civil War, 1642-1649
The English Civil War, 1642-49
• Crown v Parliament
• Catholic v Protestantism
• 100,000 died
• King Charles I was beheaded
Charles I beheaded, 30 Jan 1649
The Commonwealth, 1649-1660
Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector
• Puritans
• Cromwell died 1658
• Son Richard took over – badly!
• Support for the Crown grew
Charles II, 1660-1685
• Eldest surviving child of Charles I
• Returned from exile in France on his 30th birthday
• A sigh of relief – back to normal?
• But.. excessive expenditure
• Believed in absolutism – the Divine Right of Kings
• 1665 – Great Plague of London
• 1666 – Great Fire of London
• 1672 – Declaration of Indulgence (of Catholics)
• 1673 – The Test Act
• 1681 – Dissolved Parliament
• 1685 – Charles II died
• No legitimate children – the heir presumptive was his younger brother James
James II, 1685-1688
• 1668 – converted to Catholicism!
• Divine Right of Kings to govern
• 1671 - First wife Anne Hyde died
• 1673 – Married Mary of Modena (Catholic)
• James dissolved Parliament
• Increasing unrest, but
• Who would inherit the Crown?
James, Duke of York with
Anne Hyde, Mary and Anne• Anne Hyde – Protestant.
• Many children (8+) but all died
young except….
• Two daughters
• Mary (b.1662)
• Anne (b. 1665)
• Both were brought up as
Anglicans (as commanded by
Charles II)
Mary
• Mary (b.1662)
• 1677: Mary (aged 15) married her
1st cousin –
protestant William III of Orange
• They lived in Netherlands
Mary, the day before her wedding
Prince William of Orange
• His mother was daughter of Charles I, sister of
Charles II
• Protestant
• From 1672 - Stadholder – national leader of the
Netherlands, influential, ambitious
• Many wars with France
• 1677 – Married Mary, elder daughter of James II
and Anne Hyde. Lived in Netherlands.
• 1684-86 - William & Mary built Het Loo palace
Het Loo Palace, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Het Loo Palace, Apeldoorn, Netherlands
Everything changes in 1688
• April 1688: King James II re-issued the Declaration of Indulgence (of Catholics),
subsequently ordering Anglican clergy to read it in their churches
• But, the situation was only “temporary” - first in line of succession was Mary,
married to William III of Orange
• 1687 Mary of Modena became pregnant
• April 1688 – William starts making plans to invade.
• 10 Jun 1688 – Mary of Modena has a son – James Francis Edward Stuart
• Mary (Prince William’s wife) is no longer first in line to the English throne
William has to consider invading to
claim the throne of England
• 29 Jun 1688 – trial of Seven Bishops (who had publicly opposed the Declaration of
Indulgence) – found not guilty
• 30 Jun 1688 – The “Immortal Seven”
sent William a formal invitation to the
throne
• William progressed his invasion plans
William’s invasion force is assembled
• Were the Netherlands safe from attack by Louis XIV?
• How to cross the North Sea?
• What about the weather?
• Would James II defend with force?
• How would the country react?
• Should he take everything with him?
• Appointed English Admiral Arthur Herbert to command fleet
• His own coach, printing press, food, 10,000 pairs of spare boots, clothing (9,000
spare coats), beer, water, brandy, tobacco, bullion (including 3 month’s pay for the
soldiers), mint, even a portable bridge!
• 11,200 foot soldiers, 4,050 cavalry soldiers
• A total of 8,000 horses, and 35,000 men!
• 52 fighting ships, 250 transport ships, 50 fishing boats
William’s invasion force sets sail
• October – in the North Sea!
• 19 October – set sail “during the silence of the night”
• Driven into a storm
• 1,000 horses suffocated when they “battened down the hatches”
• The naval chaplain reported “you could hear the men groan after a pitiful manner”.
• They returned to Hellevoetsluis to re-provision.
• 1 November – set sail again.
Departure from
Hellevoetsluis
1 Nov 1688after Abraham Storck
National Maritime Museum
Crossing the North Sea
William landing at Torbay
Brixham
From Torbay to Salisbury
• Torbay → Exeter – no resistance, but no enthusiasm or support either
• But could he conquer 8 million people with 35,000 men?
King James decides to negotiate
• King James returned to London for advice and consultation.
• He was forced to agree to negotiation.
James appointed 3 Commissioners
• He appointed his three Commissioners:
• George Savile, Marquis of Halifax,
• Daniel Finch, Earl of Nottingham and
• Sidney, Earl of Godolphin.
• All were moderate supporters of the King, but
• None was keen about this mission!
Agreeing where to meet
• 2 Dec – the Commissioners left London with 10 personal
servants each.
• The royal trumpeter!
• They agreed on Hungerford.
Lords Halifax, Nottingham & Goldolphin
stayed at Ramsbury Manor
• Thurs 6 Dec – the Commissioners
arrived at Ramsbury Manor
(built in 1683 for Charles II’s
Attorney General, Sir William
Jones).
William reaches Hamstead Marshall
House
The Hungerford negotiations, Dec 1688
• Thurs 6th - William arrived and
spent the night at The Bear
• Sat 8th – 10.00am
Lords Halifax, Nottingham &
Godolphin arrived
• Halifax handed William a letter
from James II
Prince William stays at Littlecote
• William retired to Littlecote
• Both teams went on negotiating
• Frustration / delays / vote
• William was immovable
Both teams dined at Littlecote
• Sun 9 Dec – both teams dined
in the Great Hall
• Final discussions
William’s proposals
• All Catholics in official positions should be removed
• There must be assurance of personal safety of William’s adherents
• Both armies should be no nearer than 40 miles to London
• The Tower of London and Tilbury fort should be put in the hands of the City of
London
• James must pay, out of revenue, for the maintenance of William’s troops
The Glorious Revolution
• 11 Dec 1688 – William left Littlecote for Oxford, then London
• 13 Feb 1689 – William declared King
• 11 April 1689 – William and Mary both Crowned
Kensington Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Fountain Court by Sir Christopher Wren
William & Mary’s reign
• Last person to have successfully invaded England by force
• 1690 Battle of the Boyne, and several Jacobite Risings
• 1694 Mary died of smallpox leaving William to rule alone
• 1702 William died – his horse stumbled in a mole-hole
• “To the little gentleman in black velvet”!
• Succeeded by Anne (Mary’s younger sister, the second daughter of Anne Hyde
and James II).
The importance of the Glorious Revolution• Britain became the most stable state in Europe
• Civil List separated the King’s money from national expenditure
• Political parties – Whigs and Tories
• The end of the struggles between King and Parliament
• Power was passing from the crown to the nobility and gentry
• They were able to enjoy it for 150 years before they too had to concede power to
the people!
• Only with the Reform Acts of the 19th century and Suffrage Acts of the 20th century
did we achieve real democracy!
• The Glorious Revolution was the biggest step on this journey
The Constable of Hungerford
• Joseph Butler, mercer.
Here lieth the body of Mr. JOSEPH BUTLER who
died 17th June 1693 aged 45 years
The commemorative plaque on The Bear Hotel