Marching For Monmouth

Explore the history of the Liberty Trail in Somerset with Simone Stanbrook-Byrne

- Simone Stanbrook-Byrne

HISTORY AND BACKGROUND

Cast your mind back to the second half of the 17th century. England had endured a civil war, a period as a republic and had seen the restoration of the monarchy. Charles ll was on the throne. It was an era of political uncertainty; a time when the religious persuasion of the monarch greatly influenced the mood of the country and occupied the concerns of the population.

The question of who should succeed Charles was a worrying one. None of his legitimate children survived though he had many illegitimate offspring – duplicity was rife: royal religious observation sat alongside regal infidelity.

The boy who was to become the Duke of Monmouth was born in 1649, the eldest illegitimate son of the king and one of his numerous mistresses, Lucy Walters. This boy was fondly acknowledged by his father. A Protestant, he rose to be a politically important figure but ultimately fled to Holland to escape the political turmoil of the early 1680s. On Charles II’s death the king’s Catholic brother inherited the crown and became James II.

However, within a couple of months of Charles’ death Monmouth had his sights re-set on the English throne. He had been a popular figure in England, supported by those who wished to recover the religious and political rights which had been chipped away. Monmouth was encouraged by other exiles and supporters of the Protestant cause, so he returned to the more Protestant-inclined West Country.

Although many men came to support him they were largely ill-equipped, armed with agricultural implements, and they had insufficient strength. King James soon heard of Monmouth’s landing at Lyme Regis; the rebels' only chance was to raise forces as they marched.