Driving into Southwell from Newark, you can’t really miss the Saracen’s Head – as it positively dominates the junction in the middle of town.
In 1646 it was called the King’s Head, and on the morning of 5th May 1646 the King came to call. Things hadn’t gone well for him over the years.
He’d fought against the Scots in the Bishop’s Wars of 1639 and 1640 and had not covered himself in martial glory. The first was a draw, the second an emphatic away win for the Scots, who easily over-ran the counties of Northumberland and Durham, They then refused to hand them back until the English reimbursed them for the cost of the war. In 1641 the Irish started again (having fought four wars against the English in the previous 100 years), and in 1642 the English Civil War started.
The first action of the king was to raise his standard on Standard Hill in Nottingham. It blew down. It may or may not have been bad omen, but it was certainly an inauspicious start to a war that gradually went wrong. By 5th May 1646 it looked about as bad as it could be, and the King arranged to surrender to the Scots.
He was rather caught out when the Scots handed him over to Parliament in return for £400,000, but carried on scheming and eventually managed to enlist Scots help in fighting Parliament. A Scots army did invade England in 1648, but was badly beaten by Cromwell at Preston.
With hindsight, (and if you believe in these things), meeting the Scots in a tavern called the King’s Head has the look of a bad omen.
We now come to my view of King Charles I, which isn’t necessarily a balanced academic view. He was a bit of an idiot and a good advert for why royal families should pay attention to the depth of their gene pool. If you look at his father you can see he never had much of a chance.
But when the chips were down he put on an extra shirt so he wouldn’t shiver in the January cold and seem afraid as he stepped up to the execution block.
“Let me have a shirt on more than ordinary by reason the season is so sharp as probably may make mee shake, which some Observors will imagin’ proceeds from fear. I will have no such Imputation, I fear not death!”
There is more to being a King than being clever and avoiding marrying your cousin.
Pingback: Sad Stories of the Death of Kings (Part II) | quercuscommunity
Pingback: Sad Stories of the Death of Kings (Part I) | quercuscommunity
Thanks for the history lesson, Quercus!
No problem. Thanks for reading.
Nice post! I have begun putting together a fantasy tour of England and Ireland. The Saracen’s Head will be on my list of places to stay 😉
There’s also the Queen’s Sconce – a surviving Civil War earthwork.
http://www.castlesfortsbattles.co.uk/midlands/newark_castle.html
Queen’s Sconce will go on the must-visit list!
It’s worth a look. 🙂
A good bit of history, Quercus. I have, of course, enjoyed a noggin or two there.
🙂 Thought so!
I have just visited two Scottish castles that were among the ruins that Cromwell knocked about a bit.
He was a busy man, and appears to have disliked castles. I don’t know where he found the energy.
Matilda has inherited it anyway.
I recommend ENGLAND ON EDGE as a book by the way
Just ordered it – they are years I don’t know much about.
david cressy is cracking historian
🙂
very interesting