The Story

In the 1600s, the English were ruled by a very unpopular King - Charles I. He was from a powerful Scottish family - the Stuarts.

At that time, England had its own Parliament. The English Parliament had many disagreements with Charles I.

Disagreement between Charles I and the English Parliament got really bad. In 1642 they declared war on each other! Everyone in England was forced to choose sides. Royalists supported Charles I and Parliamentarians supported England’s Parliament. It was English Civil War.

Even though the people of Scotland already had their own parliament, Scotsmen wanted Scottish control in England too. So Charles I promised them more Scottish influence in the government of England.

In exchange Charles I requested a Scottish army to help fight his English enemies. They signed an agreement on 26 December 1647.

With his Scottish army, Charles I outnumbered England’s Parliamentarians. Yet despite being outnumbered, the English Parliament defeated the Scottish army.

In 1649 the defeated Charles I was put on trial. He was charged with maliciously making war on the Parliament and people of England.

The Scottish King was found guilty, and his head was chopped off!

When Scotsmen discovered what happened they were outraged!

Two years later Charles I’s son (also named Charles) was crowned king of Scotland. Like his father he wanted to rule over the English too. His Scottish army and some English Royalists attacked England's Parliamentarians. But they too were crushed; this time in the Battle of Worcester (1651).

Immediately after the battle of Worcester, Charles quickly got away.

England’s Parliament declared a reward of £1,000 on Charles' head. Anyone caught helping him would face the death penalty.

With the help of his English supporters, Charles arrived in a place 50 miles from the battlefield.

A local Royalist, Richard Pendrill, disguised the King in the clothes of a woodman. Charles had his hair cut short and his face and arms were stained. He was then helped by the Pendrill Family to hide in the woods near Boscobel House.

Before long, Parliamentarians were searching the woods. So Charles hurried into the Boscobel House garden. He quickly climbed up into the branches of an oak tree and hid...

The whole area was searched by the Parliamentarians, but Charles stayed hiding up in the oak tree...

Thanks to the oak tree and the help of English Royalists, Charles had many adventures on a route now known as Monarch’s Way.

Finally he reached England’s south coast and set sail from Shoreham to Fécamp in France.

3rd September 2011 will see the 360th anniversary of the Battle of Worcester and Charles II's escape!

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During the years when Charles, in exile, was forced to live in France, England was ruled by the Parliamentarian Oliver Cromwell.

Life under Cromwell was tough. There were many problems, arguments and new laws based on his strict religion:

“He was a fundamentalist, as committed to his illiberal vision of religious domination as today's Taliban” (Tristram Hunt, New Statesman, December, 2001).

Cromwell thought that things many English people enjoy were sins - he made eating sweet tasty food, watching plays, singing and dancing against the law. Inns and all theatres were closed down, most sports were banned and boys caught playing football on a Sunday could be whipped as a punishment - Church attendance was compulsory.

Men had to be dressed head to toe in black and have short hair. Women had to wear a long black dress, a white apron, a white headdress and no makeup. Women caught working on the Sabbath could be put in the stocks.

The people of England found life no fun with Oliver Cromwell’s strict laws.

Not long after Cromwell died in 1658, the English Parliament, reflecting the wishes of the people, asked Charles to come back from France.

Charles agreed to come back, and arrived in London on his 30th Birthday - 29th May 1660 and paraded through the streets.

Never again has a King or Queen been crowned in Scotland, but thanks to the English Oak, Charles II eventually reached England's Throne. His arrival marked the beginning of Restoration - the return of Monarchy for England.

The Restoration was finally completed at Charles II's English Coronation, on St. George's Day, 1661, when there was a great procession to Westminster Abbey.

At Charles II's return in 1660, not only Royalists welcomed him - his arrival signified that everyone could enjoy singing, dancing, theatre, drinking ale, playing football and rich tasty food like plum pudding once more.

On the day of his arrival there were fireworks, bonfires, dancing in the streets; church bells rang and cannons roared!

"The shouting and joy expressed by all was past imagination" (Samuel Pepy’s Diary)

The 29th May, was designated "Royal Oak Day" by Act of Parliament: "Parliament had ordered the 29th of May, the King’s birthday, to be forever kept as a day of thanksgiving for our redemption from tyranny and the King’s return to his Government, he returning to London that day ".

(Samuel Pepys’s Diary 1st June 1660)