Royal Escape

On the execution of King Charles I in 1649, Britain became a republic. His young son, Charles II, was crowned King of Scotland at Scone on 1 January 1651. This sparked the Civil War that ended with his defeat at the Battle of Worcester. The would-be king was now on the run.

High in the branches of a tall oak tree laid Charles II, the fugitive king of England. He had come to claim his throne, but Cromwell’s Roundheads had defeated his rebel army. Now he was fleeing to save his life. Disguised as a woodman, in coarse shirt and breeches, the young king laid in the branches of the oak all day, shivering, and sleeping fitfully on the shoulder of another fugitive from the battle. While in the tree, they saw soldiers going up and down, searching for escapees. But the troops never examined the oak. It must have been a miracle.

That night, the king crept down and made his way to nearby Boscobel House. He slept in a cramped priest hole. The following night he also spent in a hide, this time at Moseley Hall. Roundhead soldiers broke in at one point. They roughly questioned the owner but the king lay safe in his hide.

On leaving Moseley, Charles headed south-west for Bristol, hoping to find a ship for France. He was now disguised as a poor farmer, and was travelling on horseback with two companions. The countryside still swarmed with searching troops. He owed his life to many brave sympathizers who risked their lives to help him escape.

Once, the king had to get a horseshoe changed at a smith's. The smith informed him gruffly that the rogue Charles Stuart had not yet been captured. Charles replied coolly that if that rogue were taken he deserved to be hanged.

Pretending to be a working man was hard for the tall, dark-haired, luxury-loving king. Once, in the kitchens of a country house, the cook asked him to wind up the jack (a clockwork spit, used for roasting). Charles made a mess of the job.

"What countryman are you," the cook snapped, "that you know not how to wind up the jack?" Charles replied meekly that he came from a poor family: "We seldom have roast meat, but when we have, we don't make use of the jack."

There were no suitable ships at Bristol, so the fugitives made for the south coast. For many days, Charles was kept hidden at Trent Manor in Dorset. Then his friends arranged for a captain at Charmouth to ferry him to freedom.

They sped secretly to the seaport and waited for the captain in an alehouse. Huddled anxiously in a corner, alert to every suspicious glance, they waited for hours. But the captain did not come. Finally, they could stand the suspense no longer. They dashed back to Trent. Later, they discovered why the captain had failed them: his wife had learned of his dangerous plan and had locked him up in his bedroom.

Finally, they found a captain in Brighton willing to take Charles over the Channel. The king set sail in a grubby little coal brig on 15 October 1651, and landed safely in France. It had been a close shave. Two hours after they left the coast, soldiers had come searching for a tall dark man, six feet two inches high.

In 1653, Oliver Cromwell became Protector of the Realm and England was a republic. He died in 1655. By then, his son wasn't very keen on running the country and the British people wanted a king again. So ten years after his escape, Charles II was invited back to England to rule as king. He lavishly rewarded all those who had helped him in his flight. The getaway ship was even renamed the Royal Escape and served in the Navy.

That’s how Charles II came to power although his father lost his head. That’s also why many towns in England have pubs called the Royal Oak. They’re named after the tree that Charles II hid in to save his life.