In April, 1681, Northamptonshire played host to one of the most controversial figures in English history. He was James Scott, Duke of Monmouth. Two years later he plotted to kill the King and seize the throne.
A pamphlet published in 1683 snappily entitled An Historic Account of the Heroic Life and Magnanimous actions of the most Illustrious Protestant Prince, James, Duke of Monmouth, recounts his visits to our county.
In a hyperbolical account it claims that “most of the principal inhabitants of Northampton” met Monmouth at Queen Eleanor’s Cross and in the town centre where “almost the whole town flocked to see him, and by their universal shouts manifested an extreme joy for his Grace’s arrival”.
But there was opposition. The George Hotel was where the reception was to have been held, but the innkeeper had publicly offered to “drink to His Grace’s confusion”. In other words “down with the Duke”! Anyway, Monmouth stayed in Northampton and the area for several days before returning to London.
Then in April the next year he returned to Northampton for five days to watch some horse races. He came incognito, bringing with him only two coaches and a small retinue. However word soon spread and again, “vast numbers” came out to cheer him with shouts of “God Save the King and the Duke of Monmouth”.
Later in September en route to Chester he stopped at Daventry where he was welcomed by a Mr Hopkins and a multitude of people and several bonfires were lit in celebration. I suspect, in truth, only a few of Monmouth’s supporters dared meet him.
Already, Monmouth’s disloyalty to the Crown was known because on his return from Chester he was arrested in Stafford charged with inducing a riot. Soon afterwards, he went in self-imposed exile to Holland where he gathered supporters for his plot to overthrow his Catholic uncle, James II.
James was Charles II’s brother. Monmouth’s claim to the throne was that he was the eldest surviving illegitimate son of Charles II by his mistress, Lucy Walter.
In May Monmouth crossed the Channel and assembled his army. They met the Royalist troops at Bridgewater where Monmouth was defeated.
He was executed on July 15.
On July 26, 1685, Charles Allestree, loyal Rector of Daventry, preached a sermon as “A Thanksgiving for the Defeat of the Rebels in Monmouth’s Rebellion”.
I am certain that while in Northamptonshire Monmouth must have met his great supporter and kinsman Ralph, 1st Duke of Montagu, who lived at Boughton House near Kettering. Ralph’s support cost him five years exile in France.
Over the centuries Monmouth’s royal parentage was doubted, but this year a DNA test on Monmouth’s descendant, the Duke of Buccleuch, showed that he shared the same Y-chromosome as a distant Stewart cousin, providing strong evidence that Charles II was Monmouth’s biological father.
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