THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

Charles II

THE GREAT ESCAPE THROUGH THE FINDON AREA

Text copyright Valerie Martin 1999.

Charles II was born at St. James’s Palace on 29th May 1630. Twenty-one years later he was a fugitive being hunted over the Findon Downs.

At the Battle of Worcester, Oliver Cromwell crushed a Scottish attempt on 3rd September 1651 to restore a Stuart to the throne of England. The defeat of Charles' Royalist Army shattered his hopes of being King of England, and with a thousand pounds on his head, the fugitive monarch fled south.

Oliver Cromwell.

 

As a hunted man in the face of his enemies he spent some six weeks hiding in the countryside. In doing so he was forced to assume various disguises to hide his dark hair and his six foot four inch stature. He met with many adventures and exciting escapades avoiding capture. He was aided and abetted by loyal subjects including the Pendrell brothers, Major Careless, Jane Lane, Lord Henry Wilmot, Thomas Gunter and Colonel George Gunter.

Through the counties of Gloucester, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire the banished royal personage passed. Unsuccessful efforts were made at Bristol, Bridport and Southampton to locate a vessel with a captain willing to convey him to safety.

Eventually, Lord Wilmot, the King's constant companion, managed to get into communication  (through Colonel Gounter of Racton) with a Chichester merchant named Mansell, and again through him with one Captain Tettersell, of Brighthelmstone (the old name for Brighton).   The latter was persuaded for the sum of £60. to convey to France ..

"two friends who were anxious to flee the country on account of a duel which had taken place with fatal results."  

The SURPRISE was berthed at the entrance of the Shoreham Harbour, the entrance of which in those days lay close to the present Hove boundary.

Monarch's Way map.  The Monarch's Way closely follows the supposed flight path of King Charles II when fleeing from the Cotswolds to France in 1651 - via the Findon area to Shoreham Harbour. The King was hotly pursued all the way by Oliver Cromwell's Parliamentary troops and his closest brush with them came in Bramber.

 

It was not until the beautiful autumn day of crisp air and brilliant sunshine on 14th October 1651 that entourage crossed into Sussex and eventually passed through the Findon area, and was able to escape to the continent.

They proceeded below the crests of the hillsides through the heart of the Downs towards Arundel.   They intended to cross the bridge over the River Arun but when they nearly ran straight into the arms of Captain Morley, the parliamentary governor of the Castle, they turned their horses and struck quickly inland.

It is documented that the King stopped at the George and Dragon in Houghton to partake of refreshment....

 

This brings me to a cute photograph taken many years ago outside the George and Dragon inn....

I can only guess that perhaps the date is c. 1910 and the elephant was part of a travelling circus and walking from Arundel to its next stop in Storrington.

 

The George and Dragon in March 2006

 

 

They resumed their journey and it is said that the King's horse lost one of its shoes at Amberley Mount and some time was lost in descending to Burpham to have the animal re-shod.

The question arises as to which route Charles and his companions actually took through the Findon countryside.

Firstly, did he actually stop at the Manor of Findon for refreshment?    I would like to think so. 

Would he have risked appearing in the village, which may have been carefully guarded by parliamentary forces?  Here I am doubtful.

There is a choice of three likely routes the fleeing royal party may have taken when approaching the Findon area.

Charles II

My first idea is thus.  When first approaching the village, Findon Church (map reference TQ116 085) would have indeed been a welcome sight, as it appeared snuggling beneath Church Hill. There would have been an autumn extravaganza about the trees. If they had halted at the Royalist-owned Manor they would have for certain been greeted with a cacophony of exuberant barking announcing their arrival, followed by friendly faces and the clamour of warm voices and willing hands. It would have been good to be among friends for a while and partake of refreshments.

Afterwards the royal party would have reluctantly departed the hospitality of Findon Manor. Passing the quiet vicarage and the manor pond on their right, they would have descended the valley and passed beneath the dappled light of the beeches showing their first hint of autumn. They would have talked amongst themselves as they headed east. Their horses’ hooves hit the flinty steep chalk slope of the Downs once more. They would have continued steadily on the Arundel to Bramber highway, slightly up hill all the time towards Chanctonbury, with Cissbury (sometimes spelt Chisbury at this time), away to their right.

My second idea.   On the other hand, with a price on his head, Charles may not have risked appearing in the Findon lanes that could have be guarded by Cromwell's men. The travellers may have taken avoiding action and crossed the highway at the farmhouse to the north of the village, named Kingswood, and continued up the ancient track at North End to Chanctonbury and then on to Bramber and then Brighton for the night. 

My third possibility is that the fugitives may have kept to the bridleway above the northern scarp of the Findon Downs to Muntham Furze above Muntham Court and Highden (staunch royalist strongholds). Here they could have crossed the highway and steadily climbed to Chanctonbury.  Keeping nearer the northern escarpment of the Downs for some ten miles,the little party would have descended to Bramber .... still in the early afternoon.

One thing that is certainly recorded is that the King's party did skirt the Chanctonbury hillside at some point. As he rode along the chalky downs, the thrill of the upland air and the windswept loftiness must have caught the King's heart. He would have thought it indeed countryside worth fighting for.

It is agreed that the group did progress down the hill between Steyning and Maudlin, and on through Bramber.   It is here that they encountered their big adventure of the day, for they fell in with a considerable body of the enemy on Bramber bridge crossing the River Adur.   By immense good fortune most of the soldiers were refreshing themselves at the inn.    Pulling their hats over their eyes and keeping to the side of the track, the royal party, as if by a miracle, avoided detection.     Although some of the soldiers did ride past them on the road a little later and brushed the party's steeds into a ditch.   It was now about 4 pm.

The party might well begin to feel just a little fatigued with the day's ride and excitement.  The fortunate care of Lord Wilmot had provided some refreshment in Beeding, the adjoining village, at the house of a certain Mr. Backshall.  

click on image to enlarge

Mr. Backshall's house at Beeding

 

It is said that in the 1930s, the property was still standing and had been recently restored with much forethought.   I admit that portions of it may have been of a later date than the King's visit in 1651, but much both of its exterior and interior looked the same as they did to the fleeing royal riders.  

click on image to enlarge

The Parlour in Mr. Backshall's house

Charles was surely tired and rather restless and would not stay at Mr. Backshall's property though.   Colonel Gounter alone proceeded on to Shoreham to meet Mansell and with him to make final preparations with Captain Tettersell.  The King and his two remaining companions again took to their horses and the comparative safety of the downland.   I cannot help but wonder how many local inhabitants spotted them and did not realise who they had seen.

It is known that they spent an exciting night in Brighton when at the George Inn they were recognised by the landlord, Anthony Smith, even though he was shorn of his give away hair.     The landlord swore his loyality.   Captain Tettersell also recognised the royal personage and demanded a fee of £200 for his safe passage. 

The next morning the royal party set off the following morning at 2 a.m. on horseback for Shoreham. They halted and watched the SURPRISE a two-masted sailing ship out on the dancing waves of the creek (now Shoreham Harbour) waiting to take them to safety. It was square-rigged on both masts, carrying two or more headsails. Never had Charles been so grateful to see such a craft.

"I and my Lord Wilmot got up with a ladder into her, and went to lay down in the little cabin, till the tide came to fetch us off", he later revealed.

The time was 7 a.m. on Wednesday, 15th October, 1651.

Morning dawned and  Gounter and Mansell bade the King farewell.  The SURPRISE lifted with the tide.    Away she sailed as if on a normal run to Poole Harbour in Dorset where she was originally intending to discharge her cargo of coal.

Colonel Gounter faithfully watched the SURPRISE for some hours, and road along the Sussex coastline with horses at the ready, lest a mishap should drive the craft inland again.

As the SURPRISE was passing the Isle of Wight, her captain, the wind now favouring her progress, altered her course and made for the coast of France.

Possibly the accompanying sailors had their suspicions about their cargo, for one of the crew when reprimanded by their captain for puffing tobacco smoke across the King's face, retorted with a look of all innocence that...

"A cat might look at a King".

A reward of £1,000. had been posted along the Sussex coast and at every port for the King's delivery, alive or dead.  Not one betrayed him.  

It is reported that Captain Tettersell's wily wife guessed what her husband was up to.  'It is the King", she is supposed to have exclaimed "whom I suspect you carry over.   Pray God you will carry him safe, though I and my small children should ever after go begging".

 

click on image to enlarge

"The Surprise" by William Van De Velde, "The Younger".

That night in Brighton, soldiers were sent to look for a dark man, over two yards high who had escaped their clutches as he crossed the Findon countryside.

On the next morning, 16th October, the coastline of France was a welcome sight indeed and the craft came to a safe anchorage within two miles of Fécamp.   The King and Lord Wilmot were rowed through the choppy waves in the small rowboat that had accompanied them and the sailors carried them ashore.  

The SURPRISE then turned about and steered to her original destination at Poole where  Captain Tettersell and the crew unloaded their load of coal at leisure.   No one guessed they had sailed via the French coast to get there.   The skipper was a hard man to strike a bargain with, for, being obliged to cut his anchor off the French shore, he insisted that Colonel Gounter should refund him the loss of £6.    Gunter did so.

What happened to the SURPRISE and her Captain?    I am about to reveal all.  At the Restoration her Captain had her decorated and took her up the River Thames, perhaps with an eye to increasing his street cred and business.  He moored opposite Whitehall and doubtless had many admirers.    In 1663, Captain Tettersell, Mrs Tettersell, his son and daughter received a royal pension of £100. per annum for 99 years.......also the skipper was given a ring as a memento.  

His friend Mansell (the merchant of Chichester) through who he was originally engaged, received a similar one of £200. 

The craft was taken under the umbrella of the Royal Navy as a fifth-rate and re-named THE ROYAL ESCAPE.  Tettersell was given the rank of Captain in the Navy and went on to command the MONK from 1661.... until he was dismissed and in 1671 he became the landlord of the Old Ship Inn in Brighton.

I caught up with THE ROYAL ESCAPE in the Navy List of 1684 she was described as a smack of 24 tons, ten men and no guns.  

During King Charles' life time THE ROYAL ESCAPE was treated with respect ... and even long after.   She then lay forgotten and derelict at the Deptford Dockyard as other monarchs held the throne of England.   After 150 years her decaying rotting timbers  were dismantled and used as firewood in 1791.

 

This photograph was taken during the filming of "King Charles II — Royal Escape" in 1913 in nearby Steyning.
Men in cavalier dress rode on horseback up the Bostal Road above the village during shooting of the film based on the King's escape through Sussex.  Local inhabitants sat and watch on hillside above the road.

 

1913 —  Actors wearing costume of Roundhead soldiers stand in the Steyning High Street with Bank Passage in right background during shooting of film "King Charles II — Royal Escape".  Many local residents had parts as extras.

 

1913 — Another shot during filming in Steyning.   Actors playing King Charles II and his escort ride on horseback along Steyning High Street as local residents cheer.

It is said that one mother was able to buy new shoes for her children for the first time with her payment for taking part in the film.

I received an email in April 2003 saying —

 

I just did a search on Dominic Caldecott of Findon Place, and it seems that Sarah Gordon-Lennox, his wife, is a direct descendant of Charles II, through his son Charles Lennox, the 1st Duke of Richmond.   What illustrious neighbours you have!

 

This surfer

was quite correct.  Dominic Caldecott married Sarah Caroline Gordon-Lennox (born 1960) in 1988.

Child 1: Frederick Arthur Nicholas, born 1989
Child 2: Thomas Andrew, born 1989
Child 3: Rufus George, born 1993

 

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THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

 

E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com