TO FREE A KlNG The lsle of Wight was used to welcoming Royal visitors, yet in 1647 one arrived who was to receive less hospitality than he had anticipated. Charles l had escaped from Hampton Court and fled to the lsle of Wight, hoping for protection from its Governor, Colonel Robert Hammond, who was the nephew of the Kings Chaplain. He arrived in November 1647 and at first was allowed the freedom of the Island, living at Carisbrooke Castle, and hunting in the Royal Forest of Parkhurst, but things were about to change. Soon, the Kings chaplains, Dr. Sheldon and Dr. Hammond, were “no longer permitted to exercise their functions and then his servants Ashburnham and Legg were forbidden to wait on him. As the screws tightened, so he was eventually confined to the Castle, where Colonel Hammond had converted the barbican to a bowling green and had a summer house built, and there he took his exercise: bowling, walking the ramparts, and reading. ln December 1647 there was an abortive attempt to rescue the King by Captain Burley of ‘Yarmouth Castle, who was executed, but dispatches were still carried to and from the King by his servant, Henry Firebrace, and by his laundrywoman, Mrs. Wheeler, who smuggled out messages to Royalist supporters. An escape attempt was planned and Firebrace suggested a saw to cut through the bars of the window in the room in which the King was confined at night. Charles felt this was unnecessary as he had managed to get his head between the bars, and judged that where the head would pass, the body would easily follow. Firebrace was to give the signal, and the King would then slip through the window and descend by a cord to the courtyard. He would climb the outer wall and be lowered by a rope to the ground, where he would find Mr. Worsley and Mr. Osborne ready mounted, and with a spare horse, pistols and boots. They would then ride off to rendezvous with Mr. Newland, who had organised a large boat to take the King to safety. All had been arranged: ropes, horses, boots, pistols and boat. Then Firebrace gave the signal. The King managed to get his head through the bars, but when he tried to ease the rest of his body through the narrow opening, he found himself stuck between the bars, unable to go forward or back! After much discomfort he released himself and remained inside his room, and the escape attempt was called off. On a second attempt some time later, the window bars were cut and the King could have escaped from his room, but seeing more people below than had been arranged, he decided to abandon this attempt as well. A wise move, since the plan was to shoot him when he left the Castle. Worsley and Osborne rode through a hail of bullets to their rendezvous at the coast, but the master of the ship refused to let them on board without the King. Luckily they managed to escape in a small boat they acquired at Chale. There was one further chance of escape for Charles, but he turned it down. During the 60 day Treaty of Newport he was under house arrest in the old Grammar School, a building which still exists to this day, and he was urged to make a run for it, on the principle of rather a King in exile than a dead King. Charles refused, saying he had given his word to re- main in Newport until the proceedings were over. Shortly afterwards the Royal prisoner was taken by military officers to Hurst Castle, and then on to London to face execution in Whitehall.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 23:32:16 +0000
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