With the sad passing of our much loved Queen Elizabeth II, we now have our new monarch … King Charles III. Here are some snippets about King Charles I and King Charles II …
King Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was buried on 7th February 1649 at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
King Charles II was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. He was born in 1630 and so inherited the throne at age 19.
The Canterbury Plum Pudding Riots of 1647 - Kent
On Wednesday, 22 December 1647 Canterbury's town crier proclaimed the suppression of Christmas Day under the ruling of a new Puritan government. Celebrations and mince pies were banned and it was to be treated as any other working day during which shops must open. A shop keeper was put into the stocks for refusing to open and a large crowd gathered on Christmas Day to demand a church service, to be able to decorate doorways with holly bushes and to keep the shops shut. This crowd – under the slogan "For God, King Charles, and Kent" – then descended into violence and a riot, with a soldier being assaulted, the mayor's house attacked and the city under the rioters' control for several weeks until they were forced to surrender in early January. The good people of Canterbury weren’t having their Christmas cancelled!
Cheam - Surrey
The Great Fire of London was a disaster that happened in the sixth year of the reign of King Charles II. At that time he was the royal owner of Nonsuch Palace. He went on to give it to his mistress ...
Nonsuch Palace remained royal property until 1670, when Charles II gave it to his mistress, Barbara, Countess of Castlemaine - he also gave her the title of ‘Baroness of Nonsuch’.
She was a notorious mistress of the many mistresses of King Charles II, by whom she had five children. He acknowledged all of them. At times her influence was so great over the king that she had been referred to as ‘The Uncrowned Queen’.
King Charles II was married to Catherine of Braganza. He acknowledged at least 12 illegitimate children altogether, by various mistresses, but left no legitimate children and was succeeded by his brother, James.
Barbara was extravagant and promiscuous with quite a temper - on the reverse, she was said to be kind and fun with a big heart.
The King went on to have other mistresses - the most notable being the actress Nell Gwynne who he visited nearby Epsom with.
In 1676 Barbara travelled to Paris and returned to England four years later. Her extravagant spending hadn't reduced. She had Nonsuch Palace pulled down around 1682–3 and sold off the building materials to pay off her gambling debts.
She did retain a relationship with the King, who spent an evening with her a week before he died in February 1685. Barbara died in 1709, aged 68.
Faversham - Kent
A whole host of royals and famous people have visited and walked the wonderful streets of Faversham over the centuries ...
Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed the towns hospitality in 1572.
William Shakespeare came as a player in a travelling company of players in 1590.
In 1660 King Charles II arrived in Faversham, having been in exile in France. He visited 23 Court Street. Charles II was the king from 1660 until he died in 1685, when his brother took over the throne.
Later in 1688, his brother, King James II, had proved to be unpopular as the king and decided to leave England by boat. He disguised himself as a servant and joined a fishing boat to seek refuge back in France. They were captured off Sheerness and brought to Faversham where the king was recognised. Two brothers - two very different visits to Faversham!
Rochester - Kent
Restoration House in Rochester is the amalgamation of two medieval buildings which were combined in the late 16th or early 17th century to create a mansion house. It takes its name from the fact that Charles II stayed here on his return from exile in the year of the monarchy’s restoration of 1660.
One famous owner was Rod Hull (of Rod Hull and Emu fame) who bought Restoration House in the late 1980’s for £270,000 to save it from being turned into a car park area. Sadly the cost of renovations proved too much and the property was sold on.
Royal Tunbridge Wells - Kent
1630 - Queen Henrietta Maria visits Tunbridge Wells. The wife of King Charles I, his physicians sent Henrietta Maria to the springs to ‘re-establish her health’ after she had given birth to their child, Prince Charles, in 1630. She remained here for six weeks. At that time there were very few buildings and so it is noted her party stayed in tents pitched on the common. In 1649, at the age of 19, Prince Charles became King Charles II. It was a time of great turbulence and King Charles II fled to Europe, returning in 1660 - he died in 1665.
1663 - King Charles II visits Tunbridge Wells with his wife, Queen Catherine. The King and his wife were housed but his court were housed in tents.
Rye – East Sussex
Rye was originally fully walled with four gates being Landgate, Strandgate, Baddings Gate and Postern Gate - today only Landgate remains. The town has attracted royal visits, notably Queen Elizabeth I in 1573, Queen Elizabeth II in 1966, and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 1982. King Charles I described Rye as "the cheapest sea-towne for the provision of fish for our house”.
