Today in Covenanter History

On this day, 5th May 1646, Charles I surrenders to the Scottish Covenanters at the Saracen’s Head Inn at Southwell, (originally called “The King’s Head”) in Nottinghamshire. He had escaped in disguise from Oxford the previous day as the New Model Army approached.

For him the Civil War was over and he thought he would get more favourable terms from the Scots, perhaps cause divisions between them and the English Parliament, and hopefully wait for support from France and Ireland. This was not to be, he was imprisoned and eventually handed over to Parliament.

The Covenanter army and Parliamentarians were besieging nearby Newark, and William Kerr, Earl of Lothian, on receiving the news of the King’s arrival, hurried to Southwell and called on him to surrender, sign the Covenant, establish Presbyterianism in England and Ireland, and to order Montrose to lay down his arms in Scotland. The king refused and was then taken to Kelham, the headquarters of General David Leslie, who was in command of the Covenanter army. The king’s imprisonment, which would eventually lead to his execution, had begun. Guards were posted “lest he should communicate with his friends by letter.”

Before he left Southwell, the Scottish commissioners wrote to the Houses at Westminster, assuring them that the King’s coming had been entirely unexpected, that it had filled them with amazement and made them like “men that dream”.

Here is Lothian’s letter from the 5th May 1646.

“The Earl of Lothian, by command of the Commissioners of the Parliament of Scotland to the Commissioners from the English Parliament. Right Honourable. The discharging of ourselves of the duty we owe to the kingdom of England and unto you as Commissioners from the same, move us to acquaint you with the King’s coming into our army this morning, which having overtaken us unexpectedly hath filled us with amazement and made us like men that dream. We cannot think that he would have been so unadvised in his resolution [as] to have cast himself upon us without a real intention to give full satisfaction to both kingdoms in all their just and reasonable demands in all those things which concern religion and righteousness. Whatsoever be his disposition, our resolution, you may be assured, is that we shall never entertain any thought, nor correspond with any purpose, nor countenance any endeavour that may, in any circumstance, encroach upon our League and Covenant or weaken the union and confidence between the kingdoms. That union betwixt our kingdoms was the matter of many prayers; and as nothing was more joyful to us than to have it set on foot, so hitherto have we [counted] nothing too dear to maintain it. And we trust to walk with such faithfulness and truth in this particular that as we have the testimony of a good conscience within ourselves, so you and all the world shall see that we mind your interest with as much integrity and care as our own, being confident that you will entertain no other thought of us.”

Images from Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0) Jez Nicholson & Billy Wilson.