"The Lowlands of Holland" and "The Last Popular Rebellion; The Western Rising of 1685"

When, on 23 April 1661, Charles II's coronation put a King back on the throne, the counties of South West England were known as "the nursery of rebellion". Those counties – Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall – are approximately same area as Northern Ireland. I've re-jigged the map below to show the relative sizes.

By 1661 those counties had developed a heavily Presbyterian local church network (in 1669 Somerset alone had held 155 open air religious services known as 'conventicles', with approximately 11,000 people attending). Baptists, Congregationalists and Quakers were also pretty numerous. This, dismayed, 'nonconformist' population was looking to Holland for rescue: "specific and threatening allusions to horsemen and swords, or by hopes that national defeat by the Dutch would restore the old cause"*, almost 30 years before what became known as the Glorious Revolution. 

Almost prophetically, in 1685 it would be Charles II's firstborn but illegitimate son, James the Duke of Monmouth, who would lead such an attempt from his bolthole in the Netherlands, and land at Lyme Regis in Dorset, hoping the local population would rise to his cause and from that to claim the crown for himself.

"... The first to land were old Heywood Dare, Hugh Chamberlain, and Colonel Samuel Venner (see gravestone here). They indulged themselves in imprudent talk to fishermen, of there being a rebellion commenced in Ireland, and of another soon to come in England ... 

The Duke of Monmouth, drest in purple, with a star on his breast and a sword at his side, was accompanied to shore by Lord Grey, Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, Hooke the Duke's chaplain, Robert Ferguson who acted as the army chaplain, and other persons. The iniquitous and impolitic "Declaration" prepared by Ferguson was then read in the Lyme market-place. Rebellion had begun ..."

The source for that quote is on page 647 here, the huge 800 page volume of The Roxburghe Ballads of folk songs from the Monmouth Rebellion era (Wikipedia here) 

The aftermath was of course horrific. Here's one of the famous playing cards by Francis Barlow which capture some of the events of the time.

Here's an extract from another of the Roxburghe Ballads, a fictional, autobigraphical, song from the mouth of Monmouth himself.

Britain's Rights I am renewing,

Can this give a just offence?

Those that glory in my Ruine,

I in time may recompence.

For I'll have a stronger Army,

and of Ammunition store:

I'll have Drums & Trumpets charming,

when as I come on Englands shore.

My poor Souldiers they was taken

and in Droves to Prison sent,

This may protestants awaken,

to behold Romes black intent:

They shew not a grain of pity,

which does grieve my heart full sore;

For in every Town and City

they were hang'd at their own door.

There they ript their bellies open,

and their bodies burnt hard by;

Tell me, is not this a Token

of the Acts of Cruelty?

Nay, they cut them into quarters

while they reekt in purple gore;

Never was there such-like Creatures

in a Christian Land before.

Tho' poor Souls their Lives were ended,

yet, alas! this would not do,

Malice further still extended,

for they boil'd their Quarters too.

All to terrifie the Nation

with my poor dead mangled men;

While each tender dear Relation

needs must be afflicted then.

...................

The Roxburghe Ballads also include a verse from this old Scots song (on page 618) which is included to make reference to the Argyll Rebellion in Scotland, which like Monmouth's had also set off from the Netherlands in June 1685. Its leader, Archibald Campbell the 9th Earl of Argyll, had seen his own father beheaded at the Grassmarket Edinburgh on 27 May 1661, under orders of King Charles I. 1685 was son versus son.

 

The love that I have chosen, I'll therewith be content;
The saut sea shall be frozen, before that I repent;
Repent it shall I never, until the day I dee,
But the Lowlands of Holland hae twinn'd my Love and me!

* source The Last Popular Rebellion; The Western Rising of 1685 by Robin Clifton (p46)

...................

A 'Sham Fight' at Burnham in Somerset, 1687

"...The memory of these ends persisted. Two years after the rebellion, at a fair in the north Somerset village of Burnham, a riot took place.

Nearly a hundred local men, with some ex-rebels among them, declared that they were 'for the Duke of Monmouth', and challenged all comers to battle. Having beaten up their opponents and won the day, they did in great triumph hold up a bloody handkerchief declaring it to be Monmouth's colours'.

After singing 'songs concerning the Duke of Monmouth', the episode closed with the leader crying aloud 'now Holland (meaning ye said Riotters whereof he was one) had conquered France'. Monmouth was identified with Holland (and Protestantism and freedom); France with Popery and absolutism; and in the replay right had won.

The mock-battle shows how well villagers had understood the essence of 1685..."

• Source The Last Popular Rebellion; The Western Rising of 1685 by Robin Clifton (p276). A more detailed account is online here