The Royal Oak of Boscobel

‘…Major Carlos (William Carlos) had...told me that it would be very dangerous for me either to stay in that house, or to go into the wood, there being a great wood hard by Boscobel; that he knew but one way how to pass the next day, and that was, to get up in a great oak, in a pretty plain place, where we might see around us; for the enemy would certainly search at the wood for people that had made their escape…’

From the Folio Book of Days, King Charles II described his determination to avoid being apprehended by Parliamentarian forces, by hiding in an oak tree, on September 6, 1651.  Sir Walter Scott edited Count Grammont’s “Memoirs of the Court of Charles the Second and the Boscobel Narratives”, which covers the honor due Charles’ hiding place:

 ‘The oak is now properly called " The Royal Oak of Boscobel," nor will it lose that name whilst it continues a tree, nor that tree a memory whilst we have an inn left in England; since the "Royal Oak" is now become a frequent sign, both in London and all the chief cities of this kingdom. And since his majesty's happy restoration, that these mysteries have been revealed, hundreds of people, for many miles round, have flocked to see the famous Boscobel, which (as you have heard) had once the honour to be the palace of his sacred majesty, but chiefly to behold the Royal Oak, which has been deprived of all its young boughs by the numerous visitors of it, who keep them in memory of his majesty's happy preservation, insomuch that Mr. Fitzherbert, who was afterwards proprietor, was forced in a due season of the year to crop part of it, for its preservation, and put himself to the charge of fencing it about with a high pale, the better to transmit the happy memory of it to posterity.

Charles II of England

"...But we had not gone two hours on our way but the mare .1 rode on cast a shoe; so we were forced to ride to get another shoe at a scattering village, whose name begins with something like Long . And as I was holding my horse's foot, I asked the smith what news ? He told me that there was no news that he knew of, since the good news of the beating of the rogues the Scots. I asked him whether there was none of the English taken that joined with the Scots ? He answered, that he did not hear that that rogue Charles Stewart was taken; but some of the others, ho said, were taken, but not Charles Stewart. I told him, that if that rogue were taken he deserved to be hanged, more than all the rest, for bringing in the Scots. Upon which he said, that I spoke like an honest man, and so we parted..."

From "Memoirs of the court of Charles the Second"  by Anthony Hamilton (Count), Charles II (King of England), Thomas Blount - Edited by Sir Walter Scott.

The Merrie Monarch, Charles II of England, was born on May 29, 1630.  The section of text above, in his own words, refers back to Charles' escape from England in 1651, when he evaded capture by hiding in the Royal Oak at Boscobel House.  Charles did not stand much of a chance of returning to England, so long as Oliver Cromwell was in power.  But Oliver's son and successor as Lord Protector, Richard, held a less firm grip on the country.  Charles was restored to the throne subsequent to Richard's resignation as Lord Protector.  Image is from fromoldbooks.org