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| Hull rebuff | ||
| 1642 | There was an arsenal at Hull which Charles
thought contained a large amount of arms and ammunition. In fact, much
of it had been moved to London under Parliamentary orders.
The King had appointed the Earl of Newcastle as Governor of Hull but Parliament had appointed Sir John Hotham. Charles was based in York. On April 23rd, the King sent his son (8 year old Duke of York) and his nephew Charles Louis (Rupert's brother) to visit the Governor Sir John Hotham. Dinner was interrupted by the King appearing himself outside the walls of the town at Beverley gate demanding to be let in. Hotham had no wish to upset Parliament and refused the King entry - he believed it would betray his commission to keep the town secure. Charles Louis and his party were unable to persuade him and Charles had to leave for York empty-handed. Charles Louis felt he had been used wrongly by the King and headed back to the Netherlands having decided that the King would probably not win. Sir John Hotham was branded a traitor and was executed in Jan 1645. |
Detail of the Hull Tapestry showing Charles I at Beverley Gate. |