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The Godly Cavalier

Thu, 21 May 2026 15:43:52 GMT

William was the third son of Spencer Compton, the 2nd Earl of Northampton.

He attended Eton between 1634 and 1636 and presumably went from there to either Oxford or Cambridge – though I haven’t been able to establish which.

When the Civil War broke out, William was just seventeen years old but he fought with his father’s regiment at Edgehill and, when Banbury Castle fell to the Cavaliers four days later, Major Sir William Compton – assisted by Lieutenant-Colonel Anthony Greene – became the Castle’s titular Governor.

He also assembled a regiment of Foot under his father’s name … and, in a sense, they still exist today.

Go to any Civil War battle re-enactment and you’re likely to find Lord Northampton’s green-jackets have set up camp.

I won’t go too deeply into Will’s time at Banbury.

A large part of the garrison’s job was to keep Oxford supplied by raiding enemy convoys which made it a particular thorn in Parliament’s side and, even then, the town was a by-word for Puritanism.

But until the summer of 1644, life in the Castle remained fairly quiet; mundane … possibly even tedious.

And then the Parliament’s first serious attempt to re-possess it changed all that.

The Great Siege of Banbury Castle lasted for fourteen weeks while 3,500 Parliamentarians threw everything they’d got against the 320 strong garrison.

By the time the King sent help, the Cavaliers had neither powder, shot nor food and had eaten all but two of the horses.

Listen or read the full story of this and what happened afterwards in:

A Splendid Defiance

After Lieutenant-Colonel Greene died of influenza in December ’44, William was raised to the rank of Colonel and got full Governorship of the Castle.

He was nineteen.

So what was this rather remarkable young man really like?

Plainly, he had physical determination and courage; equally plainly, he possessed sufficient intelligence and authority to make men follow him despite his youth; and, in addition, he seems to have enforced a code of behaviour born of basic Anglican piety on the garrison – doubtless no easy task.

But there is one particular incident which speaks of a passion for fairness … and that was his reaction to the attempt of his elder brother, James Compton [by then the 3rd Earl] to cashier Captain Tyrwhitt in 1645.

William took up the cudgels in Tyrwhitt’s defence, defying his brother and stating that no officer of his would be cashiered in his absence for an unproven offence.

He didn’t win – but he used every weapon at his disposal trying.

The Castle was besieged again in January of 1646 – this time by Colonel Whalley – and the Cavaliers held out until the King’s surrender made their own inevitable.

William seems to have spent a large part of the next two years travelling abroad … probably in France and the Low Countries, perhaps even fighting in the Thirty Years War.

He doesn’t re-emerge until 1648, when we hear of him settling on the estate in Kent granted to him by his grandfather.

If you want to meet him again, he returns in:

Garland of Straw

As a Kentish land-owner, William automatically became involved in the risings that were part of the second Civil War.

Now a Major-General, he fought at Maidstone and was an officer in Lord Norwich’s small, ill-fated army on the miserable journey [dogged every step of the way by Colonel Whalley] that eventually meandered its way to Colchester.

After Banbury, William must have hoped never to find himself in a siege situation again … but to his superior officers (Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle) his siege experience must have been invaluable

Colchester held out from July 2nd to August 24th before surrendering to Sir Thomas Fairfax.

Despite having surrendered, Lucas and Lisle were put against a wall and shot – a disgraceful and unnecessary footnote to the siege.

Sir William was imprisoned in the Tower of London before finally being released.

In 1651, he married Elizabeth Tollemache and settled down in Cambridgeshire.

He doesn’t appear to have taken part in the Worcester campaign but he hadn’t retired from Royalist activities either.

During 1652, he joined five other erstwhile Cavalier gentlemen in forming a secret society whose sole aim was the restoration of Charles II. John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse, Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough, Col. John Russell, Col. Sir Edward Villiers and Sir Richard Willis.

.This clandestine group called themselves the Sealed Knot and, over the next seven years, made at least eight unsuccessful attempts to restore the king to the throne.

But, as time passed, four of Will’s co-conspirators concluded that fellow-member, Sir Richard Willys, had become a double-agent and was betraying them.

Once again, William refused to accept a man’s guilt without solid evidence – and he was excluded from the Knot as a result.

But in 1660, Sir William sailed with Edward Montague – soon to become the Earl of Sandwich - to Holland to escort King Charles II back from exile.

He became an active member of the first two Cavalier Parliaments, serving on various committees and, we are told, often providing the voice of reason.

Sadly, he died at his home in Drury Lane after a short and apparently sudden illness on October 18th, 1663.

He was thirty-eight years old. Samuel Pepys wrote of Sir William that:

‘ All of the world was saying he was one of the worthiest men and best officers of state in England’

and also added that:

‘No man ever spoke ill of him.'

Samuel Pepys

But who christened him 'The Godly Cavalier'?

It was Oliver Cromwell.

Strange (or mythical?) Scottish creatures

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:36:05 GMT

Strange (or mythical?) Scottish creatures

The Beast of Buchan, Aberdeenshire

Instances of sheep being attacked by The Beast became so prolific that it has been raised on more than one occasion in the Scottish Parliament.

Reports of big cats from various parts of Britain go back to medieval times and have become an established part of Scottish folklore.

The Beast of Buchan is perhaps the best known of them.

In the tales, The Beast is a large black cat similar to a panther which preys on local livestock.

All who see it are certain that it is not a native Scottish wildcat.

On the other hand, it could be a lynx or a puma or a black panther.

It's the size of a Labrador or an Alsatian or a greyhound but it’s definitely not a dog or a fox.

There have been so many sightings that the Beast now has its own set of stalkers called the Scottish Big Cat Trust.

This dedicated group investigates sightings whenever and wherever they occur.

The Loch Ness Monster

Most famous of all Scottish monsters is the one reputed to live in Loch Ness.

Sightings of Nessie before the 20th century were very few.

But two sightings in the summer of 1933 changed everything and created a media sensation.

Nessie fits a tradition of ‘lake monsters’ which are supposed to exist elsewhere in Scotland as well as in other parts of the world – such as Storsjöodjuret in Sweden.

In the 1980s, the Swedish authorities sought British advice on legal protection for their monster (should it exist) from poachers and adventurers.

After much consultation, it was concluded that Nessie was already protected under the 1981 Wildlife & Countryside Act.

As such it would be a criminal offence to “snare, shoot or blow Nessie up with explosives”.

Following this advice, Sweden went on to pass legislation offering similar protection to the Storsjőodjuret.

The Haggis - Haggis Scoticus

And now my personal favourite … The Haggis.

For centuries, the haggis remained one of Scotland’s most closely-guarded secrets.

These small animals – long supposed to be mere folklore – have begun to capture the attention of wildlife enthusiasts everywhere as recent discoveries reveal a rich ecosystem of haggis species.

The Haggis Scoticus is a small, furry mammal.

Averaging 30-40 cm in length, these rotund creatures are perfectly adapted to life in the rugged Scottish landscape.

Their most distinctive features are their asymmetrical legs – shorter on one side than the other; this is an evolutionary marvel that allows them to navigate steep hillsides swiftly.

The right-running haggis (known as the Rightie) is characterised by its unique leg adaptation allowing it to run uphill clockwise.

The left-running haggis (or Leftie) has shorter legs on its left side, enabling it to run counterclockwise.

Some believe haggis lore dictates that ‘lefties’ do not mate with ‘righties’ but this is debatable.

The term for a group of wild haggis is "stooshie." This collective noun is commonly used to refer to these small mammals found in Scotland's rugged terrain.

Haggis populations are spread across Scotland but the highest concentrations are found in the Highlands and the Scottish borders.

Haggi (this is not a typo; it is the agreed plural of haggis) prefer areas with a mixture of heather moorland and scattered woodlands – places which provide convenient shelter.

Three common haggis species have been identified, each adapted to its specific habitat.

The Highland Haggis (Haggis Montanus) is larger and woollier than its lowland cousins.

A remarkable species indigenous to the Highlands.

It is distinguished by its impressive adaptations to thrive in the challenging environment of these elevated terrains.

The Loch Haggis (Haggis Aquaticus) is a rare loch-dwelling species of wild haggis known for its webbed toes, a water-proof coat and tartan nests – and its uncanny ability to vanish into the mist.

Long thought extinct (or imaginary), sightings of this elusive creature continue to surface near remote Scottish lochs.

The Whisky Glen Haggis (Haggis Inebriaticus) can usually be found near distilleries, is mostly nocturnal and has a tendency to lurch or wobble when walking

The preferred diet of all 3 species is interesting – even unique. They eat ‘Tunnocks’ tea cakes and drink single malt whisky (when they can get it) and ‘Irn Bru’ (when they can’t).

For those unfamiliar with the Tunnock tea cake, it is a biscuit base topped with a marshmallow dome and covered in chocolate. They are easy to spot, being wrapped in red and silver foil.

Haggis are generally solitary creatures but they come together during the mating season in late autumn.

This period, known as the Great Haggis Gathering , is when elaborate courtship displays take place and one may sometimes hear the males’ distinctive mating call – which sounds something like a cross between a whistle and a bagpipes’ drone.

The image on the left might be of Hogmanay but is more likely to be the main highlight of the Haggis calendar; the January 26th Celebration – marking the annual triumph of once again outwitting the Burns Night Hunters.

While below we see a typical Burns Night Celebration in many pubs throughout Scotland!

Cheers or as the Scots say ... Slàinte Mhath!

And finally … a word about Conservation

While not currently endangered, the Scottish Wildlife Trust has put in place several conservation programmes including: -

‘Haggis Highways’ to allow safe passage between fragmented habitats.

And ‘Haggis Tunnels’ beneath the busiest roads.

Unfortunately, a haggis (often the Haggis Inebriaticus ) sometimes mistakes a rabbit-hole for a tunnel – with the obvious unfortunate result and thus creating a job for the emergency services.

The Palace of Whitehall - a brief history

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 10:56:21 GMT

The Palace of Whitehall

The Palace of Whitehall covered most of the area in London that bears its name.

It lay in the district of Westminster and was originally called York Place.

In those days it had belonged to Cardinal Wolsey and it was the official London residence of the Archbishops of York.

But after the Palace of Westminster burned down in 1512, Henry Vlll had no official residence.

So, when Cardinal Wolsey fell from power in 1529, Henry and Anne Boleyn took a barge down the Thames to visit his palace – and, impressed by its magnificence, decided to use it as the basis for a new palace which they would design themselves

Reconstruction of the Palace and Abbey of Westminster – this is how the area would have looked like at the beginning of the Tudor period.

The new palace was to be built in two sections, on either side of a busy road.

To the west was to be an area for playing tennis and bowls and for watching cock fights.

On the opposite side, would be the residential part of the palace, incorporating Wolsey’s house and centred on a long gallery containing the King’s own rooms and overlooking beautiful gardens.

The two parts were to be linked by a bridge over the road hidden in a gatehouse called the Holbein Gate.

Henry also purchased a huge amount of land to the west of the new palace to form a chain of hunting grounds.

Today, these are Hyde Park, St. James’s Park, Green Park and Regent’s Park.

Until the Henry’s death in 1547, what was to become Whitehall was a permanent building site.

In the end, it was left to Queen Elizabeth I to complete the building that her mother had started fifteen years before.

During the 17th century, the Palace of Whiteha ll was reputedly the largest palace in Europe and covered roughly 33 acres.

The only significant building to be added to Whitehall before the Civil War was the Banqueting House build in1623, designed by Inigo Jones and possessing a magnificent ceiling painted by Peter Paul Rubens.

The building was to be the principal reception hall for English kings and was used as such until the Civil War.

Later, it was to be the site of a shocking event.

At 2pm on January 30 ^th , 1649, Charles I was executed there on a platform erected outside a first-floor window which had been removed for the purpose.

(An official there told me that no one is quite sure which window.)

Here’s a brisk, clinical account of the event: -

A huge crowd gathered in bitter weather but they were kept so far back that the King's final words went largely unheard.

The scaffold was draped with black cloth. And in the centre of the blackened and sanded floor stood the axe and a lower quartering block of a kind used to dismember traitors.

Two men, heavily disguised with masks, stood ready to perform the act.

The King, his hair bound in a white nightcap, took off his cloak and told the executioner that he would say a short prayer before giving a signal that he was ready.

After a little pause, he stretched out his hand; the axe fell and the executioner severed his head in one clean blow.

One witness said, 'There was such a groan by the thousands then present as I never heard before and desire I may never hear again’.

To this day, the clock overlooking Horse Guards’ Parade marks the time of the execution with a black mark against the two .

When Charles ll was restored to the throne in 1660, the Palace of Whitehall was a hotch-potch of architectural styles and looked more like a sprawling village than a royal residence.

Charles decided to rebuild.

But in 1666 came the Great Fire of London and a rash of very necessary rebuilding – a task given to Sir Christopher Wren.

Financial pressures meant that it is unlikely Wren even began to design the new palace.

Charles died in 1685. His brother, James II, came to the throne and immediately had new apartments built for the Queen and a Catholic chapel beside the Holbein Gate.

However, because of his religion he was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and replaced by his daughter Mary II and her Dutch husband, James's nephew William III of Orange.

William and Mary didn’t like Whitehall so they had Sir Christopher Wren build a new house for them at Kensington – now Kensington Palace.

And, as luck would have it, disaster struck at Whitehall on January 4 ^th , 1698.

A palace servant put wet linens to dry around a brazier; they caught fire and the blaze spread rapidly.

Informed that saving the entire palace would be impossible, King William ordered the main fire-fighting efforts be directed towards the Banqueting House.

And this, of course, is why the Banqueting House is the only surviving part of the Palace of Whitehall … and still there for us to visit today.

February Newsletter 2026

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 11:56:48 GMT

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January Newsletter 2026

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 15:05:26 GMT