Boscobel and the Royal Oak

We arrived at Boscobel quite late in the piece and decided to have just a quick look around. At least with free admission to these sites we can just do that. In any case, the house was under extensive renovation and about half of if was not accessible.

For those who don't know, Boscobel is a hunting lodge where Charles II hid from Oliver Cromwell's troops in September 1651 for a couple of days. Some of the time was spent in a priest's hole in the attic of the house. One (wet) night was in an Oak tree in a nearby forest. Most of the forest has now gone and even the actual tree is no more due to souvenir hunters who managed to kill it! The tree now called 'The Royal Oak' is a sapling from the original tree but this was badly damaged in a storm in 2000. There is yet another sapling ready to take over its title eventually.

The Royal Oak & daughter

Charles II then successfully escaped to France and returned after the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1660 and was restored to the throne. In recognition, the Pendrell family who sheltered him were given a pension in perpetuity which is still paid to their descendants today.