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| COLYTON -- THE MOST REBELLIOUS TOWN IN DEVON | ||||
| 1685.
Against the wishes of the Protestant majority, the Catholic James II
was crowned king in 1685. Four months later on the 24th May his nephew
the Duke of Monmouth, exiled in Holland, sailed to England hoping to raise
an army to overthrow the king. He landed on the coast of Dorset with 83
followers and began a recruitment march; he arrived at Lyme Regis on 11th
June 1685. |
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| Colyton's peace and
prosperity were overshadowed by the increasing influence of Catholics
and the resulting persecution of the dissenters who were in the majority
in Colyton. In fact Colyton was one of the main areas of religious
dissent in East Devon. As a result 105 Colyton men (more than any other
Devon town) chose to follow the Protestant Duke of Monmouth. Troops
loyal to the king were also active in the town and valley trying to
prevent others from joining the rebellion. Most of the Colyton rebels were hard working tradesmen who would not have joined the rebellion if they had been free to worship in their own way. Yeoman Roger Satchel known for his strong anti-papist views emerged as their local leader. Generally only one member of a family joined the rebels, but exceptionally there were six Bagwells and three named French. The youngest rebel, John Abraham aged 14 had only just married. |
None had experience of battle
but they believed that widespread popularity for the cause and sheer
force of numbers would win the day. Sadly, inadequate preparation,
tactical errors and fatal misjudgements resulted in defeat at the battle
of Sedgemoor. Marlborough had failed to ensure the support of the gentry
in advance of his landing.
An unknown number of Colyton men were killed in the battle and thirty
three were taken prisoner. Those that escaped faced long lonely
days on the run, hiding in hedgerows and deserted barns.
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