Courtier in the Royal House of Stuart

by Leslie Hatton

  ‘Some… probably half but you would get the rest, let’s just wait and see. In the meantime I wouldn’t mind betting that once the word gets out just how good Gladiator is, those men from Binnenhof will be queuing up to ride him.’

  ***

  The seasons came and went, and I loved them all in different ways, every day a joy filled with exciting new challenges. Saturdays were like heaven on earth, and every Sunday I went to church to give thanks to the good Lord. I prayed for all the people who in different ways had help me escape from Cromwell, I prayed for the gift of my lovely girlfriend Anne, for my friends here in Holland and for my job in the stables. But most of all for my family trapped in the smelly city of London, while I was living here in The Hague, breathing clean air and living in luxury.

  Once a week Thomas would come over from Breda to check my work, bring me new interesting books, and set me more tests for the coming week.

  I knew little about politics, nor did I really want to, but judging by the news coming from England, Cromwell’s government was not working any better now than it was when the first King Charles was on the throne. The latest news was that he had recently expelled a hundred members of his parliament, calling them untrustworthy and unreliable. That then caused an almighty row in parliament, and another sixty walked out in protest. They blamed constant interference from the military as the reason.

  Cromwell himself was apparently getting frustrated and ready to hand over more responsibility to his senior ministers, but he was not yet prepared to abandon his power over the army.

  Despite all the treasures and land that his army had stolen from disenchanted Lords, they were still suffering from an acute shortage of finance.

  There had been a Scottish uprising which put a smile on Charles’s face at the time, but in the end it amounted to nothing. And of course we all knew that Cromwell had considered a monarchical power, had the young Duke of Gloucester taken the throne… himself being Regent. He thought that such an arrangement would have pacified the people and the Lords. But the young prince flatly refused.

  ‘It was my father’s dying wish that I should not accept the throne while Charles and James live,’ is what he told Cromwell.

  The naval battles with Holland rumbled on for two more years. The British having a much stronger navy than the Dutch with larger and more powerful ships but the Dutch had more ships and a more efficient trading system. They were also better financed and all their ships, including their commercial vessels, were armed.

  After a number of embarrassing defeats, the tactics of the British navy changed, just counter attacking the Dutch was not working, they had to be more aggressive and go on the offensive.

  They started by driving the Dutch out of the English Channel at the Battle of Portland, virtually cutting off their main routes to the Atlantic and their trading partners in Spain. Needless to say, the British traders were quick to take advantage.

  The Dutch were unable to offer any serious resistance because their government at The Hague had not listened when warned that larger warships were needed.

  The final battle was played out here on our own doorstep, the noise of cannons from both sides pounding away all through the day just off the Dutch coast. People were making for the beach at Delft or to Scheveningen where you could see quite clearly hundreds of ships from both sides in combat, some damaged, some burning and others completely destroyed.

  The Dutch surrendered when their admiral was killed in action, a massive blow to their morale. Both nations were by now exhausted and running out of money to pay their crews.

  Cromwell withdrew his ships and returned to London where he immediately dissolved his Rump Parliament. The peace talks were slow and sluggish but after many months the war ended with the signing of the Treaty of Westminster. Cromwell during the final months of the war had captured over 1,200 Dutch merchant ships.

  The important news on all political situations in London came to me mostly by way of Thomas’s weekly visits to Noordeinde, but the final sea battle I saw for myself at first-hand.

  But most of his time was made up by supporting Charles, who could do little but watch and pray. Unable to live safely in any of his three kingdoms, and once again dependent on foreign charity, living a miserable life in exile and moving from place to place as his credit ran out… the idea of raising an army to challenge Cromwell long forgotten.

  Anne was not usually interested in politics… more in gossip, so her news was in complete contrast to that of Thomas.

  ‘What did you think about the final sea battle?’ I asked.

  ‘Mixed feelings really. I wasn’t sure which side I should be supporting. I wonder what King Charles will make of it all? He is supposed to be destitute, and yet he always seemed to find the money to support his extravagant lifestyle.’

  ‘I think you are being a bit hard on him?’

  ‘Well according to his sister Princess Mary, he always seems to have money for his lovers… moving from one romantic involvement to another with consummate ease, using them and then moving on. He also has a menagerie of pets… big dogs in particular, and they all have to be fed.’

  Then changing subjects without even taking a breath she asked, ‘Can I ride your horse?’

  Slightly surprised by the sudden change of tack I said, ‘I suppose so long as I am with you.’

  ‘I can ride you know.’

  ‘That may be so, but Gladiator is no ordinary horse and if he were to take off I am not sure you would be able to control him.’

  ‘Tish-tosh, of course I could.’

  I was a little nervous at letting Anne ride my horse, but I need not have been because it didn’t happen. Louis flatly refusing to even let her sit on him, much to her frustration and displeasure. But as expected, my Arabian Stallion became the favourite among the gentry, in and around The Hague, and was always in big demand. I might have been concerned for his wellbeing had it not been for Louis who had a strict regime to protect all the horses in his charge, controlling the amount they were exercised each day.

  No one ever told me that the horse was my responsibility, it was just assumed that I would be the one to groom and feed him, and when needed, to make him ready for whichever nobleman or official particularly requested to ride him on that day, and there were many.

  Nonetheless I was surprised when one morning as I was making him ready to ride, Frederick, Prince of Orange, and his wife Amalia came to the stables. They came straight to me and I confess I was at first a little nervous. But he was friendly and seemed genuinely interested in me, though I was under no illusion that it was really my horse he had come to see.

  They rode slowly out of the stableyard… Prince Frederick on Gladiator and his wife on a smaller Palomino. I thought no more of them as I had plenty of work to occupy my time and my mind, but when they returned after a couple of hours, he thanked me personally and gave me a coin.

  ***

  With the problems between England and Holland now resolved, things became a little easier. Frederick, Prince of Orange, was secured as the legitimate sovereign, and relations between Princess Mary and her in-laws more relaxed. Which meant that she was more able to invite her brother to spend time with her and his nephew at Binnenhof.

  All this was of little interest to me, except that it meant that I could expect more visits from Thomas.

  It was after making love at our favourite place by the stream one hot Saturday afternoon that Anne told me the news of Charles’s impending visit. We had just bathed together in the stream and were lying in the sun relaxing and drying off when she broke the news.

  Surprised by her announcement, I sat up and asked, ‘When are they coming, and do you know if Thomas will be with him? He didn’t mention anything of it in his last letter.’

  ‘King Charles never goes anywhere without Thomas, you know that… of course he will be coming, I am just hoping Char
les brings along his latest concubine, I have yet to see her.’

  ‘Does he have one?’

  ‘Oh yes. Her name is Catherine Pegge, she came from England with her parents about the same time you did, to escape persecution from Cromwell, she lives with her father Thomas and her mother in Bruges.’

  ‘Are they anyone important?’

  ‘Her grandfather is. He is a Baronet like my father.’

  ‘I am beginning to burn,’ I said, ‘have you anymore interesting gossip or can I put my clothes back on?’

  ‘Just one more thing that I think you should know. The king’s brother James is courting Anne Hyde, one of my friends and a lady-in-waiting like me.’

  ‘Is that a problem?’

  ‘Her father Edward Hyde thinks so.’

  ***

  It was Louis who told me Thomas had arrived at Noordeinde. ‘He’s with my father at the moment so you might as well pack up for the rest of the day, I’m sure he will be keen to spend some time with you.’

  ‘Will you deal with Gladiator when he returns?’

  ‘Yes of course… you get off and get cleaned up.’

  I finished what I was doing and was washing my hands by the pump where Thomas found me. He greeted me as one would a long lost friend or a son he hadn’t seen for a while, which I found heartening as he was the only father I ever had.

  ‘I want to look at your work while I’m here Toby. I will be leaving for Bruges in a couple of days.’

  ‘To see Catherine Pegge I suppose.’

  ‘How do you know about her?’

  ‘Princess Mary tells Anne all the gossip and she tells me.’

  ‘Well yes… it is to see Catherine, Charles has got the silly girl pregnant, and he has no money to support another child, he can hardly afford to keep himself.’

  I smiled inwardly and wondered if Anne was aware of that little snippet of information, hoping that she was not.

  ‘I have saved a little money… he can have that.’

  ‘No he cannot. Charles is not your problem. Now forget about him and let us see how far you have got with your studies.’

  We spent what seemed like hours going over all the subjects Thomas thought most important to my future development… either as a working member in the Royal Household or preferably, in his opinion, in commerce or business, since he knew I would never consider the church.

  Finally he closed his file and smiling at me announced that for my age he was more than happy with my progress.

  ‘From now on I will just supply you with books. But you must promise to read and study them all.’

  ‘Of course I will… you know I enjoy my studies, particularly Languages and History. I go to my office hideaway where it’s quiet… sometimes I study there with Anne… we help each other.’

  ‘That’s fine. But don’t let her hold you back… from what I hear you are far more advanced than she is. But where is this office?’

  ‘My old room in the attic… come, I will show you.’

  By the time we reached my little room in the roof, Thomas was panting like a dog and had to sit on the bed to recover.

  ‘This is not an office,’ he said. ‘I think it’s a love nest, what am I to tell Veronica?’

  ‘She knows I have a girlfriend. Just tell her you are happy with my work.’

  ‘I made a promise to keep her informed of your progress, and I know she will be pleased when I tell her how well you have done. But I think I will forget to mention this place. Now tell me more. I want to know what you have been up to. Everything.’

  It was another hour before his carriage came to take him back to Breda… the subject of my education was not mentioned again, he was more interested in hearing about me and Anne, and my life as a stable boy. It sounded a little flippant but I corrected him on that point.

  ‘At Noordeinde, you are a stable boy until you are fifteen years old… by then, if you have made the grade, you become a stable hand,’ I said.

  ***

  Although the letters and books kept arriving, I saw very little of Thomas. It was only when Charles came to Breda to see his sister that I met him in person.

  Charles was thought to be bankrupt, and had all but given up any idea of ever claiming the throne in England. But apparently he was quite happy to be supported financially by his mother in Paris, or his sister Mary here in Holland.

  His disposition changed dramatically when Catherine Pegge gave birth to a boy… Charles’s second son who was later to become the 1st Earl of Plymouth.

  While his life may well have been in turmoil and chaos, these were my halcyon years, untroubled by war, living in the tranquillity on the beautiful Noordeinde estate, and doing the job I loved. I had the respect of my superiors and peers, the love of a beautiful woman and had many friends. I had no idea how much I was worth financially because I had little use for the money. I was paid for my work at the stables and also received a few tips from customers, which gave me more than enough to live on, with a little over to buy small gifts for Anne. But according to Mr Anderson, I was also in receipt of a substantial amount in stud fees that he assured me were safely locked away in his strong box at the palace.

  ***

  One afternoon in September in 1658 while playing tennis with his sister in the gardens across the lake from the Binnenhof Palace, Charles received the news he had been waiting over ten years to hear. Cromwell was dead. The bad news was that while on his death bed he had named his son Richard as his successor.

  It was Thomas that broke the news, making the short journey to Noordeinde from Breda especially to tell me.

  What he did not tell me, or anyone else as far as I know, was that he had been in secret negotiations with Sir Edward Montagu, an important and influential Member of Parliament, who given the chaos following the death of Cromwell, had decided to contact Thomas about the possible return of King Charles to the throne. Montagu believing that without a credible alternative, King Charles was the only person popular with everyone throughout the land.

  The next few months were most disappointing for Charles… early hopes of returning to England were dashed when Richard’s accession passed unchallenged, making Charles’s optimism and expectations appear hopeless.

  The new Lord Protector, however, was nothing like his father. He was a gentler more likeable person, but not as effective a politician or soldier. With no respect, and unable to control his government, in January, 1660, he was forced to dissolve parliament.

  The army was split more or less into three parts with George Monck the most liberal of the commanders still in Scotland.

  Not unsurprisingly, on hearing of the hysteria and disarray in London, Monck decided it was time to move south and attempt to sort it all out himself, bringing with him his army which consisted of a mixture of both English and Scottish infantry.

  Commander John Lambert, with most of his forces already in the North of England, moved to challenge him, but Commander Sir Charles Fleetwood remained in London.

  All this confusion at home was encouraging news for King Charles, and it was at this point that Thomas convinced him it would be judicious to write to the Speaker of the House in London.

  ‘But it must be in your hand and it must be cordial,’ he told Charles. ‘My advice would be to start with the army by assuring them that you would honour any arrears in pay. That should help bring them onto our side. Then promise that land confiscated by Cromwell would be restored to the original owners… that should appease the Lords. It is also important that you guarantee the present circumstances in religious matters remain the same… and try to make them believe you have unwavering affection for parliament.’

  ‘That will be difficult,’ said Charles smiling at Thomas, ‘but I’ll do my best.’

  Later in the day, Thomas checked the letter and congratulated him on his dexterity, he then perso
nally supervised the dispatch of the letter to London.

  ***

  When George Monck’s army began its long march south, the whole country feared another civil war was inevitable, and when he marched his army across the River Tweed at Berwick in January there were many who thought it likely he would seize power for himself… and if not Monck then perhaps Fleetwood or Lambert.

  If there was to be a confrontation, it was expected to happen first in Northumberland where a large proportion of Lambert’s forces were now barracked, but when Monck’s army passed through Newcastle all resistance melted away.

  The same happened again in February when they marched through the streets of London, to be welcomed by multitudes of common ordinary people, lining the streets, cheering and waving flags.

  Ordinary commonplace people were giving money, food and ale to the soldiers as they passed by on their way to Westminster. There were bonfires at every corner, a maypole outside St Paul’s, and every church bell in London was ringing out a welcome to George Monck and his army. On Ludgate Hill someone was turning a rump on a spit while his friend basted it, the whole city in a joyous and in a holiday mood.

  A week later on the 11th of February, a letter from Monck was read out in Westminster Hall demanding that the Rump Parliament arrange an election.

  It was indeed a delight for Charles to hear how joyous the Parliamentarians in the hall were on that day, and how eager they were to yield to all Monck’s demands.

  Later when his own carefully crafted letter was read out in front of the new parliament, his words turned out to be exactly what they wanted to hear.

  He promised recompense for any Lords or Parliamentarians who were punished by Cromwell for supporting the monarchy. All arrears of pay owed to the army to be honoured. Confirmation that land lost during the years of Cromwell’s Republican rule be restored, and that liberty and tolerance in all religious matters be maintained.

  Ending the letter he wrote: ‘I do believe parliament to be so vital a part of the constitution of the kingdom, and so necessary, that I, nor the citizens of this land, can be to any degree happy without them.’