A small but decisive skirmish in the Monmouth Rebellion.The Rebels were camped in the fields around Keynsham bridge, called Sydenham Mead. While there well-wishers gave them cheeses and they were noted to have wagons pulled by oxen. They were about to summon the courage to assault Bristol which had only a small garrison of militia and a very sympathetic populous when a troop of Oxford Blues led by the famous Theophilus Oglethorpe collided with the pickets of Monmouth's force. At the same time a probe from Bristol of 25 Horse Grenadiers led by Capt Parker forded the river upstream causing widespread panic among the rebels, who thought the main force of James II's army was nearby. The attack on Bristol was abandoned and the Rebels turned towards Wiltshire and an opportunity to take the second city was thwarted. One of the prisoners also spread news of the general pardon offered to the Rebels if they abandoned their enterprise. Good work indeed for a couple of troops of Horse...
The below artwork is interesting. It's from an old local history pamphlet on the town and seems to be done by someone who works in the British comic art tradition and gives a dynamic take on a subject not usually treated in this fashion.
On the affair at Keynsham Bridge from Conan Doyle's Micah ClarkeKeynsham's part in the Monmouth Rebellion article
No comments:
Post a Comment