Windsor during the Civil War

Transcript

Civil War in Windsor reveals castle mutiny

Views of the past by Elias Kupfermann

HAVE just started a PhD. in history, and my subject of study is Windsor during the English Civil Wars.
Very little research has been carried out about the town during this period of history.

The only secondary source to try and capture what was happening in Windsor in the 1640s is the late Ray South’s informative book Castle, Rebel Town: Puritan Windsor in Civil War and Commonwealth, which was published in 1981.

This uses papers from the State Papers Domestic housed in the National Archives at Kew.

As part of my research, I had to investigate what primary sources for the Civil War survived both for the Castle and the town.

I soon found that there were large amounts of historical documentation which lay untouched and unlooked at for a long period of time.

Documents included reports of a mutiny within the castle against John Venn, who was governor at the castle between 1642 and 1645.

Venn also turned out to be a rather unscrupulous character, and there are documents to suggest that he, together with an accomplice Colonel Fogg where in charge of looting the treasury of St George’s Chapel.

Some of the Order of St George’s most precious treasures, however, in particular the three registers of the Order of the Garter dating from 1348, were rescued by Christopher Wren, Dean of Windsor, the father of Sir Christopher Wren, the famed architect.

Shortly after this, the Dean and Canons of Windsor were ejected from the castle, and Venn and Fogg were free to loot and plunder the beautiful treasures of the Order of St George.

These included nine pieces of silver gilt plate which had been manufactured by the Dutch goldsmith Christian Van Vianen of Utrecht. These comprised of two gilt candlesticks, two chalices, two ‘great candlesticks’, two small basins and one large basin. All of which were consecrated in 1638. A number of other chalices, a flagon and basins were also plundered.

Also among the stolen treasures was a coat of mail or steel, gilt belonging to King Edward IV. The coat was also covered in crimson velvet and the Arms of France and England were embroidered on it. It was trimmed with gold, rubies and pearls. The coat had remained there since 1483 until it was plundered by Colonel Fogg on 23rd October 1642. Also, a number of religious vestments were taken, including copes made of gold wire.
With this account comes a sad ending; the treasures were sent to London in 1643, and the plate was melted down and turned into coinage and was sent up to General Fairfax to fund his Northern Campaign.

This is one of many interesting stories about Civil War Windsor, and hopefully I will be able to write about more as my research progresses.

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