Monmouth, James Scott, Duke of--Monmouth Rebellion.

i) four long autograph letters signed by the Earl of Feversham, commander of the royalist forces, to King James II, giving a detailed account of the progress of the royal army to the west, its arrival in Bristol, the skirmish at Norton St Philip, and the capture of Monmouth after the victory at Sedgemoor ("...le duc de monmouth estant pris je croi tout fini..."), in French, 40 pages, 28 June to 8 July; together with a letter signed by him with military orders, 1 page, 22 June, and one autograph letter signed by him to the Earl of Sunderland, in French, 4 pages, c.9 July, all 4to



ii) 16 letters by peers and local officials in the West Country, mostly to the Secretary of State, the Earl of Sunderland, providing intelligence on the progress of the rebellion, including: two autograph letters signed by the 6th Duke of Somerset, Lord Lieutenant of Somerset, giving an insight into the government's initial disorder following Monmouth's landing ("..."I have onely one regiment and one troope of horse which I am afraide will hardly stand because the others have show'd them the way to run, the enemy is now at Bridgewater, which is in ten miles of where I am..."), three pages, one letter incomplete, 16-c.21 June; five letters signed by the 2nd Duke of Albemarle (three with signature damaged), commander of the Devon militia, one reporting the arrival of Lord John Churchill (future Duke of Marlborough) in Axminster, 18-26 June; one autograph letter signed by the Duke of Beaufort; three autograph letters signed by the Earl of Dumbarton, on the abortive rising by the Earl of Argyll, fragments only, May-June 1685; a letter by three Dorset militia officers giving intelligence of the rebel army in the days immediately after Monmouth's landing at Lyme Regis ("...they have a confused number but wee cannot tell what ... the souldiers knowe not their captaines nor no order among them..."), Chard, 15 June; an autograph letter signed by Sir William Bassetts giving intelligence on the actions of the rebels, c.16 June; a letter by the Mayor of Barnstaple with intelligence from captured rebels, 7 July; an autograph letter signed by the 8th Earl of Pembroke, discussing prisoners ("...the principal amongst them is one Kid he calls himself Sir John Kid (the first and only knight the King of Taunton made), he was Mr Thin's keeper; I believe by this time most of them are taken who escaped in the rout at Sedgmore where most were killd droping their Arms and flying into ditches..."), Hindon, c.8 July; an autograph letter signed by Richard, Lord Lumley, to the Earl of Sunderland, outlining his planned route to London with the captured Duke of Monmouth, 1 page, Winchester, 11 July



iii) Contemporary accounts of the military campaign and the Battle of Sedgemoor: a detailed and precise first-hand account of the march of Feversham's army from its departure from London ("On Saturday, 20th June '85, the Earle of Feversham his Majestie's Lieutenant Generall with 150 guards and 60 granadeers, marcht from London to Maidenhead..."), describing its march west, manoeuvres, skirmishes as it tracked down the rebel army, culminating in the Battle of Sedgemoor ("...the total rout and defeate of above 7000 rebells by the Kings forces which consisted of but 700 horse and 1900 foot..."), in an attractive scribal hand, 4 pages, folio; Andrew Paschall, rector of Chedzoy, detailed pen and ink sketch map of the Battle of Sedgemoor showing landmarks and topography, the exact position of the armies and the direction of Monmouth's army's night march on 5 July, two sheets pasted together, 570 x 730mm, together with an autograph letter signed, probably to the Earl of Sunderland, on the accompanying map ("...In the want .. of a skilfull hand that might enable me to serve your Lordship with an exact draught of this place... I have imployed some of my neighbours to measure the distances according to the inclosed paper..."), 2 pages, folio, Chedzoy, 8 April 1686



iv) Documents evidently captured from rebels after the collapse of the uprising: "The Endes of Government to be set forth, that they are for the good of the People and not for the Ambition or gain of any particular person", a draft summary of Monmouth's Declaration on landing at Lyme with many deletions and revisions throughout ("...And whereas the Title of the said James D of M to the Crowne is now by many controverted and disputed, which wee of our selves shall not undertake to determine But leave the same to the decision and determination of a full and free Parliament or Convention of the People in a Parliamentary way..."), 3 pages, early June, folio; an order for the post to pass "in his Majesty's name", Taunton, 20 June, and another ordering carpenters and labourers to Bridgwater "by his Majesty's command", 2 July, both signed by Richard Goodenough "Paymaster to the Army"
 
v) The aftermath of the rebellion and the "Bloody Assizes": scribal copy of the declaration produced by Monmouth on the scaffold ("...I declare that the title of King was forced upon me and that it was very much contrary to my opinion when I was proclaimed. For the satisfaction of the world I do declare that the late King told me that hee was never married to my mother..."), one page, 15 July; confession of Nathaniel Wade, naming fellow rebels and confirming that Monmouth's goals were Bristol, Gloucester, then London, with marginal notes and witness signatures, 1 page; examination of Moses Wagstaffe "servant to the late Duke of Monmouth", 3 pages, 18-19 August; scaffold speech of Mr Bateman, 13 pages, 18 December; a series of five depositions giving an account of the actions of the rebels in Taunton on 18 June to force the town Corporation to read Monmouth's Declaration including the threatening speech of one leading rebel, Samuel Storey, given "with a pistol in one hand and a paper in the other" ("... [James II] poyson'd his Brother, he was guilty of the murther of the Earle of Essex, the Lord Russell, Collonell Sidney, [etc.] and was guilty of the burning of London, packing of Juries, and false elections for Members of Parliament, and that he was now introducing Popery, tyranny and arbitrary Government..."), 6 pages, signed by John Trout, Joesph Burne, Thomas Sealy, William Hester, Thomas Towill, all of Taunton, with witness signatures of Bernard Smith and Stephen Tymewell; list of "The names of those Persons who came over from Holland with James late duke of Monmouth", two copies, one recording the original having been "found in young Hewling's pocket ... August 6th", 3 pages; list of those executed at Bridport, Weymouth and Sherborne, 2 pages, 18 September; two letters on prisoners and escape attempts ("...3 of the prisoners in the Castle had made their escape by filinge one of the barrs in the prison windowe, and goeing downe by A Rope out of the windowe leaving their Shackles in the Roome..."), one letter incomplete, three pages, Taunton, 24-26 September; "Extracts out of the English papers relating to the Conspiracy till the late Kings death", 44 pages; autograph confession of William Cochrane and a related document, 2 pages (one a fragment); copy of a petition to Judge Jeffreys



all items mounted on guards in an album, 107 leaves (with pencil foliation), half burgundy morocco, nicks and tears, some items fragments only (as noted above), some items professionally conserved

Historical Manuscripts Commission, Report on the Manuscripts of Mrs Stopford-Sackville ... Vol. 1 (London, 1904), 1-29

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate
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An exceptional collection of documents providing a remarkably complete picture of the Monmouth Rebellion. Letters by royalist generals give a vivid picture of the initial panic and uncertainty about the size of the rebel army, quickly giving way to an efficient and organised response led by the Earl of Feversham. The extraordinary survival of a small number of captured documents issued by the rebels includes a working draft summary of his declaration made upon landing, in which James II is denounced as a usurper and traitor but Monmouth falls short of claiming the throne, as well as two extremely rare original documents in the form of royal orders, produced after Monmouth had declared himself the rightful monarch. Depositions, letters, lists and other documents give some extraordinary eyewitness accounts of the rebellion itself and provide a powerful impression of the "Bloody Assizes", the government's brutal reprisals after the rebellion had been crushed. The sketch map and unique eyewitness account also provides a vivid and detailed record of the Battle of Sedgemoor - the last pitched battle fought on English soil.  

"...The Rebells by this tyme being very uneasie, our foot and Canon fireing on their front while our horse charged them on both sides, my Ld Feversham commanded all the foot to march over the Ditch directly to the Enemy, upon which, two of their Batailons which had stood hitherto very well, gave ground in a Body, and soon after fled, Capt. Littleton having beaten them from their Cannon, which our foot perceiving, ran eagerly to possesse themselves of it. While the Rebells run after the rest of their foot, that had been Scowring away for some tyme in the rear in great disorder and confusion which only our Troops next them were Sencible off, who durst not pursue then untill twas light for fear of being knockt on the head by our owne men, Elce but few of them had escaped us, for most of them who did escape, were within an hour, so disperst that you could not se anywhere ten of their men living..."