The Jacobite uprising in Cornwall of 1715 was the last uprising against the
British Crown
The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...
to take place in the county of
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
.
Background
On 1 August 1714,
Queen Anne died,
George
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...
,
Elector of Hanover
The Electorate of Hanover (german: Kurfürstentum Hannover or simply ''Kurhannover'') was an electorate of the Holy Roman Empire, located in northwestern Germany and taking its name from the capital city of Hanover. It was formally known as ...
, the son of the
Electress Sophia
Sophia of Hanover (born Princess Sophia of the Palatinate; 14 October 1630 – 8 June 1714) was the Electress of Hanover by marriage to Elector Ernest Augustus and later the heiress presumptive to the thrones of England and Scotland (later Grea ...
, granddaughter of
James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
(1566–1625) was proclaimed King under the
Act of Settlement of 1701. However,
James Stuart, the surviving legitimate son of
James II of England
James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Gloriou ...
who had been deposed in
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
of 1688, believed he had a stronger claim to
The Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
.
Major riots broke out across Great Britain at the time of the coronation of George I. This show of feeling prompted James Stuart, who subsequently became known as the Old Pretender, to believe he had enough support to use military force to claim the British throne.
Cornish support
![Glebe1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Glebe1.jpg)
The main leaders of the Jacobite uprising in Cornwall were the
High Tories
In the United Kingdom and elsewhere, High Toryism is the old traditionalist conservatism which is in line with the Toryism originating in the 17th century. High Tories and their worldview are sometimes at odds with the modernising elements of the ...
James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde
James FitzJames Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde, (1665–1745) was an Irish statesman and soldier. He was the third of the Kilcash branch of the family to inherit the earldom of Ormond. Like his grandfather, the 1st Duke, he was raised as a Protes ...
and
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (; 16 September 1678 – 12 December 1751) was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tories, and supported the Church of England politically des ...
. Part of their scheme was to capture
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
,
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
and
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
. With these important places in the hands of the Jacobites, they hoped that other smaller towns would join the cause. Ormonde had implicit confidence in
Colonel Maclean, who had been sent to Devon and Cornwall to visit prominent members of the Tory party, and others likely to support the Pretender's cause. It turned out that Maclean was probably a spy who supplied the Ministry with names of Jacobite adherents, and measures were taken to prevent their committing mischief or folly.
On 22 September,
John Anstis
John Anstis (29 August 1669 – 4 March 1744) was an English officer of arms, antiquarian and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1702 and 1722. He rose to the highest heraldic office in England and became Garter King of Arms in 1 ...
,
MP for
Launceston, was arrested for plotting an uprising and on 6 October
Sir Richard Vyvyan of Trelowarren (and
Trewan Hall
Trewan Hall (pronounced ''Trew-an'') is a historic manor house in the parish of St Columb Major, Cornwall, England, UK. The surviving Jacobean style manor house is located one mile north of the town. It was the ancestral estate of the Vivian fa ...
,
St Columb Major
St Columb Major is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally as ''St Columb'', it is approximately southwest of Wadebridge and east of Newquay
Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 ''Newquay ...
), MP for Cornwall and the most influential Jacobite in the West, was taken and sent to London in the custody of a messenger.
On 7 October Mr
James Paynter
James Paynter (1666 - ?) was the leader of a Jacobite uprising in Cornwall in the 18th century.
In 1715 he took an active part in proclaiming James Francis Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) on the death of Queen Anne, for this he was tried for Hi ...
of
Trekenning
Trekenning is a hamlet south of St Columb Major, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.
Trekenning House
Trekenning House is a Grade II, listed building, once the home of the Paynter family. One notable resident of Trekenning was Commander John Pen ...
, proclaimed the Pretender in the market square at
St Columb Major
St Columb Major is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. Often referred to locally as ''St Columb'', it is approximately southwest of Wadebridge and east of Newquay
Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 200 ''Newquay ...
in Cornwall.
At this time the representative of the Government in Cornwall was
Hugh Boscawen, of Tregothnan. This gentleman called out the
militia
A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...
and took measures which effectively put an end to any attempt at a rising. James Paynter and his servant along with fellow rebel, Henry Darr (also of St Columb) fled to London and remained undiscovered for some time. Paynter's servant at this time was sending letters to a sweetheart at St Columb and it seems that the postmaster suspected that the letter came from one of the suspects and inspecting the letter found that it come from London. Immediately warrants were ordered but they denied their names until eventually a messenger was sent to London who knew them particularly well and they were found to be the same persons.
Some time later Paynter and his fellow rebels were sent to
Newgate
Newgate was one of the historic seven gates of the London Wall around the City of London and one of the six which date back to Roman times. Newgate lay on the west side of the wall and the road issuing from it headed over the River Fleet to Mid ...
to be tried for
high treason
Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
. Paynter claimed to be a judge in Cornwall, so he was tried at
Launceston. Here Henry Darr died in the prison. Eventually Paynter was acquitted by a packed Jacobite jury. Following the release of the rebels, friends appeared with white
cockade
A cockade is a knot of ribbons, or other circular- or oval-shaped symbol of distinctive colours which is usually worn on a hat or cap.
Eighteenth century
In the 18th and 19th centuries, coloured cockades were used in Europe to show the allegia ...
s in their hats (a Jacobite symbol), as a token of joy they were welcomed with 'bonfire and
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
' all the way to
Lands End
Land's End ( kw, Penn an Wlas or ''Pedn an Wlas'') is a headland and tourist and holiday complex in western Cornwall, England, on the Penwith peninsula about west-south-west of Penzance at the western end of the A30 road. To the east of it is ...
.
Proclamation at St Columb
In October 1716, the names associated with the proclamation of James III at St Columb were as follows: James Paynter, jun.; Thomas Bishop, gent.; Henry Darr, (bayliff and inn keeper); Anthony Hoskin, (pewterer); Francis Brewer, jun.; Richard Whitford, (barber); John Angove, (clothier); Richard Meter, (taylor).
[''London Gazette'' No 5371 8–11]
According to
Henry Jenner
Henry Jenner (8 August 1848 – 8 May 1934) was a British scholar of the Celtic languages, a Cornish cultural activist, and the chief originator of the Cornish language revival.
Jenner was born at St Columb Major on 8 August 1848. He was the ...
, it seems probable that the postmaster who opened the letter from James Paynter's servant was no other than the celebrated
Ralph Allen
Ralph Allen (1693 – 29 June 1764) was an entrepreneur and philanthropist, who was notable for his reforms to the British postal system.
Allen was born in Cornwall but moved to Bath to work in the post office, becoming the postmaster a ...
, afterwards of
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
. He certainly was at St Columb
post office
A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...
at that time and his distinguishing himself by his scrupulous performance may have been the beginning of his fortunes.
[
]
In fiction
* Mentions the events in Cornwall.
* A fictional account based on historical facts of the Jacobite rising in Cornwall.
*Kearsley, Susanna (2011). ''The Rose Garden''. Allison and Busby. A fictional romance based on the Cornish part in the Jacobite uprising.
See also
:The following give a background to Cornish involvement in other rebellions.
*
Cornish Rebellion of 1497
*
Second Cornish Uprising of 1497
The Second Cornish uprising occurred in September 1497 when the pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck landed at Whitesand Bay (Cornwall), Whitesand Bay, near Land's End, on 7 September with just 120 men in two ships.
Warbeck had seen the potent ...
*
Prayer Book Rebellion
The Prayer Book Rebellion or Western Rising was a popular revolt in Cornwall and Devon in 1549. In that year, the ''Book of Common Prayer'', presenting the theology of the English Reformation, was introduced. The change was widely unpopular, ...
(1549)
*
Monmouth Rebellion
The Monmouth Rebellion, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, the Revolt of the West or the West Country rebellion, was an attempt to depose James II, who in February 1685 succeeded his brother Charles II as king of England, Scotland and Ir ...
(1685)
*
Bloody Assizes
The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25 August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England.
History
There were five judges: Sir William Montague (Lord Chief Bar ...
of (1685)
*
The Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
(1688)
*
Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet
Sir Jonathan Trelawny, 3rd Baronet (24 March 1650 – 19 July 1721) was an English Bishop of Bristol, Bishop of Exeter and Bishop of Winchester. Trelawny is best known for his role in the events leading up to the Glorious Revolution which are s ...
(1650–1721), one of the
Seven Bishops tried under
James II and the hero of the Cornish ballad, ''
The Song of the Western Men
"The Song of the Western Men", also known as "Trelawny", is a Cornish patriotic song, composed by Louisa T. Clare for lyrics by Robert Stephen Hawker. The poem was first published anonymously in ''The Royal Devonport Telegraph and Plymouth Ch ...
''
*
Jacobitism
Jacobitism (; gd, Seumasachas, ; ga, Seacaibíteachas, ) was a political movement that supported the restoration of the senior line of the House of Stuart to the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British throne. The name derives from the first name ...
References
Further reading
*
*
*
*
*
Charles, George ''History of the Transactions in Scotland in the Years 1715-16 and 1745-46''(1816)
External links
PDF file of 'The Jacobite' Vol 2 No 5. 1923Gives an account of the declaration at St Columb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobite Uprising in Cornwall of 1715
1715 in Great Britain
Jacobite rising of 1715
Stuart England
History of Cornwall
Military history of Cornwall
Cornish Jacobites
1715 in England
18th century in Cornwall