Walking with the Ancestors - Civil War

War Begins

Charles and his legion of supporters stayed in Wellington from Monday 19th to Tuesday 20th of September 1642, while travelling from Nottingham to Shrewsbury. The King had enjoyed limited success in recruiting men to fight for his cause in the east Midlands and his standard, which he had raised in Nottingham on August 25th, blew down during a gale. in an ominous portent of future events. Having been assured of more fervent support in Shropshire, Charles then made his way to the county, choosing Wellington, which was roughly one day's march short of the county town, as a rendezvous point for his followers. On arrival, he supposedly raised his standard again, this time in Market Square, before making his way to Orleton Park. Some uncertainty surrounds the actual location in which the King chose to make his historic address, the site of which may have been on the nearby Apley Castle estate. As the only defendable house of any size within the vicinity of Wellington, Apley was garrisoned at a very early point in the conflict and several skirmishes and minor battles took place there during the course of the war.