Huntingdon exhibition tells story of Battle of Naseby
The battle was fought on 14 June 1645. Nearly 25,000 men took part and by midday the king was defeated.Mr Orme said: "It was every bit as brutal as modern civil wars, including the massacre of about 100 mostly Welsh civilians belonging to the Royalist side by Parliamentary forces in its aftermath."The fold-out map belonged to a book published in 1647 which charted the victories of Parliament's New Model Army.
Most surviving copies were lost, making it "one of the few contemporary images of a Civil War battle", according to Mr Orme."The exhibition includes an animated version of the map, including the real human stories of those who took part," he continued.They range from Royalist Bridget Rumney, whose mother and sons were massacred by the Parliamentary forces, and Parliamentarian Maj John Francis, who was killed in the battle.
The discovery of the king's private papers, left behind in the rout, revealed he had been in correspondence with European Roman Catholic countries. This compounded the Protestant Parliamentarian leaders' distrust of Charles I and ultimately led to his execution.It was also "the battle that transformed Britain", introducing a standing army which was uniformed in red cloth - the original red coats - and still the dress uniform for the British Army, added Mr Orme. "We call it the English Civil War but this is the biggest misnomer of history," he said. "It's something that affected the whole of the country not just England, with Britain and Ireland ruled from Westminster for the first time in the 1650s."Other objects on display include a 17th Century helmet reputed to have been worn by Oliver Cromwell in the battle, but probably used at his 1658 state funeral, and a carving set made by a local farmer from a sword captured at the battle - the hilt for which was carved as far away as Sri Lanka.
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The Independent
3 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why poverty in the UK now is worse than 50 years ago and its grip is tightening every day
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Things have, undoubtedly, improved – on the surface anyway. Average household incomes have doubled, moving the poverty line upwards. Lifespans have lengthened and rates of poverty among pensioners have seen considerable progress. Yet, the number of children living in relative poverty is not only slightly higher than it was in the 1970s, but double the rate at 31 per cent, or 4.5 million. An incredible 56 per cent of people living in poverty in the UK are in a working household, says the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), and deep poverty – where families live on less than 40 per cent of the median income – is significantly more widespread than ever. Now, families face more invisible barriers: digital exclusion (approximately 6 per cent of UK homes have no access to the internet), gentrification, unstable zero-hours contracts (1.05 million people), and the mental load that comes with managing survival every single day. 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The Independent
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The Independent
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