"Battle of Reading (1688) The Battle of Reading took place on 9 December 1688 in Reading, Berkshire. It was the only substantial military action in England during the Glorious Revolution and ended in a decisive victory for forces loyal to William III of Orange. The victory was celebrated in Reading for many years. On Wednesday 5 November 1688, William III, then the Prince of Orange and Stadtholder of the Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel provinces of the Dutch Republic, landed in Devon at the head of a Dutch army in an attempt to wrest control of the country. Five"
"members of the Commission of the Peace: would they consent to the repeal of the Test Act and the penal laws; would they assist candidates who would do so; and would they accept the Declaration of Indulgence. As Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Rochester eagerly pursued this but was told by the county squires that they would send no man to Parliament who would vote away the safeguards of the Protestant religion. On 5 November 1688, William, Prince of Orange landed at Torbay. Rochester was a leading voice for the calling of a free and legal Parliament and that negotiations should"
"his senior), quickly found himself the father of an increasing family. Burnet was not privy to William's decision-making process because he was apparently unable to keep a secret (he was not informed of William's planned invasion of England until July 1688). However his help was needed to translate William's ""Declaration"" which was to be distributed in England after his landing. When William's fleet set sail for England in October 1688, Burnet was made William's chaplain. William landed at Torbay on 5 November. When Burnet came ashore he hastened to William and eagerly inquired of him what William now intended to"
"some indications of a possible Roman presence. Because of its strategic position, Harwich was the target for the invasion of Britain by William of Orange on 11 November 1688. However, unfavourable winds forced his fleet to sail into the English Channel instead and eventually land at Torbay. Due to the involvement of the Schomberg family in the invasion, Charles Louis Schomberg was made Marquess of Harwich. Writer Daniel Defoe devotes a few pages to the town in ""A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain"". Visiting in 1722, he noted its formidable fort and harbour ""of a vast extent""."
"Somerset filling the largely ceremonial post of Colonel. In August 1687, Cannon succeeded Somerset as Colonel when the Duke fell from favour and was with James when William landed at Torbay on 5 November 1688 in the invasion known as the Glorious Revolution. The Royal Army assembled on Salisbury Plain to block an advance on London but many now changed sides including the majority of the Queen Consort's Regiment who followed Cannon's deputy Lt-Colonel Richard Leveson into William's camp. Cannon and his own troop remained with James as he retreated to London and on 31 December 1688, William appointed Leveson"
"Seven English politicians representing a wide range of interest groups now invited William and Mary to assume the English throne (not the Scottish). William landed in Torbay in November 1688 and advanced slowly towards London; as he did so, James' army deserted and he fled to France on 23 December. In February 1689, the English Parliament declared James had abdicated and formally offered the English throne to William and Mary. However, the issue of the Scottish throne remained unresolved. Supporters of the exiled Stuart kings were known as 'Jacobites' (from Jacobus, the Latin for James) and the associated political movement"
"lighthouse, Iron Age fort and national nature reserve. Warships have been seen in Torbay from the days of the Vikings, up until 1944 when part of the D-Day fleet sailed from here. In 1588, Brixham watched Sir Francis Drake attacking the Spanish Armada after he had (so the legend goes) finished his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe. Today in Brixham harbour, there is a full-sized replica of the ship, the ""Golden Hind"", in which Drake circumnavigated the globe; visitors can go on board. For centuries, ships going down the English Channel have come into Torbay to seek refuge from"
"now abandoned him; the seven signatories of the Invitation to William asking him to assume the English throne included representatives from the Tories, the Whigs, the Church and the Navy. When William landed at Torbay in November 1688, Hastings was sent with his regiment to secure Plymouth, accompanied by his cousin Lt-Colonel Ferdinando Hastings and the Earl of Bath; both promptly declared for William and arrested him. This ended the Earl's political career; he was one of thirty individuals exempted from the 1690 Act of Grace pardoning William's opponents, although none were actually prosecuted and he continued to sit in"
"as the most magnificent and affecting spectacle that was ever seen by human eyes. William intended to land at Torbay but due to fog the fleet sailed past it by mistake. The wind made a return impossible and Plymouth was unsuitable as it had a garrison. At this point, with the English fleet in pursuit, Russell told Burnet: ""You may go to prayers, Doctor. All is over"". At that moment however the wind changed and the fog lifted, enabling the fleet to sail into Torbay, near Brixham, Devon. William came ashore on 5/15 November. When Burnet was ashore he hastened"
"was the Count Gregoire Stroganoff and Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, the wife of noted novelist Leo Tolstoy. On 31 July 1850 Prince and Princess Peter of Oldenburg, their five children and retinue arrived in Torquay by express train, having first been received at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by their cousin, Queen Victoria. Prince Peter of Oldenburg was also a cousin of the Russian Tsar Alexander II and was widely known as a great philanthropist and patron of many hospitals in Russia. As such, he was invited to lay the foundation stone of the new Torbay Infirmary (later Torbay Hospital) at"
"Completed in 1848 with its sweeping Regency façade it was described as the """"finest crescent of houses in the West of England"""". After Napoleon was captured following the Battle of Waterloo he was held on the warship HMS ""Bellerophon"", nicknamed ""Billy Ruffian"" in Torbay for two days. Upon his first sight of the Bay the former Emperor has been quoted as exclaiming ""Quel Bon Pays"" (""what a lovely country"") and he compared it favourably to Porto Ferrago on Elba. Napoleon also helped the prosperity of Torquay in another way: local smugglers did very good business 'importing' French brandy during the"
"people ... are desirous of change"". William needed no further encouragement. Although the invitation was not signed by Churchill (he was not, as yet, of sufficient political rank to be a signatory), he declared his intention through William's principal English contact in The Hague – ""If you think there is anything else that I ought to doe, you have but to command me"". Churchill, like many others, was looking for an opportune time to desert James. William landed at Torbay on 5 November 1688 (O.S.); from there, he moved his army to Exeter. James's forces – once again commanded by"
"the capture of Dartmouth and Exeter in 1646 by Sir Thomas Fairfax. He then captured Tiverton and defeated Lord Hopeton's army at Torrington. The last place held for the king was Charles Fort at Salcombe. After the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, Judge Jefferies held one of his ‘bloody assizes’ at Exeter. In 1688, the Prince of Orange first landed in England at Brixham (where his statue stands in the town harbour) to launch the Glorious Revolution and his journey to London to claim the English throne as William III. He was entertained for several days at both Forde and at"
"Torbay on 5 November 1688 and on 22nd, Sir Henry was part of a force under Danby that secured York, the most important city in Northern England, then Hull, its largest port. The outcome was his promotion to Brigadier General in April 1689; in September, he became Colonel of a Regiment of Foot, originally raised by the Duke of Norfolk. In this period, regiments were treated as the personal property of their Colonel, changed names when transferred and disbanded as soon as possible. As 'Belasyse's Regiment of Foot,' the unit took part in the 1689-1691 Williamite War in Ireland under"
"attempt to resolve the crisis by secretly initiating dialogue with William of Orange to come to England, outside the jurisdiction of the English Parliament. Stadtholder William, the de facto head of state of the Dutch United Provinces, feared a Catholic Anglo–French alliance and had already been planning a military intervention in England. After consolidating political and financial support, William crossed the North Sea and English Channel with a large invasion fleet in November 1688, landing at Torbay. After only two minor clashes between the two opposing armies in England, and anti-Catholic riots in several towns, James's regime collapsed, largely because"
"Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington Admiral Arthur Herbert, 1st Earl of Torrington (c. 1648 – 13 April 1716) was an English admiral and politician. Dismissed by King James II in 1688 for refusing to vote to repeal the Test Act, which prevented Roman Catholics from holding public office, he brought the ""Invitation to William"" to the Prince of Orange at The Hague, disguised as a simple sailor. As a reward he was made commander of William's invasion fleet which landed at Torbay in Devon on 5 November 1688 thus initiating the Glorious Revolution. Born the son of Sir Edward"
"the wars with France up to 1815, though the bay's exposure to easterly winds caused a number of near disasters when the wind changed direction unexpectedly. On 5 November 1688 William of Orange landed at Brixham, starting the Glorious Revolution. The bay contains two sheltered harbours, at Torquay and Brixham. Almost the whole of the bay affords good anchorages and shelter from westerly winds. The bay's sheltered nature makes it a popular location for watersports. There are regular passenger ferry services across the bay between Torquay and Brixham. Tor Bay Tor Bay (sometimes written as Torbay) is a bay on"
"chance of Presbyterianism being instituted throughout Britain was through its acceptance by the King. Thus it was that on 23 June 1650 that Charles II landed in Scotland at Garmouth in Moray and by prior agreement, despite his Anglican and Roman Catholic sympathies, signed on his arrival the 1638 National Covenant and 1643 Solemn League and Covenant before being proclaimed King of Scots. This infuriated the English Parliament's Council of State who decided on a pre-emptive invasion of Scotland. Sir Thomas Fairfax, the Army's commander, disagreed with this strategy against the Scots Covenanters, who he saw as Protestant brethren and"
"that the King would be succeeded by his daughter Mary, a Protestant and the wife of William of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, but when in 1688, James produced a male heir, James Francis Edward Stuart, it was clear that his policies would outlive him. An invitation by seven leading Englishmen led William to land in England with 40,000 men on 5 November. In Edinburgh there were rumours of Orange plots and on 10 December the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, the Earl of Perth, quit the capital for Drummond Castle, planning an abortive escape to Ireland (he was later captured"
"who had just landed at Torbay, assuring the Prince of the captains' support. Indeed, he was perhaps the chief of the cabal. Aylmer followed up the letter with a visit to the Prince's headquarters and arranged that Lieutenant George Byng and Captain Anthony Hastings should accompany him during the visit. The Prince's warm response to the captains ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688. Aylmer transferred to the command of the third-rate HMS ""Mary"" in December 1688 and was present at the French victory at the Battle of Bantry"
"the great beast passing and attacked it. In one move, the animal was thrown by the elephant and killed outright. The Fisher Gate on the quay dates from 1384, and has been scheduled as an Ancient Monument. It is the only one of the original mediaeval town gates to survive. It is a Grade I listed building. The nearby Barbican dates from the 14th century and stands at the end of the bridge over the River Stour where it was used as a toll house. On 28 August 1457, after four years of uneasy peace in England the king presided"
"the following weeks, d'Haussonville, under the orders of the Chevalier de Ternay, was able to consolidate the French position in Newfoundland. His defence system consisted of several advance posts equipped with artillery around Signal Hill, a strategic point dominating the surrounding area. On September 13, 1762, the British landed at Torbay, a few miles to the north. Ternay and Haussonville were unable to counter it, so to hamper the British advance, they dispatched a detachment to guard the bare summit of Signal Hill. At dawn on September 15, 1762, Royal Navy warships anchored behind the steep hill, with masts out"
"defensive position in accordance with the strategical methods of the time. The French army lay facing north-west with its right on the Zenne at Steenkerque and its left towards Enghien. Their supposition was that the enemy would not dare to attack it. William III had replaced Waldeck as supreme allied commander. The allied army was encamped about Halle. Of the 20 British regiments in the Allied army, 8 were Scottish, including the famed Mackay Regiment, who had landed with William at Torbay in 1688. The Allies, who would otherwise probably have done as the French marshal desired, were by the"
"George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington Admiral of the Fleet George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington, (27 January 166317 January 1733) of Southill Park in Bedfordshire, was a Royal Navy officer and statesman. While still a lieutenant, he delivered a letter from various captains to Prince William of Orange, who had just landed at Torbay, assuring the Prince of the captains' support; the Prince gave Byng a response which ultimately led to the Royal Navy switching allegiance to the Prince and the Glorious Revolution of November 1688. As a captain, Byng saw action at the Battle of Vigo Bay, when the French"
"Local people came on board, and were disappointed at the absence of Sir Walter Raleigh after he had famously visited during his exploration of the area in 1595. Harcourt gave them aqua vitae. He took possession in the king's name of a tract of land lying between the River Amazon and River Essequibo on 14 August, left his brother and most of his company to colonise it, and four days later embarked for England. At this time Harcourt was involved in a dispute with his brother-in-law, Anthony Fitzherbert, about his claim to the manor of Norbury, Derbyshire. He also appears"
"landing in England, James' Lord Deputy in Ireland, Richard Talbot, 1st Earl of Tyrconnell took action to ensure that all strong points in Ireland were held by garrisons of the newly recruited Irish Catholic army, loyal to James. The northern province of Ulster, which had the heaviest concentration of English and Scottish settlers, was the only part of Ireland where Talbot encountered significant resistance. An attempted rising by the Protestant inhabitants of Bandon in County Cork was quickly defeated by Jacobite forces. By November 1688, only the walled city of Derry had a Protestant garrison. A Jacobite army of around"
"Ireland and future King of England, traveled from England to Ireland to consolidate the Anglo-Norman colonisation of Ireland, landing at Waterford near the border of Osraige. He secured the allegiance of the Irish princes and traveled through Osraige to Dublin, ordering several castles to be constructed in the region. The last recorded king of central Osraige was Maelseachaill Mac Gilla Patráic, who died in either 1193 or 1194. However, the kingdom and a continuous succession of rulers remained intact in the north, subsequently called ""Upper Ossory"" into the mid-sixteenth century. After the initial Norman Invasion of Ireland, the famous and"
"1688, when a new Anglo-French alliance seemed imminent; the Dutch stadtholder William III took a desperate gamble by sailing to England with a large fleet that landed in Brixham in Devon. He marched to London and toppled his father in law James II, who was in a very weak position then. William had himself proclaimed King of England, effectively making his greatest maritime rival an ally. In the 25 years after this 'Glorious Revolution' the Dutch and the English successfully fought together with various other allies against France, then at the height of its powers during the reign of Louis"
"faced invasions by William, his own brother Tostig, and the Norwegian King Harald Hardrada (Harold III of Norway). Hardrada and Tostig defeated a hastily gathered army of Englishmen at the Battle of Fulford on 20 September 1066, and were in turn defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge five days later. The deaths of Tostig and Hardrada at Stamford Bridge left William as Harold's only serious opponent. While Harold and his forces were recovering, William landed his invasion forces in the south of England at Pevensey on 28 September 1066 and established a beachhead for his conquest of"
"mercenary army and mounted an invasion of Wales in 1485. Welshmen, Lancastrians, and disaffected Yorkists rallied behind Tudor, whose forces encountered Richard and the royal army at Bosworth Field on August 22. Richard was killed during the fighting, and his forces lost the battle. Tudor was crowned king as Henry VII, and, after defeating Yorkist rebels in 1487, established the House of Tudor as the sole English ruling dynasty. The pretender Perkin Warbeck made three attempts to invade England. The first, on 3 July 1495, occurred at Deal. Warbeck had arrived on a fleet of ships provided by Maximillian I."
"the anti-Ottoman alliance. The Grand Embassy had to limit itself to acquiring different equipment and hiring foreign specialists especially in military and naval affairs. They formed the basis of his modernizing the Russian army and navy. Peter and part of the Embassy arrived in England on January 11th, 1698, and left on April 21st. His entourage included four chamberlains, three interpreters, two clocksmiths, a cook, a priest, six trumpeters, 70 soldiers as tall as their monarch, four dwarves, and a monkey. The party landed at the Watergate to York House, built in 1672 by George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham."
"with their last minister, James Renwick, being captured and executed in 1688. It was believed that the king would be succeeded by his daughter Mary, a Protestant and the wife of William of Orange, Stadtholder of the Netherlands, but when in 1688, James produced a male heir, James Francis Edward Stuart, it was clear that his policies would outlive him. An invitation by seven leading Englishmen led William to land in England with 40,000 men on 5 November. In Edinburgh there were rumours of Orange plots and on 10 December the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, the Earl of Perth, quit"
"(1886) declared of Torquay ""in proportion to its population [it is] the wealthiest town in England"". Edward Cardwell, 1st Viscount Cardwell, the MP who reformed the British military after the Crimean War, was a prominent resident of Torquay during his latter years and died in the town on 15 February 1886. In later years Queen Victoria reviewed the entire Royal Navy in the waters of Torbay. During this period, Torquay attracted a number of literary talents whose works reflected their stay in the town, Charles Kingsley, author of ""The Water Babies"" and ""Westward Ho! (novel)"" lived in the Livermead region"