Working away on "Lettice and Lovage." Now to the chopping block! Love Bardolph's thought "must have been blocks all over England at one time." Could this take the place of Marie Antionette's courtroom??!! Summer before last I read Antiona Frazer's Marie Antionete:The Journey. Last year I read the bio Georgina:Dutchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman (tiresome.) Rehearsals start next week! We're having some of Shakespeare's "strange snow" in Alabama. Perfect for conjuring up stories!!

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/CharlesI_execution.htm

"he, the said Charles Stuart, as a tyrant, traitor, murderer and public enemy to the good of this nation, shall be put to death by severing of his head from his body."

When the judgment of the court was announced, Charles finally started to defend himself. He was told that his chance had gone and the king of England was bundled out of the court by the guarding soldiers.

His date of execution was set for January 30th1649.

The execution of Charles I

Charles was executed on a Tuesday. It was a cold day. Charles was allowed to go for a last walk in St James’s park with his pet dog. His last meal was bread and wine. However, there was a delay in his execution.

The man who was to execute Charles refused to do it. So did others. Very quickly, another man and his assistant was found. They were paid £100 and were allowed to wear masks so that no-one would ever know who they were.

At nearly 2.00 o’clock in the afternoon, Charles was lead to the scaffold which was covered in black cloth. He had asked to wear thick underclothes under his shirt as he was very concerned that if he shivered in the cold, the crowd might think that he was scared. Charles gave a last speech to the crowd but very few could hear him. He said:
"I have delivered to my conscience; I pray God you do take those courses that are best for the good of the kingdom and your own salvation."

It is said that when he was beheaded a large groan went up throughout the crowd. One observer in the crowd described it as "such a groan by the thousands then present, as I never heard before and I desire I may never hear again."

Even in death, Charles found no dignity. Spectators were allowed to go up to the scaffold and, after paying, dip handkerchiefs in his blood as it was felt that the blood of a king when wiped onto a wound, illness etc. would cure that illness.

On the 6th February, 1649, the monarchy was abolished. Parliament stated that
"the office of the king in this nation is unnecessary, burdensome and dangerous to the liberty, society and public interest of the people."

What became known as a Council of State was set-up instead of the monarchy and Oliver Cromwell was its first chairman.

When Charles II returned to become king of England in 1660, those men who had signed his father’s death warrant (and were still alive) were tried as regicides (the murderer of a king) and executed. Anyone associated with the execution of Charles was put on trial. The only people to escape were the executioners as no-one knew who they were as they wore masks during the execution.