The Hero in the Oak Tree

Centre for West Midlands History Research Seminar

Elaine Joyce, Independent Researcher

When Charles II was a fugitive after the disastrous Battle of Worcester, he was hidden in an Oak Tree by the loyal and resourceful Colonel William Carless. In this seminar, Elaine Joyce tells the story of Carless - his life, his family and his beliefs – and discusses the extant sources, together with the situation of the Recusant families of Staffordshire and the risks they took in sheltering the King.