Saturday 3 January 2009

Researching the Monmouth Rebellion

If you're researching the Monmouth Rebellion online it's best to start with Somerset Timeline's Monmouth Rebellion files. They have put all the exhibits of the county of Somerset's museums on the web with an excellent zoom facility - including all the playing cards you see occasionally on this blog. There's some 325 images including this one of Thomas Dare, a rebel, in 1679. Dare was a Taunton silversmith, Mayor of Taunton and paymaster to the expedition having skilfully raised money in Amsterdam to finance the expedition and one of its first casualties. He was shot by Andrew Fletcher, the Scottish cavalry commander, in an argument about a requisitioned horse that both men wanted. Monmouth had no option but to arrest and confine Fletcher thereby losing two of his most able men before leaving Lyme.

1 comment:

Sir Robalot said...

Hi, i've been reading through your blog as im doing a project on the monmouth rebellion and i have been finding it brilliant.

i come from Taunton and i am decended from Thomas Hayward Dare but have never seen an image of him.

i will enjoy reading more.

Rob Dare.