CHARLES II. IN THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. 177 



This lady was most disdainful both of the King and of his 

 Council, and whilst there, letters from the King having arrived 

 forbidding his going further westward, the Prince returned to 

 Bristol a week later. 



The plague still increasing at Bristol, the Prince arranged to 

 go to Barnstaple, North Devon, and with this intention reached 

 Wells on the 2nd June, receiving there a deputation of 5,000 or 

 6,000 "club men," who were dissatisfied with the excesses of 

 the royal soldiery.* 



Barnstaple was at length safely reached. Whilst here the 

 news of the battle of Naseby having been fought and lost reached 

 the Prince, and, after the subsequent surrender of Bridgwater on 

 22nd July to Fairfax, it was thought advisable to retire further, 

 so that later in that month the royal fugitive as he had then 

 almost become -reached Launceston in Cornwall. 



About the middle of August a letter from the King, com- 

 manding that the Prince whenever he found himself in immediate 

 danger of falling into the rebels' hands should place himself 

 under his mother's care in France, reached Launceston. His 

 advisers objected to his going to France, but on this the King 

 was obdurate. 



On nth October Bristol was surrendered by Prince Rupert, 

 and on the 2 3rd Prince Charles proceeded to Truro. There, on 

 Christmas Day, he received a letter from the King commanding 

 him not to continue any longer in England, but to retire to 

 Denmark or to any other country but Scotland or Ireland. Next 

 day the Prince quitted Truro for Bodmin in the courageous 

 endeavour to relieve Exeter, in which attempt he hoped to be 

 present, and on the following day reached Tavistock. Thence, 

 on the enemy's advance, he returned to Launceston early in 

 January, 1645-6. 



This was the time, no doubt, when an emissary from Jersey 

 Henry Janson despatched to the West of England, having 



* See a contemporary pamphlet on these " club " men in my collection of 

 Dorset books in the County Museum at Dorchester. 



