In your English history-book you will find some account of Oliver
Cromwell and the many battles he fought against the royal house of
Stuart and the cavaliers. One of the most famous of these was the battle
of Worcester, fought near the town of that name on the 3rd September,
1651, in which the army of King Charles II. was utterly defeated. As the
result of this defeat by Cromwell, all the followers of the King were
placed in danger, and the King's life was in great jeopardy. The only
thing he could do was to flee out of England, but that was no easy
matter because his enemies were numerous, and they searched for him with
great diligence. His first plan was to try to reach London before the
news of his defeat, and by proceeding from there in disguise he hoped to
get a ship on the south coast that would carry him to France. This plan
was in part successful, but before he embarked at Shoreham, near
Brighton, the fugitive king had many strange adventures and hair-breadth
escapes.
One of the most notable of these was connected with a large country
house called Boscobel, situated in Shropshire, and about thirty-seven
miles from Worcester, where the great battle was fought. In fleeing
northward after the fight Charles was accompanied by many of his
followers, but in order to give him a better chance to escape the king
was advised to leave all the others and make his way to Boscobel where
the folk were all friendly. This he did, with trusty Richard Penderel
for his guide; and as the house was a lonely place set among woods, the
king hoped that he would not be disturbed. But the pursuit after him was
very hot, and the soldiers of Cromwell arrived in the neighbourhood. So
the king had to seek a hiding-place somewhere out of doors, and one of
his friends, Colonel William Careless, suggested that they should
conceal themselves among the branches of a large bushy oak-tree that
stood near the house. There the two remained for a whole day, with
little to eat except bread and cheese, and with the constant fear of
being discovered. From where they sat among the branches they could peep
through the leaves and see the soldiers searching the woods around. But
they were not discovered, and at length the king escaped from that
neighbourhood dressed like a countryman in leathern doublet and green
jerkin.
After many years, as you all know, the man who hid in the oak-tree was
invited to return to England, where he reigned as Charles II. It was on
the 29th May, 1660, and the king's thirtieth birthday, that he entered
London in triumph. The story of his adventure in the oak-tree having
become known, garlands of oak-branches, and the Royal Oak used as a
symbol, were prominent in the coronation ceremonies; while from
thenceforth the 29th May was established as Royal Oak Day, or Oak-Apple
Day. During the Restoration Period, and for long afterwards, it was the
custom to go forth into the woods on the morning of that day and gather
branches of oak. In town and village the houses were decorated with the
woodland spoil, and thus did the people of England exhibit their loyalty
to the House of Stuart. Even now the old custom lingers in
out-of-the-way hamlets, and the sign of the Royal Oak may still be seen
on many an old inn, but the oak-leaf and the acorn have lost all their
significance in the world of politics. Oak-Apple Day, I fear, will never
again become a general holiday.