Image:Cock and Pynot .jpg

In the 17th Century this was an alehouse known as The Cock and Pynot and The Earl of Devonshire and the Earl of Danby met here to discuss how to overthrow King James II, who was too overtly Catholic for Protestant England. As a result of their meeting, James II was overthrown and William and Mary of Orange were installed on the throne in 1688. Their union was not an entirely happy one; they were 1st cousins and she found him to be repulsive; however they respected each other and neither wanted to be King or Queen Consort - so they became co-rulers. (It was all a bit more complicated than this; so much so that it makes Eastenders plots look simple).

Parliament, having displaced the Catholics once and for all, were left with the tricky question of ascession and, through various dodgy deals, ended the Royal prerogative and Parliamentary supremacy was asserted.

James II had abdicated and buggered off to France. William and Mary, as good Europeans, had screwed England and the Crown eventually passed to the (mad and German) House of Hanover.

Sorry for the crap (and possibly inaccurate) history lesson. This place, where the process started, became known as 'The Revolution House'. A Pynot is apparently local slang for magpie, which is odd, because when I grew up there, magpies were known as, urm, magpies.

You say you want a revolution? Well you know we all want to change the world

April 03, 2006 at 13:15

Jon

see below