The Great Rebellion - The Second English Civil War 1648-52
Though Parliament controlled the country by 1648, major pockets of Royalist sympathisers remained and with the very real threat of invasion from Scotland diverting Roundhead energies and thoughts towards the North, it took little to ignite the fires of an uprising in pro-Royal Kent. The spark in this case was a petition by local gentry for the return of the King to power and for the standing down of the feared New Model Army.
In mid-May 1648 these same Kent gentry, their wishes spurned by the authorities in the county, rose, seizing strategic towns and fortifications throughout the area.
Faced with the possible reinforcement of the rebellion by neighbouring counties of Surrey & Essex, Parliament rapidly sent Lord-General Fairfax with 8,000 men to counter the Kentish army headed by the Earl of Norwich. Fairfax left London & bypassed Rochester & Aylesford, where part of the rebel forces had been garrisoned and headed for Maidstone, where Norwich had placed 3,000 soldiers in the town and mustered his main force of 7,000 outside.
On the evening of 1st June 1648 light skirmishes by advanced guards in the outskirts developing into serious fighting and the main battle commenced in heavy rain.
The untrained Royalists in the town fought hard & bravely, defending barricades and using artillery to good effect, only ceding ground street by street, yard by yard once Fairfax had committed his full force. Eventually they retreated to Gabriel's Hill, then back up Week Street, finally making a stand in the churchyard of St. Faiths, where they kept up their resistance until past midnight before finally surrendering.
Some 300 Royalists died, 1400 being taken prisoner. Fairfax's Roundheads lost just 80 (mostly in Gabriels Hill), a testament to the professionalism and prowess of the Parliamentary army.
The Earl of Norwich escaped with a decent sized force, but Sir Gamaliel Dudley (the battlefield Commander) was captured and imprisoned in All Saints Church.
So, to the cache itself - where you will follow the route of the final stage of the battle. Please send me the required answers, don't put them into your log
At the given co-ordinates stands reputedly the third oldest building in the town. This Olde ale house dates from around 1430 and stands at a point which joins two ancient thoroughfares that would have been the beginnings of a settlement in the Middle Ages. If you look very carefully, you might even spot a musket ball hole in the ancient timber beams, a consequence of the initial skirmish.
Initial TASK :- On the opposite corner (Knightrider Street), there are two plaques on the brick frontage, one the initials CW and a date. What is this date ?
STAGE 1 : Starting off at the bottom of Gabriels Hill, you will see a large golden object, just what a soldier needs. What is it & what date was the firm established ?
STAGE 2 : Takes you to a Commemorative wall plaque at the Town Hall. Look behind you - how many stone figures are looking down on you ?
STAGE 3 : Along Week Street there is a beautiful ornate building frontage above shop level. What is the date & two initials ? Would this decorative building have been there during the Battle of Maidstone ?
STAGE 4 : The bloody finale in Brenchley Gardens. Stone Memorial marking the end of the Battle. Who is the Kentish Cavalier poet mentioned ? PHOTO OF YOU &/or GPS DEVICE PLEASE - attached to your log
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.