Review Haydn Wheeler -Clubmen 1645

                               Neutralism in a Revolution 

If you offer to take our cattle, be assured we will bid you battle. Dorset Clubmen slogan  1645 

The Clubmen of the British Civil Wars are still quite a neglected subject for research. Possibly because they were local movements operating  only in  certain counties, armed neutralists who were determined to protect their communities from rampaging soldiers fighting for either side. Sometimes relegated as being merely a 'product of the war'. It is possible to write whole histories of the British Civil Wars and omit them. 

Yet their activity is a potent reminder of war. Of communities  having bands of soldiers foisted upon them, demanding supplies, horses, money, sometimes plundering and abusing, and deserve not to  just be relegated into some sort of footnote . This book reminds us that forced conscription was another unwelcome consequence of the conflict. For example one reads of the Royalist commander Sir Thomas Lunsford entering the Monmouth, Chepstow, and Forest of Dean districts with a force of 3,500  and attempting to press local men between the ages of 16- 60 in 1645.

Ultimately, though  the activities of The Clubmen probably did not change the course of the Civil Wars, there is a lot to be said to researching a neutralist approach to the conflict. 

The book opens with a contemporary poem  Full text ( In dialect)

Our husbands sons and fathers

Our unkles and our cozens

  Are slaine out-right

     Or maimed quite

  And so undone by dozens

Our Wives, our maids, and daughters

    In our own sight defied

    This is to prevent

 Let the Parliament

And the King be reconciled

 If peace come yet

  We will forget 

How War hath us turmoyled. 

The book advises that The  Clubmen began in Shropshire in  December 1644 and were active  in the county into the following months. The Clubmen also gathered  at Woodley Hill, north west Worcestershire in March 1645. Badbury Rings, Dorset in May 1645. Glamorganshire, Somerset, Hereford, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Sussex, saw other Clubmen gatherings, some numbering into their thousands. 

Hadyn Wheeler aims to emphasis their importance. 

"With the petitions and declaration of The Clubmen we see the desires and resolutions by route. This again has as its core a strong independent thought of mind, an empowering theme of a community under attack and a resolution required. Again we see a choosing of those not of a side but free from and separate from warring parties."

Well yes, The Clubmen were not neutralist in the sense of passive bystanders to historical events. Yet the declarations presented in the book suggest that they emphasised loyalty to the 'Reformed' religion, to the Crown, and to the 'ancient rights' of Parliament. It is almost if they were wanting to revert to the pre-Civil Wars era rather than establish a new social order. One exception is that some 1500 Somerset Clubmen were said to have marched on Oxfordshire to join The Levellers rebellion in 1649. 

 It is difficult to find any members of the nobility or gentry who were active in the movement. Some preachers were involved. And interesting to see the section on Robert Frampton's connection with The Clubmen. Frampton became  Bishop of Gloucester in 1681, but lost the position after the Glorious Revolution of 1689. 

On the night of August 2nd/ August 3rd 1645 there was a significant Clubmen gathering at Castle Hill, Shaftesbury, Dorset. General Fairfax decided to quash the meeting, and 13 or 14 suspected leaders were arrested and were to be put on trial. On August 4th 1645, between 2-4000 Clubmen assembled at nearby Hambledon Hill, and an armed clash broke out with Cromwell's forces when The Clubmen marched on Shaftesbury to release their leaders. Other times there were instances of The Clubmen siding with the Parliamentarians against the Royalists such as in Somerset in the same year. The Royalist forces under Lord Goring being considered more of a threat to the local community. The issue of The Clubmen being neutralist, and thus deemed a threat to both sides, is examined. 

I have to admit to being curious to know what happened to The Clubmen in the second Civil War and into the Commonwealth. 

The book includes crucial Clubmen text and photos of sites associated with Clubmen gatherings in England and Wales. And a huge amount of relevant historical details. The author brings in his fascination with the Punk band The Ruts as a source of inspiration and looks at other populist movements in other centuries . The book ends touchingly with a poem written by the author's mother Barbara Wheeler, who sadly passed away from pneumonia in 2021 which she dedicated to 'The Clubmen of Dorset' .

Overall recommended . It is great to have the British Civil Wars looked at from a different angle, and the author uses the source material dating from the time with great skill. The book also functions as a  very helpful  guide if anyone is seeking locations associated with The Clubmen. 

 

'Clubmen 1645 -Neutralism in a Revolution'  by Hadyn Wheeler is available for £12.00 ,postage free within the UK. Contact link for overseas postage charge  Order Book

Further reading. 

Clubmen 1645 website  Crucial website 

Clubmen1645 blog        Related to the above 

Clubmen merchandise    from the 'Retro It Ain't ' site 

Clubmen (short) Youtube videos  From Hadyn Wheeler's Youtube channel. ( accessed 18th April 2022) 

A War most Unnatural and Horrid The Clubmen of Dorset 1645 . Article by Hadyn Wheeler 

Other Blogs by Michael Bully 

1685 Monmouth Rebellion  Due to be updated soon. 

13th Century History           No longer active

World War 2 poetry             No longer active 

As ever, thank you to everyone for visiting this blog. Your support and interest is always appreciated. 

Michael Bully 

22nd April 2022.