In 1688 three noblemen sheltering from a storm in a Whittington alehouse helped set in motion the change of monarch known as the Glorious Revolution. The alehouse, once called the Cock and Pynot, is now Revolution House.

A country divided over religion

For centuries the Church in England looked to Rome. In the 1530s Henry VIII broke with the Pope and made himself head of a new Church of England. The break left a lasting fear among English Protestants that the Catholic Church, and Catholic monarchs, might one day return.

Charles II reigned for twenty-five years, from 1660 to 1685, but left no legitimate heir. The crown passed to his brother James, an open Catholic, and many feared a return to Catholic rule.

As James II, he soon gave them reason. From November 1685 he allowed Catholics to serve as officers in the army. He set aside the Test Acts, which barred Catholics from public office, so that he could appoint them to his council. In April 1687 his Declaration of Indulgence suspended the laws against Catholics. When seven leading bishops refused to have his second Declaration read in their churches in 1688, he had them arrested. The birth of a son to James in June 1688 promised a Catholic line of kings, and opposition hardened.

The meeting at the Cock and Pynot

Three local noblemen were among those looking for a way out: William Cavendish, 4th Earl of Devonshire; Thomas Osborne, Earl of Danby; and John Darcy, son of the Earl of Holderness. They arranged to meet on Whittington Moor, ostensibly as a hunting party. When the weather turned stormy they took refuge in an isolated alehouse, the Cock and Pynot.

There, the three men discussed a plan to march south against James. They resolved to join with others of like mind to invite James’s Protestant son-in-law, Prince William of Orange, to bring an army to England.

The invitation to William

The invitation was sent to William on 30 June 1688. It was written partly in cipher, with the signatories identified only by code numbers. Its seven signatories later became known as the “Immortal Seven”.

A revolution without a battle

William landed at Brixham in Devon on 5 November 1688. James’s support melted away and in December he fled to France. The change of monarch took place with almost no fighting in England, which is why it became known as the Glorious, or Bloodless, Revolution.

William and his wife Mary, James’s daughter, took the throne together in 1689. They accepted the Bill of Rights, which limited the power of the Crown and confirmed the authority of Parliament. It also barred Catholics from the throne, and barred the monarch from marrying a Catholic. The first rule still stands. The ban on marrying a Catholic was lifted in 2015. James II was the last English monarch to attempt to rule without Parliament. Catholics themselves remained excluded from Parliament until Catholic Emancipation in 1829.

The conspirators were well rewarded. In 1694 the Earl of Devonshire became the 1st Duke of Devonshire and the Earl of Danby became Duke of Leeds.

The centenary of 1788

A hundred years later, in 1788, dignitaries gathered at the alehouse to mark the centenary of the Revolution. The celebration was led by the Rector of Whittington, Samuel Pegge, and included the Duke of Devonshire, a direct descendant of the 4th Earl.

The Duke and Duchess then led a procession, with the Mayor of Chesterfield, from Revolution House to a civic reception in Chesterfield. Marching bands and crowds lined the three-mile route.

From alehouse to museum

Two years after the centenary, around 1790, the alehouse became a private house. A new inn was built directly behind it and named the Cock and Magpie.

Over the following centuries the old building was greatly reduced, and what survives today is only part of the original inn. The ground-floor parlour is furnished with 17th-century furniture. Upstairs, an exhibition tells the story of the building, the Glorious Revolution and the local area. Revolution House is a Grade II* listed building.

The tercentenary of 1988

In 1988 the 300th anniversary was celebrated in Whittington, with Charles, Prince of Wales, in attendance. A limited edition of 300 commemorative plates was made for the occasion, and these are now sought after by collectors.

Timeline

1. 1530s Henry VIII breaks with Rome and founds the Church of England
2. 1660–1685 Reign of Charles II, who leaves no legitimate heir
3. 1685 James II, a Catholic, becomes king
4. April 1687 The first Declaration of Indulgence
5. 1688 Devonshire, Danby and Darcy meet at the Cock and Pynot
6. 30 June 1688 The invitation is sent to William of Orange
7. 5 Nov 1688 William lands at Brixham
8. Dec 1688 James II flees to France
9. 1689 William III and Mary II crowned; the Bill of Rights
10. 1694 Devonshire made a duke
11. 1788 Centenary celebrations led by Samuel Pegge
12. c.1790 The alehouse becomes a private house; the Cock and Magpie is built behind it
13. 1988 Tercentenary, attended by the Prince of Wales

Visiting Revolution House

Sources and downloads

• Revolution history: background notes (Word document)
• Newspaper report, 8 December 1888 (PDF, British Library newspapers) [CHECK date and title]

Further reading: Samuel Pegge’s sermon for the 1788 centenary; S. H. Stones’s 1908 publication on Revolution House, whose cover features Joseph Syddall’s drawing of the building; and S. H. Grimm’s sketch of 1785. [CHECK: full titles, and add links if you publish these]