1688: The Last Successful Invasion of Britain – And The Pub That Spawned It

This is the story of Revolution House - the thatched building where the Glorious Revolution was actually planned. Not in Parliament. Not in some grand London townhouse. In a pub called The Cock and Pynot in Old Whittington, while the rain hammered down outside.

 

History documentary on The Glorious Revolution.

The year is 1688. Three rain-soaked conspirators. One remote Derbyshire pub. And a treasonous pint over a packet of pork scratchings. By closing time, they’d toppled a king. This is the story of Revolution House – the thatched building where the Glorious Revolution was actually planned. Not in Parliament. Not in some grand London townhouse. In a pub called The Cock and Pynot in Old Whittington, while the rain hammered down outside. James II was Catholic. His newborn son meant a Catholic dynasty – potentially forever. The Protestant establishment panicked. The ‘Warming Pan Scandal’ spread like wildfire – rumours that the baby was smuggled into the Queen’s bed inside a brass warming pan. Fake news, 1688 style. Despite 84 witnesses to the birth, the damage was done. Three men – Danby (Tory), Devonshire and Darcy (Whigs) – met to plot regime change. They needed cross-party support. They got it. The Immortal Seven signed an invitation to William of Orange to be king. James fled. And Britain had its last successful invasion.

In this episode:

  • Why James II was “tolerated” rather than welcomed
  • How 84 witnesses couldn’t stop a conspiracy theory
  • Revolution House: the pub that changed British history
  • The Immortal Seven and their treasonous letter
  • Why cross-party conspiracy was essential to avoid civil war
  • The Archbishop of Canterbury goes to the Tower (again)

 

Secret Bonus Facts for the Most Awesome Viewers Who Got Lost in the Description:

  1. The Warming Pan Scandal claimed James’s son was smuggled into the Queen’s bed inside a brass bed-warmer. Despite 84 sworn witnesses to the legitimate birth, the conspiracy theory stuck. Royal birth verification continued until 1936 because of this.
  2. Revolution House is only open summer weekends. If you’re lucky. A nation-changing conspiracy reduced to a locked door due to lack of demand.
  3. The letter inviting William to invade was written by Henry Sydney – who wasn’t even at the Revolution House meeting. The Immortal Seven signed it anyway.
  4. James II suspended both English and Scottish parliaments in 1685 and ruled by decree. Then prosecuted the Archbishop of Canterbury for seditious libel. And lost. His support evaporated overnight. One almost wonders if the Tower of London has a special suite for Archbishops, so regularly do they seem to spend time there.

You’ve scrolled too far. But since you’re here: The pub has since moved down the street. The actual Revolution House sits mostly empty, a museum nobody visits and that is barely ever open. Three men changed the course of British history over ale – and now you need to book ahead just to see a locked door. Seditious stuff, that. Almost worthy of a another conspiracy…