The Liberty TrailThe 28-mile Liberty Trail from Ham Hill in South Somerset to the Dorset Coast at Lyme Regis is based upon the stories of some of the men who joined the Monmouth Rebellion. Part of the Liberty Trail passes through the parish of Winsham. In the 1670's Charles II's likely successor was his openly Catholic brother James, Duke of York who was seen as a threat to Parliament and the Church of England. The King's illegitimate son James, Duke of Monmouth was widely seen as a more suitable choice. In 1680 he came to the West Country travelling from Ilchester to Brympton, Hinton St George and Forde attracting huge crowds and becoming a popular hero. Monmouth's implication in a plot to overthrow the King led to his exile. The death of his father and the urgings of men from the West of England brought Monmouth with three small ships and just over 80 men to Lyme Regis, the signal for a rising for the Protestant cause. Something like 3,000 men joined Monmouth within four days of his landing; more, walking from Yeovil and beyond, joined at Chard, Ilminster or Taunton. Over 4,000 eventually joined the Rebellion.
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