The 362nd Anniversary of the King's execution took place on Sunday 30th January from 2 pm for 2:30 pm in the King Charles I Room, Kidderminster Town Hall, hosted by President Joe Kerrigan.
Held on a Sunday afternoon, on a typically cold January day, a large group of Old Carolians met in the Town Hall to remember the 362nd Anniversary of the King's execution. They were warmly welcomed by the Mayor, Cllr Jeff Baker, and, for the first time, by the Team Rector of St George's Church, the Rev Hugh Burton.
At the appointed time of 2:30pm, exactly the time of the execution in Whitehall, Hugh Burton began the ceremony. He thanked the Association for inviting him to preside and said that, in some ways, he was in awe of Old Carolians. He had known the Old Carolians Association ever since he had come to Kidderminster in 1996. All four of his children had attended King Charles and he had been a Governor of the School.
The King's character, he said, could be summed up in just 4 words: intelligent, tactless, inept and cultivated. For eleven years, his personal rule without Parliament had been described as tyrannical and this had led to upheaval and the conflict of the Civil War. There were enormous difficulties in being King in the 1640s because of the economic situation of the country, reflecting parallels with today. Charles had inherited a huge deficit from Queen Elizabeth I and from his father King James I, which had caused much upheaval and severe problems in ruling the nation with the consent of the people. Another parallel with the upheaval in Egypt today also springs to mind. Suspected by some of drifting away from Protestantism towards the Catholic Church, Charles insisted on his Divine Right to rule, whereas the devout Cromwell strongly believed that God was on the side of the Parliamentarians. There was then a great fanaticism and some deeply held convictions on both sides. It was a tragedy that these conflicting philosophies had driven the King to the scaffold. For our part, we should reflect on the parallels with our contemporary world and thank King Charles for the charter granted to the School and the town in 1636.
Old Carolians Association President Joe Kerrigan began his brief address by promising that his comments would not take 55 minutes as his speech at the Old Carolians Dinner had done! He added that he had just examined the plaque under the King's portrait and had noticed that he shared the same age of 49 with the monarch. He said that it was a great privilege to lay the wreath during the Anniversary ceremony and that he was mindful of how much the School of King Charles I had done for him and for his future career. There was a special significance for him in the fact that there is only one King Charles I School in the whole of the country.
Joe laid the wreath underneath the King's portrait and the ceremony ended with photographs and the reading of a prayer by Hugh Burton. Association members were then invited to adjourn to the Mayor's lounge, where glasses of wine were much appreciated.
The 1636 charter
The charter to which Hugh Burton referred is enclosed in a wooden case and forms part of the wooden panelling in the King Charles Room. It is approximately two feet square, written in Latin by monks, and superbly and colourfully illustrated as are most manuscripts of this time. In the top left corner of the Charter is a hand painted miniature portrait of the King, enthroned and holding the orb and sceptre, while at the foot is a large wax seal with a white fringe.
An explanatory note explains that the 1636 charter granted 'Liberties, franchises and privileges to the town of Kidderminster. It declares that the borough should be a free borough and the Burgesses should become a body corporate with perpetual succession and a common seal. They should be known as the Bailiff and Burgesses of the Borough of Kidderminster in the County of Worcestershire with power to hold lands and make bye laws. In addition, the free Grammar School of King Charles, King of England, is also established in the charter.'
'Captain' Peter Vaughan, Home Affairs Correspondent