On This Day – July 15th

The Duke of Monmouth, executed on 15th July 1685, was the illegitimate son of Charles II.

Though much liked by the British people – he had taken care to garner support in semi-royal progresses through the land when his father was on the throne – he was no leader of men. His rebellion against his uncle James II was a fiasco from start to finish, with no apparent plan other than trying to play on James's Catholicism.

When his supporters were slaughtered by James's artillery at Sedgemoor he ran for his life (like the inconsequential libertine he was). But he was caught, brought to London and tried.

Begging for his life proved useless. He was executed on Tower Hill just nine days after the rout of Sedgemoor.

Famously his execution was one of the most botched in British history. Jack Ketch was a hangman, not experienced with the axe. Tradition has it that it took him between five and eight strikes with the axe before he cut through Monmouth's neck and the head was displayed to the crowd.

Monmouth was buried in the Church of St Peter ad Vincula in the Tower of London.

His official portrait, shown above, provides us with today's question...

What's odd about it?

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.