    the royal oak is the english oak tree within which king charles ii of england hid to escape the roundheads following the battle of worcester in 1651. the tree was in boscobel wood, which was part of the park of boscobel house. charles confirmed to samuel pepys in 1680 that while he was hiding in the tree, a parliamentarian soldier passed directly below it. the story was popular after the restoration, and is remembered every year in the english traditions of royal oak day. numerous large dishes painted in slip with the boscobel oak, supported by the lion and unicorn, with the king's face peeping from the branches were made by the staffordshire potter thomas toft.one is at the metropolitan museum (illustration). ==history== after the defeat of charles' royalist army at the hands of cromwell's new model army, the king fled with lord derby, lord wilmot and other royalists, seeking shelter at the safe houses of white ladies priory and boscobel house. initially, charles was led to white ladies priory by charles giffard, a cousin of the owner, and his servant francis yates, the only man later executed for his part in the escape. there, the penderel (pendrell or pendrill) family, tenants and servants of the giffard family began to be important in guiding and caring for him. the king was disguised as a woodman by charles giffard and the penderel family. from white ladies, richard penderel led charles in an unsuccessful attempt to cross the severn near madeley, shropshire. they were forced to retrace their steps and charles took refuge at boscobel. on 6 september 1651, he there met with william careless (or carlis), a native of nearby brewood. a memorial to william careless is to be found in the church of st mary the virgin and st chad, brewood, he is believed to be buried in the churchyard, but his original headstone no longer exists. william's brother john held the lands of broom hall, brewood.l. margaret midgley (editor), victoria county history (1959), 'brewood: introduction, manors and agriculture', a history of the county of stafford: volume 5: east cuttlestone hundred (1959), pp. 18â40. one of the last royalists to escape the battlefield. careless's rank is variously reported as captain, major and colonel. thumb|right|coat of arms granted to col. careless/carlos careless suggested that the house was unsafe and recommended that the king hide in an oak tree in t
Charles_II_of_England English_Civil_War Individual_oak_trees Visitor_attractions_in_Shropshire