14/06/2026
Glastonbury Abbey is nestled in the heart of Somerset, home of summer festivals, cheddar cheese, cider and… the last armed uprising on English soil.
In June 1685, a group of rebels made camp among the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey. They were part of an army being raised by James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, in his bid to overthrow King James II and claim the English throne.
By then already a ruin, the abbey’s stone walls were used for target practice, and the marks left by musket fire can still be seen today – a remarkable reminder of one of the most dramatic episodes in Somerset's history.
An illegitimate son of Charles II, Monmouth championed the Protestant cause, winning support from many working people across the southwest when he landed in Dorset. He soon amassed a force of Westcountry rebels, many of them farmers and labourers with little or no military training, including twenty-nine men from Glastonbury.
With his army in tow, Monmouth hoped to march on London and depose the King. But ultimately the uprising, later known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, would never make it out of Somerset.
On 6th July 1685, Monmouth’s forces clashed with the King’s army in what was to be the pitched battle fought in England: the Battle of Sedgmoor. The inexperienced rebels stood little chance against James II’s soldiers and were swiftly defeated. Monmouth himself was captured and executed, while many rebels faced harsh punishment during the Bloody Assizes led by the infamous Judge Jeffreys.
The Monmouth Rebellion and its aftermath had significant consequences for the ordinary people of Somerset. Discover the story for yourself on Saturday 20th & Sunday 21st June, when we’ll be hosting a weekend of re-enactment with the Taunton Garrison alongside talks from historian Stephen M. Carter – all included in your abbey Admission!
Learn more about this event: https://glastab.be/westcountry-rebels
🖼️: 'The Morning of Sedgemoor' (1905) by Edgar Bundy, Tate Britain.
