Sealed Knot
Encyclopedia
The Sealed Knot was a secret Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...

 association which plotted for the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...

 of the Monarchy during the English Interregnum
English Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...

.

Its original founder members were:
  • John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse
    John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse
    John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse PC was an English nobleman, soldier and Member of Parliament, notable for his role during and after the English Civil War.-Early life:...

     (1614-1689)
  • Sir William Compton
    William Compton (army officer)
    Sir William Compton was an English royalist army officer. He earned the name of the "godly cavalier" in 1648, from Oliver Cromwell, for his conduct at the siege of Colchester.-Life:...

     (1625-1663; third son of Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton
    Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton
    Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton , styled Lord Compton from 1618 to 1630, was an English peer, soldier and politician....

    )
  • Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough
    Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough
    Henry Hastings, 1st Baron Loughborough was an English Royalist army commander in the Midlands during the English Civil War.-Life:...

     (1610-1666)
  • Col. John Russell
    John Russell (royalist)
    John Russell was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1641 to 1644. He fought in the Royalist army in the English Civil War....

  • Col. Sir Edward Villiers (1620-1689; father of Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey
    Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey
    Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey son of Sir Edward Villiers of Richmond and Frances Howard, the youngest daughter of Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk and Elizabeth Hume, was created Baron Villiers and Viscount Villiers in 1691 and Earl of Jersey in 1697.His grandfather, Sir Edward...

    )
  • Sir Richard Willis
    Richard Willis (spy)
    Sir Richard Willis, 1st Baronet was a Royalist officer during the English Civil War, and a double agent working for the Parliamentarians during the Interregnum.-Biography:...

     (sometimes spelt 'Willys') (1613/14-1690)


The Sealed Knot made eight attempts between 1652 and 1659 to bring about the Restoration.

The biggest revolt was staged in 1655 and is known as the Penruddock uprising
Penruddock uprising
The Penruddock uprising was one of a series of coordinated uprisings planned by the Sealed Knot for a Royalist insurrection to start in March 1655 during the Protectorate of the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell....

, named after one of the leaders of the revolt, John Penruddock
John Penruddock
Colonel John Penruddock , of Compton Chamberlayne, was an English Cavalier during the English Civil War and the English Interregnum. He is remembered as the leader of the Penruddock uprising in 1655....

. The revolt was easily put down by forces loyal to the Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...

 Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

, and for his part in the rebellion Penruddock was beheaded in May 1655.
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