Portsmouth was strategically important in the seventeenth century, but relatively little has been written on it. For their second-year Working with the Past project a group of UoP history students tried to discover more about three key Portsmouth figures from this time. In this second post in a series, Olivia Newby writes about the infamous murder of the Duke of Buckingham on Portsmouth High Street and how it became a catalyst for political change in the 17th century.
John Felton by Richard Sawyer, 1830 engraving, NPG D1310
When we think of famous people relative to Portsmouth’s history, we often think of Charles Dickens and his famed nineteenth century novels.[1] What we don’t often draw attention to, is the importance of the seventeenth century to not only Portsmouth’s history, but all of England as well. In this blog, we aim to uncover the legendary story of the assassination of George Villiers 1st Duke of Buckingham by the hand of John Felton on one summer morning in 1623.[2] By delving into this story, hopefully we can reveal just how important seventeenth century Portsmouth really was, even with what little evidence survives in the architecture of the city today.
First, a little context regarding Portsmouth during this time. Portsmouth dockyard had seen expansion since the sixteenth century and became a flourishing and successful naval town under Tudor rule, especially with the launch of the albeit doomed Mary Rose warship under Henry VIII.[3] Portsmouth as an important area had well and truly become solidified.
Shifting focus back to our story however, we must now ask. Who exactly are John Felton and George Villiers? John Felton was born in 1588; a man of modest means, he shortly became a soldier serving under the British regiments of Dutch service.[4] He eventually found himself serving at La Rochelle in France which would see him become permanently wounded- both physically and psychologically.[5] His life as a soldier seems to have no connection with that of the powerful George Villiers, and throughout history, several have debated the true motive behind his assassination of the duke.[6] This however can be understood through some further context surrounding George Villiers himself.
George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, painted by Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt c. 1625-6, Art Gallery of South Australia
George Villiers was a favourite of king Charles I at court, who wholeheartedly stood by his side throughout his life.[7] The duke, however, was wildly unpopular for being corrupt and incompetent, with several of his campaigns resulting in failure.[8] Throughout his career he faced issues such as war with the Spanish, which while averted by James I, was instigated by both the king and Villiers after James’ death.[9] Furthermore, there were numerous rumours surrounding Villier’s potential Catholic sympathies, which would hardly have done him any favours at such a religiously tense time.[10] Understanding his reputation, many historians have debated if his demise was just to his character. For example, historian Roger Lockyer describes him as a scapegoat for military criticism that should have been directed at the king.[11] This is contrasted by other historians such as Victor Treadwell, who instead depict him as a manipulator who dragged England into war unnecessarily.[12] What we can make of these debates is that from the seventeenth century until now, Villier’s character has been a consistent topic upon people’s lips. His unpopularity during his life was a reason for Felton to kill him indeed, however the exact motive could be much more personal.
Another of George Villiers’s most prolific failures was the siege of La Rochelle in France, to which he was vehemently blamed.[13] This just so happens to be the same siege in which John Felton was involved with, suddenly giving an insight into how this simple soldier was connected to the unpopular Duke.
The Siege of La Rochelle, 1627-8, Bibliothèque nationale de France, département Estampes et photographie
Laying out our context, it is time we turn to the event itself- the murder of George Villiers. On the 23rd of August 1628, the Duke of Buckingham was killed in the Greyhound Inn in Portsmouth; Felton didn’t run, instead choosing to give himself up.[14] The event itself is detailed in a source written by Dudley, Lord Carleton which talks about Felton stabbing the duke from an eye-witness perspective.[15] He mentions the stabbing in detail, describing the Duke’s shocking last word of “Villaine!” before his demise. This assassination was only the beginning however: the greatest impact would become the events which followed.
After the Duke’s death, many anonymous poems arose mocking the duke’s life and assassination at the hands of Felton, the opposite reaction to what was expected at such a shocking event.[16] The aftermath also sparked intense contemporary debate about the murder, with historian Alastair Bellany stating how it permanently changed seventeenth century politics.[17] There became a fascination with Felton and his actions, one which can be seen through another source depicting an engraving of Felton in 1830, (see the first photo).[18] Even though the image isn’t contemporary the effort taken to engrave a portrait of the accused over 200 years later represents a persistent intrigue around Felton. It offers us a representation of the significant impact left on history by his actions taken that day. This interest with the assassination continues through other sources too, with Samuel Pepys commenting on the assassination in his diary while in Portsmouth in 1661, nearly 30 years later.[19] This unexpected fascination had the opposite effect of what was expected, instead of hating this famed murderer- people were supporting him; with the most consequential side effect of this yet to be revealed.
The assassination of the king’s favourite was not only important to Portsmouth’s history, but to that of the entire country. John Felton, a simple English soldier taking matters into his own hands, showed how people could enter the political sphere by force. People who were angry could and would do something about it; a mindset which would eventually lead to the crucial English Revolution.[20] The fact someone so close to the king could be removed was a reminder the elite were not invincible, the effect of this clearly seen through the aftermath. Pamphlets, negative poetry and contemporary debate all crafted a meticulous path towards revolution.[21] The murder itself began to act like a catalyst, with John Felton’s execution at Tyburn in London making him all the more of a martyr to those looking for change in seventeenth century England.[22]
To draw all this together is the notion that the lives of those in seventeenth century Portsmouth were just as important to history as those from any other time. The story of John Felton and George Villiers offers us a unique insight into the political situation of the 1620s, showing how a simple fascination can turn into an ideology enough to start a revolution. By this merit, it becomes clear just how important Portsmouth is to England’s history; with the actions of one disgruntled soldier leading to a much larger consequence than anyone could have foreseen.
[1] Michael Slater, Charles Dickens (Yale University Press, 2009), 4.
[2] Thomas Cogswell, “John Felton, Popular Political Culture, and the Assassination of the Duke of Buckingham”, The Historical Journal 49, no. 2 (2006): 380.
[3] Paul Brown, The Portsmouth Dockyard Story : From 1212 to the Present Day (The History Press, 2018).
[4] Cogswell, “Popular Political Culture”: 360-61.
[5] Ibid., 362.
[6] James Holstun, “‘God Bless Thee, Little David!’: John Felton and His Allies.” ELH 59, no. 3 (1992): 513-14.
[7] Cogswell, “Popular Political Culture”: 376.
[8] V. L Pearl, and M. L. Pearl, “Richard Corbett’s ‘Against the Opposing of the Duke in Parliament, 1628’ and the Anonymous Rejoinder, ‘An Answere to the Same, Lyne for Lyne’: The Earliest Dated Manuscript Copies.” The Review of English Studies 42, no. 165 (1991): 33.
[9] David Coast, “Rumor and ‘Common Fame’: The Impeachment of the Duke of Buckingham and Public Opinion in Early Stuart England.” Journal of British Studies 55, no. 2 (2016): 242.
[10] Coast, “Rumor and Common Fame”, 247.
[11] Greg Koabel, “Youth, Manhood, Political Authority and the Impeachment of the Duke of Buckingham” The Historical Journal 57, no. 3 (2014): 596-97.
[12] Koabel, “The Impeachment of the Duke of Buckingham” 598.
[13] Pearl and Pearl, “The Earliest Dated Manuscript Copies” 34.
[14] Alastair Bellany, “‘The Brightness of the Noble Lieutenants Action’: An Intellectual Ponders Buckingham’s Assassination.” The English Historical Review 118, no. 479 (2003): 1242.
[15] Anonomous, The Universal review; or, Chronicle of the literature of all nations: Volume 2 (Oxford University, 1824), 132.
[16] J. A Taylor, “Two Unpublished Poems on the Duke of Buckingham.” The Review of English Studies 40, no. 158 (1989): 232.
[17] Bellany, “Brightness of the Noble Lieutenants Action”: 1242.
[18] Sawyer, Richard. Engraved Portrait of John Felton, John (d. 1628). W.B. Tiffin, May 15, 1830.
[19] Samuel Pepys, Diary entry, 2 May 1661, The Diary of Samuel Pepys archives.com.
[20] Holstun, “John Felton and His Allies,” 514.
[21] Holstun, “John Felton and His Allies,” 517.
[22] Holstun, “John Felton and His Allies,” 513.
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