The Glencairn Uprising, 1653-54 Helen Baker Department of ...

decided to desert Parliamentary service and instead to move his body of mounted men
– along with some Worcestershire Royalists - some 300 miles into Edinburgh. It is
possible that, on the way, Wogan and his men carried out a coup against Carlisle
Castle, releasing a number of Royalist prisoners.
After acting as part of the advance guard in Hamilton’s abortive expedition of 1648,
Wogan escaped to Scotland and then returned to Ireland where he was ordered to raise
a regiment of horse by the Marquis of Ormond. During his attempt to recapture Fort
Passage, Wogan was taken prisoner and sent to Cork to await trial by courts-martial.
His subsequent escape illustrates the extent of his charm and persuasiveness as his
gaoler went beyond turning a blind eye and actually accompanied Wogan back to
Ireland. After rejoining Ormond, Wogan eventually accompanied him to France. He
then returned to Scotland where he joined Charles II at Stirling and took part in the
unsuccessful invasion of England. Indeed, Wogan assisted Charles’s escape from the
battlefield at Worcester. He spent 1652 with the King in Paris and, the following year,
became involved in the uprising in Scotland.
As soon as Wogan heard rumours of Glencairn’s rebellion, he asked Charles for
permission to leave for Scotland. It seems that the King, who was fond of Wogan, was
initially reluctant to agree. However, he soon signed a number of dispatches addressed
to Royalists in England commending Wogan and, moreover, permitted him to take a
number of volunteers based at the court. To avoid confrontation with Cromwell’s men
whose intelligence reports led them to believe that Wogan would travel through
Lancashire, he instead rode up the East coast with the intention of recruiting in
Durham and Northumberland.
Wogan and his party left Paris on 3 November 1653 and reached London where they
dressed in the uniform of Cromwell’s cavalry to avoid detection. It was rumoured that
he managed to recruit 200 men in the capital but, according to a letter Wogan wrote to
Ormond, he had only obtained 21 additional supporters. The small band set out for
Barnet Heath on 21 November and, covering around 25 miles a day, reached Durham
nine days later. His decision to rest in Durham was reversed at the news of a Royalist
success. As he wrote to Ormond on 3 December: