The Orange Way
The Orange Way, so called because it follows the march in 1688 of Prince William of Orange and his army from Brixham to London, is a 350 miles (560 km) long-distance footpath in England that passes through Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and London.[1]
Background information
Since 1685 leading political circles in England had been troubled by King James II of England's Catholicism and his close ties with France. This came to a head with the birth of a son in June 1688. This birth displaced William's Protestant wife Mary as next monarch and raised the prospect of an ongoing Catholic succession.[2]
On 30 June 1688 a group of political figures known afterward as the "Immortal Seven", sent William a formal invitation. He came ashore from the ship Brill at the head of a 15,000 strong Dutch force. James's support began to dissolve almost immediately, and he sent representatives to negotiate with William. On 23 December he was allowed to escape to France.[3]
William summoned a Convention Parliament in England, which met on 22 January 1689[4] to discuss the appropriate course of action.[5] After negotiation in the House of Commons the Crown was offered to William and Mary as joint sovereigns.[6] Their coronation took place at Westminster Abbey on 11 April 1689.[7]
Suggested Route
- Day 1 Brixham to Berry Pomeroy - 10.5 miles
- Day 2 Berry Pomeroy to Chudleigh - 18 miles
- Day 3 Chudleigh to Exeter - 16 miles
- Day 4 Exeter to Woodbury - 9.5 miles
- Day 5 Woodbury to Honiton - 19 miles
- Day 6 Honiton to Axminster - 10.5 miles
- Day 7 Axminster to Beaminster - 17.5 miles
- Day 8 Beaminster to East Coker - 15 miles
- Day 9 East Coker to Goathill - 11 miles
- Day 10 Goathill to Wincanton - 15.5 miles
- Day 11 Wincanton to Hindon - 15 miles
- Day 12 Hindon to Salisbury - 19 miles
- Day 13 Salisbury to Amesbury - 10 miles
- Day 14 Amesbury to Everleigh - 14 miles
- Day 15 Everleigh to Burbage - 8 miles
- Day 16 Burbage to Hungerford - 16 miles
- Day 17 Hungerford to Chieveley - 14.5 miles
- Day 18 Chieveley to Abingdon - 19 miles
- Day 19 Abingdon to Wallingford - 13.5 miles
- Day 20 Wallingford to Whitchurch - 11 miles
- Day 21 Whitchurch to Henley - 16 miles
- Day 22 Henley to Marlow - 9 miles
- Day 23 Marlow to Windsor - 14 miles
- Day 24 Windsor to Brentford - 16 miles
- Day 25 Brentford to St James's Palace, London - 13 miles[8]
Further Information
- A walker's photographic record
- Detailed book
- Site of William's First Parliament
- Intriguing blog post
- The Orange Way
References
- ↑ "Orange Way". Long Distance Walkers Association. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ↑ Troost, 191; van der Kiste, 91–92
- ↑ Troost, 205–207
- ↑ "Legitimism in England". Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ↑ Davies, 614–615
- ↑ Troost, 207–210
- ↑ Stanford University Papers
- ↑ Walking Pages