In Taunton town

In Short

Evelyn Everett-Green’s 1896 historical novel In Taunton Town captures the tragic Monmouth Rebellion of 1685 through the eyes of Dicon Snowe, a clever, hunchbacked clerk living at his uncle's inn. Dicon watches as his native town becomes the emotional and military heart of the Duke of Monmouth’s doomed revolt against King James II. Blending romance with detailed historical recreation, the narrative tracks the initial euphoria of the Western rising, the horrific defeat at Sedgemoor, and the bloody retribution meted out by Judge Jeffreys. The story survives as a vivid, empathetic study of youthful idealism crushed by raw political power.

The Story

Dicon Snowe is a quick-witted, hunchbacked youth whose knack for numbers and clear reading earns him a place at his uncle's prosperous inn in Taunton. There, he listens to the news-letters, attends the local Free School, and becomes absorbed in the political tensions of late Stuart England. Taunton is a hotbed of Protestant zeal, deeply devoted to the handsome, charismatic Duke of Monmouth—the illegitimate son of King Charles II—and terrified of the Catholic successor, the Duke of York (later King James II).

As rumors of the Rye House Plot ripple through the West Country, Dicon finds himself drawn into the inner circle of the local gentry. He forms a close bond with Viscount Reginald Vere, a noble youth whose quiet loyalty to the Crown contrasts sharply with the frantic enthusiasm of the townspeople. Dicon also comes to revere Mistress Mary Mead, a passionate young woman who views Monmouth as a stainless Protestant savior sent to rescue England. Although Lord Vere and Mary love one another, their political loyalties divide them: Vere recognizes the folly and illegality of a rebellion, while Mary works tirelessly to rally support for the Duke, even helping to embroil the young schoolgirls known as the "Maids of Taunton" into embroidered banner-making for Monmouth’s cause.

When King Charles dies and Monmouth lands at Lyme in June 1685, Taunton erupts in joy. Dicon rides across the countryside delivering messages, eventually serving as a scout and companion to Lord Vere. Dicon watches the town militia melt away and ordinary peasants seize arms from the tower of St. Mary Magdalene. Monmouth enters Taunton to ecstatic cheers and is proclaimed King at the Market Cross. Yet beneath the public triumph, the enterprise is flawed from the start. Lord Vere and Dicon witness a lack of disciplined noble support, poor equipment, and severe military miscalculations as Monmouth's forces march north toward Bristol without taking the city.

The tide turns swiftly. Following a series of tactical retreats, Monmouth’s weary army falls back to Bridgewater. On a dark, misty July night, the rebels attempt a surprise night attack across the ditches of Sedgemoor. The assault ends in catastrophic failure. The King's regular forces slaughter the ill-trained rustic soldiers, and Monmouth flees the field, leaving his loyal followers to face brutal reprisals.

In the aftermath, disaster engulfs Taunton. Colonel Kirke's troops and the infamous Lord Chief-Justice Jeffreys unleash the "Bloody Assizes." Gibbets line the roads, and summary executions terrorize the population. Lord Vere, who was wounded while protecting Mary, is captured through the machinations of the malevolent clergyman Mr. Blewer, who seeks both political revenge and Mary’s hand. Through secret chambers, disguised escapes, and bribed guards, Dicon and his family manage to shield both Lord Vere and Mary Mead from the gallows and the whip. With time, the immediate terror subsides, the wicked Judge departs, and the survivors find a quiet peace, holding fast to their integrity after the storm of war has cleared.

How It Unfolds

The clerk's trade Dicon Snowe leaves his family farm to keep the books at his uncle's busy Taunton inn, where his skill at figures and declaiming literature wins him the favor of schoolmasters and local patrons.

A rising shadow Rumors of the Rye House Plot and the death of King Charles II throw Taunton into turmoil, while Dicon forms a deep friendship with Viscount Vere and the ardent rebel sympathizer Mistress Mary Mead.

The call to arms Upon the Duke of Monmouth’s landing at Lyme, Taunton citizens rise, break open the church tower to seize weapons, and drive out the royal militia amidst wildly escalating enthusiasm.

A kingdom proclaimed Monmouth makes a triumphant entry into Taunton, where Mary Mead presents him with embroidered banners and the Duke is officially proclaimed King at the Market Cross.

The northern march Dicon rides alongside Lord Vere as an esquire on a perilous scouting mission toward Bristol, discovering firsthand that the rebel army lacks noble leadership, proper arms, and coherent strategy.

Night at Sedgemoor The rebellion reaches its tragic climax during a dark, confused night battle on the moorland near Bridgewater, where Monmouth's peasant army is utterly shattered by regular royal troops.

The bloody retribution In the wake of defeat, Judge Jeffreys arrives to conduct the Bloody Assizes, sentencing hundreds of West Country men to the gallows and filling the streets of Taunton with panic and mourning.

Escape and sanctuary Using hidden rooms and clever disguises, Dicon, his aunt, and their loyal friends successfully hide the wounded Lord Vere and protect Mary Mead from the vengeful clergyman Mr. Blewer until peace returns.

The People

• Dicon Snowe: The observant, hunchbacked narrator. Desiring knowledge and useful employment, he relies on his sharp intellect to navigate a dangerous political landscape, ultimately using his position to save the people he loves.
• Viscount Reginald Vere: A chivalrous, high-minded young nobleman. He seeks to serve his King without cruelty while remaining deeply devoted to Mary Mead, standing as a voice of tactical sanity and moral courage throughout the uprising.
• Mistress Mary Mead: A devout, idealistic young gentlewoman. She wants nothing less than a godly Protestant deliverer for England, inspiring the women of Taunton to support Monmouth, though she is later broken by the tragic consequences of her zeal.
• Mr. Nicholas Blewer: A hypocritical, malicious clergyman. Driven by personal greed, spite, and a desire to possess Mary, he acts as an informer for the royal authorities and serves as the primary antagonist to Dicon’s circle.
• Will Wiseman: Dicon’s mischievous, quick-witted friend. Known for drawing satirical caricatures on town walls, his reckless humor earns him a prison sentence and a public whipping during the post-rebellion crackdown.

In Its Own Voice

"Seeing my aptitude at figures, and hearing my fluency at reading aloud, he had been seized with the idea that I should be valuable to him."

Dicon recalls the turning point of his youth, when his uncle recognized that a farmboy's intellect could run a busy inn's accounts.

"A few hundred ill-armed, undisciplined, untrained rustic hinds, who know no more of warfare than I of the plough!"

Lord Vere assesses Monmouth's raw recruits with grim realism, recognizing early that passion cannot replace military training.

"I brought him into this--and the cause is lost! God has not been on our side."

Mistress Mary Mead yields to grief as the brutal reality of Sedgemoor and its aftermath shatters her romantic dreams of deliverance.

What It's Really About

Beneath its adventure and period detail, In Taunton Town explores the tragic gap between romantic idealism and the cold reality of factional warfare. The novel contrasts the earnest, unthinking passion of ordinary townspeople with the calculating cruelty of state power. Through Dicon’s unique perspective as an outsider—valued for his mind rather than his physical strength—the narrative questions the wisdom of blind loyalty to charismatic leaders. It asks how good people can survive when caught between two unyielding forces, suggesting that true courage lies not in waving banners at a parade, but in quiet, self-sacrificing devotion to one's neighbors when all glory has turned to ash.

Why Read It Today

Evelyn Everett-Green’s novel offers a remarkably grounded, human-scale view of one of England's darkest historical moments. Rather than focusing solely on kings and generals, the story remains anchored in the cobblestone streets, crowded parlors, and hidden priest-holes of Somerset. Readers who enjoy rich historical detail will appreciate how seamlessly the book incorporates the atmosphere of seventeenth-century provincial life, from the tavern news-letters to the terror of the Bloody Assizes.

While modern readers must navigate archaic phrasing, deliberate archaisms ("trow," "methinks"), and a slow-building opening chapters, the emotional payout is substantial. The narrative does not shy away from the horrific cost of political failure—the gallows, the whippings, and the ruined lives—making the eventual survival of its core characters feel earned rather than manufactured. It is a rewarding read for anyone fascinated by the Stuart era, historical fiction with a strong moral core, or stories of quiet resilience in the face of tyranny.