Charles I's Killers in America

Matthew Jenkinson's "Charles I's Killers in America: The Lives & Afterlives of Edward Whalley & William Goffe" offers a compelling examination of two English regicides who fled to New England following the Restoration of Charles II in 1660. The book traces the fascinating journey of these men from their positions as military leaders and judges who signed the death warrant of King Charles I in 1649 to their eventual status as fugitives in colonial America, where they would become figures of both historical significance and enduring legend.

Jenkinson provides thorough biographical context for both Edward Whalley and William Goffe, establishing their credentials as prominent figures during the English Civil War and the Commonwealth period. Whalley, a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, and Goffe, his son-in-law, were not minor participants in the revolutionary government but rather significant military commanders and political figures. This background proves essential for understanding why they became such high-profile targets when the monarchy was restored and why their escape to America carried such weight for both British authorities and colonial populations.

The narrative follows the two regicides as they arrived in Boston in 1660, initially receiving a cautious welcome from colonial authorities and sympathetic Puritan communities. Jenkinson details how their situation deteriorated as pressure from the restored English crown intensified, forcing them to flee from town to town in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The book examines their time hiding in various locations, including the famous episode at Judges' Cave in New Haven, where local legend holds that they concealed themselves from royal agents seeking their arrest and extradition.

What distinguishes this work is Jenkinson's attention to the "afterlives" referenced in the title. The author explores how Whalley and Goffe evolved from historical figures into mythological ones within American consciousness. Their story became intertwined with narratives of colonial resistance to British authority, religious freedom, and the protection of political refugees. These themes would later resonate during the American Revolution, when the regicides were retroactively cast as proto-American heroes who defied tyrannical monarchy.

Jenkinson examines the various ways these men were remembered, misremembered, and deliberately reimagined across different periods of American history. The transformation of their story reveals much about how successive generations used the past to serve contemporary political and cultural purposes. The regicides appeared in nineteenth-century historical novels, local folklore, and commemorative efforts that often bore little resemblance to the historical record. This mythmaking process itself becomes a subject worthy of scholarly attention, and Jenkinson handles it with appropriate analytical rigor.

The book also addresses the practical realities of life as fugitives in colonial New England. Jenkinson explores the network of supporters who sheltered the regicides, the risks these colonists undertook, and the motivations behind their assistance. These details illuminate the complex religious and political landscape of seventeenth-century New England, where Puritan sympathies for the Commonwealth cause remained strong even as official colonial policy shifted to accommodate the restored monarchy.

Research for this study draws on both English and American archives, allowing Jenkinson to present multiple perspectives on the regicides' flight and concealment. The author examines official correspondence, colonial records, and later historical accounts to build a comprehensive picture of both the events themselves and their subsequent interpretation. This dual focus on historical reality and historical memory gives the book depth beyond a simple biographical narrative.

Jenkinson's analysis extends to the broader implications of the regicides' presence in America for Anglo-American relations and colonial identity formation. Their case highlighted tensions between colonial autonomy and imperial authority, as colonial governments attempted to navigate between their own populations' sympathies and demands from London for cooperation in capturing the fugitives. These dynamics foreshadowed later conflicts that would ultimately lead to American independence.

The prose remains accessible throughout, making specialized historical research available to general readers without sacrificing scholarly standards. Jenkinson avoids unnecessary jargon while maintaining analytical sophistication, a balance that serves the material well. The structure moves logically from historical context through the regicides' American years to their posthumous transformations in memory and myth.

This book makes a valuable contribution to understanding both seventeenth-century Anglo-American history and the processes by which historical figures become embedded in national mythology. Jenkinson successfully demonstrates that the story of Whalley and Goffe offers insights extending well beyond two individual lives, touching on themes of political resistance, religious conviction, colonial identity, and the uses of history in nation-building. Readers interested in early American history, the English Civil War, or the relationship between historical events and cultural memory will find much of value in this carefully researched and thoughtfully presented study.