John Okey, 1606-1662. From working in a brewery he rose through the ranks and became colonel of the dragoons who played a major part in defeating the royalist troops at the battle of Naseby in 1645. He was a signatory on the death warrant of Charles I.
On the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, he was one of those exempted by Charles II from the general pardon granted to his father’s enemies. Okey was then betrayed by a former confidant, arrested, and taken to Tower Hill where he was hanged, drawn and quartered. It is thought he was left hanging for twenty minutes so he may have already expired before the drawing and quartering.
So who was the man who betrayed and arrested him?
Discover the answer and lots more on the walk this Sunday at 2pm:
‘Samuel Pepys and the Personalities of 17th century Westminster’, a fascinating walk right in the centre of this wonderful city.
Samuel Pepys and the Personalities of 17th Century Westminster
George Downing, of Downing Street, and a “perfidious rogue” (Pepys ‘s description).