WILLIAM OF ORANGE AND MARY

William of Orange (William lll)                         They ruled England jointly                                   His wife Mary11

                                                                                                                                       Willem van de Velde, the Younger

This picture shows the embarkation of Prince William of Orange and Princess Mary, his new wife, at Erith, Kent, on their journey to the Netherlands on what is often called the 'honeymoon voyage'. William married Mary, daughter of James, Duke of York, on 4 November 1677 at Whitehall Palace. Some days after their marriage the Prince and Princess were accompanied by Charles II and the Duke to Erith, where they boarded separate yachts for their return to Holland. Contrary winds then forced them to disembark at Sheerness and go by coach to Margate. A further embarkation A further embarkation from there on 26 November was equally abortive and they had to come ashore again and did not reach their final destination until December. Eleven years later they were to return to England to become King William 111 and Queen Mary II, when Mary’s father, then James II, was deposed

William gave James plenty of time to consider his position.First James fled to Sheerness On 10 December James fled from London, discarding the Great Seal in the Thames. He was captured at Sheerness in Kent and returned to London, but William allowed him to escape again and he fled to France on 23 December. William accepted the government six days later.   The next time he was taken to Rochester at the mouth of the River Medway and from there managed to get away to France allowing William to reach London unopposed and they ruled jointly after the "Glorious Revolution" It is thought that they stayed at the Red House Sheerness which is believed to have been where Sheppey Court is now.

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