After his defeat to Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Worcester, Charles II was exiled to Europe. To avoid capture as he fled, he hid in an oak tree, and its leaf was adopted as a symbol of the king and his supporters.
On 29 May (his birthday) in 1660, Charles returned to London and restored the monarchy to England. His return was cheered by the masses and declared as a day of national celebration. Songs were sung, bonfires were lit and church bells were rung. Royal Oak Day, also known as Oak Apple Day, marked a welcome return to the rather less puritanical ways of country life.
‘Parliament had ordered the 29th of May, the King’s birthday, to be for ever kept as a day of thanksgiving for our redemption from tyranny, and the King’s return to his Government, he entering London that day.’
The Diary of Samuel Pepys, 1 June 1660
On Oak Apple Day, children and adults alike would wear oak leaves on their lapels, and horses and carts would be adorned with sprays of leaves and branches. It then became particularly a celebration for children and developed the rather cruel custom of beating people who didn’t participate with bunches of nettle leaves, leading to the day also becoming known less appealingly as ‘nettling day’!
As fresh new oak leaves will be out during the month of May, a long walk through an oak woodland at a beautiful time of year is an ideal way to celebrate the day.