Poster demanding arrest of Charles II sells for £33,000

A proclamation ordering the arrest of King Charles II has been sold for £33,000 at auction in Shropshire.

The document from 1651 marks a turning point in English history because it ultimately led to the monarchy fleeing into exile.

It was issued after the king's forces were defeated in the Battle of Worcester and Oliver Cromwell ordered his ‘roundhead’ soldiers to hunt down the king. Had he been caught, the monarch would have faced the prospect of being executed.

The rare, 350-year-old poster, set to go under the hammer in Shropshire,  has a guide price of £700 to £1,000.

“This item has caught the imagination mainly because it portrays the moment we may have lost the monarchy for good,” Mullock’s valuer Richard Westwood-Brookes told Yahoo! News.

“It is especially significant as we are celebrating the Diamond Jubilee this year to think there wouldn’t have been a Queen if someone was successful in capturing Charles II.”

“This document is a turning point in our history and it is surprising that it is in such a good condition considering it is more than 350 years old,” he added.

“It is tough to put a monetary value on these sorts of items as due to their very nature they are one-offs. The last time I saw one of these was more than 40 years ago, so it gives you an idea of how rare it is."

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King Charles II’s subsequent escape from the clutches of Cromwell took him to Boscabel, Shropshire, where he hid in an oak tree to evade capture. Disguising himself, Charles then managed to get to the South Coast where he made his way to mainland Europe.

Charles II later returned to a chaotic England in 1660 as king, two years after the death of Oliver Cromwell.