The statue of King Charles II at Stocks Market

View of the equestrian statue of King Charles II, Stocks Market, with Oliver Cromwell beneath the horse's hoofs. Sir Robert Viner (1631-88) supplied the regalia for the restoration of Charles II, and was appointed as the King's goldsmith in 1661. He was knighted for his services in 1661. To show his devotion Viner purchased a statue made in Italy for the Polish ambassador in London. It depicted King John Sobieski on a horse trampling a Turk. The ambassador could not afford to pay for it and Viner stepped in and had it altered to show Charles II trampling Cromwell. How much was altered is uncertain. Cromwell's image was clearly the less important of the two and he appears to be wearing a turban. The statue was neither physically nor historically accurate, but it reflects a Restoration perception of Cromwell. The statue was put up in Stocks Market in May 1672, the anniversary of the Restoration. It stayed there, a notable London landmark, until 1736 when it was removed to make way for the Mansion House, the official home of the Lord Mayor of London. The statue was eventually returned to the Viner family who moved it first to Gautby near Lincoln, and in 1885 to Newby Hall near Ripon.