It was early in the morning on the 4th December when the first riders appeared in the city. They had travelled a long way in the preceding weeks. They arrived to inform the people of the town that Charles Edward Stuart, the young Pretender and, in his opinion, the legitimate King of England, would be arriving shortly on his way to London to take his throne from King George. The town was to be expected to provide accommodation for Charles and his army of around 5000 menPrince Charles sometimes called himself King Charles III and was also known as the Young Pretender. His full name was Prince Charles Edward Louis John Casimir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart.
The year was 1745 and the small town of Derby was about to secure its place in British history