10 Mar 2012

Charles II wanted poster sells for thousands

9:08 am on 10 March 2012

A rare wanted poster offering a reward for the capture of King Charles II in 1651 has been sold at auction in Britain for £33,000.

The poster was issued by the parliament led by Oliver Cromwell after royalist forces were defeated in the Battle of Worcester towards the end of the English Civil War in 1651.

It offered a reward of £1000 for the monarch, who fled after the battle and was bought by someone from the Boscobel area of Shropshire, where Charles II had hidden in an oak tree, the BBC reports.

Auctioneer Richard Westwood-Brookes said the sale price was "astonishing", as it had a guide price of £700 to £1000.

The monarchy was eventually restored with Charles II in 1661.