as a Catholic officer. Many of the dead were buried in the churchyard of St Giles' Church. The battle is described with blatant bias by Daniel Defoe in his A tour thro' the whole island of Great Britain. His is, however, one of the few contemporary accounts. Defoe, who had supported, and possibly fought for, the Duke of Monmouth in his earlier rebellion against James II was welcoming of the Dutch invasion. He describes how a squadron of "Irish dragoons" was routed by the "irresistible fury" of a Dutch force who chased many of the fleeing soldiers to nearby Twyford. Aftermath James was already convinced that only Irish troops could be relied on to defend him, but this apparent defeat by an inferior force and the willingness of the people of Reading to support a Protestant revolt against him further signalled the insecurity of his position. Thus on Tuesday 11 December James fled London in an abortive attempt to escape. He eventually escaped to France, where he found the support of Louis XIV, and then Ireland, where most of the population supported him. His last hopes of regaining the throne were dashed with his defeat in the Williamite War in Ireland. In light of proposals he had received from James while in Hungerford, William had decided not to immediately proceed to London, but to accept an invitation from the University of Oxford. On 11 December, William set off for Abingdon. On hearing of James's flight, he turned and headed down the Thames valley through Wallingford and Henley. He accepted the submission of the Jacobite troops he met on the way, arriving at Windsor on 14 December 1688. Notes References Bibliography Further reading 1688 in England Reading 1688 Battle of Reading 1688 Battle of Reading 1688 Battle of Reading 1688 Reading 1688 Glorious Revolution 17th century in Berkshire Reading (1688)