It's important to note that the Revolutionary Settlement, that is the means by which James was no longer the King in England, was distinct legally from the Settlement that made him no longer the King in Scotland. And as such, the Jacobitism we see in England can be a little different from what we see in Scotland, which is in turn a bit different from what we see in Ireland. I’ll try and stay on topic. I’ll deal first with the general mood in England in the immediate aftermath of James’ usurpation.

A convention was determined in England that James had abdicated. This was determined by him having broken his contract as Monarch, violating the fundamental laws of the kingdom, as well as having withdrawn himself from the Kingdom without providing for a government in his absence. This interpretation holds that James abdicated because he had demonstrated that he has was no longer willing to rule his Kingdom of England in accordance with constitution and convention. This was the legal basis for James ‘abdication’ – some would say deposition - and the ascendency of William. The Declaration of Rights brought in William and Mary as legally speaking ‘co-monarchists’. There were disputes both about the legal basis of James’ ‘abdication’, as well the content in the Declaration of Rights. There are many disputes, probably far too much to write about here and to be perfectly honest I don’t have a comfortable enough knowledge to go particularly in depth with them but consensus and compromise was reached and the era of William and Mary was ushered in.

Contemporary reporting paints something of a one-sided picture of support for the settlement in England. Looking at public celebration and demonstrations the overall mood appears to be enthusiastic. When William and Mary were proclaimed King and Queen at Whitehall, the London gazette reports that, ‘Each Proclamation was Ecchoede with Universal Acclamations of Joy by the Multitudes of People which crowded the Streets.’ As they were declared throughout the provinces we hear similar kinds of accounts that paints England as being a very pro-Williamite country.

Nevertheless, there were some isolated reports of disaffection. Some of these sources as quite predictable. The high-Anglican clergy, as well as many of the soldiers who had served under James II. The MP for Cirincester reported that soldiers posted there had ‘would not let the people make bonfires proclaiming the King’, and that they had drunk to ‘King William and Mary’s Damnation’. We also have reports of soldiers not joining in celebration in Cornwall. There are some isolated instances of defiant action. The Mayor of Stamford cut the ropes to the church bells to stop celebration, and the clergy in many dioceses refused to celebrate thanksgiving to William and Mary. However, in the immediate aftermath of the Revolution, the majority of English people did accept the change in Monarchy, consensus was agreed and we don’t see the splits that we see in Scotland and Ireland, at least to the same extent.

Moving forward a bit, it is said that there were 57 Jacobite disturbances recorded in England situated in mainly the West and the Midlands between 1715-22. Although it should be mentioned that these riots mainly coincided with dates important to the political calendar. The birthday of George I, the birthday of Charles II, the anniversary of Georges’ coronation. It’s been debated by some how much of this was support for a genuine Stuart restoration, and how much of it was just an act of political defiance and frustration. Disturbances took place in Chester, Manchester, Oldham, Leeds, Warrington, Newcastle, Sheffield, Pontefract, Halifax and York in the early 18th Century.

There appear to have been at least three Jacobite riots in in Northern England in 1714. These were in response to celebrations of the Whigs of the accession and coronation of George I. The Corporation of Liverpool had a public celebration when learning of the arrival of George in England. This was seen as provocative by some. The rector of St Nicholas's Church headed about 40 mob, ‘’who roar'd out the Church and Dr Sacheverell, & and went with them down to the George in Water Street, where they swore and curs'd, threaten'd to break all the windows; and having placed his rectorship in a chair, they carry'd him about.’’. In October 1714, York Corporation printed an order 'for the discouragement and suppressing of all Riots, Routs and other disorders which have of late been committed in this City by Day and Night, particularly on the coronation of HM King George'. So there does appear to have been some pro-Jacobite feeling in Northern England, particularly on the eve of the 1715 rebellion.

In 1715 itself, the worst rioting in England occurred in Manchester between May and June. It spread beyond the town into the Lancashire countryside. Although it wasn’t the only outbreak of violence contemporary accounts say it, 'made a greater noise than any of the rest', and other remarks say 'the most considerable mob, was, on that day at Manchester'. We also have a contemporary account of a newspaper saying that 'in Lancashire ... Papists and Jacobite’s are more numerous than anywhere else in the Kingdom'. So, from what I can gather here, the bulk of pro-Jacobite support seems to have been concentrated in the Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds kind of area. Although the North of England generally appears to have been more sympathetic at any rate.

With regards to the 1715 rebellion, in the various towns that the Jacobite’s marched through — including, Kendal, Lancaster, and Preston — it appears as of no resistance was offered. A contemporary account states that ‘the towne of Lancaster had left of making any preparations for a defence’. There is evidence that many of the townspeople actually cooperated with the Jacobites. At Kendal, the Jacobite’s were given £80 collected by the locals. Locals at Penrith helped the Jacobite’s garner weapons. It’s estimated that around 800 men from the North of England joined the Jacobite rebellion in 1715, although it was probably more due to men deserting before the final surrender. These men were mainly from a high-Anglican or Catholic background. Catholics especially being overrepresented. This support however, appears to have been limited. This may have been due to security measures taken against suspected Jacobite’s. In any case, the number of men who joined the rebellion did not correspond to the actual level of popular support.

I’ll try and look at the 1745 rebellion later, I’m finding source material a little difficult to come by most stuff I have on the Jacobite’s pertains to Scotland. Whatever material I do find notes that finding contemporary opinion on the Jacobite movement in England is limited due to a lack of newspapers.

Sources:

Harris, Tim. Revolution: The Great Crisis of the British Monarchy, 1685-1720

Pincus, Steve. 1688: The First Modern Revolution.

Petrie, Charles and William Shippen. The Jacobite Activities in South and West England in the Summer of 1715

Oates, Jonathan D. Jacobitism and Popular Disturbances in Northern England, 1714–1719

Oates, Jonathan D. Responses in the North of England to the Jacobite Rebellion of 1715