Jane Lane, Lady Fisher

Jane Lane
Portrait of Jane Lane, Lady Fisher
Born	c. 1626
Died	9 September 1689(1689-09-09)
Nationality	British
Known for	Escape of Charles II

Jane Lane (c. 1626 – 9 September 1689) played a heroic role in the Escape of Charles II in 1651. The main significance of the story is the key part that the escape played in forming the character and the opinions of Charles.

Jane was the daughter of Thomas Lane and Anne Bagot of the parish of Bentley and Hyde (near Walsall). Her parents had married at Blithfield, Staffordshire in 1608. Their son, John, was born on April 8, 1609, the first child of what was to be four sons and five daughters. There are several early christening dates for a Jane Lane in the International Genealogical Index which have been estimated by contributors, most probably based on a spurious date for her marriage. However she was known as Jane Lane in 1651 and so was unmarried at that date. Her eventual marriage to Sir Clement Fisher (of Packington Hall, Warwickshire) is known to have occurred on December 8, 1663, being performed by the Most Rev. Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canterbury.

Known birth (and other) dates for Jane Lane's siblings are:

After the Battle of Worcester in 1651 in the English Civil War, Charles II escaped and headed north into Shropshire and Staffordshire with several companions, including Lord Derby and Henry, Lord Wilmot. A reward of £1000 was offered for the capture of the King. It is likely that the King and anyone helping him would have been executed for treason, if caught. The King had a distinctive appearance: very dark and six foot two inches tall (1.88 m). Furthermore, there were cavalry patrols specifically tasked with finding the King. At this time it was illegal for Catholics to travel more than five miles away from their homes without a pass from the Sheriff of the County. Helping the King would therefore be hazardous.

Wilmot had gone to Bentley Hall, the home of Colonel John Lane, who had been an officer in the Royalist Army since 1642. His sister was Jane Lane. She was described by John Evelyn as "an acute wit", "an excellent disputant" though "no beauty". Wilmot learned that Jane had obtained a permit from the military for herself and a servant to travel to the seaport of Bristol, to visit a relation, Ellen Norton, who was having a baby. Lord Wilmot saw the opportunity of escaping through Bristol in the guise of the servant, since no lady would travel alone. On learning of the King's failure to reach Wales, Wilmot decided that the King should take advantage of the military pass and travel to Bristol as Jane Lane's servant, and then find a ship to take him to France.