This satirical print depicts Oliver Cromwell ordering the felling of the Royal Oak of Britain, symbol of the English monarchy. It was made in 1649 during the English Civil War in the year of the execution of Charles I. The image is believed to have been the frontispiece to the book 'Anarchia Anglicana or the history of independency. The second part', by Clement Walker, a pamphleteer and member of Parliament, writing under the pseudonym Theodorus Verax. Although initially sympathetic to Parliament during the Civil War, Walker became disillusioned with Cromwell and believed that he had become a religious radical and despot whose actions had led Britain into anarchy. This print expresses Walker’s unease at developments during this period.

The image is full of references to Oliver Cromwell’s dismantling of the regime of Charles I. Cromwell is shown to the left of the image standing on a sphere suspended over the mouth of hell from which he draws diabolical inspiration. The sphere is inscribed in Latin 'Locus Lubricus' or ‘slippery place’ indicating Cromwell’s precarious position. The print portrays him as a hypocrite, driven by ambition and greed, and various quotes from the Bible link him to notorious biblical figures. Suspended in the branches of the tree are the royal crown, sceptre and coat of arms with the Bible and Magna Carta, and a copy of 'Eikon Basilike', a book supposedly written by Charles I in the days before his execution. The tree is being felled by republican soldiers and its branches gathered by the ignorant multitude. The references are clear that if Cromwell was allowed to continue in his rise to power his rule would result in lawless tyranny.

Clement Walker was arrested for writing 'Anarchia Anglicana' and charged with high treason. However his case never came to trial and he died in the Tower of London in 1651.