T HE C I V I L W AR I N

W ORCESTERSHIRE,

1 642 - 1 646 ;

AN D

THE SCOTCH I NVASION

O F: 1 651 .

J . w . W ILL I S BUN D .

BHUMHWGHANI :

THE M IDLAND ED UCAT IONAL COM PANY, L IM ITED .

LONDONS IM PK IN

,MARSHALL,

HAM ILTON , K ENT AN D Co . , L IM ITED .

1 9 0 5 .

P R E F A C E .

I n the Autumn O f 1 904 the Worcestershi re Coun ty

Coun c i l o rg an ised cou rses O f lect ures fo r teachers in the

e lemen ta ry schoo ls,

and d id m e the honour to ask

m e to g ive one o f the courses. The subjec t I se lected

w as the C ivi l W a r in the Coun ty ,and th is for tw o

reason s. F i rst,tha t there should be some con nected

a ccoun t o f the pa rt the Coun ty p layed in the g rea t

strugg le ; n on e ex isted ,and ideas as to the fight ing

were d iscon nec ted and vag ue. Second ly,

I hoped tha t

i f on ce an in terest cou ld be exc i ted in the subjec t

tha t some o f the legends o f the w a r tha t st i l l rema in

might be p reserved . A fter a l l,

2 50 yea rs is not

so very long . I kn ew ,when a boy,

an O ld lady w ho

to ld m e tha t her n u rse’

s fa ther,

as a young m an,

w as on duty on Wo rcester B ridge a t the ba t t le. M r .

Burton,in h is H isto ry o f Bewd ley

,te l ls O f an o l d

in hab i tan t w ho h ad been in formed by h is g ran dfather

tha t he had hea rd the sound O f the g un s a t the ba t t le.

There a re n umbers o f legends as to where Cha rles I .

slep t when in th e Coun ty , and some few as to where

Cromwe l l stayed ; bu t a l l a re sta ted to rela te to the

Ba t t le o f Wo rcester. Possib ly most O f them have a

foun da t ion o f t ruth,

and they a re a t least wo rth

p reserving.

I can n o t l ay c la im to any o rig ina l resea rch , o r to

having done anything to throw light on some o f the

d a rk p laces o f the Coun ty histo ry . I have fa i led to get

any c lea r a c coun t of severa l O f the less known in c iden ts

O f th e C i vi l W a r,such as Lo rd W i l loughby

’

s fight befo re

I V . PREF ACE .

Edgehi l l w i th Rupert’

s cava l ry ; W i lm ot’

s a t temp ted rel ief

o f D ud ley ; Fox’

s ca rry ing O ff S i r Thomas Lyttel ton ;the fight a t Co rse Lawn ; the C l u bmen ; the p lo ts in 1 647

and 1 648. These a r e on ly some O f the po in ts on which

further in fo rma t ion is wan ted.

Except tha t certa in add i t ion s (ma in ly ex t ra cts from

d i fferen t a utho ri t ies) have been made,the lec tu res a r e

p rin ted substan t ia l ly as they were g iven . Va rious

po in ts which deserved to be t rea ted a t leng th a r e

consequen t ly very b riefly n o t i ced .

The book is on ly a con c ise summa ry,not a histo ry

,

o f the C i vi l W a r in the Coun ty . On on e po in t I

have ven tu red to depa rt from the genera l ly received

op in ion ,a nd to pu t - fo rwa rd m y ow n views

,— the

campa ig n o f 1 651 . I do n ot bel ieve tha t C romwel l

ever in tended to fin ish the ba t t le in the w ay i t w as.

fin ished ,bu t when the chan ce came to him he took

advan tage of i t .

I have to than k va rious persons fo r help . M r .

D uckwo rth,O f the Wo rcester V i c to ria In st i tu te

,fo r the

O ld p lan O f \Vo r cester as i t stood fo r t ifield ; Rev . J . R.

Bu rton,fo r V iew o f Bewd ley O ld B ridge ; M r . Wm .

N orth ,Tewkesb ury ,

fo r perm ission to reproduce O ld

B ridge at Upton -on -Severn ; a nd M r . M ason,

o f the

Coun ty Educa t ion O ffice,fo r a rrang ing the lectu res.

J . W . B

I Var cesz‘

er,

[ st A zzn‘

,1 905 .

C O N T E N T S

I n troduc t ion Page 1

CHAPTER I . 1 642 .

Cause of the figh t ing in Worcestersh ire. Source of suppl ies,Roads, B r idges,

'

River s. Tow n s—VVorcester , Bew dley ,Evesham . Dudley, Hart leb

'ury, Haw kesley, S trensham ,

M adresfiel d. So ldiers’ arms, un iforms, pay. Genera lsM auri ce, S ir W i l l iam Russel l , S ir Thomas Ly ttel ton ,

Samuel Sa ndys, S ir G i l bert Gerra rd , Vavassou r , M ynne.

Parl iamen t Officer s—Ma ssey , S ir John W i lde, Earl ofDenbigh , Lord Brooke, Tinker F ox. K ing ’s w an t of

mon ey. Pla te. S ir John,

Byron . Oxford . Byron ’

s

con voy : a t tempts to i n tercept i t . F ien nes’

a t ta ck on

Worcester. Pow ick . Ba t t le o f Pow ick Bridge. Essexoccupies Worcester. Trea tment O f citizens. Dea th o f

Sandys. Plundering . .Wharton ,Bart let t . Rupert

'

s

march . Lord W i l loughby ’s figh t . Eva cua t ion o f W or

cester of Hereford Page 3

CHA PTER I I . 1 643.

P lans O f the tw o parties. D iscipl ine~ in Roya l ist Army .

H ide’s case. Con tri bu t ion s. M en ra ised for the King.C iren cester. S iege o f G loucester. Defea t of the Welsha t H ighn am . Ra ising t he siege byWa l ler. Mauriceappoin ted Genera l. Maurice in F orest of Dean .

Maurice’

s retrea t . Ba t t le of Ripp le. Rupert’

s marchon B irm ingham—capture. March on Lichfield . Wa l lertakes Hereford . A t ta ck on Worcester repu lsed . MasseyGovernor O f G loucester. Ba t t le of Lansdow ne. Roya l i stretrea t . Roundaway Dow n . Surre-nder O f Br istol .S iege

_

O i G loucester . Essex’

s advan ce to i ts rel ief.Siege ra ised . Charles’ retrea t in to Worcestersh ire. Essexa t Tew kesbury ; takes C irencester. Rupert

'

s pursuit .First ba tt le Of New bury . Massey ’s opera tions roundG lou cester. Vavassour

’

s a t tempt to ga in the Surrenderof G loucester. M ynne Page 6 1

CHAPTER I I I . 1 644.

Scotch Army en ters England . Rupert a t Bew d ley. TinkerF ox a t Edgbaston , Haw kesley, S tourton Cast le carrieso ff Si r Thomas Lyt tel ton . M yn ne in comman d in

South-West . Capture o f Tew kesbury. Charles’ escapefrom Oxford . March to Broadw ay , Evesham , W or ces

ter . Wi lmot 's a t tempt to rel ieve Dudley. Q uarrelbetw een Essex and Wa l ler. Wa l ler fo l low s Charles.

K ing goes to Bew dley return s to Worcester, Evesham ,

Oxford . Ba t t le of Cr opredy Bridge. Char les’ r eturnto Evesham . S iege of Tew kesbury. Corse Law n .

M assey a t tack-s M ynne. Ba t t le of Redmarley—dea th o fMynne Page 1 1 2

vi . CONTEN TS.

CHAPTER IV. 1 645.

M assey storms Evesham . Charles’ march to I nkberrow ,

D ro i tw ich , Bromsgrove. S iege of Haw kesley— capture.

Charles’ march . Naseby. Charles retrea ts to Wolverhampton , K idderminster, Bew d ley, Hereford , SouthWa les. Adva nce of S cots to A lcester, D roitw ich ,Bew dley , Hereford . Charles’ march to Oxford. Marchto Worcester, to Bromyard . Hereford . Scotch ra ise thesiege, retreat to G loucester, and march through Eveshamon their w ay north

CHAPTER v. 1 646.

Astley co l lects Royal ist ' force. Defea ted near S tow -on-theWo ld. Charles surren ders to Scotch . Orders for del iveryu p o f garrisons. Leveson surren ders D udley , SandysH art lebury. Worcester ho l ds out . S iege of Worcester.Surrender, and of M adresfiel d and S trensham . C loseof the w a r

CHAPTER V I . 1 647—1 650 .

Roya l ist plott ings. Cromw el l in I relan d . The BroadwayP lot . D isband ing of Hopton’

s Regimen t . Worcesterr e-garrisoned . Dud D ud ley ’s p lot . Arrest . Trea tmen t .

Sen ten ced to d ie. Escape. Sequestra t ion

CHAPTER V I I . 1 651 .

Cromw el l goes to I reland . Charles in Scot land . Cromwel lreturn s—goes to Scot land . Ba t t le of Dun bar. Roya l istp lots. Charles set s ou t for Englan d . Carl isle, Preston ,

Warrington . Need of recru i ts. Devia t ion to Worcester.C i ty occupied . Cromwel l rea ches Evesham . Lam berttakes Upton . Defea t of Massey. Roya l ist preparat ion sfor a t ta ck . D isposi t ion o f forces. Parl iamen tary at ta ck.F igh t ing w est of t he Severn . Cromw el l crosses the

Severn '

-Roya lists dri ven in to St . John ’s. Roya list sortie

repu lsed. Fort Roya l carried . D efea t . Tow n takenp l undered

Page 1 46

Page 1 75

Page 1 96

Page 2 1 3

INTROD UCTION .

Th e fol lowin g pages a r e an at tempt to give an accoun t O fth e great Civi l W ar so far as i t con cern ed Worcestershire .

Usua l ly,th e Batt le Of Worcester h as been taken as

syn onymous w i th th e Civi l W ar in th e Coun ty,bu t i t w as quite

an isolated in ciden t , that did n ot occu r un t i l five years aftert h e great w ar h ad en ded .

Short ly,th e story Of th e Worcestershire fighting w as as

fol lowsI 642 . Th e Kin g moved from Not t ingham to Shrew sbury .

Th e Ear l of Essex,w h o comman ded th e Parl iamen t a rmy

,w as

ordered to preven t th e King advan c in g on Lon don,so marched

from Northampton to St ra tford-ou -Avon , Pershore to W or

cester . Charles,having completed h is preparat ion s, marched

by Wo lverhampton,Birmingham

,towards Ban bury

,thus

gett in g betw een Essex an d Lon don . Tu rn in g roun d,h e

defeated Essex at Edgehil l,and slow ly marched on tow ards

Lon don . Th e resul t w as that th e Parl iamen t t roops ev acuatedth e Coun ty .

1 643 . Th e King est abl ished h is head-quarters at Oxford,

an d w as most an xious to w in th e Highlan ds Of th e Cotsw o ldsand th e l in e of t h e Severn . Th e Parl iamen t h ad tw o armies.

Thei r p lan w as that th e tw o armies,on e of which w as engaged

before Read ing un der Essex , th e other un der Wa l ler h ad i tshead-quarters a t Bristo l

,shou ld un i te an d take Oxford . Essex

took Reading . Wa l ler,Opera t ing from Gloucester

,cleared th e

coun ty,an d by taking Hereford cu t Off commun i cat ion with

Wales. TO make a l l safe in t h e Severn Val ley,Charles

besieged Gloucester,but Essex w as able to ra ise th e siege.

1 644 . Aga in th e Parl iamen t t ried th e same plan as th e

previous year . Essex an d Wa l ler were to j oin an d march on

Oxford . They did so ,and very n early caught Charles

,bu t

h e escaped,m arched by Broadw ay to Evesham

,Pershore to

Worcester,and on to Bewdley . Wa l ler fol low ed him

,bu t th e

tw o armies did n ot come to' close quarters th e on ly fightin g

w as W i lmot'

s at tempt to rel ieve Dudley Cast le, which w as

being besieged by Lord Den bigh . Charles ret i red towardsOxford

,fo l low ed by Wa l ler

,w h o w as defeated by W i lmot at

Cropredy Bridge . Charles then return ed in to Worcestershire,

and stayed a t Evesham for some days.

1 645 . M assey,th e Govern or Of Gloucester , stormed an d

took Evesham, thus severing th e Roya l ist . l in e Of march from

2 IN TROD UCTION .

Worcester to Oxford . Char les marched to In kberrow,

Droi twich , Bromsgrove,an d on to Lei cester and Naseby

,

w here h e w as defeated ; then back by Kiddermin ster , Bewdleyto Hereford and South Wa les. Th e Scotch army came to th ehelp Of th e Engl ish , an d marched to A l cester on thei r w ay to

a t tack Worcester , b u t turn ed Off to Dro i twich,Bewdley

,an d so

to Hereford , which they besieged . Charles marched n orth,an d

w orking roun d reached Oxford . Having go t some t roopstogether , h e marched to t h e rel ief Of Hereford . He stayedsevera l days in Worcester

,marched from t here to Bromyard

and on to Hereford,bu t on h is approach th e Scotch ra ised

t h e siege,marched t o Gloucester , crossed th e Severn

,then

marching through Chel ten ham , Evesham ,to Stra tford-on .

Avon on thei r w ay towards Newark .

1 646 . During t h e w in ter a Roya l ist army w as co l lected in‘N a les, Herefordsh ire ,

an d VVm cester sh ir e,

a n d marchedtowards Oxford , b u t were m et by th e Parl iamen tary troopsn ear S tow-on -th e-Wo ld an d destroyed . Short ly after th isCharles left Oxford an d gave h imself up t o th e Scots. He

issued orders to h is cap ta in s and Officers to del iver up th e

places they held . Dudley Cast le surren dered,as did Hart le

bury . Worcester w as besieged and held ou t to July,when i t

h ad to surren der . In cluded in th e Art ic les were M adr esfiel d

an d Stren sham . W i th thei r surren der th e C iv i l W ar,

.so far as

Worcestershire w as con cern ed,came to an en d.

1 647. During th e w hole Of t h e year Roya l ist plots wen t on

t o bring about th e King’

s release,o r for a r ising . The ch ief of

t hese w ast h e Broadw ay P lot .

1 648 . Th e Roya l ist plo t , en ded in th e secon d Civi l W ar,th e

Ch ief feature in which w as t h e siege Of Co lchester . An at tempta t a r ising

,o rgan ised by Co lon e l Dud Dudley

,w as made in

Worcestershire,but i t w as suppressed

,Dudley t aken prison er

,

sen t to Lon don ,and con demn ed to die . Th e morn ing before

h is execut ion h e escaped .

1 649 . Th e King w as execu ted. Charles II . wen t to

Scot lan d an d w as procla imed Kin g . Th e Parl iamen t t roopsw ere engaged in pu t t ing dow n t h e Irish .

1 65 0 . Cromw el l,having fin ished O ff th e I rish

,wen t to

Scot lan d an d defeated Lesl ie and th e Scots at Dun bar .

1 65 1 . After a good dea l Of n ego t iat ion s and man oeuvresCharles

,at th e en d Of Ju ly

,in vaded Englan d

,marching

t hrough Carl isle on Lon don . When h e go t to Stafford i t w as

thought desi rable to ha l t fo r rein forcemen ts fr om Wa les,an d

t o meet these m en Charles marched to Worcester . Cromwel l,

meanw hi le proceeded dow n t h e east coast,marched across to

Evesham,thus get t ing betw een Charles an d Lon don

,advan ced

on to Worcester,at tacked and routed him at th e celebrated

Ba t t le OfWor cester .

C H A P T E R I .

1 642.

Worcestershire is on e Of th e sma l ler Engl ish Coun t ies. I ts

gg r eatest length is but 43 miles, i ts width 34 , and i ts area 738.

Yet in th is confin ed space more fight in g w en t on during th e:g reat C ivi l W ar than in most other Coun t ies. W i thin i t t h e

fi rst and the last Bat t les were fough t . Worcester w as botht h e fi rst and th e last c ity to real ise a l l t hat a military occupat ion mean t. I n every year of th e w ar there w as more o r lessfight ing within i t . Dudley and Evesham were besieged

,

Ripple and Camp Hill,Redmarley

,an d H aw kesl ey, a l l saw

fi ght ing,an d fighting that w as n o Child’s play. Through

Worcestershire Charles I. retreated after th e siege Of Gloucesterw as ra ised . Through Worcestershire Charles I. advan ced tom eet h is fate at Naseby . Th e Coun ty w as a lso th e scen e of

C harles’ t w o greatest tact ica l explo its— h is campa ign Of June,

11 644, and h is rel ief of Hereford in 1 645. In to WorcestershireRupert led th e Roya l ist Cava l ry fo r the i r first fight . O u t of

W orcestershire Ast ley man oeuvred,and man oeuvred in va in

with th e last han dfu l Of Royal ist t roopswhich were slaughteredo n th e Cotswo ld Hi lls. A t Worcester i tsel f that mercy w as

v ouchsafed ,

“th e dimen sion s Of which

,

”

so Cromw el l wrote,

were above h is thoughts.

”

Why w as Worcestershire th e scen e Of so much fight ing ?A glan ce at th e m ap Of Englan d gives th e an swer . Charles.h ad to rely upon Wa les fo r m en an d money . Worcestershirew as on t h e direc t route between Wa les an d Lon don

,o r , rather ,

b e tween Wa les and Oxford,

t h e Roya l ist head-quarters .

Throughou t th e w ar Charles w as in th e u tmost n eed o f

supp l ies such as th e Coun ty w as able to fu rn ish . Th e Courto f t h e Welsh Marches

,a loca l j urisdic t ion w h ich gave t he

Crown very large a nd very arbi t rary powers over bo thi ndividua ls and proper ty , in cluded Worcestershire in i t s area

,

a lthough th e Coun ty aga in and aga in t ried to g et free fromi t . i Worcestershire w as a va luable recru i t i ng groun d . F o r

many years, as appears from th e min utes Of t h e Privy Coun ci la s to recru it ing an d from en t r ies in t h e Worcestersh ireS ession s Reco r ds I as to ma im ed so ld iers

,m en w ere habi tua l ly

d raw n from Worcestershire for service in Irelan d . If,as seems

‘N h itelock , 483. t Sessions Recor ds l ., p. ccxxiv. I l h .

, 44, 68, 1 0 5.

4 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

n ot un l ikely , Sir Charles W i lmot w as a Worcestershire m an,

th e Coun ty h ad in him a leader w h o did n ot shrink from anyservice, however desperate or

“ forlorn,

”aga in st Irish rebels or

Span ish troops. Irelan d,from th e con stan t fight in g that wen t

on there,w as a most va luable t ra in in g groun d for so ld iers

,

both officers and m en . I t is very diffi cu lt to say to whatexten t th e m en ra ised in Worcestershire for service in th e

Civ i l W ar h ad been t ra in ed there, yet there can be but l i t t le

doub t that not a few in th e Roya l ist ran ks, both o ffi cers and

m en ,h ad received thei r bap t ism of fi r e in Irelan d.

I t w as n ecessary for th e Roya l ists to keep Open thei rcommun i cat ion s wi th Wa les

,i t bein g th e place on which they

rel ied for support . Noth ing can shew more Clearly that therdid n ot rely in va in than a let t er

,wri tten years after th e w ar

by th e t hen Marqu is of Worcester to Charles II. “How

came,

” h e wri tes,

“ H is Majesty ’s army to be con siderablebefore Edgehil l fight bu t b y t h e m en I an d h e goeson to state tha t S ir John Byron ’

s Regimen t,th e fi rst regimen t

ra ised for th e Kin g, w as on ly mustered by mean s of a sum of

£50 0 0 pa id for th e purpose by h is father (th e Earl ofWo rcester) ,w h o ,

h e says,“spen t in t h e w ho le for Kin g an d coun t ry

wh ich,i f mon ey is b e t aken as a t five t imes i ts

presen t va lue,th e ra te usua l ly st ated

,amoun ts to abou t

an a lmost in credible sum fo r a subj ect of thatday to provide

,when Amer ican an d African mill ion ai res did

n o t exist . I t w as n ot on ly mon ey that th e Earl o f Worcestersen t th e King ; on severa l occasion s h e furn ished such.n umerous rein forcemen ts as t o amoun t a lmost to an army.

H e who l ly provided th e force that Wa l ler,whether by t act i cs

O r by t reachery,defeated before Gloucester in 1 643.

M en an d mon ey came t o t h e Roya l ists from Wa les in moreor less con stan t suppl ies. They h ad to come throughWorcestershire, so th e Coun ty h ad to be garrison ed fo r th e

King . Whoever held Worcestershire h ad prac t i ca l ly th e

comman d of th e Severn,which w as a po in t of the greatest

momen t to t h e Roya l ists. I n addition there w ere otherreason s w h ich added t o th e importan ce of th e Coun ty . I t

could supply,an d w as on e o f th e few places that could do so

,

various mili tary stores of which th e King w as in dire n eed .

As h e h ad fa i led to secu re th e arsen a ls of Portsmou th an d Hull ,h e did n ot possess any supply Of swords, p ikes, gun s, sho t ; a l l

theseWorcestershire cou ld and did provide . From Stourbridgecame shot

,from Dudley cannon . Th e n umberless sma l l forges

which t hen existed on every brook in the n orth Of th e Coun tyt urn ed ou t successive suppl ies of sword blades and p ike heads.

I t is sa id that among th e many causes of anger Charles h ad

H ist . M SS. Com . x1 1 . r ep .,app. 9, p . 60 .

CIV I L W AR, 1 642 . 5

aga inst B irmingham w as that on e of t h e best sword makers oft h e day, a m an n amed Porter

,w h o l ived an d made h is blades

in Worcestershire,but so ld them in Birmingham

,refused at

any price to supply swords for “th e m an of blood ,

"or any

of h is adheren t s.

As a set off to th is sword maker,th e Roya l ists h ad among

thei r adheren ts Co lon el D ud Dudley,w h o h ad in ven ted a

mean s of smel t ing iron by t h e u se of coa l , an d w ho cla imed h ecould tu rn ou t a l l sorts of bar i ron fi t for making of muskets

,

carbin es,and i ron for grea t bo lts

,

“ both more cheaply,more

speedi ly. and more excel len t than could be don e in any otherw ay. H is method w as n ow employed on th e King’s beha l f.Th e tw o fo l low ing receipts wil l shew h ow Worcestershire w as

engaged in providing for t h e King in th e early days of the

w ar 1

Ul t imo die D ecem b r is, 1 642 .

Recei ved the day and year above w ri t ten , of S ir W i l l iam Russel l , Bar onett ,High Sheri ff for the Coun ty Of Worcester

,the sum of five poun ds, tow ards

‘the cast in g of shot for H is Majesty ’s serv ice I say received {5

per m e W i l l iam D uddeley.

D ie quart ’ J an . , 1 643.

Recei ved the day an d year above w ri t ten,of S ir W i l l iam Russel l , Ba r on ett ,

High Sher iffe for the Coun ty of Worcester,the sum of seven poun ds, tow ards

the ca st in g of ordin an ce for H is Majesty ’s servi ce in the sa id Coun ty. I sayrecei ved 7l i .

per m e,Bryan New ton .

There ar e other simi lar receipts among th e Russel l Papers,

on e on th e 8th February,1 643, for cast ing ordin an ce on e on

th e r oth February,1 643, for cast ing iron ordin an ce

,a l l of which

p rove what a va luable source of supplyWorcestershire w as to th eRoya l ists. Besi des can n on ,

shot , swords, and p ikes th e Coun typrovided oth er supplies. Droi twich gave an un fa i l ing storeof salt ; the Worcestershire Forests a con stan t store of

charcoal,p ike han dles and pal isades. I n fact a l l that th e

Roya l ists were m ost in n eed of,th e Coun ty cou ld and di d

supply.

If Worcestershire w as importan t as a source of supply,i t

w as equal ly importan t as a l in e of commun icat ion . I t is

d iffi cu l t for u s to real ise what a cen t re Worcester then w as.

N o on e , for in stan ce, wou ld thin k that Worcester h ad anycon n ect ion with Irelan d , yet t h e fo l lowing passage in a

let ter from Lord O rm on de’

s m an of busin ess in Lon don to himin Irelan d would show it w as. Th e let ter is dated th e sthO ctober

,1 64 1 .T

The c lothes are n ot yet done. I sha l l have them th is n i gh t or to-morrow,

bein g the sth of th is in stan t October, w h i ch i f I do I sha l l have fit opp ort un i tyto sen d them by w aggon toWorcester

,w h i ch I con ceive now to be the readiest

passage for them .

”

M eta l lum Ma r t is, p. 1 0 . t H ist . MSS . , Ormonde Paper s, N S . 1 . 45.

6 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

Possibly Worcester being a po in t from which Bristol or 81

n orthern por t m ight be reached, made i t a spot where th e

travel ler cou ld decide on th e route to fo l low .

Some six roads m et at Worcester which , to apply to

them a term of to-day, carried“ through ”

. as Opposed to '

loca l t raffic . These roads ar eTh e Oxford an d Lon don Road . This en tered th e Coun ty

n ear Hon eybourn e,passed through Bretforton , over th e Avon

at Offen ham at Tw yford Br idge, where Offen h am Boat is n ow ,

then through Norton ,Wyre , Pin vin ,

White Ladies’ Aston,

Spetch ley, Red Hil l,to Worcester. This is an d w as th e

direct road from Worcester to Oxford,and by i t a l l con

voys of suppl ies an d a l l detachm en ts of recru i ts wou l d haveto pass.

At Worcester this road divided, on e bran ch to th e

right is th e road to the n orth,spoken of

,n ear B irmingham

,as

th e “ Bristo l Road.

” It crossed Bar bou r n e Bridg e an d wen t toDroi twich

,Bromsgrove

,over th e L i ckey to N or thfield , and

passed ou t of th e Coun ty in to Warw i ckshire at Bourn Brook .

An other bran ch,also go in g to th e n orth

,after crossing

Bar bou r n e Bridge , wen t to th e left th rough Ombersley an d

Hart lebury ; here i t again bran ches off th e road to th e right ;go ing through t h e parishes of Chaddesley Corbet t an d Bel

broughton,past Hagley and Pedmore to Stourbridge in to

Staffordshire. This is th e road by which Charles II . w en t aftert h e Batt le of Worcester. Th e road to th e right at Hart leburypassed through Kiddermin ster

,an d so on to Bridgn orth .

Th e road crossing th e Severn a t Worcester , an d go in gby Ken swick

,Martley

,crossing th e Teme at H am Bridge

,

through C l ifton -ou -Teme to Ten bury,an d then in to Sh r op

shire. On this road is th e Ten bury Bridge over th e Teme.

When th is w as damaged in 1 6 1 5, th e town of Ten buryasked t h e Session s to help to repa i r i t

,as i t w as “

th e grea tthorough fare from most p laces in Wa les to the Ci ty of

Lon don .

”

(5 ) Th e road from Worcester crossin g th e Severn , pr o

ceedin g by Cotheridge,Broadwas

,across th e Teme at

Kn igh tsfor d Bridge,

an d so on to Bromyard , then ce to

Hereford and Wa les. A long th is road th e t roops sen t wi th .

Lord Stamford to occupy Hereford in 1 642 r etu r n ednLand

Char les I. marched a long i t to rel ieve Hereford in 1 645.

(6 ) Th e road from Worcester go ing south along th e eastban k of th e river (th e Bath ) road , passing through Kempsey ,Severn Stoke, to Tewkesbury and G loucester. I t w as a longth is road Wa l ler advan ced to attack Worcester in 1 643.

There were o ther im port an t roads,but they were more of

"

Sessions Records, Ma r ch , 1 6 1 5, p . 2 1 2 . 1 Ar chaeo log ia , xxxv. , 332 .

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 9

loca l impor tan ce,o r else served as a ltern at ive rou tes. Thus

th e road on th e west ban k of th e Severn,through Powick

and Han ley Cast le to Upton,by wh ich Fien n es’ caval ry

retreated after Pow ick,

and by which F leetw ood advan cedat the Batt le of Worcester . Th e road leadin g ou t of th e

Oxford Road a t Spetchley ,an d go ing by Upton Sn odsbury to

Inkberrow an d A lcester,th e road by which Fien n es advan ced

to a t t ack Worcester in Sep tember , 1 642 . As a l l t hese roadscon verged at Worcester

,an d as they were pract i cal ly th e on ly

modes of commun i cat ion with other parts of Englan d an d

Wa les,th e importan ce o f Worcester as a cen t re is obvious.

This must n o t be con sidered as in any w ay a l ist Of either th ema in or th e importan t roads of th e Coun ty. There wereo thers

,such as th e road from Dro i twich to Fecken ham

,

through t h e Old Feckenham Forest,a lon g which th e Scots

marched on thei r w ay to Hereford in 1 645 ; and th e o ld Roman

Road,the I ckn i ld Street

,

” ca l led loca l ly th e “ Buckle St reet,

”

a long th e upper en d o f w hich Ruper t marched when h e

fought at Camp Hil l bu t these did n ot direct ly con verge on

Worcester .

A lon g a l l these roads duri ng th e n in e years of th e

w ar troops were being con stan t ly marched and con voyssen t . Heavy waggon s

,drawn by teams of oxen

,fol lowing

on e after th e other cou ld n o t have been good for th e

r oads,n o t even i f

,possibly , th ey w ere in a fa i r state of

r epa i r at th e begin n ing Of th e w ar,or

,a t least , in suff i cien t

repa i r to b e passable by th e ordin ary waggon s wi th com

par at ive ease ; t hey cou ld n ot have long con t in ued eveni n this state . Th e system then in force of compel l ing th e

own ers an d occu piers of lan d to sen d thei r m en and teams

to do so many days’ work on th e roads in each year w as n ot an‘ idea l on e

,and i f i t w as effective in t imes o f peace when there

w as on ly ordin ary t raffi c,which is very doub t ful

,i t must

have completely broken down wi th t he extraordinary t raffi c ofth e w ar . There ar e

,however , tw o facts that lead to th e con

cl usion that th e roads were to a great exten t i f n ot impassable,

y et extremely di ffi cult to travel . It appears from the Session sRecords that th e bridges on th e roads were a lways breakingdown and becoming di ffi cul t of passage.

” Thus on th e most

importan t road— th e Lon don Roadstan ding at Wyre

,on e o f t h e few tha t reta in a trace of on ce

having h ad an image of a sa in t as par t of i ts structure,possi b ly

b ecause i t w as a bridge th e Bishop of Worcester w as l iable to

repa ir. However th e bishops of those days discharged thei rother dut ies

,they n eglected that of repa ir ing bridges

,for the

B ishop w as n ot in frequen t ly in dicted for n eglect ing to repa i rt h is bridge. A l i ttle fur ther on towards Oxford the roadcrossed th e Avon by a bridge

,kn own as Twyford Bridge.

1 0 CIVIL W AR, 1642 .

Th e l iab i l i ty t o repa i r th is bridge rested on th e in habitan tso f Off enham . They were on severa l occasion s in dicted forn on -repa i r of th is bridge.

If th is importan t road w as in such a state, i t is n ot won derfu lto find that in more remote parts of th e Coun ty lan dow n ersand parisheswere con stan t ly bein g “presen ted ” for thei r n eglect‘

in keep ing th e bridges in good repa i r . Mat ters must have go tworse and w orse during th e w ar

,as break ing dow n bridges w as

‘

a frequen t pa rt of th e mil itary opera t ion s. F o r in st an ce,i t is

sa i d that in Charles’ march from Broadway to Bewdley in1 644, th e damage done to th e Coun ty from break ing dow nbridges amoun ted to £ 1 0

,0 0 0

,which seems to be a prodigious

sum,takin g mon ey a t i ts presen t va l ue. I h e bridge at Bewdley ,

in 1 662,ca

b

u sed t h e in hab i tan t s to pet i t ion Session s to repa i rt h e bridge, an arch o f w hich w as broken down in t he course of

t h e Civi l Wars. Th e cost of repa i r w as much beyon d whatt he borough w as of i tsel f able to bear . The bridge at Uptonon -Severn ,

a l though a char it able inhabitan t of Upton n amed"

Hal l left an an n ua l sum w hi ch st i l l goes t o i t s repai r , n ever gotover th e damage i t received during t h e C iv i l W ar

,in spi te of

tw o cen turies’ pat chi ng ,un t i l i t w as removed in 1 853 and

replaced by t h e presen t Iron erect ion .

B u t th e br idges were n o t th e on ly part o f th e roads thatw ere ou t of repai r .

,

Th e presen tmen ts sen t in an n ual ly by th econ stables of each par ish in th e Coun ty h ad to state th e

con di t ion of th e roads in th e par ish . Un fortun ate ly,on ly a

port ion o f these have surv ived,b u t from those tha t have w e

a r e able to form some idea of th e sta te of t h e roads. Th e usua lth in g stated is n ot tha t t he roads were in good repa i r . Theycou ld n ot bring themselves to swear that

,bu t “ou r roads ar e

wel l repa i red for th e t ime o f year,

”or

“ou r roads ar e in

su ffi cien t repa i r .” Notwi thstan ding these statemen ts th e factrema in s that n o less than 24 of th e parishes in th e Coun ty '

were in 1 636, j ust before th e ou tbreak o f th e Civ i l W ar,

in dicted for thei r roads being ou t of r epair i"Bad as t h e

ma in roads were,th e bye

-roads were worse. Probably in ‘

Worcester shire they were especia lly so,for th e simple reason

,

that in some par ts they h ad n ever been made. Tw o largedistr icts o f th e Coun ty

,th e area of Ma lvern Chase

,that is

,

speaking b roadly,a l l th e Coun ty west Of th e Severn an d sou th

of th e Teme, and th e area of the Forest of F eck en h am , th at is,aga in speaking broadly

,th e area n orth of th e road from

Worcester to Spetchley,Upton Sn odsbury an d In kberrow

,and

south of th e l in e o f h il ls from Reddi tch,A lvechurch and Th e

L ickey, there were no roads,m erely forest t racks. Charles

,in

t h e early part of h is reign ,h ad been m uch pressed for mon ey ,.

Sessions Records, 1 633, p. 52 5.

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1 2 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

t h e King’

s army to get between th e Earl of Essex and Lon donas h e w as ret i ring there after ra ising th e siege of Gloucester . Itis no u n common th ing to hear Of troops marching 1 6 to 2 0

miles in a n ight,as w as th e case of Fien n es an d h is m en

march in g from A lcester to Worcester on e n ight in September,

1 642 . If delayed wi th baggage ,and obliged to keep to th e

roads, progress w as slow,as in

_

th e case of Byron ’s march from

Oxford to Worcester in September, 1 642 , when with a heavycon voy h e could n ot do more than 1 0 miles a day, taking six

days to do th e 60 odd miles.

Rapid progress w as on ly made when the m en were n ot

obl iged to keep to th e roads. There were no fen ces,bu t the

roads crossed th e large Open fields, so that anyon e cou ld dothat w h ich i t is sai d h e w as legal ly en t i tled to do , qu i t th e roadwhen “ foun drous,

”an d go over th e adjo in ing lan d . This r ight

w as l argely made u se o f , an d i t must have ren dered a co lumn

on t he march part icularly l iable to be at tacked,broken

u p an d scat tered . This accoun ts for what is so oftenstated in th e n arrat ives o f th e w ar

,h ow a t roop of cava l ry

swooped down on a co lumn or con voy on th e march,and

routed,i f i t did n o t dest roy i t . Hedges were on ly foun d roun d

t h e sma l l en closures an d garden s n ear th e vi l lages,th e rest of

th e Coun ty w as Open,or

,as i t w as ca l led

,

“Champaign ”

coun try .

To horsemen n o t en cumbered with baggage there w as

an other w ay by which they could get over th e coun try rap idly .

Crossing from place to place,usua l ly by th e shortest rou te

,

were bridle ways or pack ways,a lon g which m en led lon g

strings of horses or mules laden wi th merchan dise. Many of

these have been shut up of recen t years,bu t some st i l l rema in .

A long these pack ways cava lry would move rapidly an d

without diffi cu lty . But these roads,though wel l adapted for

rapid movemen t o f horses,were w h o l lv un fi t for th e passage of

gun s,wagon s

,or baggage. Outsi de th e vi l lages th e lan d lay

open and un fen ced . Th e proper t ies Of differen t own ers weresepara ted by grass bau lks ” o r r idges. I t w as an easy matterto wan der about t h e open coun try and get lost . I n on e

instan ce some t roops from Wo rcester did this,and thereby

caused th e Royal ists to b e defeated a t Redmarley. Th e

n umerous En closures Acts passed in th e 1 8th an d fi rst part o ft h e roth cen tu ry , u p to abou t 1 82 5, shew that en closed lan din Worcestershire w as th e except ion . Large arable fields

,

where each lan down er h ad a sma l l patch or patches,

so manyscl ion s Of arable lan d in a certa in common field ,

” large grassmeadows or Hams

, some of wh ich rema in to this day, on whicha l l th e vi l lage catt le fed, and where certa in in dividuals h ada righ t to m ow so man y perches. Such w as th e Coun ty wherei t w as n ot wooded . N O coun try could be bet ter su ited for th e

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 1 3.

movemen ts of cava lry,an d t he figh t ing during th e C ivi l W ar

w as far more tha t Of cava lry than of in fan t ry . I n the cava l ryen coun ters, as a ru le, th e casual t ies were n ot very heavy

,but

where the coun t ry w as en closed an d cava lry could n ot be used,

as w as somet imes th e case,as

,for in stan ce

,at th e Bat t le of

Worcester, w hen th e in fan t ry came,as they cal led i t

,to

“ thrust of p ike,

”t hen th e casua l t ies w ere often very n umerous

and t he bat t le undecided .

An other po in t in con sidering th e fightin g in Wo rcestershire must b e remembered ,

th e part played by th e r ivers Th eSevern run s n or th and sou th , dividin g th e Coun ty in to tw o

un equa l parts. Roughly,th e Avon run s east to w est

,and

forms th e southern fron t ier o f th e Coun ty . These tw o riversgive a stra tegic importan ce to certa in places. A t th e date of

th e Civi l W ar there w ere on ly three bridges across th e Severn .

This made each of these bridges an importan t post— Bew dley,

Worcester, an d Up ton . Bewdley w as par t ly a garrison,and it s

importan ce w as due to i ts bridge . I t seems to have h ad wa l ls,

as th e gat es ar e men t ion ed,on e of which remain ed up t i l l

some t ime last cen t ury. I ts bridge led to th e Scots occu

pying i t in 1 645. Worcester w as a garrison,w hich ac ted as a

z‘éte a

’zr pon t to t h e bridge

,an d during both th e Civi l Wa rs w as

usua l ly in Roya l ist han ds. Up ton ,t h e on ly bridge be tween

Worcester an d Gloucester, w as th e cause o f much figh t ing,an d

probably led to more con tests for i t s possession than a lmost

any ot her p lace. On th e Avon th e bridges that were t h e

scen es of t he fight ing w ere th e Tw yford Bridge an d th e

Borough Bridge at Evesham,th e bridge at Pershore

,which

Charles broke dow n,losing some 80 m en in do ing i t

,and

t h e bridge at Tewkesbury ,w hich w as th e reason

,or rather on e

of t h e reason s, for th e impor tan ce of tha t place,an d w hy i t

ch anged own ers so often . Curiously en ough,there is hardly

any men t ion made of Eckington Bridge,possib ly because i t

w as n ot in a state to permi t Of i ts being used for th e passage of

troops or baggage . W i th the except ion of Powick,n ot much

is heard of th e Teme bridges, bu t Bran sford w as broken downon ce

,certa in ly at th e Bat t le ofW o rcester

,an d probably often er ,

while Kn ig h tsford Bridge, t h e n ex t up th e river,w as a lso

broken down more than on ce . There ar e n o records that th eo ther Teme bridges were broken dow n

,but most l ikely they

were from t ime to t ime.

Having given some accoun t of th e coun try,th e tow n s must

be con sidered. A t th e outbreak of th e w ar t here were on lyt w o wa l led town s in th e Coun ty ,Worcester and Bewdley. Th e

town s of Evesham,Pershore

,Bromsgrove

,Droi twich

,Kidder

minster,Stourbridge

,and Upton-on-Severn w ere Open tow n s,

o r, to speak more accurately

,large vi l lages

,which cou ld be

r u shed at any time by ei ther side,and which w ere hardly

11 4 C I VIL W AR, 1 642 .

Eapab le Of defen ce . A t a later date Bewdley an d Eveshamw ere fort ified , and Evesham stood a siege. N O a ttempt w asmade to garrison Pershore, Bromsgrove, Dro i twich , or Upton .

Kiddermin ster an d S tourbridge w ere frequen t ly occupied byt roops, Often by those of th e Parl iamen t ; in f act , o f al l th eplaces in th e Coun ty Kiddermin ster and Stourbridge lean tmost to th e Parl iamen t .W ith Worcester i t w as d iff eren t . Worcester w as a regu larly

f ort ified,wa l led town

,with a di tch

,b ut th e ditch d id n ot go

al l th e w ay roun d . Th e wa l l h ad been a l lowed to fa l l in todecay, an d stood in urgen t n eed

‘

of rep ai r . Th e c i tyh ad seven gates—Th e Foregate, th e n orth St . Mart in

’

s,th e

east Friar’s,a lso on th e east S idbury

,th e south gate

,with

F rog Ga te a lso on tha t side, below t h e Cast le ; on th e

w est,n ex t th e r iver

,t h e Priory Gate, guard ing th e Pr iory

F erry , th e on ly on e o f th e gates tha t st i l l remain s,an d t he

B r idge o r Wa ter Gate a t th e r iver en d o f N ew por t S t reet . Th e

gates were a l l stan ding,an d a lthough rot ten an d in bad repa i r

were closed at n ight,a fac t w hich made th e ci ty imagin e i tsel f

t o be,i f n ot safe from at tack

,at least safe from surprise. As

t hey played so very importan t a par t in th e subsequen t fightin g,

i t wi ll be wel l to g ive a brief accoun t of th e defen ces of

Worcester a t that t ime.

Begin n ing at t h e n orth-west corn er of th e wal l adjo in ing th er iver a t th e bottom of Newport Street , where t h e Bridge Gatestood , Open ing ou t on to th e bridge

,th e wa l l r an a long th e

river ban k for a short distan ce so as to in clude St . C lemen t’sChurch , which then stood in th e n or th-western angle of the

w a l l . Th e w a l ls then r an a long th e sou th side of th e Butts— here t races of i t can sti l l be seen Con t in uing a lon gt h e sou th side of Shaw S t reet

,by t h e side of t h e Berkeley

Hospi tal,i t in cluded that in st i tu t ion in th e ci ty . I t crossed

over Foregate St reet j ust where th e n ew Hop Market Ho te lstan ds. Here ,

a t th e corn er of th e street between t he

Berkeley Hospi tal and th e Hop Market Hotel , th e gate— th e

n orth , o r Fo regate— stood. Th e wa l l then con t in ued a lon gth e south side of San som e Street . Th is used

,un t i l compara

t ive ly recen t t imes, to be ca l led th e“ Town Di tch ,

”b u t th e

in habitan ts,n ot l iking Town Di tch as an address

,in duced

t h e ci ty au thori t ies to change i t t o th e presen t unmean ingappel lat ion of San som e S treet . On reach ing Low esm oor i t

crossed over on th e top o f th e hil l by th e Old Po l i ce Sta t ion ,

a long \Va ter cou r se A l ley,which run s ou t of Low esm oor a t th e

bo t tom o f th e h i l l,in dicat ing th e si te of t h e Tow n Di t ch

,

which appears to have star ted n ear this po in t an d gon eregularly roun d th e wa l l t i l l t he river w as reached . Th e wa l lr an para l lel t o Watercourse A l ley across Silver St reet . Here a t

th e corn er by the Corn Market,but where a street leads off to

CI VI L W AR, 1 642 . 1 5

t h e canal,stood St . Mart in ’

s Gate, th e east gate of th e ci ty.

Passing a long th e back of N ew S t reet an d Friar Street,where

t races of i t can st i l l be seen in places, i t reached Friar’s Gate

,

which stood at th e back of th e o ld Ci ty Gao l,n ow th e si te of

Laslet t A lms Houses,formerly a Domin ican House.

. Th e

wa l l then w en t a long at th e back of Friar Street un t i l i treached Sidbury . Here

,j ust on the city side Of th e modern

Sidbury Bridge over th e cana l , stood th e south gate o f th e

c ity,th e Sidbury Gate . Th e wa l l then r an sou th of St . Peter’s

Church,across th e si te Of th e Porcela in Works, t i l l i t reached

t h e gate kn ow n as Frog Gate,a lso a sou th gate t urn ing now

t o th e n orth-west , i t j oin ed on to a covered w ay that l ed to

t h e Cast le Hill. From this came an other wal l which r an downt h e low er par t o f Frog Lan e

,n ow ca l led D ig l is St reet , un t i l i t

r eached th e r iver . A n ew wa l l started here, turn ing up by thes ide of th e river to th e n orth . This w as n ot

,ho w ever, so

strong o r so importan t a w al l as that on th e o ther side of the city .

S oon after th e w a l l left D ig l is S t reet , j ust below th e Cathedra l,

i t reached th e Priory Gate. From this th e w a l l r an on to

th e en d of Newport S t reet , where i t jo in ed t he Bridge Gate.

I t would appear that there w as n o di tch from this poin t to

w here th e wal l left t he Foregate Street t o Low esm oo r ; at a

later date an at tempt w as made to remedy this. Extra fo r t ificat ion s were placed on th is part of th e wa l l

,b u t i t a lways

r ema in ed a weak spot in th e ci ty ’s defen ces.

If th e O ld p lan s ar e accura te, an d n o t merely fan cy sketches,a t var ious po in ts in th e w a l ls there were bast ion s

,redoubts

,and

a lso some ext ra works roun d th e gates O n th e east side therew as an out lying w ork between St . Mart in ’

s Ga te an d Friar'

s

Gate— a blockhouse , o r for t , which h as given i ts n am e to th e

dist r ic t up to th e presen t day. A l though Worcester,having

r ega rd to i ts posit ion,comman ded by hi lls 0 11 each si de

,cou ld

n ever have been a st rong fort ress, and wou ld possib ly in t he

Opin ion of Con t in en ta l engin eers b e spoken of wi th con

t empt as in defen sib le, yet most l ikely i t w as o f abou t

th e same strength as most Engl ish loca l towns n ot bui l t asfortresses.

Before th e w ar Evesham h ad n o t been fort ified . I ts

situat ion in a horseshoe o f th e Avon ren dered i ts for t ifiCa tion,

as un derstood in those days,a matter of l i tt le diffi cu l ty. I ts

importan ce w as great . as commanding both th e road fromWorcester to Oxford

,as wel l as th e lower Avon Va l ley , th e

road to Tew kesbury,an d so in to Gloucestersh ire

,to W in ch

Combe,an d so in to t h e Cotsw o ld Hi lls ; an d a lso as being th e

o n e place on t h e South Worcestershire border wh ich couldshelter any force placed to preven t t he i ncursion s of th e

Parl iamen tarian s fr om Strat ford an d Warw ick . Soon after th ew ar began some attempt w as made to fort i fy th e place ; an

CIVIL W AR , 1 642.

earthwork with a ditch an d pal isades'

w as placed from th e one

ban k of th e Avon ,opposi te Offen ham

,across the n eck of

lan d to where th e Avon return s on i ts w ay to Norton ,between

th e town and th e old Lon don Road ; roughly speaking,para l lel

to but a l it tle higher up Green H i l l on t he A l cester road thanth e presen t Great Western Ra i lway. I n 1 642 , th e King , by a

commission dated Don caster , Ju ly a l st,appo in ted as Govern or

of Evesham Samuel San dys, a relat ion of that W i l l iam San dysw h o h ad been on e of th e gran tees of th e paten t to make th er iver n avigable, and h ad been expel led th e House as a

mon opol ist . On h is appoin tmen t, San dys proceeded to throwup th e earthworks

,an d make th e place as defen sib le as

C i rcumstan ces admi t ted.

*

Bewdley , which w as an importan t post from i t s bridge com

man ding t h e passage O f th e Severn ,a lso h ad some defensive

works erected . I t is diffi cu lt to say wit h precision wha t theywere, bu t they do n ot appear to have been of grea t impor tan ce

,

as forts,for Bew dley n ever made any rea l resistan ce to any

a ttack, an d on on e occasion w as rushed by th e celebrated“ Tin ker ” F ox,

an d th e Govern or carried off a prison er. SirThomas L i tt leton w as appo in ted Govern or of Bewdley

,but t he

garrison,i f i t can be so ca l led

,con sisted of b u t a very few m en .

On e of the sources of w eakn ess w as that th e Govern or di d n o t

resi de in th e town,bu t ou tsi de at th e Pa lace o f Tickn el l . I t ,

howev er,w as surrou nded by a wa ll , an d h ad four gates— Bridge

Gate,Tin ker’s Gate

,Wel ch Ga te

,and D og Lan e Gate. Th e

last tw o w ere pul led dow n abou t 1 82 0 .

Th e on ly rea l ly st rong place in th e distr ict w as D udleyCast le . This

,from i ts posit ion on a ridge domin at ing a l l t he

surroun ding hi l ls,must have a lw ays been a place of st rength

,

and m ay be considered a predest in ated fortress.

”

I n

Doomsday Book , speaking of th e then Norman own er,

F i t z an scu l f,i t is sa id

,There is h is cast le a nd from Dooms

day to th e C ivi l Wars and onward,t i l l t he middle of the

1 8th cen tury ,when th e Cast le w as burn t

,i t rema in ed th e on e

great st ronghold of th e dist r ict The Cast le w as t h e residen ceo f t h e Dudley family , and as such h ad been kep t in a fa i rstate of repa i r for domest i c

,but n ot for mili tary

,purposes.

It w as,however

,soon put in order for defen ce, so t hat from

th e outbreak of th e w ar un t i l J un e,1 646, i t w as held con

t in uously for th e King , in spi te of severa l determin ed effor tsto take i t . At th e commen cemen t of th e w ar th e own er of th eCast le w asEdward

, 5th Lord Dudley , th e father of Dud Dudley .

Lord Dudley,w h o w as too o ld to take any part in th e fight ing ,

died th e n ext year , 2 3r d Jun e,

1 643. Th e Cast le h ad,

however, been placed u n der th e charge of Co lon el Leveson ,

May'

s H istory of Evesham , p . 345.

CIV I L WA R, 1 642 . 1 7

w h o h ad been Sheri ff of S taffordshire,asmil itary govern or

,and

h e held i t un t i l i ts surrender in 1 646 .

Th e other p lace Of st rength in th e Coun ty during th e w ar

w as Hart lebury Cast le , which w as garrison ed fo r the Kin g .

When i t fi rst w as garr isoned does n ot appear , b u t in 1 644Capta in San dys w as appoin ted Govern or

,and h e con siderably

strengthen ed th e place , compel l ing th e people roun d to come

in an d work a t th e defen ces. I n the Bew dley accoun ts thereis an en t ry

“ Pd . for w i ne for M r . Turton,to get Off ou r m en from go ing to w ork a t

the Cast le.

”

Hart lebury w as held for the King t i l l 1 646, when i tsurren dered on terms. I t w as

,however

,r e-garrison ed during

th e secon d C ivi l W ar for th e Parl iamen t .

S t ren sham,Si r W i l l iam Russel l

'

s ho use , w as fort ifiedtow ards th e close of t h e w ar . Haw kesley, th e home Of theM iddl em or es in King ’s Norton Parish , a family w h o were st rongCatho l ics an d Roya l ists, w as taken from them by t he Parliamen t t roops, occupied an d fort ified as a Parl iamen tary garrison

,

and he ld t i l l th e summer of 1 645 , when i t w as besieged and takenby Rupert on th e Naseby march . M adr esfiel d

,th e home of

t h e Lygons, w as occupied as a Roya l ist garr ison , an d held byt h e Roya l ists t i l l Ju ly , 1 646, when i t w as surren dered to the

Pa rl iamen t,i t is sa i d , by agreemen t .

Con n ected w i th Wo rcestershire ,bu t n ot ac tua l ly in i t

,were

o ther fort ified h ouses,such as Edgbaston Hal l, w hich

“TinkerF ox fort ified an d made h is head-quarters

,an d which th e

Roya l ists a t tacked but fa i led to take in 1 644. Stourton Castle ,

n ear Stourbr idge,which w as garrison ed by F ox from

Edgbaston,b u t w as taken and disman t led by the Roya l ists

in 1 644. Campden,in Gloucestershire, on th e road from

Worcester to Oxford , w hich became a very impor tan t post fo rth e King . Stoke

,betw een Campden an d Evesham ,

w hich w as

a subord inate Royal ist post . Sudeley Cast le ,n earW in chcombe,

which w as o f impor tan ce w ith regard to Tewkesbury and th e

lower Avon . Tew kesbury itself, though n ever rea l ly a

garrison,became a place Of much importan ce , being taken

and r e-taken by th e Roya l ists an d Pa rliamen tarians someth in gl ike ten t imes during th e period when Massey w as Govern orof Gloucester .

It w as fortun ate for th e Coun ty that i t d id n ot possess moreo f these fort ified houses

,o r garrison s as they were cal led , than

those men t ion ed . I t w as though t that th e Parl iamen t mighthave made on e a t Frankley, th e home of th e Lyt tel tons, as in

1 645, on th e Naseby march,Rupert

,after having taking

H aw kesley, bu rn ed dow n Frankley to preven t i t being made a

Parl iamen tary garrison . Th e for t ified houses became on e of

t he great curses o f th e Coun ty , reproducing , in modern form ,

1 8 CIVIL W AR, 1 642.

th e O ld cast les of th e days of Stephen . They were a favouritemethod of Rupert

’

s by w h ich b e secured h is ho ld on a district .I n each of them a n umber of armed m en were quar tered, w ho

could b e sen t w herever wan ted in th e distri ct,an d w h o, in th e

in terva ls during which they were n ot wan ted , gave themse lvesu p to plun dering their n eighbours

,n omin a l ly those on th e

opposi te side, pract ical ly those, on whichever side,w h o h ad

anything that could be plun dered . So th e garr ison s became,

whatever they might be ca l led , l i t t le bet ter than a series of

den s of robbers.

Some of them h ad been formed by th e owners for thei rp rotect ion ; some h ad been formed aga in st th e will of th eOwn ers by th e party that w as predomin an t in th e district

,

and which th e own ers h ad to ma in tain,whether they l iked i t

o r n ot . Some on th e ma in roads were formed as posts to keepo pen th e l in es of commun icat ion . I n some cases a st rongParl iamen tary lan down er w as compel led to keep a Roya l istgarrison

,so as t o preven t h is ren dering help to th e o ther side .

I n such a case th e lan down er an d h is ten an ts fel t th e w eighto f th e Govern or’s han d . I n many of th e garrison s th e m en

l ived a t pract i cal ly free quarters,and

,having n o sympathy with

t h e own er or th e n eighbours,cared n ot what suffering w as

i n fl icted,or ou t rage committed . Most l ikely the accoun ts

t ha t have come down to u s Of th e barbarit ies of th e sold iers int hese garrison s a r e gross exaggerat ion s

,but after makin g every

a l lowan ce there can be n o doub t that t h e dwel lers in th e

g arrison s w ere n o respecters o f proper ty or l ife. I t does n o t

real ly appea r tha t on e si de w as worse than th e other,on ly they

did the ir barbarit ies in diff eren t ways. Th e Roya l ists j ust ifiedwhat they d id as part of t h e recogn ised l aw of w ar ; th e

Parl iamen tar ian s j ust ified what they did as part of th e Divin el aw as revea led by Moses

Some accoun t is n ecessary of th e so ldiers an d thei r arms ino rder to un derstan d th e differen t movemen ts of th e armies.

Th e cavalry con sisted of cu i rassiers, dragoon s, an d horse . Th e

cu irassiers w ere most ly gen t lemen w h o provided thei r ow n

a rms and equ ipmen ts. They were dressed most gorgeously.

Feathers in thei r helmets,go ld an d si lver t r immings,

si lver-moun ted swords and p isto ls in fact,th e typica l

Cava l ier of th e t ime,as depicted in p icture and in poet ry.

They formed th e m en that Rupert l ed in h is most recklesscharges an d in h is most desperate fights

,bu t thei r n umbers

were few compared wi th t hose of th e other cavalry Theywore armour -a back an d fron t p iece—which h ad at on e t ime

been made of leather,hen ce thei r n ame

,but afterwards, and at

t his t ime,usua l ly made of iron . Un der th is armou r they wore

buff leather coats,thick enough to turn a sword cut or a spen t

bu llet. They were armed with swords and pistols. If

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20 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

some t ime,

an d whi le these Opera t ion s were go ing on th e

musketeer w as comparat ively powerless. It is for th is reasonthat w e so Often hear of cava l ry , with l i t t le o r n o loss

,rid ing

down in fan try. When dismoun ted,dragoon s u sual ly fought as

musketeers.

Th e pikemen were armed ei ther w i th a fu l l p ike,a cumbrous

w eapon , some 1 2 or 1 6 feet long,an ash po le with a

sharpen ed steel head ; or a ha lf-p ike,a much more han dy

weapon,some six to eight feet long . Th e p ike h ad to do al l

th e bayon et h as to do n ow ,and w as th e mode of fight ing u sedT

when m en came to Close quarters, to push of p ike. It w as

w i th th e p ike that a l l th e rea l ly hard in fan t ry fight in g, the

stormin g , th e han d to han d st ruggles,were don e. Pikemen '

h ad i ron caps and corselets. O ne o f Claren don ’

s Compla in ts att h e outbreak of th e w ar w as tha t th e Roya l ist p ikemen h ad n o

corselets,th e musketeers n o swords.

Th e art i l lery appear t o have been very cumbrous and n ot

very effect ive,excep t for siege w orks. They h ad cann on

,

th e heaviest of which wou ld throw abou t a 34lb . shot ;cu lverin s

,throw ing shot from 2 1b . to 1 5lb . ; fa l con s, throwin g

'

shot of 1 1b . ; fa lcon ets, of 51h ; drakes, with a st i l l sma l ler bal l .I n some accoun ts, as in those of Charles I I ’s. Sco tch army thatfought a t Worcester , leath er gun s a r e spoken of

,w h ich

shew that the gun powder of th e t ime w as Of n o greatst rength .

On e o ther weapon— a surviva l from an o lder age— is a lso

men t ion ed,bows and arrows. I n th e Commission s of Array they

h ad a lways been specified . It w as st i l l th e duty of t h e parishto provide butts for t he pract ice of archery

,an d of th e parish

con stable to see that archery w as pract ised. I n 1 62 7 an

in format ion w as la i d aga in st“ certa in person s in Wor cestersh ire w ho

,bei ng law fu l ly summoned by the

con stables to show themselves furn ished w i th bow s and arrow s,made defau lt

in doing

The l ist in clu des six person s at St . John-in -Bedwardin e ,th ree at Over w ick

,five a t Powick , three at Broadwas, and

three a t C la in es. EssextLis sa id to have held very strong

views in favour of th e reviva l of archery,an d in 1 643 issued

an order to ra ise a company . Char l es I . ,in 1 633, issued an

o rder for th e u se of th e bow an d p ike, givin g n ot ice that informer t imes bows an d arrows h ad been foun d serviceableweapon s for w ar

,whereby grea t an d victorious con quests h ad

been gotten . By sun dry statu tes th e u se h ad been enj oyn ed,which statu tes were st i l l in force. Th e King expected h is.

servan ts to con form thereun to, and direc ted Mead, an an cien ta rcher

,to in st ruct th e t ra in ed ban ds there in . 1

Sessions Records, 1 62 7, p. 42 9. t Rushw or th , V . , 370 . 1 Rushw or th , I I , 243.

CIVI L W AR, 1 642 . 2 1

I n 1 644, at the surren der of Essex ’s army at L iskeard, amongth e l ist of arms surren dered were a waggon load o f arrows.A t th e siege of Gloucester

,in 1 643, bow s an d arrows were used

for shoot in g letters in to th e town . I n 1 642 a company of

p ikemen with bows an d arrows were formed in Herefordshire.

A t Devizes,Sir Jacob Astley w as n early sho t by an arrow

,i t

go ing between h is legs. At Chester th e suburbs were set on

fi r e by arrows fired from th e city.

I n on e th ing t h e t roops in th e C ivi l W a r d iffered great lyfrom the t roops of to day

— they h ad 11 0 regu lar un iform .

W e ar e apt t o th in k that th e Roya l ists wore r ed and

th e Par l iamen t b lue,an d this is often stated to be so

,

bu t “ blue coats ”an d “

r ed coats ” were foun d in botha rmies

,as there were n o d ist in ctive co lours to dist ingu ish

each party . Th e Parl iamen t t roops Often wore th e orangescarf o f Essex

,bu t this w as th e on ly gen era l d ist in ct ive

co lour. Reg imen ts e i ther adop ted thei r ow n co lours o r thoseo f the i r co lon els

,an d w ere often described and spoken of by

t h e colour Of thei r coats. Thus Ham pden’s m en wore grey

,

and were ca l led Ham pden’s Grey Coats.

” A regimen t ra isedby Lord Grey

,th e son Of th e Earl o f Stamford , wore blue,

an d were ca l led “ Grey ’

s Blue Coats.

” New cast le’

s n orthernlevies were cal led Newcast le’sWhite Coats.

”

On e great difli cu l ty both sides experien ced w as th e quest ionof h ow to pay thei r m en . There is some eviden ce as to th e

rates of pay t h e t roops were promised . What they didreceive w as a differen t ma t ter

,as on both sides there w as

a lways a diffi cu lty abou t m on ey. From some papers and

accoun ts as to th e pay of th e troops forming t h e Worcestergarrison

,

* i t would appear tha t 1 0 0 horse cost £ 52 1 0 5 . 0 d. a

week,or 1 0 8. 6d . a day each .

From t he 4th December , 1 642 , to th e 2 9th Apri l , 1 643, th efi rst i tem is en terta inmen t ( that is board and lodging) of 1 50

m en at 1 35 . a m an .

” Th e wh o le sum spen t durin g th e periodi s£ 1 2 82 4s. 6d.

,bu t that in cludes other items besides pay, an d

th e exact n umber of th e m en is n ot given .

Th e Offi cers en t i t led to a l lowan ces appear to have been' Capta in , l ieuten an t , corn et , quartermaster , serjean t drummer

,

and farr ier. A week ’s pay of 51 m en“ un horsed w as £ 1 5

65 . od.,whi le a week ’s pay of 53 m en

“ horsed w as g 2 71 65 . 0 d .

A receip t,dated the 6th February

,1 649, given by Thomas

M ayl ard , makes th e pay of a company less than 1 0 5 . 6d. a

day, tha t is assuming a company to have been 1 0 0 m en,

bu t there is n oth in g to show of what n umber th e companycon sisted.

Russell MSS . , in the possession of the Worcester sh ire H istor ica l Society.

22 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

Received Of Sir Wi l l iam Russel l , Baronet, Governor Of Worcester and

Tew kesbury, the sum of 2 0 for paymen t of h is ow n compan y of dragoonshere a t Tew kesbury. ”

On th e Parl iamen t si de th e n omin a l rates of pay were a

l i tt le higher than on th e Roya l ist . A regimen t o f footcon sisted of 1 0 0 0 m en

, divi ded in to ten compan ies of 1 0 0 each,

and th e pay per day w as — O ffi cer s, g 1 9 1 4s. Od . ; soldiers

,.

£33 65 . 8d . ; or £53 0 5 . 8d. a day.

* Th e ofli cer s in th e

Parl iamen t Regimen t were

ColonelL ieuten an t-ColonelM ajor7 Capta in sI O L ieutenan ts1 0 En sign s2 0 Serjea n tsI Drum Ma jor2 0 Drums1 0 Gen t lemen30 Corpora lsChapla in and M an

Ch i r u rg ion and 2 Ma tes

M arsha l and h is M an

Q uartermaster and M an

A l l O fficer s, per diem

I OOO So l d iers, per diem

The Regimen t comp lete, per diem £53 0 8

Roughly,th e pay of a cava l ry so ld ier on th e Roya l ist side

w as n omin al ly 1 2 5 . a w eek .

"

r It appears that un der Fa i rfax th en omin a l pay Of a cava l ry so l dier on t h e Parl iamen t side w as

1 4s. It is very'

pr obab le t h at th e ra te of pay varied un derdifferen t gen era ls ; i t is more than l ikely tha t n ei ther Roya listn or Parl iamen tarian received h is fu l l pay with any regulari ty ,but h ad to make i t ou t as best h e cou ld , often by plun der .If,as 1 t seems w as th e fact

,th e Parl iamen t t roops were

bet ter pa i d than th e Royal ist,th is m ay have been one of

th e causes which,as th e w ar wen t on . Operated to en able the

Parl iamen t to recru i t with more faci l ity than th e Kin g,and

obviated th e st i l l greater diffi cu lty o f keeping an d reta in ing th et roops that h ad been recru ited . If th is is so i t would ten d to

confi rm th e statemen t wh ich is Often made,that when

Parl iamen t formed thei r n ew model led army in 1 645 many of

th e m en w h o en l isted in i t were deserters from,or person s

w h o h ad served in,th e Royal ist ran ks. Added to this th e

fact that whi le both armies plun dered freely,i t w as, to a l l

appearan ces,more l ikely after the n ew model led army w as.

formed that the Parl iamen t troops would have a greater chan ce

B irch ’

s Memoi r s, p . 67. t Webb’

s C ivi l W a r in Her efordsh ir e, I ., 358.

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 23

of plun der than the Roya l ist , operated as an in ducemen t to th eso ldiers of for tun e to jo in th e Parl iamen t army.

Before descr ib ing th e fighting a word shou ld be sai d abou tth e m en w h o fought.On e st riking thing abou t th e Wo rcestershire fight ing in the

Civi l W ar is that on neither side h ad any of th e great gen eralsmuch to do w i th i t . Most of t h e figh t ing w as don e by m en

w h o were in th e secon d rank . I t is true that Rupert on

severa l occasion s took part in mili tary Operat ion s in th e

Coun ty ; that Maurice w as for a t ime Mil itary Govern or of th eCoun ty , or , to speak more accurat ely, th e Coun ty w as withinh is mil itary comman d . But th e act ive operat ion s of M auricewere confin ed to those aga in st Massey , when Wa l ler came to

h is rel ief,in 1 643, and wh ich , so far as Mauri ce w as con cern ed

,

en ded in h is victory at Ripp le. Maurice, though here later,did n ot take much part in th e figh t ing . Charles himself w aspresen t on severa l occasion s ; W i lmot m ade a brave

,bu t

un successfu l , a ttemp t to ra ise“

th e siege of Dudley Cast le ; SirJacob Astley fough t a great figh t on th e Cotsw old Hil ls, n earStow-on -th e-Wo ld . B u t , w i th these except ion s

,th e absen ce

of th e grea t Roya l ist gen era ls from th eWorcestershire fight in gis very marked .

It is th e same on th e Parl iamen t side. Essex,i t is true

,

w as presen t in an d comman ded in th e Coun ty before th e

Bat t le of Edgehi l l,and aga in after th e rel ief of Gloucester.

Wa l ler on tw o occasion s, in 1 643, w hen at Gloucester h e com

m an ded aga in st Maurice an d t ried to take Worcester,an d in

1 644, when h e fo l lowed th e King from Oxford to Bewdley , tookpart in th e fight in g ; bu t n either Fa i rfax o r Sk ippon ,

Lam ber t orMiddleton

,Harrison or Ludlow

,n or Cromwel l h imsel f appeared

in th e Coun ty during th e fi rst Civi l W ar . Th e fight ing,w as

con fin ed on both sides to m en in th e secon d rank . Th e

gen era l impression tha t th e local n oblemen an d gen try werea lmost a l l un i ted in defend ing th e Coun ty aga inst the King ’sen emies w as n ot real ly th e case. W ith on e or tw o

except ion s th e Worcestershire lan down ers took very l i tt lepart in th e figh t ing . Si r W i l l iam Russell , of S t ren sham ,

Si rThomas Lyt t elton

,of Frank ley, and Co lon el San dys

,of

Ombersley,ar e th e most n ot able exception s. On e looks

,an d

looks in va in,for th e n ames of any of t h e grea t Worcestersh ire

families t akin g part in th e st ruggle. Th e Lord Coven try Ofth e t ime w as abroad during most of th e w a r . Sir JohnP ak ing ton gave a genera l support to th e King , bu t did n ot

take much person a l part . Sherr ington Ta lbot,of Sa lwarpe

,

w as act ive among th e Commission ers of Array , bu t as a ru leon e looks in va in for th e loca l gen t lemen act ing as Roya l istleaders as w e fin d them in other coun t ies.

If the Roya l ist lan down ers d id no t take an act ive part

24 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

n ei ther d id those of th e Parl iamen t,wi th on e or tw o excep

t ion s. Th e W i ldes, of Dro i twich , were act ive as admin ist rators;bu t not as sold iers. The Rouses

,at Rous Len ch

,th e

Lechm er es, at th e Rhydd , were st ron g Parl iamen tarian s,an d

d id n ot hesi tate t o act up to thei r con vict ion s when n ecessary ,

bu t t hey did very l it t le fightin g .

Most o f th e Roya l ists w h o fought belong n ot to Worcestersh ire, b u t to gen era l h istory. W e a l l kn ow and have a l l madeu p ou r min ds as to Charles an d Rupert . A word should be sai das to some of th e others.

First of Maurice,w h o w as for a long t ime th e n omin a l

head of t h e Roya l ists in th e Coun ty . He w as t h e youngerson of Charles

’

sister,w h o h ad married th e Prin ce Pa lat in e

,

t h e Palsgrave,as h e w as usua l ly ca l led . Born in 1 62 0

,h e

came with h is brother Rupert to Englan d in 1 642 . W i thoutm il itary experien ce . wi th an over-ween ing sen se Of h is ow n

im portan ce,wi th n oth ing to recommen d h im bu t person a l

courage,h e con sidered h e w as able to con duct a campaign . A t

fi rst h e served un der h is brother Ruper t ; h e w as presen t an dw oun ded at Pow ick

,w as at Edgehi l l

,an d at th e storming of

C i ren cester in 1 643. Later in that year,to check Wa l ler ’s

operat ion s in Worcestershi re an d Gloucestershire,th e King

determin ed to make a separate comman d, to in clude these

cou n t ies,an d on th e 2 n d March

,1 643, gave th is to h is n ephew

M aur ice . Soon after h e took over t h e dut ies. On th e 9th

Apri l h e w as at Tewkesbury,where

,i t is sa id

,h e and Lord

G errard rece ived th e sacramen t. On t h e 1 4th Apr i l h e got

£ 2 0 0 ou t of Sir W i l l iam Russel l,th e Govern or o f Worcester

,

as appears by h is receip t .Recei ved of S ir Wi l l iam Russel l , Governor of Worcester, the sum of tw o

hundred pounds. 2 0 0 1i . 0 0“ Apri l 1 4th , 1 643. Mauri ce.

Maur ice defeated Wa l ler at Ripple , h is grea test mil itary

performan ce in these parts. Soon after h e w as recal led to

Oxford . He w as presen t at th e Ba tt le of Lan sdown e,th e rou t

of Roun dway Dow n,and th e capture of Bristo l . A comman d

w as given h im in th e west,b u t h e w as n ot successfu l . He

fa i led to take Plymouth,probably from illn ess ; h e besieged

but w as un able to t ake e ither Taun ton or Bridgewater . I n

1 644 h e w as appo in ted Maj or-Gen era l of th e Coun t ies of

Worcester,Sa lop

,Hereford

,and Monmou th . Between th is

and Ju ly,1 646, w hen h e left Englan d

,h e spen t much o f h is

t ime at Worcester,resid ing there on severa l occasion s for

con si derable periods. On Charles comin g to Worcester,

i n 1 645, from Oxford , M auri ce jo in ed him , bein g presen tat th e capture o f Leicester an d the defeat at Naseby. On

MS. Russell Pa per s. W . H . S .

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .25

C harles return i ng through Worcestershire on h is w ay to

Wa les,Mauri ce wen t back to Worcester to ho ld i t aga in st

t h e Sco ts,w h o were then advan cing to a t tack it . When they

passed on t o Hereford without a ttacking Worcester,h e jo in ed

t h e King a t Bromyard on th e 1 5th September , bu t ret urn ed toWorcester soon after. On th e 2 8th Sep tember h e aga in m et

t he King at Chirk,b u t soon after return ed to Worcester

,

where h e rema in ed for some t ime. He w as there wi th Ruperton t he 1 3th November. It is n ot qu i te clear when h e fin al lyleft Worcester. H e and Ruper t were at Oxford during th e

siege of 1 646, an d were presen t a t i ts surren der on the 2 0 th

Jun e . Maurice fin a l ly left Englan d on th e 8th July , 1 646.

O ther Roya l ists w h o should be men t ion ed ar e'

Sir ThomasLyt tel ton

,w h o w as Govern or of Bew dley, Sir W i l l iam Russel l,

Co lon el San dys,an d Sir Gi lbert Gerrard (w h o were a l l

Govern ors of Worcester) , V avassou r,an d M yn n e (wh o com

»m an ded in th e sou th o f th e Coun ty aga in st Wa l ler an d

Massey) , an d Washing ton , w h o w as t he Roya l ist Govern or of

Evesham and Worcester . Of these on ly Lyt telton ,Russel l

,

an d San dys were real ly Worcestershire m en .

Sir W i l l iam Russel l,of St ren sham , w as th e head of t h e

family of Russel l , w h o h ad long been ow n ers of Stren sham .

I n h is house,and un der h is eye , th e great Worcestershire

poet of th e C ivi l W ar,Bu t ler

,th e author of

“ Hudibras,

”

w as'

brought up as clerk to Sir W i l l iam Russel l. Thatworthy baron et migh t have sat for th e portra it of “ SirKn ight .

” I t is qui te probable that many o f th e charactersin that poem a r e draw n from loca l celebri t ies. Russel l w as

Sheriff of t he Coun ty in 1 642 , an d on e of th e Commission ersof Array . He w as on e of th e first of th e gen t ry in Worcestershire w h o began to ra ise m en for th e King . W hen Co lon elEssex left Worcester at th e en d of 1 642 , and i t w as t aken for

th e King , Russel l w as appo in ted Govern or . an d h e held thatO ffi ce fo r some t ime. He w as in th e ci ty when i t surren deredin 1 646 ; th e Parl iamen t i n sist ing that Russel l should beexcepted from a l l ben efi t of th e surren der. He w as

subsequen t ly fined for h is ma l ign an cy,bu t survived th e

Restora t ion .

Sir Thomas Lyttel ton,of Fran k ley ( 1 596 w as in th e

n or th of t h e Coun ty what Russel l w as in th e south . H e h ad

sat in severa l o f t h e early Parl iamen ts of Charles,an d w as

member for Worcester Ci ty in t h e short Parl iamen t o f 1 640 , in

which year h e w as a lso Sher iff fo r t he Coun ty . When Charlese rected h is stan dard at Not t ingham ,

Lyt tleton off ered to ra isea regimen t of foo t and a t roop Of horse for th e King. He w as

summon ed to Shrew sbury by th e King to con su l t on th e state-of Worcestershire , an d w as appo in ted colon el of th e horse and

foot ra ised in th e Coun ty , and afterw ards G over np r of Bewdley.

26 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

Wh i le at Bewdley h e resided in th e Pa lace Of Tick nel l . I nr

M ay, 1 644, Tin ker F ox on e n ight possessed himself of Bew dley'

an d carr ied off Sir Thomas’

Lyttel ton as prison er. SON

importan t w as h is captu re con sidered that h e w as taken fr orrr v

F ox and sen t to th e Tower , an d al though soon after l iberated0 11 ba i l , by order O f Essex

,h e w as ag a in arrested and sen t back .

to th e Tower . Subsequen t ly released,h e w as made to pay

£40 0 0 for h is ma l ign an cy . H e died in 1 650 .

Samuel San dys, o f Ombersley , w as a gran dson of th e Archb ishop of York w h o h ad at on e t ime been Bishop o f Worcester.Roun d Ombersley b e exercised con siderable in fluen ce ,

which-1h e used to i ts u tmost on th e Roya l ist side. He w as

very act ive in ra isin g m en for th e King. Early in th e

w ar h e w as appo in ted Govern or of Evesham . Afterw ards h etook a leading part in th e defen ce of Worcester

,of which p lace

h e acted at t imes as Govern or. He so acted in 1 643, whenWa l ler attacked th e c i ty

,an d in revenge for h is defeat th e

Parl iamen t troops a t tacked an d plun dered San dys’ property

at Ombersley.

Sir Gi lbert Gerrard is on e of those m en of whom it is most'

difli cu l t to give an accu rate accoun t . As there weren o less than seven Colon el Gerrards in th e Roya l ist army

,

an d at least three h ad th e n ame of Gilbert,i t is very

h ard to avo i d con fusion . This on e acted as Govern or of'

Worcester from 1 644 u n t i l h is death in 1 645. He is, perh aps,best kn own from th e fact that h e w as on e o f th e act iveadversaries of Tin ker F ox.

” Gerrard w as able to take StourtonCast le

,a garr ison n ear Stourbridge establ ished by F ox

,bu t w as ~

repu lsed in h is at tack on Fox’s head-quarters a t Edgbaston .

He a lso t ried,but withou t success, to ra ise th e siege of Dudley .

Gerrard h ad n o con n ect ion w i th Worcester beyon d h ismil i taryservice in th e Coun ty .

Th e same remark appl ies to V avassou r,w h o, for some t ime

after Maurice gave up th e comman d in 1 643, acted as th e

leader of th e Roya l ists in th e south and sou th-west of th e

Coun ty,where h e did a good dea l of fighting, bu t n ot

so much as h e shou ld have don e . H e h ad served withd ist in ct ion in Irelan d an d in Scot lan d

,an d h ad been on e of that

ga l lan t ban d w h o stood roun d th e Kin g’s standard whencharged by Stapleton ’

s cuirassiers at Edgeh i l l . H e w as theretaken prisoner

,released on paro le

,w hich h e broke, an d w as .

therefore descr ibed by th e Parl iamen t wri ters as on e w h o,

hav ing violated h is faith given,demonstrates h imsel f to the w orl d to be '

unw orthy the n ame of a gen t leman .

”

Wh ile comman ding in Worcestershire h e appears to h avelooked upon th e loca l gen try m erely as mean s to be ut il ized tobring abou t t reacherous surrenders in cases where h is ow n .

exert ion s -t-o . t l1 at en d fai led ;~

arrd where h is wfigh t ing eff ected .

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2 8 CIVI L W AR, 1 642 .

of Cornwal l , Devon , Somerset,Dorset

,an d W i lts ) . H is last

feat o f arms in Worcestershire w as storming th e fort ificat ion sof Evesham on th e 2 6th M ay ,

1 645. He acted w i th Fa i rfax int h e west in reducing th e coun try to th e author ity of

Parl iamen t . Figh t ing being over,in Ju ly

,1 646, h e took

h is sea t in th e Lon g Parl iamen t as th e Member for G loucester .H is brigade w as disban ded on 2 0 th October

,1 646. I n 1 647 h e

w as appo in ted L ieuten an t-Gen era l to comman d in Irelan d,but

t he so ldiers refused to serve un der h im,a l leging h e w as n ot a

“ proper m an .

” Short ly aft erwards h e w as impeached for

seeking to ra ise a n ew civi l w ar . He w as on e of th e

Members of Par l iamen t exc luded by Pride ’s Purge He w as

impeach ed,imprison ed, bu t escaped in Jan uary, 1 649, wen t

abroad an d en tered Char les I l ’s service. He w as with Char lesII . a t Worcester

,and comman ded th e troops at Upton when

Lambert forced t h e bridge. He w as severely w oun ded in th isfigh t . After th e Bat t le of Worcest er h efled

,b u t could, from

h is woun ds, get n o dist an ce ; h e took shel ter with Lady

S tamford,b u t w as taken an d sen t to th e Tower. He escaped

in 1 652 an d wen t abroad .

Sir John W i lde ( 1 590 -1 679) w as a thorough Worcestersh irem an

, th e son and hei r of George W i lde, of Kempsey , an ablea nd act ive law yer

,h e w as on e of th e strongest supporters of

t h e Parl iamen t in the Coun ty . He w as,from h is fi rst en try

in to publ ic l i fe, on th e side of reform . A s a magist rate ,in

1 634 , h e worked a t Quarter Session s to bring abou t some bet tert reatmen t of th e prison ers in th e gaol at Worcester . I n someO f th e early Parl iamen ts of Charles h e h ad been M ember forDro itwich , bu t in th e Long Parl iamen t h e w as elected as on e

of th e Coun ty Members,and from th e early days of that

Parl iamen t formed on e of tha t ban d of lawyers w h o were th e

ch ief oppon en ts of t h e Court . S trongly opposed to t he

Bishops, h e acted as Cha i rman Of the Impeachmen t Comm it tee ; h e w as very b it ter aga in st t h e Ar chb ishop ,_

Laud. As

on e of th e Deputy L ieu ten an ts for Worcestershire, h e used h isauthori ty as much as possible in favour of th e Parl iamen t,obstructing th e Commission ers of Array 1 11 levying m en for th e

King . He Obta in ed leave from Parl iamen t to buy th e arms of

Lord W in dsor, w h o w as foun d to be a ma l ign an t,for h is ow n

u se an d for th e use o f th e Coun ty . H e w as on e of th e

Parl iamen tary sequestrators for th e Coun ty in 1 643, and h is

l oca l knowledge w as foun d o f grea t u se in dea l ing wi thm a l ignan ts and thei r esta tes When Par liamen t made a n ew

g reat sea l W i lde w as made on e of th e commission ers. He w as

o ne of th e managers of Land’

s impeachmen t . I n July,1 646,

h e w as made Recorder of Worcester , an d in October , 1 646,w hen Parl iamen t fi l led up th e vacan cies on th e j udic ia l Ben ch ,h e w as appoin ted Lord Chief Baron o f th e Exchequer . I n

CIV I L W AR , 1 642 . 29‘

some w ay h e off en ded Cromw el l,w h o ,

w hen h e became

Pro tector and n omin ated h is officers, left W i lde wi thoutemploymen t . W i lde an d Lord Den bigh form good examplesof the w ay in which th e C ivi l W ar div ided families. W i lde’sn ephew

,Robert W i lde

,of th e Comman dery

,Worcester , w ho

w as a lso a Barrister of th e Middle Temple,w as a strong'

Royal ist , an d h ad to pay a fin e of {450 when compoun dingfor h is estate. Lord Den bigh w as a Par l iamen tary leader .H is father w as kil led a t Camp Hil l fighting for th e King .

Basi l Field ing,secon d Ear l of Den bigh ,

w as a n ephew of

that Duke of Buckingham w h o died by Felton’s kn ife . He

served as a young m an in th e Low Coun t ries un der LordW imbledon

,an d w as presen t at the siege o f Bo is-le-Duc . I n

1 634 h e w as appo in ted Ambassador to Ven ice. On h is returnhome in 1 639 h e ful ly expect ed h is appoin tmen t would havebeen ren ewed . As i t w as n o t

,ma in ly, i t w as sa id

,by th e

in fl uen ce of th e Queen,whom h e h ad in some w ay off en ded

,h e

took vio len t offen ce aga in st th e Cour t an d became a strongOppon en t o f th e King

,while h is family w ere a l l st rong

Roya l ist s. When t h e w ar broke ou t h e ra ised a t roop of

horse for Parl iamen t,an d fou g ht un der Essex at Edgeh i ll . On

t h e death of Lord Brooke,Den b igh w as

,on th e 1 2 t h Jun e

,

1 643, made Comman der-in -Chief for th e Parl iamen t of th e

Coun t ies of Warw ick,Worcester , Stafford , and Sa lop , an d th e

cit ies of Lich field and Coven t ry. A l though i t does n ot appearthat Lord Den bigh took much person a l part in th e figh t ing

,i t

w as in a great degree du e to h im an d h is effor ts that duringth e years 1 643 an d 1 644 th e Roya l ists made n o progress on th e

eastern side of Worcestershire,an d that th e Coun ty border

marked t h e l imi t of th e Roya l ist ter ritory . So far as

Worcestershire w as con cern ed,h is chief mil i tary explo i t w as

th e siege of Dudley Cast le an d th e repu lse ofW i lmot ’s attemptto rel ieve i t . Lord Den bigh refused to join Wa l ler an d

aban don th e siege of Dudley,and th is w as possibly on e of th e

reason s w hy in t h e November of th at year h is appoin tmen t as

Comman der o f the Associated Coun t ies w as n ot ren ewed .

From h i s papers,which ar e st i l l in existen ce, Lord Den bigh

appears to have been a very able admin ist rator, an d to haveren dered the Parl iamen t very va luable service . From th e w ayin which h e charged an d rescued Brereton in th e fight beforeDudley

,aga in st t h e advice of a l l h is offi cers and m en

,h e shewed

tha t when th e occasion required n o on e could exhibi t morereckless courage ; b u t h e seems to have been far from popular

,

possibly from h is pron en ess to t ake offen ce at every l i t t lein ciden t .

A very differen t stamp o f m an w as th e other Parl iamen taryn obleman ,

“ Fan at ic Brooke,

"as h e is styled by Scot t .

Robert Grevi l le ( 1 60 8 secon d Lord Brooke,

w as

3 0 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

a supporter of th e Parl iamen t,n ot from pique

,but from

prin ciple. A t th e ou tbreak of t h e w ar,in 1 642 , h e jo in ed

Essex on h is march to Worcester,an d w as wi th him w hen th e

Parliamen t forces occup ied Worcester. He w as sen t wi th h is-.r egimen t

,while Essex rema in ed at Worcester before th e

Bat t le of Edgehil l , to do ou tpost duty aga in st th e Roya l istforces w h o were then at Bridgnorth . Brooke occupiedBewdley and Kiddermin ster , an d carried ou t th is somewhat d ifficu lt task for n ewly-ra ised troops wi th success.

“

I n Jan uary, 1 643, Parl iamen t , to better defen d and organ iset h e Midland Coun t ies, formed Warwick , Worcester

,Staffo rd

,

and Sa lop,with th e ci t ies of Coven try and Lich field ,

-i n to an associat ion ,an d appo in ted Lord B rooke th e com

man der . As such h e con sidered i t h is duty to drive th e

Roya l ists ou t of Lich field , which they h ad occup ied,fort i fying

t hemse lves in th e Close. Brooke la i d siege to th e place,an d

w as kil led in h is quarters by a chan ce shot from th e wa l ls. H is

death w as a great blow to th e Parl iamen t. It w as owing to

h im more than anyon e else that th e Parl iamen t ob ta ined a

c on trol l in g in fluen ce in Warwickshire an d Staffordshire,and

h is coo l,del iberate courage w ou ld have don e much to reta in

an d in crease th e in fluen ce of th e Parl iamen t . This they fel t,

a s on e of thei r w r iters* saysH is p iety, pruden ce, and in com parable magn an im i ty and heroic mart ia l

sp irit , h is loya lty to h is K ing, h is fidel i ty to h is coun try,deserve in delibly to

r ema in engraven in let ter s of go ld on h i gh-erec ted p i l lars of marble.

Brooke and Den bigh represen ted th e aristocrat i c side of th e

Par l iamen tary par ty ; there w as another si de,which though

n ot so pleasing , w as certa in ly more influen t ial an d possiblymore effect ive

,wel l represen ted in th e Coun ty by Thomas

F ox. Th e Royal ists sa i d h e w as by trade a t in ker . Be thatas i t m ay, h e w as a co lon el in th e Parl iamen t army and

ren dered them good service. F ox is a typ ica l specimen of th e

figh t ing Puri tan ,on e of those m en w h o

,by a close study of

th e O ld Testamen t,brough t himself t o bel ieve that h e w as a

divin ely-selected in strumen t to carry ou t t h e Lord ’s comman don th e chi ldren of wrath . F ox organ ised a t roop o f horse

,

composed of m en w h o l ike himself could face any odds,

execu te any serv ice,however desperate

,in the bel ief that

t hey were do ing t h e wil l of G od. H is in fl uen ce overt hese w i ld fan at ics w as remarkable. On ce when LordDenb igh ordered h is a t ten dan ce, F ox decl in ed to come

,

saying h is m en ,i f left

,wou ld ei ther desert or mutiny. I n

t h e au tumn of 1 643 F ox took possession of Edgbaston Ha l l,

t h e home of th e Roya l ist family of M idd lem ore,and made

i t h is head-quarters. From t here h e made con stan t expedi

V ioker"

s“G od in the Moun t

, p . 2 72 .

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 31

t ion s a l l over th e n orth of Worcestershire “to smite th e

Ama lekite.

"

He plan ted tw o garrison s— on e at StourtonCast le, n ear Stourbridge, which w as taken by Colon el Gerrarda fter a sharp fight , th e other a t Haw kesly,

w hich w as besiegedand taken by Rupert . Gerrard at tacked Fox ’s st ronghold at

Edgbaston ,bu t w as repulsed . Fox ’s great deed w as on e

which reads l ike an ext ract from Dumas’ n ovels. W i th a

han dfu l of m en h e surprised th e Roya l ist garrison of Bewdleyan d carried off t h e govern or prison er . I n h is w ay there isn o more in terest ing loca l figure in th e Civi l W ar than th ismilitary t inker. H is surpassing impuden ce

,h is in sat iable

avarice,h is coo l courage

,render him an d h is t roop of horse

“

t he typ ica l Roun dheads. Later h e a lmost disappeared fromhistory

, t h e Roya l ists say because h e w as th e masked m an,

w hose i den t i ty h as been so often dispu ted,w h o execu ted “

t he

Blessed Martyr ” on th e scaffo ld at Whi tehal l . I t is possiblethat t h e Worcestershire poet of th e C i vi l W ar

,in h is great

poem,m ay have h ad F ox in h is min d when h e wrote :

When Tinkers baw led a loud to set t leChurch Disc ip l ine for pa tch ing ket t le.

”

On 2 2n d August,1 64 2 , Charles erected h is stan dard at

Not t ingham . H e w as disappoin ted at th e n umber of person sw h o obeyed h is ca l l to arms. He h ad taken a step whichamoun ted to a declarat ion of w ar

,and foun d himself in dire

n eed of a l l that w as w an ted for w ar— m en,mon ey an d mun i t ions.

Such w as h is n eed of m en t hat h is general,Sir Jacob Ast ley

,

sa i d“ He cou ld give no assuran ce tha t the K ing w ould n ot be taken ou t of h is

bed i f the rebe ls made a brisk a t temp t to that purpose.

”

1"

Noth ing could show h is n eed of mon ey more c learly than a

memoran dum made by Lord Herbert of an in terview h e h ad

with th e King on th e 9th September , 1 642 .

Much l ieth at stake for w an t of a l i t t le money. S in ce w ith w ha tyou have, w ou ld further your Majesty ’s design s to a most hopefu l con dit ion ,

for w an t w hereof your M ajesty is en forced t o da l ly , though you w i l l neveryield

,and a t the presen t you offer tha t w h i ch is w orth fo r

besi des my Lord Capel , S ir W’ i l l iam Sav i le, and others of good esta te

,do

offer a lso theirs for securi ty . Yet n o w an t or occa sion can make yourM a iesty to press my Lord , w ho ha th a lready done so much , bu t i f he an d h is

fr iends cou ld procure your Maj esty w ould sudden ly i f it p lease G odto restore you ,

see i t repa id and w ou ld presen t ly , in token of thank fulness,

sen d my father the Garter t o be pu t on w hen h e p leased an d a lso hav in gthe grea t sea l in your Maj esty ’s ow n custody

, you w ould pass a Pa ten t ofMarqu iss

,of w hat t i t le my fa ther should desire and keep i t pri va te as long as

he though t fitt ing .

”

1As to mun i t ion s of w ar , Claren don says — IIAl l the strength the Ki ng had to depend upon w as h is horse

,w h i ch w ere

under the command of Pr in ce Rupert a t Lei cester, and w ere n ot a t t ha t t imein number above 80 0

,few bet ter armed than w i th sw ords.

”

Hud ib r as, Pa r t I .,Ca n to I I . , p . 535. t C lar endon , I I . , 1 .

I H ist. MSS . Com . ,r eth Rep. App. ix.

, p . 1 1 . I] I I . , 2 .

32 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

Th e Parl iamen tary army w as assembled at Northampton .

There were at least 1 60 0 horse , wel l armed an d appo in ted,an d

‘

50 0 0 foot , wel l t ra in ed and disc ipl in ed A l l advan tage,there

fore,l ay on thei r si de. C laren don says

“ I f the Parl iamen t had marched direct ly to Not t ingham H is Majesty ’s few ‘

forces must have been sca ttered , and himsel ffled or pu t himself in theirh andsfi

’

Such w as th e state of th ings in August , 1 642 . Charles h adtaken up th e sword

,and i t appeared l ikely h e w as abou t to

perish by th e sw ord . He seems to have h ad n o sett led p lan s,

an d n on e of those about h im were able to propose any. Bu t

h is oppon en ts were much in th e same posi t ion . Essex,th e

gen era l of th e Parl iamen t force,stayed in Lon don

,and

‘

each side seemed in capable of making any move . Charles”

n ecessit ies forced h im in to act ion . Recru i ts came in butslowly, but recru i ts h e must have i f h e w as to hold h is ow n .

From the n ews h e received from th e west and west mid lan ds, i tseemed that h is presen ce there might quicken h is recrui t in g

,

so Charles decided to move westward to some place on th e

Welsh border, but whether to Chester,Shrew sb ury

,o r

Worcester , n ei ther h e n or h is advisers could decide . Probablyth is w as t he wisest course h e could take u n der th e ci rcumstan ces

,as from a l l that w e kn ow th is w as h is best chan ce of

ra isin g an arm y. I n a let ter o f this da te i t states“ My Lord of Hert ford is a t Sherborne

,my Lord o f Bristo l ’s, w ith 60 0

horse and 1 0 0 0 foot,as I hear. Worcestersh ire

,Shropsh ire an d Herefordsh ire

a re for the King,and other s for the Parl iamen t .

Th e King ’s plan,therefo re

,w as to march west from :

Not t ingham to some place on th e Welsh border, using everyeffort to ra ise m en

,mon ey

,and mun i t ion s. Having g ot

together such a force as wou ld make i t possi ble for him t o

advan ce wi th safety,to push on at on ce to Lon don

,t ry i f h e

cou ld n ot get possession of th e place and put down th e

Parl iamen t . Essex ’s object w as to preven t th e King reach ingLon don . This h e w as to do a t a l l cost . To effect this h e w as

t o keep h is army to th e sou th of th e King ’s l in e of march,

in tercept any movemen t to t he south,an d

,i f n ecessary

,fight

any engagemen t or engag emen ts that might be requ ired to

preven t t h e King get t ing between him an d Lon don . Subjectto doing this, Essex w as to obstruct an d cut off t he King

’

s

commun icat ion s with Wa les and th e west , so as to preven t himreceiving th e suppl ies h e looked for

,an d especial ly to cu t h is

l ines of commun icat ion with South Wa les and th e coun tryun der th e Somerset in fluen ce .

Such being t he obj ects of the armies,i t rema in s to be stated

h ow they were carried ou t . Charles w as at Nott ingham wi thsome 2 0 0 0 m en ; abou t 2 0 miles to th e south , at Le i cester ,

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .33

Rupert w as stat ion ed wi th th e Roya l Horse,some 1 0 0 0 strong ;

whi le some 2 0 miles further south , at Northampton,w as th e

Parl iamen t army,some st rong, bu t as yet withou t

thei r gen eral,an d wi thou t orders. The fi rst part of th e

campa ign con sisted in each of th e three bodies moving to th e

west . Neither h ad as yet set t led th e po in t on which to move.

Charles w as un decided whether to go to Chester or Shrewsbury ; Essex w as wa i t ing to fo l low Charles.

On th e 9th September Essex set ou t from Lon don to takeover th e comman d o f t h e army . On th e 1 3th Charles madeh is move, march ing from Not t ingham to De rby . On th e 5th

Rupert left Leicester an d begun h is march to t he westward. Th e Royal ists h ad got th e star t ; for i t w as n ot

un t i l th e 1 9th September that Essex began h is march .

Roughly speaking , th e three forces were moving in para l lell in es

,th e King sl ight ly in advan ce

,and Essex in th e rear. I t

soon became apparen t that t h e King w as marching on Shrewsbury . N o at tempt w as m ade— possibly Essex could maken on e— to in tercept him

,each con t in ued h is paral lel march

un t i l even ts took place that set t led th e future movemen ts.

Mon ey w as as pressing a n eed to Charles as m en,and h ow i t

w as to be ra ised n on e of h is advisers kn ew . Someon e seems

to have h it on t h e idea that as th e King possessed a min t at

Aberystwyth —a min t con tro l led by a Worcestershire m an,

on e of the B ush el ls o f Cleeve Prior— a l l tha t w as wan ted w as

si lver to be co in ed a t i t to supply th e King ’s n eeds. Most of

th e gen t ry possessed plate,that cou ld be put in th e mel t in g

po t an d co in ed in to mon ey . I t w as sta ted t o them tha t th eKing ’s n ecessi t ies could be m et by a sacrifice of th e familyp late

,and the Royal ists will ingly made th e sacr ifice

,as

Hudibras saysDid sa in ts for th is bring in their p la te,And crow d as i f they came too lateF or w hen they thought the cause h ad need on ’

t,

Happy w as he that cou ld be ri d on ’

t .

Did they coin s Bow ls andflaggon sI n t

’

o fficers of horse and dragoon s,

And in to pikes and m u skqueteer s

S tamp beakers, cups, and porringers.A th imble

,bodk in

,and a spoon

Did start up l iv ing m en as soon

As in the furn ace they w ere throw n .

To such an exten t d id the deman d for plate extend,that a

few mon ths after,when th e Cour t w as established at Oxford

,

a regular form w as drawn up an d sen t to th e co l leges whichwere supposed to possess pla te. Th e form w as as fo l lows

Charles R .

Trusty and w el l beloved , w e greete you w el l . W e a r e soe w el l sat isfyed

Par t I Can to I I . , 561 .

34 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

w i th your r eadyness and a ffect ion to ou r service, that w e cannot doubt bu tyou w i l l take a l l occasion s to expresse the same. And as w e a re ready tosel l or engage any of ou r lan d

,so w e have melted dow n ou r p la te for the pay

men t of ou r army , r aysed for ou r defen ce and p reser vacon of the k ingdom .

An d,hav ing recei ved sever a l l quan t i t ies of p la te from diverse of ou r lov ing

subjec ts, w e have r emoved ou r min t hit her to ou r C i ty of Oxford for the

coyn ing thereof.And w e doe her eby desire that you w i l l len d un to u s a l l such p la te, of w hatk in de soever, w h i ch belongs to your co l ledge, promising to see the same j ust lyrepayed un to you ,

a fter the ra te of 55 . the oun ce for w h i te and 55 . 6d . for

gui l t p la te, as soon as G od sha l l enable u s. F or,assure yourselves, w e sha l l

never let person s of w hom w e have soe grea t a care to suffer for their affect ionto u s

,bu t sha l l take specia l l order for the repaymen t of w ha t you have a lrea dy

len t to u s a ccording to ou r promise, and a l l soe of th is you n ow len d in p late,know ing i t to be the goods of your col ledge

,tha t you ough t n ot to a l ien ,

though no m an w i l l doubt bu t tha t in such a case you m ay law ful ly assistyour K in g in such v isi ble necessi ty . An d w ee have en trusted ou r trusty andw el-beloved S ir W i l l iam Parkhurst , Kn t and Th omas Bushel l , Esq .

,

o fficers of ou r m in t , or either of them ,t o recei ve the sa i d p la te from you ,

and,upon w ei gh ing t hereof, sha l l give you a receip t un der their, or one of their,han ds for the same. And w e assure ourselves of your very grea t w i l lingness

“to gra t i fy u s herein ,

sin ce besi des the more publ i que con si dera t ion , you cannotbu t know e how much yourselves a re con cerned in ou r su fferings.

“ And w e sha l l ever remember th is part i cu lar service to your advan tageG iven a t ou r Court a t Oxford th is 6th day of January , 1 642

This let ter is cur ious, as giving th e va lue of the pla te at tha tt ime— 55. per oun ce for si lver , 55 6d. for si lver gi lt . A verylarge quan t ity w as sen t in ; Jesus Co l lege gave 86l bs. 1 1 0 2 5.

5dw ts. Th e i dea o f gett ing th e plate from t he co l legesappears to have been ,

i f n ot st arted, at least en couraged by n o

less a person than th e then V ice-Chan cel lor,Prideaux

,th e

Bishop of Worcester . He w as very act ive in pushing thisscheme H is act ivity came to th e n ot ice of Parl iamen t as

early as July, 1 642 , and they a t on ce made an order forb iddingt h e Un iversi ty to sen d to th e King at York

,or elsewhere, any

o f th e co l lege pla te, and ordered t ha t Prideaux an d al l otherscon cern ed in t h e scheme shou ld be at on ce arrested . F or a

whi le th e scheme dropped , as th e King h ad n o mean s of get t ingth e plate from Oxford to t h e loca l min t .I n th e begin n ing of August

,

“

1 642 , th e Earl of Worcestergave t h e King £50 0 0 to se t up a regimen t of dragoon s. Thisw as don e , an d th e comman d of t h e regimen t given to SirJohn Byron . Having a regimen t of dragoon s i t w as as wel l tou ti l ize them , and i t occurred to someon e tha t a l though the

Un iversi ty were unable to sen d thei r p late to th e King, yet

there w as n oth ing to preven t th e King sen din g to th e Un iversi tyt o fet ch i t . Such a service w as wel l suited for th e n ew

regimen t , so Byron w as ordered to march to Oxford,co l lect a l l

the plate h e could , en l ist as many recru i ts as possib le , and thenmarch with h is spo i l to join t he King . Byron set off for

Oxford .A t Brackley h e w as set u pon by the town smen an d

some Par l iamen t troops, but h e cu t h is w ay through , reached

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36 C I VIL W AR, 1 642 .

in al l about 30 0 0 m en, when n ews reached them that Byron

h ad left Oxford . H e h ad heard of th e proposed ren dezvous, .

an d promptly decided to set off to join th e King,b u t h e w as

in grea t difli cu l t ies. En cumbered wi th h is con voy h e co uld ‘

on ly move slowly. H is fo rce w as n o match in n umbers for theParliamen t forces. On h is flan k w as Essex wi th th e m a inbody o f th e Parl iamen t army rapidly advan cing, so that therew as grea t danger of h is be ing cu t off from th e King. On eth in g w as abun dan t ly clear un less h e w as strongly rein forced ’

h is fate w as sea led , h is con voy doomed . Byron accord inglysen t off word to th e King for h el n , and on the 1 0 th Septemberstarted with h is con voy fo r Shrewsbury . He marched to

Burford on h is w ay to Worcester , but m et with con t in ua l .delays an d difficul t ies as to tran sport and other matters so t hath is progress w as exceedingly slow . F or th e fac t that Byron :w as escort ing a rich con voy w as wel l kn own . and i t w as th e

reso lve of the Parl iamen tarian s that n ei ther th e mon ey n or the

treasure should ever reach th e King’

s han ds,th e con voy in some

w ay or an other must be in tercep ted and captured . A long h isl in e of march Byron foun d a l l kin ds of imped imen ts, obviouslymade to give Lord Say t ime to come up . Th e peop lewould n ot hel p h im ,

but did thei r best to delay h im .

S t i l l h e pushed on . He w as n ot able to get much over 10miles a day ou t of h is beasts th e road seemed in termin able.

Kn owing how diffi cult h is si tuat ion h ad become,and h ow

much more di fficu l t i t w as da i ly becoming,Byron persevered

with an obst in ate doggedn ess that does him in fin i te credi t . He

despatched an other messen ger to th e King,stat ing h is pligh t ,

an d begging for help . Meanwhi le Essex w as advan cing,and if

Essex or any con siderable n umber of Essex’s m en got betweenByron and Worcester a l l w as lost . When Charles learn t of

Byron ’

s cri t ica l con di t ion h e reso lved to rel ieve him . H ishorse were th e on ly body that could do i t

,and to in terpose

h is horse, leaving h is flank open to th e en emy,with a

large and wel l-equ ipped force close at han d ready and wil l in gto in tercept t hem , w as a most risky proceeding

,that might

wel l lead to disaster , an d disaster mean t ru in . Charles,h ow

ever,decided that at al l r isks, at any sacrifice

,Byron must

b e saved . He sen t for Rupert an d o rdered h 1m to go to

Byron ’s rel ief, an d bring him an d h is t reasu re safely to :

Shrewsbury . Rupert acted at on ce. He rejo in ed h is.

regimen t ; marching a l l n igh t through Wolverhampton,

reached B ridgnorth on September 2 0 th . Here h e ha l ted t il lJ

th e 2 2nd. On that day h e marched to Bewdley,and w as

n ow on ly 1 6 mi les from Worcester,in fact

,w i thin striking

distan ce.

Essex di d n ot real ise th e rich priz e h e w as al lowing to sli p.

th rough h is fingers in a l lowing Byron to get n earer and n earer

C I V I L W AR, 1 642 . 37

t o Worcester . A t last,on th e 1 6th September— h aving taken

six days to march 62 miles— Byron reached Worcester .Meet ing wi th n o resistan ce, h e at on ce marched in an d tookpossession of th e town . Worcester n ow a lways boasts of h er

loyal ty . At that day sh e w as far from being a Roya l ist c ity,

and th e welcome sh e gave to Byron w as by n o mean s a cordia lon e. Th e c it izen s were then much exercised by th e factthat a t th e Summer Assi zes that year W i lde an d Sa lway

,th e

tw o Members for th e Coun ty— both st rong Parl iamen tar ian sh ad

,

appeared n omin al ly to assist in keep ing th e peace ;rea l ly to pu t a l l th e pressure they could on th e Coun ty m en

and on th e c i t i zen s to make them declare for th e Parl iamen t .

W i lde,l ike a l l other freeho lders

,h ad Been assessed by th e

Commission ers of Array fo r h is con tribution towards providinghorses an d arms. N ot on ly h ad W i lde refused to pay,

bu t h adbrought th e mat ter before Parl iamen t

,an d h ad preva i led on

t h e House of Common s to make orders expel l ing three of th e

Commission ers w h o w ere M embers of Parl iamen t— Sir Hen ryHerbert

,Sir John P ak in g ton ,

and S amuel San dys— an d sen din gfor an other

,Sherring ton Ta lbot

,of Sa lwarpe, w h o w as brought

up in. custody to Lon don,examin ed

,and deta ined for some

t ime in cust ody before h e w as released .

Byron ’

s diffi cu lt ies were n o t merely th e wan t of sympathyfrom th e tow n speople with th e King

,bu t th e much more for

m idab le on e that h is force w as n ot suffi cien t to properlydefen d th e place

,while from the con di t ion of t h e defen ces i t

w as quest ion able i f t h e place w as defen sib le. Th e wal ls wered i lap idated

,an d in places ru in ous. Th e gates were ol d and

r ot ten ,so much so tha t they w ould hardly shut, and i f they

were ac tual ly closed there w as n ei ther lock o r bol t to securethem . If th e place h ad been vigorously at tacked Byron couldn ot have held i t . I t speaks much for h is mili tary capacityt hat h e did h is best to get th e in defen sib le c i ty in to a

defen sib le state.

Byron sen t word to Rupert as to h is condit ion,t hat h e

could n ot march ou t of Worcester un less help came that h ecould n ot holdWo rcester i f n ot strongly rein forced

,should h e

b e a ttacked ; that h e h ad every reason for supposing h e w as

about to be at tacked at on ce. Byron w as n ot wrong in h is( expecta t ion Essex w as at last roused to action

,and Essex

w as on ly 2 5 miles aw ay at t he head of m en .

Essex h ad reached Stratford-on -Avon on th e 2 r st September.Here h e rece ived th e n ews that Byron wi th h is con voy h adreached Worcester . On hearing this th e exc itemen t amongEssex’s m en became in tense. Cries of “ To Worcester "”

To Worcester l ” were heard on a l l sides. So eager weresome of t h e sold iers that on e regimen t of in fan try

,when on

t he march,broke in to a r un and k ept up that pace

,i t is said

,

38 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

for tw o Whatever might be th e en thusiasm of th e

t roops at their first p rospect of plun der,th e 24 miles from

Strat ford-on -Avon to Worcester w as too grea t a distan ce to

be marched that day. By a forced m arch Essex man agedto do 1 9 miles to Pershore on th e 2 3rd . Th e wildest rumourswere float in g abou t : “ That a bat t le w as raging in fron tof Worcester

,

” “ That Rupert h ad occupied W orcester inforce.

” Noth ing w as too extravagan t to be repeated and.

beh eved.

On e of th e offi cers w h o w as most eager to press on to

Worcester w as th e . comman der of Essex’s cava lry,Colon el '

Nathan iel Fien n es (son of th at Lord Say, th e Lord L ieuten an tof Oxfordsh i re

,w h o h ad t ried an d tried in va in to in tercept .

Byron ) . The son w as a l l anxiety to show that h e,i f h e h ad

on ly th e chan ce , cou l d succeed where h is father fai led .

F ienn es w as at A lcester with the advan ce guard of Essex ’scava l ry

,on ly 1 7 m i les from Worcester

,and by h is im portun i ty

h e wrun g from Essex,aga inst h is better j udgmen t, leave to '

make a dash on Worcester, so as to cu t off and capture Byronand h is convoy , preven t h is ret reat ing towards Shrewsbury

,and deta in him at Worcester u n t i l th e n ext or fo l lowing

day,when Essex and h is army wou ld arrive. The scheme w as .

~

wel l p lan n ed,and h ad it been directed aga in st a gen era l such

as Essex,would wi thout doubt have been successful

,but they

h ad to dea l wi th a m an w ho r ecogn ised th e importan ce and

the value of th e rap id movemen t of t r0 0 ps,especia l ly of

cavalry .

Having obta ined leave to make h is attempt on th e

even ing of th e 2 1 st , Fien n es set off to march th e th e 1 7 miles .

from A lcester to Worcester. Amon g th e force un der h im wereh is ow n troop , th e 36th ; that o f h is brother , Colon el JohnFienn es

,th e 6oth t hat of Co lon el John San dys (a Ken t ish

w h o must n ot be con foun ded with th e Worcestershire familyo f th e same n ame, w h o were as strong Roya l ists as th e

Ken t ish were Parl iamen tarian s) , and th e s5th , comman ded byEdward W ingate, a M em ber of th e House of Common s.

There is some dispu te as to th e tota l n umber of th e

Parliamen tary force. Ludlow,w ho w as then serving in

Essex’s L i fe Guards, says i t w as abou t 1 0 0 0 1L

(Claren don ,w h o

w as n ot presen t , puts i t down at 50 0 ) . I Whatever th e .

n umber , th e m en w ere wel l moun ted,wel l armed , an d eager

for act ion . What w as more importan t,they h ad h ad a certa in

amoun t of mili tary tra in in g. At tached to th e force, as expertadvisers

,were S ir W i l l iam Ba lfour , w h o acted as L ieuten an t

Genera l to th e Duke of Bedford , an d Colon el Br own ,a Scotch .

offi cer w h o h ad seen servi ce.

Archazolog ia , xxxv. , 32 7. f Memoirs, p. 1 7. I I I . , 1 9.

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 39

March ing a l l n igh t through Inkberrow,Upton Sn odsbury

,

an d Spetch ley,abou t daybreak in th e dawn of a dul l Sep tember

morn ing they foun d themselves before Worcester,facing th e

South,o r Sidbury

,Gate. I t w as to al l appearan ces closed

,

but there being n o fasten ings to i t there w as nothing to havepreven ted Fien n es’ m en pushing i t open an d surprising t he

town . Byron ’

s m en n ever expected any enemy at a l l,least of

a l l on that side,and kept slack guard . Fien n es’ m en advan ced

to th e gate ; no opposit ion w as offered,i t does n ot seem that

th e advan ce w as n o t iced . Brow n,w h o wen t with th e advan ce

,

on'

r each ing th e gate struck at i t wi th an axe. I t w as so rot tenthat 11 15 blow made a hole in it .

. Through th e hole a musketw as in serted and fired . Th e repor t roused th e sen t ry

,w h o

hasten ed to th e gate. Fien n es ca l led on him to surren der ; h erefused

,and ordered t h e guard to “ turn ou t .

” Had Fien n es evenn ow pushed on th e place w as lost . How ever

,h e h esi tated , an d h is

chan ce w as gon e. Th e guard turn ed ou t , t h e garrison werea larmed ; not on ly th e garrison bu t Fien n es

’m en as w el l ; they

ret i red from the gate in al l haste. On reaching th e ma in bodyt hey a lso ret reated at on ce. Byron ’

s m en prompt ly r ode ou t

to th e at tack . bu t by th e t ime h is l eading fi les h ad got clear of

Sidbury Gate Fien n es and h is m en h ad d isappeared .

Byron w as too good a so ldier t o a l low h is m en t o be scat teredlooking for the en emy

,so

,keep ing h is force in han d

,after a

short search h e ret ired in to th e c i ty,being able to say, as h e

did say afterw ards, tha t th e Parl iamen t t r0 0 ps h ad t r ied to

surprise th e gate an d h ad been repulsed .

Fien n es h ad fa i led in t he first part of h is task, to take

Worcester , and h ad fa i led who l ly by h is wan t of en terprise an d dash . He w as by n o mean s discon certed. He h ad

st i l l th e secon d part of h is duty to carry ou t , to c u t

off Byron ’s retreat towards Shrewsbury

,and by st at ion in g

h is m en so as to in tercept any such movemen t,place

Byron in a posit ion “ that h e must on Essex ’

s advan ceon th e n ext day,

o r th e day fol low in g , find h is on ly escapewould be surren der. Essex wou ld advan ce up th e east side of

th e Severn ; to reach Shrewsbury Byron wou ld cross t h e r iveran d go up th e west ban k . F i en n es’ du ty w as

,therefore ,

obvious : To cross th e r iver,rema in on th e west bank un t i l

th e head of Essex’s co l umn should appear on th e east,an d

then place h imself on th e Shrewsbury road in th e l in e of

Byron ’

s retreat,meanwhi le keeping watch on th e Shrewsbury

road to in tercept any movemen t of Byron before Essexappeared. Th e plan w as careful ly though t ou t

,and w as

probably th e best on e that cou ld have been design ed un derth e exist ing c ircumstan ces. By i t Byron w as placed in a t r ap ,

an d Fienn es h ad on ly to wa i t for th e arrival of Essex to compelByron to su rren der .

40 CIVIL WAR, 1 642 .

To carry ou t h is plan Fien n es gave orders to h is m en to

march south down th e Severn so as to cross to t he west ban k.

Except that a part of h is force crossed at Upton,over th e

bridge,i t is n ot clear where t he rest passed t h e Severn . There

were fords at P ixh am,Clevel oad, an d th e Rhydd between

Worcester and Upton,an d i t is very l ikely that some of

F ien n es’ m en crossed at these fords. But wherever theycrossed

,th e who le of Fien n es’ force passed th e Severn by th e

afternoon an d marched u p th e west ban k to Powick,a vil lage

three miles from Worcester . Here Fien n es ha l ted . Whoeverselected th e spot

,Fien nes or h is expert advisers

,shewed con

sider ab le tact ical kn owledge , for th e post w as a st rong on e,

comman ding good view s of Worcester and th e Severn Va l ley,

and on e from which as soon as Essex’s arriva l w as seen therewould be n o di ffi cu lty in in tercep t ing Byron on th e road to

Shrewsbury. Th e even ing of th e 2 2 n d passed off quietly,

Fien nes and h is m en were n ot disturbed . I n some w ay, h ow

does n ot appear, t he fact that Fien n es h ad occup ied Powick

w as wel l kn ow n in Worcester, for on th e 2 3r d th e Worcesterpeople walked ou t in some n umbers to Powick

,i f n ot t o show

sympathy wi th Fien n es,a t least t o see th e soldiers an d what w as

going on . Among those w h o w en t w as Richard Baxter,w h o

t el ls u s h e walked ou t to Pow ick to see th e so ldiers ou t of

curiosi ty . H is curiosi ty migh t have cost h im dear . Whi le h ew as at Powick

,possib ly “ improving th e occasion

,someon e

,

w h o i t w as does n ot c learly appear,bu t i t w as afterw ards sa i d

to have been a c i ti zen,w h o w as pa i d to t reacherously betray

F ien n es to h is ru in,came in a l l haste from Worcester with th e

n ews th a t Byron ’

s m en were moun t ing and prepar ing to set

o ff. St range as i t m ay seem th e n ews w as t rue,Byron w as on

t h e move. Fienn es and h is m en at on ce j umped to th e con

elusion,th e very n atura l con clusion, that hearing of th e

advan ce o f Essex, Byron w as making a desperate dash to g et

h is con voy off towards Shrewsbury. This is what h e

an t ic ipated wou ld be don e ; th is h e w as there to preven t. As

th e fact became kn own among Fienn es’ m en th e exci temen tgrew to b e in tense. They were most eager to set off at on ce and

get in fron t o f Byron on th e Shrewsbury road. Fien n es w as,

however,n ot left withou t wise cou nsels. I t w as suggested

that th e n ew s w as false,an d on ly in ven ted to get h im to

leave h is advan tageous posi t ion -a t Powick,possib ly to draw

him in to an ambush,or to lead him off so as to leave th e w ay

clear for Byron to escape. N o on e ever seems to havesuspec ted t h e real reason of Byron ’

s sudden movemen t.F ien n es would n ot l isten to th e advice that h e should rema inat Powick un t i l Essex came. He urged that h e h ad been sen t

to in tercept Byron,t hat h is force w as superior to Byron

’

s in

d iscip l ine,in n umbers

,in arms

,and in equ ipmen t, that i f on ce

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 41

Byron w as a l low ed to escape h e would n ever be caugh t aga in .

Brown,Fien n es’ expert adviser

,st rongly u rged an immediate

advan ce shou ld be made . I n th is view Fien n es cordial lycon cu rred , an d ordered i t to be carried ou t . This decisionw as

,doubtless

,t h e right on e w i th th e kn owledge that Fien n es

then h ad of th e Royal ist fo rce in h is fron t . He bel ieved h eh ad on ly Byron to dea l wi th , and i f that w as so

,as Byron w as

n ot rein forced (an d F ien n es h ad n o reason to bel ieve h e w as) ,i f h e left Worcester h is fate w as set t led .

Fien n es ordered h is m en to mou n t and fa l l in on a largemeadow j ust below th e vi llage

,kn own st i l l as Pow i ck Ham .

Across this meadow run s th e road from Powick to Worcester,t h e road that Fien n es would have to take to in tercept Byron .

On fal l ing 1 n Fien nes a l lowed h is t 1 ooper s to in dulge i n si nginga psa lm . This en ded

,th ey were ordered to march down th e

road towardsWorcester.About three quarters of a mile from Powick th e road crosses

th e River Teme by an o ld n arrow brick bridge,so n arrow (i t is

on ly eigh t feet wide) that n ot more than tw o m en cou ld rideover i t abreast . Fien n es’ leading fi les crossed th e bridge

,and

fol low ing th e road,which w as l i tt le better than a lan e

,with

high hedges on each side,con ceal ing anyon e go ing up th e

road from sight,passed a publ ic-house

,cal led Th e

Chequers ”

(which h as long sin ce d isappeared) , on upt h e lane to th e po i n t where i t en tered on a large openfield, cal led VVickefield . From here

,which is comparat ively

high groun d,on on e si de

,Worcester is visib le th e other over

looks th e bridge and th e lan e leading to Powick . This lan ew hi ch ,

even to ou r ow n day, w as ca l led Cu t Throat Lan e,”

but wh ich,regardless of th e past an d i ts associat ion s

,modern

affectat ion or van i ty has r e-n amed Swin ton Lan e,

”after

crossing th e field,passed on to t h e left , leading in to th e ma in

road fromWorcester to Bran sford at a poin t about a m i le and a

quarter from Worcester. Near th e po in t where th e lan e from"

the bridge open ed ou t in to th e field there then stood a largethorn tree.

Probably Fien nes’ m en from the i r eagern ess to push on,an d

from the n arrown ess of th e bridge over w hich they were

passing , got somewha t ou t of format ion,an d while passing up

t h e lan e did n ot rega in i t . They were go ing somewha t carel essly

,n ever expect ing to see anyon e but Byron and h is m en

trying to escape. They h ad n ot as yet got n early far enoughon thei r w ay to hope to see them ; a l l they expected to dow as to r e form when they ga in ed th e open field from th e lan e.

Some of them reached t his poi n t. Those w h o d id so saw a

sight that w as to them a somewhat start l ing surprise.

As h as a l ready been sa i d,Ruper t reached Bewdley from

Bridgnorth on Thursday,2 2 nd September. H e then kn ew ,

i f

42 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

h e did not kn ow before,that if Byron w as to be saved instan t

act ion w as n ecessary. He w as 1 6 miles from WorcesterEssex wi th h is whole army w as at abou t th e same distan ce.

Ruper t set off from Bewdley very early on th e 2 3rd.

Marching through Astley,Shraw ley

,Hol t

,an d Ha l low h e

reached St . John ’s,th e western suburb of Worcester , abou t

'

mid-day. Here h e ha l ted, probably hearing tha t some of th e

Parl iamen t t roops were a t Powick . On t his h e d iv ided h is.

force , sen ding a detachmen t i n to Worcester to h elp Byron to

get a l l ready for a start . It is probable that th e prepara t iont ha t Byron m ade for th is w as th e origin of th e n ew s thatw as brought to Powick an d led Fien n es to march to in tercep thim . Rupert, w ith th e ma in body of h is m en

,marched up

th e Bran sford Road,turn ed down “ Cu t Throa t Lan e ,

” in toW ickefield . Whether i t w as that h e held th e Parl iamen tt r0 0 ps in supreme con tempt

, or whether i t w as carelessness or'

forget fu ln ess i t is impossib le to say, but on arr iving in th e fielda hal t w as o rdered . After thei r long march th e m en werea l lowed to dismoun t

,n o reconn aissan ce w as made

,n o sen try

posted. The day w as hot,th e m en were t i red ; in a few

min utes after th e order w as given to dismoun t o ffi cers and

m en were rest ing on th e groun d . Had i t been a t ime of pr o”

foun d peace there cou ld n o t have been greater slackn ess n or a

greater disregard to a l l ord in ary m i litary ru les.I t is n ot easy to say wha t w as th e actua l strength of th e

force un der Rupert in W ickefiel d. As h e h ad sen t a detachmen t to Worcester h e h ad n ot the ful l strength w i th wh ich h emarched from Bewdley . Whatever i ts actua l n umber

,most

wr iters agree i t w as an in fer ior force to that l ed by Fien n es,both in n umber

,equ ipmen t , an d discip l in e. But i t h ad on e

priceless advan tage w hich more than compen sated for al l t hese .

It w as th e crack force of th e King ’s army , composed n ot on lyof gen t lemen accustomed to th e u se of th e sword

,but a lso of

some of th e bravest m en in th e Roya l ist ran ks. Rupert andh is brother M aurice were presen t ,W i lmot , th e CommissaryGen era l of the Royal ist army, Lord Digby , whose courage w as

as perfect as h is con duct w as imperfect,Sir Lewis Dives, an d

others whose n ames w ere soon to be histori c as Roya l istleaders. Sitt ing qu iet ly un der th e thorn t ree

,surroun ded by

h is offi cers,th e last thin g Rupert thought abou t w as th e

n ear presen ce of th e en emy . Somethin g at tracted h is at tent ion

,causing him to look up towards th e end of th e lan e

,and

there h e saw emerging from it th e leading fi les of Fien n es"

cavalry. Rupert w as fa i rly caught,an d caught as th e resul t of

h is ow n car elessless an d n eglect .

Probably Fien n es w as equa l ly surprised with Rupert . Had

h e possessed anymil itary kn owledge or spiri t h e wou ld at on ce :

have ordered h is m en to charge. If h e h ad don e so Rupert

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

44 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

br idge.

” Possib ly th e fact of thei r long march in th e morn ing,

and th e kn owledge that to bring Byron in to safety there mustbe an other long march in the even ing , for on ce made Rupertpruden t ; or possi b ly h e did n ot kn ow but that h e mightblun der un awares on th e whole army of Essex . Whateveri t w as Ruper t recal led h is m en . He h ad, however , done h iswork so effectual ly that n o pursu it w as n eeded . Fien n es’

t roopers h ad th e fear of Rupert before thei r eyes. A long th e

seven miles of road from Powick to Upton ,over Upton Bridge,

a long th e eight miles across Defford Common to Pershore,these m en wen t as fast as they cou ld get thei r horses to go , too

much a larmed to tu rn aside or ha l t . They reached Pershorej ust as th e advan ced guard of Essex’s army w as march ing in toi t . Seeing these frightened t roopers ga l loping wi ldly in tothei r m idst

,Essex

’

s m en a lso turn ed and w en t back as qu icklyas possi ble

,thus causing a larm an d t error even to th e ma in

body o f th e Lord Genera l ’s army . Ludlow,w h o w as presen t ,

serving in Essex ’s body guard , th e crack corps of h is army ,descr ibes th e effect of th e appearan ce o f Fien n es’ t rooperson t he best of th e Parl iamen t t roops

“The body of ou r routed party returned in great disorder to Pershore, at

w h i ch p la ce ou r L i fe Guard w as appoin ted to-quarter that n igh t . When w e

w ere march ing in to Pershore w e discovered horsemen ri d ing very ha r d“tow ards u s

,w i th draw n sw ords

,and many of them w i thou t hats, from w hom

w e un derstood the part i cu lars of ou r loss, n ot w i thout improvemen t by reasonof the fear w i th w h i ch they w ere possessed , tel l ing u s tha t the enemy w as

hard by in pursui t of them , w hereas i t a fterw ards appeared they came not

w ith in four mi les of that p lace. Our L i fe Guard , being for the most part“strangers to th ings of th is n a ture

,w ere much a larmed w i th the report . Yet

some of u s,unw i l l ing to give credi t to i t un t i l w e w ere bet ter in formed,

offered ourselves to go ou t upon a further discovery of the ma t ter. Bu t ou r

Capta in ( S ir Ph i l ip S tap leton ) n ot being then w i th u s,h is L ieutenan t , on e

Ba inham, an ol d so ld ier ( a generat ion of m en much cried up a t that t ime) ,

draw ing u s in to a fiel d , w here h e preten ded w e might more advan tageouslycharge i f there shoul d be occasion ,

comman ded u s to w heel about ; but ou r

gen t lemen,n ot understan ding the di fferen ce betw een w heel ing about and

sh i ft ing for themselves,their backs being n ow tow ards the enemy , w hom they

“though t to be c lose in the rear, r et ired to the army in a very dishonourableman ner

,and the n ext morn ing ra l l ied a t the head-quarters, w hen w e received

bu t cold w el come from the genera l , as w e w el lHal t ing h is troops a t Pow ick , Ruper t co l lected h is m en

,

t ook up h is wounded , marched back to Worcester . H is

detachmen t that h ad gon e in toWorcester earl ier in th e day h adm ade a l l the preparat ion s for th e con voy to move . A ha l t ofa few hours w as a l l that Rupert a l low ed

,th e private

so ldiers w h o were taken prison ers w ere released on theirpromise n ot to serve aga in again st th e King , th e woun dedwere left inWorcester

,and in t he even in g Rupert w as ready

to set off for Shrewsbury wi th th e con voy . They leftWorcester that even ing

,march ing back a long th e road t hey

M em o ir s, p . 1 8.

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 45

h ad come in th e morn ing , through Ha llow an d Hol t . Theyturn ed off by th e Hundred House

,over Abberley Hil l to

Ten bury , halt ing in t h e morn ing a t Burford,having march ed

some 2 0 miles. They rested 0 11 the Saturday,th e 24th , after

the i r exert ion s on th e previous day. On Sun day,2 5th ,

theyh ad a short march to Ludlow ,

an d on Mon day,t h e 2 6th , at

last,after a l l it s dangers an d peri ls

,Byron brought h is con voy

safe to i ts dest in at ion ,Shrewsbury.

Such w as th e Bat t le of Powick Bridge,or W ickefield

, th e

fi rst rea l figh t of th e w ar . I t shew ed tw o things. Fi rst,

that much of t h e fight ing would be don e,as a l l of i t w as don e

here,wi th co ld steel . I t proved completely

Wha t peri ls do env ironThe m en that medd le w i th co l d iron .

Th e fight cou ld n ot have lasted more than a few min u tes— a

quarter of an hour at th e ou tside— but a t th e most moderateest imate some 50 of Fienn es’ m en were put lzor s n

’a comba t

,

kil led , woun ded , or drown ed. Amon g them were Co lon elSan dys

,h is Quarter-M aster Doug las, an d Capta in W ingate .

Th e Roya l ists h ad n o o ffi cers ki lled , b u t , excep t Ru p er t , everyon e of those w h o rode in to t h e Parliamen t ran ksw aswoun ded .

Maurice h ad t w o cu ts 0 11 t h e head,W i lmot a cu t on the arm .

A n umber o f the Roya l ist rank an d fi le were wounded,some

as much from t he kicks of th e horses in t he st ruggle as fromt he so ldiers’ sw ords. On e o f t he fu ture h istorian s of th e w ar

,

w h o w as serving un der Rupert , gives h is experien ce,which

w as probably that of others. Bu lst r ode’s horse

,frigh ten ed at

th e novel si tuat ion , bol ted , carrying i ts rider in to th e midst o fth e struggl ing crow d . He fel t h e w as lost

,bu t say s that they

were al l so occup ied in t rying to escape that they took n o

n ot ice of h im,so h e rode safely through th e Par l iamen t

force,coming ou t un hurt

,spared to write h is “ M emoirs and

Reflections.

”

Claren don says”“ thatWinga te and tw o or three Scotch officers w ere taken prisoners, w ith six or

seven cornets, many good horses, some arms, as those w ho r an aw ay made“themselves as l igh t as they could . ”

The secon d result of th e fight w as to lead to th e bel ief tha tCava lry

,i f wel l l ed

,were i rresist ible

,

”a bel ief that survived

for tw o cen t uries,and to some exten t st i l l exists. At best

,

Powick w as on ly a cavalry skirmish . Had i t taken place in1 643 or 1 644 it would have been un hon oured and un sung .

"

I ts importan ce w as not th e n umber of ki lled or woun ded, th e

mili tary trophies t aken ,o r even t he rescue of Byron ’

s con voy.

I t w as the lesson i t taught th e Parl iamen tary leaders. This iswel l pu t by C laren don .

*

I I . , 2 0 .

46 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

Th is ren con ter proved of grea t advan tage and benefit to the K ing,for i t

being the first a ct ion h is horse h ad been brough t to,and tha t party of the

en emy being the most p i cked a nd cho i ce m en , i t gave h is troops grea tcourage, an d ren dered the n ame of Pr in ce Rupert very terrible

,and

exceedingly appa l led the adversary, in somuch as they h ad n ot in a long t imea fter any con fiden ce in their horse

,and their very n umbers w ere much

lessened by i t . F or tha t w ho le party being routed , and the chief offi cers of

reputat ion either k i l led or taken ( though the n umber lost upon the p la ce w as

not con siderable) , there w ere very many m en w ho n ever return ed to the

service, and,w h i ch w as w orse, for their ow n excuse, in a l l p la ces ta lked

a loud of the in credible and irresist ible courage of Prin ce Rupert and the

K ing ’s Horse.

”

B u t i t is qu i te open to question i f th e resu lt w as n ot equa l ly,

in an other w ay, as disastrous to th e Roya l ists, for i t en couragedan d supported th e idea that on e charge of cava lry wel l pressedhome w as a l l th at w as required to w in a victory

,an i dea which

spel t disaster at Edgehi l l , Marston M oor , an d Naseby.

Bu t whatever w ere th e resu l ts of Powick , n othing should besa id to detract from w hat w as on e of Rupert

'

s most bri ll ian tfeats of arms. W i th a force in ferior in n umbers an d discipl in e

,

a t best a cava l ry brigade, to march 2 0 miles,at tack an d defea t

a caval ry force of greater stren gth,supported by th e ma in

army some strong,and bring off in safety a va luable

con voy,w as an achievemen t that any sold ier might have

regarded wi th pride. Baxter probably on ly expressed the i deao f very m any others when h e said

“ Th is si gh t qu ick ly tol d m e of the van ity of armies,an d how l i tt le confi

den ce is to be p laced in them .

”

From Burford on Saturday,th e 24th ,

Rupert sen t to th e

King h is despat ch of th e figh t .

i t S ir,

“ The bearer hereof w i l l w i th a l l c ircumstan ce tel l your Maj esty of our

proceedings a t l Vor cester . I sha l l on ly say th is tha t upon your Majesty’

s

comman ds to succour the t ow n w e w en t th i ther w i th ou r forces,an d foun d the

rebels on both si des of i t . N o ammun i t ion,n or a nything fi t t ing to ma in ta in

so great a force as the Lord Essex w ou ld have brough t tha t n i gh t,bu t a l l

th ings in so grea t a disorder tha t certa in ly w e had a l l been lost h ad w e n ot,

by a grea t cha n ce, m et w i th ten troops of their horse and five of theird r agooner s, w h i ch w e did en t irely rout and k i l led most of their ch iefest officers.

The man n er and the n ames I leave to the bearer to tel l you .

Your M ajesty w i l l be p leased to a ccept th is a s a begi n n ing of your offi cersand my duty , a nd I doubt n ot as ( certa in ly ) they behaved themselves a l l

bravely and ga l lan t ly , that herea fter your Majesty sha l l find the samebehav iour aga in st a more con si derable n umber. O f th is your Maj esty m aybe very confiden t , as a lso of the endeavour of,

Sir,

Your M ajesty ’s most obedien tFrom Bobfor t , Nephew and humble servan t ,

“ Sept . 24th ,S tories of th e fight a r e very n umerous. Most of them di ff er

i n th e deta i ls,b u t in al l th e ma in facts a r e as above stated .

On e of th e let ters m ay be quoted

Rush w o r th,V .

, p . 2 4.

C I V I L W AR, 1 642 .47

The variety of reports of the fight a t Worcester is so confiden t ly a ffirmed,

on both si des, of the grea t and sma l l loss on the Parl iamen t side, tha t beingn ot an eye

-w i tness I can not bo ld ly report of ei ther. Some of the troops tha tdid r u n or come aw ay from the fight report 30 0 or 400 w ere k i l led , an d manyw oun ded a nd made un servi ceable. The l ike w ere of their horses. Bu t the

report of th is tow n is st i l l bu t 38 sla in , and of n ote on ly Capta in Douglassla in . Mr. San dys is recovering , and past danger. I hear not of any m en of

n ote of the King ’s si de sla in . S ir John S trangew ays’ son w as taken prison er,w ho is excha nged for Capta in W inga te. Prin ce Rupert and Prin ce M auricew ere both hurt , an d so w ere Mr. W i lmot and S ir Lew is Dives.

“ Yestern igh t , I do now ( as I am w ri t ing) hear, came a letter to my LordW i lmot from h is son ,

and he tha t did read i t di d tel l m e to th is purpose.

W e m et a t Worcester w i th the Parl iamen t force of equa l strength , 1 0 troopsof horse and 50 0 dragoon s a p iece. I n a short t ime w e overthrew 40 0 of t he

flow er of their horse, and did take betw een 60 an d 80 prison ers, w h i ch w e set

aga in a t l i berty w i th their promise n ot to take a rms aga in st the King . Iw as hurt in the back , S ir Lew is Dives in the shoulder, and Prin ce Maurice

“tw o cuts in the head , but none dan gerous to a ny of

Th e Parl iamen t were great ly angered an d disappo in ted at

thei r defeat . This is shewn most clearly in t he steps they tookto hide i t . Rupert ’s r et reat on t he same n ight wi th Byron ’

s

con voy w as c i ted as eviden ce o f h is defeat,and thei r wri ters

t ried to keep up the spiri ts of th e party by cla iming a

v i ctory for thei r forces. N or did t hey rest here,Parl iamen t

i ssuedAn ordin an ce direct ing thanks to be given to A lmigh ty G od in a l l churchesand chapels throughout the lan d for the grea t success of the army a t

Worcester.Lord Falklan d

,in a pamphlet

,gave an accoun t of th e fight

in terms far from flat tering to th e Parl iamen tary tr0 0 ps. Thisaction o f th e Secret ary of State Parl iamen t strongly resen ted ,

an d ordered th e pamphlet t o be burn t by th e common hangm an . N or were th e Parliamen tarian s slow to pu t ou t thei row n accoun ts. O ne of these given by V i cars

,that V i cars w h o

is immorta l ised in Hudi bras as being in sp ired wi th ale or

v i ler w as professed to be w r it ten an d “ fa i thful lyr eci ted to

let the w orl d see w ha t despera te l ia r s a nd fa i th less and shameless crackersth e Cava l iers a re to boast of these th ings and a c ts of the irs

,w hereof they have

fa r j uster cause to be ashamed and blush to speak of hav ing bled so much forthe same, espec ia l ly a t the issue hereof, a lso . w h i ch is w i thout a l l quest ion a

con trad i ct ion , they hav ing been forced toflie an d forsake both the fiel d and

the C i ty of Worcester, a lso, w h i ch they had in their possession bu t durst n ot

abide in i t ; the most n oble and ren oun ed Lord Genera l being com e t i therw i th h is forces an d taken the sa i d c i ty w i thou t the least resistan ce or

opposit ion .

”

Th e accuracy of V ica rs’ accoun t will be seen by tw o extracts.He a l leges that th e Parliamen tarian s were outn umbered by th eRoya l ists and compel led to retrea t to th e bridge

,an d con

t in n esw h i ch ( the bridge) , no tw i thstan ding a l l th is grea t strength w hereby w e w ereso over-ma tched w i th n umbers, w e, in despight o f a l l th is pow er, made good

X I I . Rep .,App . 2

, p . 32 2 . f Hud ibr as, Pa r t I ., Can to I .

,l in e 645.

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

most reso l utely , and forced them to a hasty retrea t,yea , even to fly back three

t imes, and k i l led at least ten of the Cava l iers dead on the p la ce, besi des manyin the fields

,w hom they

,as their ordi nary tri ck is, conveyed aw ay sudden ly .

Th e other g ives th e accoun t of Ruper t ’s leaving W or

cester

Many of their so ldiers and Cava l iers, beingfled in to Worcester before the

end of the sk irmish , w ere seen in the streets most w oeful ly cu t and mangled,

some hav ing their ears cu t off , some the flesh of their heads sliced off, some

w ith their very sku l ls hangin g dow n ,an d they ready to fa l l dow n dead

, theirp istols and carbines being hew ed and backed aw ay in slices, w h ich i t seemsf‘they held up for guard of their heads. And abou t ten of the c lock tha t n i gh ta l l Prin ce Rupert

’

s forces as w as touch t beforefled aw ay, together w i th many

ma l ignan ts of the c i ty , both m en , w omen , and ch i ldren , to Lud low ,leav ing

behin d them great stores of arms, even a l l ( as’

tw as veri ly bel ieved) w h i chthey sto le from Kidderm in ster and Bew d ley, and more, too, yet they had disarmed Worcester before theF ien nes himsel f wrote tw o accoun ts of th e fight . Th e

on e

A true and exact rela tion of both of the ba t t les fought by H is Excel len cyRobert Earl of Essex and h is forces aga in st the Bloody Cava l iers , the one on

“the 2 3rd October last , n ear Kyneton ,

the o ther a t VVor cer ter,

This “ piece j ust icat if”m ay be j udged from th e t i t le th e

a t tempt to compare Edgehi l l an d Worcester. Th e other,

“ A narra t i ve of th e la te ba t t le before Worcester, taken by a gen t leman of the

I n n s of Court from the mouth of Mart in F ien n es,

1 642 ,

did n o t ten d to clear up mat ters. Pow ick h ad give Fien n esa holy horror of Rupert , a horror w hich w as displayedwhen next t h ey m et

,an d Fien n es surren dered Bristol to

him,an act for which h e w as right ly brough t to a cou rt

mart ia l .Curiously en ough , th e Parl iamen tary accou n ts have long

been taken as th e rea l version of the Powick figh t . Nash isays th e action is con fusedly descr ibed by Claren don an d

Ludlow . He describes i t in hal f-a-dozen l in es very in accurately ,and quotes Baxter , V icars, and

“ Mercuri us’ Rust icus.

” Green §gives a st i l l more misleading accoun t , describin g a batt le on

P i tchcr oft which n ever t ook p lace,and making ou t th at th e

batt le a t Powick w as but part o f a much larger fight . Bu t h is.

authori t ies ar e on ly th e n ewspapers of the t ime,which

con ta in ed accoun ts more in accurate,i f possible

,than the

Russian n ewspapers n ow give of th e Japan ese W ar . Thisis n ot by any mean s th e on ly fight that depen ds for its

existen ce on the fact that i t isregistered by fame eterna l

I n death less pages of D iurn a l .”

Th e un for tun ate thing is that a l l subsequen t wri ter s havecopied Nash and Green ,

so that their erroneous version s havebeen accepted as history. I t w as n ot un ti l 1 879, whenWebb ’s Civi l W ar in Herefordshir e w as publ ished

,that a

“ J ehovah J ir eh , p . 1 66. 1 I I . , p . 264. I ., p . 2 70 .

C I VIL W AR, 1 642 . 49

true version of th e Powick fight appeared,a version th e

accuracy of which is adm it ted an d adopted by Mr . Gardn er inh is history.

Essex reached Pershore on th e 2 3r d September. On

Saturday,th e 24th ,

h e marched th e n in e miles to W orcester,

arr iving before th e ci ty about n oon . NO resistan ce o r opposit ion w as m ade to h is en try , so he at on ce marched in and

took possession of i t . Th e fight ing of th e previous day h admade th e Parl iamen t t roops furious

,andWorcester w as t reated

precisely as i f i t h ad been taken by sto rm . Th e ci ty w as n ow

to learn what a mil i tary occupat ion by a host i le force rea l lymean t . Ne i ther Essex n or h is m en were l ikely to show anymercy. Th e town w as n o t in th e good graces of ei ther. I t

w as supposed to have helped t h e Kin g ; an example of wha twou ld be don e to those tow n s w ho di d this w as n ecessary

,an d

“ th is base town an d coun t ry w as to furn ish th e example .

Th e mayor w as made to go dow n on h is kn ees an d beg t h e

Lord-Gen era l ’s pardon for bet raying t he ci ty . Th e t r0 0 psh ad to be quartered ; th e fi rst step , therefore , w as to bi l let themon th e ci t izen s. So ley (th e mayor ) an d A lderman Green wereat on ce arrested an d imprison ed

,thei r offen ce bein g havin g

surren dered th e c ity to Byron wi thou t st rik ing a blow.

They w ere short ly afterw ards sen t up to Lon don u n der a

st rong guard . Byron ’

s con voy of plate h ad escaped,b u t Essex

co l lected or took a l l h e cou ld l ay han ds upon in Worcester,

in cluding a l l that could be foun d in t he mayor ’s house,makin g

in a l l a waggon load of z z oo lbs. of plate,as is said

,and sen t i t

up wi th th e mayor and a lderman as an off ering to Par l iamen t .

An offerin g w as a lso prepared for Essex h imsel f. Th e c ityaccoun ts shew ' Pa i d for hogshead of Gascoyn e win e an d

sugar loaves given to th e Ear l of Essex,being in th e ci ty with

h is army,

Sun day,September 2 5th

,th e day after Essex arri ved

in Worcester,w as long remembered there. Th e paroch ia l

c lergy were made by force to surren der thei r pu lp i tsto t he so-ca l led chaplain s o f th e various regimen ts

,person s

w h o th e Roya l ists ca l led “ Mil itary Levi tes,

”and from them

th e Worcester c i t iz en s h ad a pouring ou t of th e Word . Ifn othing else thei r sermon s w ere long. I t is t rue Baxter speaksh igh ly of thei r d iscourses

,bu t h e is a lmost th e on ly person

w ho does so. Bu t w hile t he W o rd w as poured for th,an d th e

preachers w ere expla in ing that Essex’s m en h ad a lreadydone enough to purchase

Than ksgiving-day among the churches,

th e sold iers looked at more carn al mat ters. Th e cho i ce w as

given to th e parish churches to pay o r to be spo i led of thei rgoods. I n th e accoun ts of St . Michael ’s appears this en try

50 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

G iven to captain and sold iers for preserving ou r church goods and

w ri t ings, 1 0 5 . 4d .

”

An d th is is probably on ly a specimen of th e t reatmen t servedo u t to a l l .

Th e parish churches,however

,fared wel l in comparison with

t h e Cathedra l . Th e fan at ical b igotry o f th e Puritan party in

t his the i r fi rst great tri umph l ed them to commit acts,

of whicheven they were afterwards ashamed . Th e organ

,t h e service

b ooks,th e vestmen ts

,th e win dows

,in fact everyth ing that

however remo tely bore th e mark of th e beast,were ru th l essly

dest royed . Bu t they did n ot rest sat isfied wi th mere lyd estroying th e surviva ls of so-cal led Pap ist ica l ido latry

,th e

Cathedra l w as put to mil i tary u ses. I n t h e n ave horses werestabled

,camp fi res l i t

,mil i t ary courts held. Th e cho ir an d

a isles were u sed as la tr in es for t h e so ld iers. Rings and staples,

t h e t races of w hich st i l l rema in,w ere fasten ed to th e recesses

in th e Clo isters,for tether ing t h e horses in t h e places w here th e

monks h ad worked. This m ay have been don e on the

groun d of n ecessi ty,as there wou ld be di ff i cu lty in fin din g

a ccommodat ion on so short n ot ice for severa l thousan d horses.

Even w e in ou r ow n days have kn own churches an d places of

worship used for quarters for t r0 0 ps and horses. Bu t n o suchexcuse is possib le for t h e bigoted j oy of th e Puri tan so ldiers int he open dishon our of a l l holy t hings. Dragoon s put on the

surpl ices and vestmen ts of th e Cathedra l c lergy,an d dan ced in

them about th e st reets ; books were burn t ; profan e imi tat ion sof rel ig ious services gon e through . Essex a l lowed h is so ldiers toin dulge in t hese excesses wi thou t any remon st ran ce. Makingevery a l low an ce for th e st rong an t i-ecclesiast ica l fee l ing thatw as then so ri fe

,to th e fac t that th e mass of th e peop l e bel ieved

,

and hon est ly bel ieved,that Charles w as do ing h is best to

in troduce in to th e coun t ry th e rel ig ion they hated,tha t

Worcester w as th e fi rst tow n that h ad been taken,and tha t

t h e Puritan so ldiers were thirst in g to shew thei r zea l for th eLord

,

”st i l l i t is a d isgrace to Essex that h e made n ot th e

smal lest a ttemp t to keep in check th e rel igious excesses of h is

m en . There can b e l it t le doubt that th is w as th e t ime whena l l th e inj u ry to th e Cathedra l at Worcester w as don e, yetwith a st range inj ust ice a l l these ungodly acts of t he godl iestsoldiery ar e a lways ascribed to Cromwel l

,w ho w as n owhere

n ear Worcester,an d Essex’s n ame is n ever even men t ion ed .

Cromwel l h as much to an swer fo r,but th e r u in an d spoi l of

t h e ecclesiast ica l bu i ld ings and orn amen ts of Worcester shouldn o t be la id to h is charge.

Rupert h ad con veyed both h is ow n wounded an d some of

t hose of th e Parl iamen t from Powick to Worcester,n o t being

able to t ake them wi th him to Shrewsbury they were left a t

Worcester . Among them w as th e Ken t ish Co lonel , San dys,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

52 CIVIL W AR , 1 642 .

cal l in g at ten t ion to th e fact that as San dys’ gran dfather h adbeen Bishop of that Church , that San dys

’ death w as th e resul tof fai l ing to look to th e Rock from when ce h e w as hewn .

”

Essex set t led h is quarters at Worcester,and from there

di rected the movemen t s of h is t roops. On e of h is early ordersw as to set up in th e Market Place a ga l lows

,on which th e

c it izen s w ho took over to Powick,on t h e 2 3r d September , th e

n ews that l ed Fien n es to advan ce to h is ru in shou ld be hung .

As Essex wan ted mon ey,th e c i t i zen s were required to pay a

con t ribu t ion of £50 0 0 . Th e sold iers w h o were bi l leted in th e

town were n o t great r especters of property,an d did a good

'

.

dea l of damage,besi des what they took from th e cit i zen s. I n

th e St . Michael’s accoun ts there is an en try of a paymen t of’

1 7d . for repa i ring “W i dow W ard ’s chimn ey broken down byth e so ld iers.

” But Essex did n ot rest con ten t with pl un derin gth e ci t izen s. He con sidered i t n ecessary to put th e c i ty in toa st ate of defen ce

,to have th e ol d fort ificat ion s repa i red

and n ew on es erected . So t h e ci tizen s were made to

work on them. Forced labour on fortificat ion s w as a

n ew experien ce for th e Worcester m en,

'

n ot much to the i rtaste ; there w as much grumbl ing. Bu t they did n ot stop a t

grumbl ing . Accord ing to on e o f th e tracts of t he t ime,a w on

der fu l gun powder p lot w as devised aga in st Essex at St . Peter ’s.

Church,Worcester . It w as

,however

,d iscovered . I n order to

preven t help bein g sen t to th e King— at least,th is w as th e

reason given— th e houses of suspected ma l ign an ts weresearched for arms. Steps w ere taken for properly securingan d arming th e milit ia . Parl iamen t appoin ted a commi t tee of

1 2,drew up rules for thei r procedure

,an d directed them so to

man age th e Coun ty as to bring i t un der th e con t ro l of th eParl iamen t . Th e Corporat ion w as reformed ; th e Roya l istmembers were t urn ed ou t and t hei r places suppl ied bysupporters of the Parl iamen t . Th e tw o Coun ty Members

,

Sergean t W i lde and Salway , with t h e grea t HerefordshireParl iamen tarian ,

Sir Robert Harley,were sen t down by P ar

l iam en t to advise an d assist Essex in carrying ou t and execu t ingwhatever wou ld be of service to th e P arl iamen t . As Essexw as on ly at Worcester for a mon th

,i t wil l be seen tha t h e w as.

far from idle,as in addit ion to th e civi l work h e h ad a l l th e

work of th e army to do as wel l .Th ere is an accoun t o f th e proceedings of Essex

’

s army at :

W orcester,wri tten by on e of h is so ld iers

,Nehemiah Wharton .

He h ad been an appren tice to Mr . George W i l l ingham , ,

m erchan t a t th e Go lden An chor in St . Swi th in ’

s Lan e,

Lon don,an d w as probably on e of th e 50 0 0 Lon don ers w h o

“ l isted themselves ” un der th e Earl o f Essex on the 2 6th July in .

M oor fields,when they were distributed in to regimen ts.

W harton writes a series of letters to“ h is late master an d.

C I V I L W AR, 1 642 . 53

hon oured frien d,

”an d h is let ters give detai ls of th e service

,

an d a p icture of th e l i fe in th e Parl iamen t army tha t n o

o ther accoun t suppl ies. Th e fo l lowing is h is accoun t of

Wo rcesterWorcestersh ire is a p leasan t , fru i t ful , and ri ch coun try, aboun ding in corn ,

w oods, pastures, h i l ls, and va l leys. Every hedge an d h i ghw ay beset w i th

fru i t , bu t especia l ly w i th pears, w hereof they make tha t pleasan t drink ca l ledper ry, w h i ch t hey sel l for a pen ny a quart , though bet ter than ever you tastedin London . The c i ty is more large than any I have seen si nce I left Lon don .

I t abounds in outw ard th ings,bu t for w an t of the Word the peop le perish . I t

is p leasan t ly si tua ted , exceeding popu lous, and doubt less very ri ch , on the east

ban k of tha t famous ri ver. the Severn . The w a l ls in the form of a trianglethe ga tes seven . There is a very sta tely Ca thedra l

,ca l led St . Mary ’s

,in

w h i ch there a re man y sta tely monumen ts among th e rest in the midd le of

the choir is the monumen t of Ki ng John ,a l l of w h i te marble, w i th h is p i cture

thereon to, the l i fe. S ir, ou r army did l i t t le th in k ever to have seen Worcester,bu t the prov i den ce o f G od ha th brough t u s th i ther an d h ad i t n ot

,the c i ty

is so v i le , resembles Sodom a nd is the very emblem of Gomorrah , a nd doubtless i t w ou ld have been w orse than ei ther A lgiers or Ma l ta— a very den of

th ieves, and a receptac le a nd refuge for a l l the hel l hounds of theWhi le Essex h ad been set t l ing matters in Wo rcester

,th e

Roya l ists h ad been pushing on the i r preparat ion s. Re in forcemen ts were da i ly arriving at Shrewsbury

,n ot on ly from Wa les

b u t a lso from Lan cashire.

“ The King 1 5 expect ing the forces of my Lord Marquis Hert ford an d myLord of Der by , 1“

W i lmot w rites to h is father . Th e report in Lon don w as thatth e Kingin tendeth to advan ce tow ards th is tow n th is w eek , bu t ha th fort ified Shrew sbury a nd Bridgnorth , and in tendeth to leave garrison s in them . H is army

,

horse and foot ( as in forma t ion cometh ) , some say w el l armed,others

report n ot a t a l l to be so,a nd for h is further strength he expecteth my Lord

M arquis Hert ford , and my Lord S trange, w i th their troops, both of horse an d

foot . My Lord—Genera l is reported to have 1 6 regimen t s of horse and foot,

and a l l w el l armed an d w el l pa id . w en t dow n on Saturday last un toh im

,convoyed by Capta in Rigby

’

s troop of horse. 1“

I n order to pu t Essex off h is guard,a report w as set on foot

that Charles in ten ded to advan ce to Lon don by w ay of

Worcester . This made i t n ecessary for Essex to take some

steps to preven t i t . Rupert w as sen t to Bridgn orth,an d as a

coun ter move Lo rd Brooke w as sen t with h is regimen t tooccupy Kiddermin ster , and h e detached Lord Wharton to

Bewdley . Essex,sen ding t r0 0 ps to Kiddermin ster

,made

people bel ieve that h e in ten ded to advan ce and at tack th e

King. I t w as sa id that Essex w as hasten ing from Worcesteri n to Shropshire

,

“tha t the rest of the King ’s forces tha t w ere a t Worcester a r e ret ired to Br idgnorth

,w here i t is though t the Earl of Essex w i l l n ot let them rest long .

”

B u t Essex h ad n o such in ten t ion . From a let ter of LordM andev i l le

’s to Pym ,

i f h e h ad h ad such an idea h e might

Ar chaeo log ia , xxxv 32 8. i H . M . R. , x1 i . Rep.,App. 2 , p . 32 3

54 CIV I L W AR, 1 642 .

n ot have been able to carry i t ou t . Lord Man devi l lewri tes :

W e a re st i l l a t Worcester, w at ch ing w ha t the K ing w i l l do. I t is rumouredtha t he w i l l march tow a r ds London on Mon day n ext others t h in k tha t hew i l l advan ce tow ards u s, w h i ch m ay be probable, because he ha th sen t 2 0 0 0foot in to Bridgnorth . I pray , haste dow n the Scotch Comman ders. There issome suspic ion tha t ou r art i l lerymen a r e n ot as they should be. I f th is provea truth w e a r e bu t in i l l condi t ion for act ion .

”

Par l iamen t w ere impat ien t that somethin g should be don e.

They ordered th e ba i l iffs an d offi cers of Droi twich to keep t h e

magaz in e of arms at Dro itwich,an d directed that £30 0 shou ld

be co l lected in Worcestershire for “ coa t an d con duct mon ey .

As th e Kin g w as da i ly in creasin g in strength,and as t hat

st rength ma in ly came from Wa les,Essex w as ordered to do a l l

in h is power to in tercept i t . Accordingly, on th e 3oth

September, a co lumn of 90 0 foot , three t roops of horse,and

tw o guns, un der the comm an d of t h e Earl of S tamford,were

sen t to occupy Hereford . W i th Lord Stamford w as M asseyan d a lso Nehemiah Wharton

,w ho compla in s that they h ad to

stan d in t h e mud for a long t ime before Hereford . The

di fficu lt ies that Stamford m et with appear to have been causedfar more by th e state of th e roads and th e state of th e weatherthan from any Roya l ist opposit ion . What d i ffi cu lt ies therewere did n ot lon g deta in him . Hereford w as occupied withou topposit ion . Stamfor

‘

d h ad thus placed himself on th e l in e of

th e King’s commun icat ion between Shrewsbury and Sou th.

Wales. Edw ard Reed wrote to Sir Joh n Coke from Lon don,

on t he 1 oth October, 1 642Your n eighbour

,by Loughborough

,my Lord of S t am ford , ha th taken

Hereford , a nd is in i t n ow,un to w hom the tow n a nd coun try ha th given a

con tribu t ion in mon ies, an d so ha th the tow n of Worcester, £30 0 0 as I hearBew dley is n ot as yet taken by e i ther party.

”

I n this last i tem of n ews th e wri ter w as wrong ; Lord Brookeh ad sen t Lord Wharton on to Bew d ley

,and h e w as occupyin g

i t . Some statemen ts say that h e drove ou t Sir ThomasLyttel ton

,w ho w as appoin ted govern or of i t for th e King , an d

w as sa i d to be hold ing i t for h im , bu t i t is n ot clear i fWharton’

s

garrison w en t in before o r after th e King moved from Shrewsbury . I n t h e Kiddermin ster register of buria ls there is an

en t ry un der the 1 4th OctoberBuried , one Thomas R inge, a P l iam en t sould ier

,tha t brake h is n ecke,

fa l l ing dow n the rocke tow ards Cou r fiel d in to the Hol low ay tha t leads to

Bew dley . ”

I n th e Bewdley accoun ts for 1 642 ar e th e fo l lowingen tr ies :Pa id for can dles w hen the sol d iers did w a tchPa id for a drum by Mr. Bayl iffe, Appl i ca t ionPa id fo r w ine and sugar for S ir Thomas L i tt leton

A garr ison w as a lso placed a t Stourbridge .

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 . 55

I t w as n ot on ly to the n orth of the Coun ty that Essex directedh is at ten t ion . A garrison w as placed at Tewkesbury to closet h e l in e of th e Avon

,keep open h is commun i cat ion with

Gloucester ; to keep h is t r0 0 ps in readin ess for work th e

Coun ty w as scoured by detachmen ts,w ho wen t n omin a l ly to

search th e houses of ma l ign an ts for arms,bu t in real i ty to

plun der an d carry off a l l they could . Tw o in stan ces,on e of a

party of Parl iamen tarian s from Gloucester,th e other of some

of Essex ’5 m en from Worcester,wil l shew what person s w h o

dwelt in th e Coun ty h ad to en dure.

Mr . Bart lett l ived at Cast le Morton,a m an so popular in h is

dist r ic t that if any other day than Ledbury Fa i r day h ad beenselected for a search of h is house i t is sa id a l l th e coun try sidewould have come to h is defen ce . As i t w as everyon e w as at

Ledbury Fa i r . Some so ldiers from Gloucester an d Tew kesbury,

t aking advan tage of th is,came to Cast le Mor ton

,secu red th e

vi l lage an d road,and surroun ded Mr. Bart let t ’s house. Thei r

comman der,Capta in Scriven ,

w as th e son of an i ronmonger atGloucester . On Scriven en tering th e house

,Bartlett in quired

w hat h e came for . Scriven repl ied to search for arms. A las"sa i d Bart lett

, you ar e l ike to lose your labour,for Justice

Sa lway ( th e Coun ty Member) h as al ready been here,bu t

addin g, you h ad better see i f you can fin d any glean ings

aft er th e other h as h ad th e ful l v in tage . Bartlett gave themsome beer . While si tt ing drinking

,Scriven saw Bartlet t’s

sword hanging up on th e wa in sco t,and asked if that w as not

arms Bart let t repl iedN o more than is necessary for every honest m an to defen d h imsel f on the

h ighw ay .

”

Scriven took possession of Bart lett ’s sw ord,and a lso o f h is

son’s. When th e son came in Scriven n ot iced a ruby ring on

h is ban d string,and took i t from him . Scr iven then searched

Bart lett ’s pockets,an d took al l th e mon ey h e cou ld find

,betw een £2 an d £3. Bart let t w as wearing a scarlet Gippo .

”

Scr iven took a fan cy to i t,an d ordered Bart let t to take i t off

,

but h e declin ed,asking that h e should n ot be robbed both of

mon ey and clo .thes Scriven then asked Bart let t where h ekept h is mon ey and plate

,threaten in g to kil l h im if h e di d

n ot say a t on ce. As Bart lett decl in ed,Scriven ’

s m en seiz ed h ishousekeeper

,an d to make h er tel l presen ted a pisto l at h er

breast,while others of th e sold iers pricked h er wi th th e po in ts

of the i r swords. As she refused to say anything they searchedth e house. Scriven began wi th M r s. Bart let t

’

s room,took h er

wat ch,broke open h er t run k and took ou t of i t £60 0 , a l l h er

l in en,mon ey

,plate

,jewels

,bracelets

,and amongst other things

“Cock Eagle’s Ston e,for which 30 pieces h ad been off ered

by a ph issit ion an d refused .

" Having got a l l th e plun derh e cared for

,Scriven a l lov

’

ved h is m en to take what they l iked .

CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

I n a con fused tumu l t they rush in to the house, hun t from the

parlour to the k itchen . from then ce by th e chambers to the garrets.

Besi des Mr. Bart let t ’s, h is w i fe’

s and ch i l dren ’

s w earing apparel , theyr ob the serva n ts’ c lothes, and carry off w hatever they can pu t theirhands on . They foun d Mr. Bart let t 's sw eetmea ts

,bu t sca t tered them

upon the floor, n o t darin g to taste them , as they feared poison . Exceptbedd ing , pew ter, and lumber . they left n oth ing beh ind them

,for besides tw o

horses laden w i th the best th in gs— Scriven ’

s ow n p lunder— there being 1 50rebels, ea ch rebel returned w i th a pack a t h is ba ck . As for beer and perry ,w ha t they could n ot dri nk they spoi lt , pouring i t ou t on the groun d . Theyw oun d up w i th saying they h ad learn t Bart let t a lesson

,and left h im not

w or th a

Some days after a party o f Essex ’s m en from Worcestervisi ted Bar t let t an d searched h is house for arms.

“ They took aw ay a good store of ba con from h is roof, beef ou t of the

pow dering tub , the pots, pan s, a n d ket t les, pew ter to grea t va lue, a l l the p rovision s for hosp i ta l i ty an d housekeep ing , a nd t hen broke the sp i ts as

un necessary uten si ls. They sol d h is bedding . carried aw ay in carts,w h i ch

“they compel led to w ork for them , a l l cha irs, stools , couches, and trun ks.

”

W ithin t h e n ext year Bart let t ’s house w as searched th reet imes more for a rms. Th e searchers carried off a l l h is k i tchenstuff

,five horses

,

“abusin g M r s. Bart lett in bea st ly, immodest , scurri lous language, offen si ve to

Christ ian ears.

On on e of these search ings th e offi cer in comman d w as askedto jo in in eat ing a stubble goose

,w h ich on e of th e so ld iers h ad

plun dered. H e refused,as h e cou ld n ot eat what w as

sto len,bu t t aking Mr. Bar t let t ’s mare from th e stable rode

away upon i t .

Among the plun der were some part r idges,which they were

asked to leave as they w ere kep t for a lady abou t to be

con fined. They refused, saying if they could get h er theywould soon make h er so sh e would n ot n eed part ridges

,as

they h ad ki l led o ld m en,women

,an d chi ldren .

An d so, the a ccoun t con t inues, “ boasting h imsel f in h is sin and glorying inh is shame

,w i thout regard h ad to the dangerous longings of a pregn an t

“w oman i f n ot sa t isfied , took them aw ay . So tru ly is tha t of the prophetverified in these miscrean ts.

‘ They dec lare their sin as Sodom ,they h ide

“ i t n ot . W oe un to their sou ls, for they have rew arded ev i l un to themselves.

’

1“

Such is a Roya l ist accoun t of Parl iamen tary p l un der ings.

How far i t is t rue m ay be doubtful , b u t i t shews at least thatt he $6 61t for arms w as on ly th e pretext— the rea l object w as

plun der .Nehemiah Wharton gives t he other in stan ce of a search for

a rms at Sir W i ll iam Russel l'

s,at Stren sham . I t is in terest ing

as being a typ ica l accoun t of t he spi ri t i n which plun dering w as

carr ied on — 1“ Tuesday , ou r so ld iers, by commission from h is Excel len cy , marched sevenm i les to Sir W i l l iam Russel l ’s house, a nd p i l laged un to the bare w a l ls.

M ercu r ius’ Ru st icus, p. 1 88. f Mer cu r ius’ Rust icu s, p . 1 9 1 .

1 Archaeo logm ,xxxv. , 330 .

CIV I L W AR, 1 642 .57

W ednesday , w e fasted , and M r . Obadiah Sedgew i ck preached un to u s, w hom“the Lord extraordinari ly assisted . so tha t h is doc tri ne w rough t w on derful lyupon many of u s, and doubt less ha th fi t ted many of u s for dea th , w h i ch w e a l l

short ly expect . Thursday , h is Excel len cy proc la imed t ha t w hoever h ad anyof the goods of the Cava l iers in custody should forthw i th surrender them th isday. I have n oth ing of w orth to presen t you w i th , bu t I havesen t you the gods of the Cava l iers en c losed . They a r e p i l lage taken from SirW i l l iam Russel l ’s, o f w h i ch I n ever yet g ot th e w orth o f one farth ing, for i t iscon stan t ly th e prey of the ruder sort o f so lders, 1 1 hose society , blessed be G od ,I ha te and avo i d . ”

Th e t ime h ad n ow come w hen Essex ’

s plun dering expedit ion sh ad to cease . Charles h ad co l lected an d equ ipped such a forceas en abled him to take th e field . This th e Parliamen t heardof

,an d a t on ce became exci ted as to th e resu l t . A let ter of th e

1 1 th October, 1 642 ,from Lon don shew s this

The n ew s here is tha t the King is coming h i ther, and there is order fromthe Parl iamen t to a l l coun t ies to make a l l prepara t ion s for t heir defen ce.

Here is grea t w a t ch in the c i ty n i gh t a nd day by the tra in bands, a nd beyon dus as fa r as the Charter House there is a court of gua r d of the tra in ban dsw a t ches every n i gh t .On th e 1 5th October an o ther letter from Lon don saysL i t t le new s is here st irrin g , ou r expec ta t ion s being from the armies, w h i ch

“they say a r e advan ced on e t ow ards the ot her. H is Majesty to Bri dgnorth an d

‘the other to Bew dley , bo th reso lv ing to pu t the di fferen ce to a speedy issue.

”

i'

Meanwhile, as h e w as get t ing ready to figh t , a last attempth ad been made by Charles to n ego t ia te . On th e 2 7th

September,at Ch ester

,h e issued a declarat ion po in t ing ou t th e

refusa l of th e Parl iamen t to t rea t wi th him for t h e rel ief oft he kingdom. He goes on to refer to th ebarbarous

,sacri legious inhuman i ty exercised by the Parl iamen t sold iers in

churches,as in Can terbury, Worcester

,Oxford

,a nd other p la ces. I

This th e Parl iamen t fel t requ i red an an sw er,so they drew

up a pet i t ion ,w h ich they sen t by Sir Ph i l ip S t apleton t o

Essex,an d ordered him to sen d it 0 11 to t h e King . Charles w as

a t Bridgn or th . Essex sen t a messenger to t h e King fromWorcester

,asking for a safe con duc t for th e officer w h o

would come to presen t th e pet i t ion . Th is Charles refused .

as h e decl in ed to rece ive a pet it ion from rebels. As a

last resort Essex sen t Fleet w ood ( then on ly a pr ivatein th e cu irassiers) to Bridgn orth to del i ver the pet i t ion .

Charles refused to see h im,

or to receive anythin g froma horseman whose sw ord w as draw n aga inst h is King . Th e

Earl of Bedford ,w h o w as a t Worcester

,on hearing of

th is,wrote to t he Commi t tee for t h e Safety of th e King

dom,saying that the King refused to receive any pet it ion

from th e Lord Gen era l , h e be ing declared a t ra i tor . Thisdecision w as sa i d t o b e

“a most high in dign i ty an d scorn

o n t he au thori ty of Parliamen t,an d dest roying a l l chan ce of

peace.

”

1 2 Rep .,Ap p. 2

, p. 32 3. I Ru shw or th , v ., p . 7

58 CIVIL W AR, 1 642 .

The pet i t ion h ad don e i ts work. Charles w as ready to

move,a l l h is prepara t ion s were complete

,and h e began ,

h is march on Lon don . H is object w as to ou t-manoeuvreEssex

, get between him and Lon don , an d march direc ton to i t . As a blin d

,an d to make Essex bel ieve that th e

advan ce w as to be upon Worcester . Rupert w as ordered to ,

march from Bridgn orth towards Kiddermin ster . This w as .

qu ite successfu l . Lor d Brooke an d Lord Whar ton a t on cefel l back t o Bewdley an d Kiddermin ster wi thou t attemptin gto fight . To ou t-man oeu vre Essex

,Cha rles exten ded h is left

and marched d irect on Lon don . To keep th e King ’s marchsecret an d Essex employed for a clay o r tw o w as th e

obj ect of Ru pert’

s march,an d th is object w as very eff ectual ly

carried ou t . Rupert marched on M onday,Oc tober l oth , from

Shrewsbury to Shifn al,0 11 th e 1 1 th to Wo lverhampton . Here

h e stayed th e 1 2 th . On . th e 1 3th h e marched to Mere Mr .M oseley

'

s,in Envi l le Parish ; on t he 1 4th to Mr. Fo ley 3 , at

Stourbridge,where h e rema in ed for three days, threa ten in g

th e flan k of Lord Brooke’s b r igade,thus causing him and Lord

Wharton to fa l l back .

“ On Tuesday let ters came from my Lord Wharton ,tha t he h ad made a

so ld ier-l ike retrea t from K iddermin ster, excusing himsel f not figh t in g w i thPrin ce Rupert in regard to the in equa l i ty of n umber s, bu t i t is common ly andcon fiden t ly repor ted by others tha t for haste a nd fear he left some w aggon sa nd three or four p ieces of ordnan ce beh ind h im . There came last n i ghtfrom Worcester 320 0 w ei gh t of p la te.

”

“ There came a post th is day a t n oon,tha t the sen t to h is

Excel len cy w as come sa fe to Worcester. I t w as a booty Prin ce Ruperta imed a t , bu t h is in tel l igen ce or h is tri be w as not

Meanwhile the King h ad started from Shrewsbury on h is .

march for Lon don ,Essex an d h is offi cers being completely

deceived by Rupert’

s march, expect ing Charles to advan ce

from Shrewsbury to Kiddermin ster an d to Worcester .On the ’

1 7th October , whi le th is movemen t w as going on, .

Lord Coven try sen t up a pet i t ion to Parl iamen t,submit t ing

h imsel f to th e Houseis sorry to have offended in not rep ly ing to their Lordships

’

summons, bu t hehad a lso recei ved H is Majesty ’s summons to a t ten d h im a t York .

"

This is of importan ce as shewing th e u n rel iab i l ity of th e

usual statemen t that Lord Coven try h ad been in comman d at

Worcester when Byron w as there, an d h ad taken part in th e

resistan ce to Fien n es when he came before i t .I t is n ot qu ite clear when Essex learn t of Charles’ advan ce

an d that Rupert ’s move w as on ly to bl in d h im . Rupert stayeda t Stourbridge t i l l Monday

,th e 1 7th October, when h e marched

across to King ’s Norton . On Tuesday , 1 8th , h e wen t toSol ihul l

,th e King arr iving on the same day at Mer iden Heath ,

V I I ., p . 530 .

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(30 C I VIL W AR , 1 642 .

w e w ere forced to leave i t beh in d to fo l low u s,an d w i th i t the regimen ts of

Co lonel H ampden an d Colonel Gran tham .

”

Possib ly Viscoun t M an devi l l e’

s surmise about th e art i l lery" w ascorrect.Charles’ man oeuvre w as quite successfu l . He h ad got

between Essex an d Lon don ,an d ga ined tw o days’ march

upon h im . A l l h e h ad to do n ow w as to press on ; t here w as

n o force betw een him and Lon don . He w as, however , advisedto give up this advan tage

,an d n o t leave an un broken army in

h is rear ; so h e ha l ted , turn ed roun d an d faced Essex,an d on

Sun day,October 2 3r d , th e Batt le of Edgehi l l w as fought.

Th e result of Edgehi l l w as to remove t he ma in port ion of

t h e w ar from Worcestersh ire. W i th this except ion at fi rstthere w as n o great change. Th e Parl iamen t st i l l held Hereford,G loucester

,Tewkesbury

,and Worcester . But Si r Thomas

Lyttel ton took possession of Bew dley for th e King,and very

soon afterwards Sandys took possession of Evesham . C o lonelThomas Essex

,wi th h is regimen t

,w as sen t to Worcester

,h e

being appo in ted govern or . He h ad 1 1 0 easy task before h im,

i n spi te of a sort o f wel come that w as given h im,t h e church

w arden s of St . Michael ’s providing him with “a bot tle of

w hite win e an d sugar ” at t he Ta l bot ; t h e Worcester peoplewere n ot best pleased wi th th e t rea tmen t they h ad receivedf rom th e Lord Gen era l and h is so ldiers. Even i f they h adb een

,th e posi t ion s of th e govern ors i n the West M id lan d

g arrison s h ad become difl‘icu l t . The Parl iamen tary army h adbeen withdraw n from this d istrict to t h e n eighbourhoodo f Lon don

,and there did n ot seem to be much prospect

o f thei r ret urn ing. Suppl ies were difli cu l t to g et , an d th e

force at th e govern or ’s disposa l w as bu t smal l . Th e garrison at

Worcester w as,i f n ot in a host i le ,

certa in ly n ot in a frien dlydistr ict

,so i t h ad become a grave mat ter to con sider n ot

on ly if any real good cou ld be ga in ed by i ts ma in ten an ce,bu t

i f ma in ta in ed cou ld i ts safety be provided for . Co lon elE ssex fel t th e fu l l force of these con siderat ion s. He soon

foun d that Worcester h ad become n o place for him,an d that

fi t w as very doubtful if h e cou ld ma in ta in himself there i fattacked . Th e w ay to retreat w as n ow open ; h ow long i tmight rema in so i t w as impossib le to say. Gloucester wouldfor many reason s be a safer and bet ter quarter

,so to Gloucester

h e determin ed to go . H is stay a t Worcester w as very brief.H e arrived at th e en d o f October

,early in November h e

,with

th e tr0 0ps w h o formed h is garrison , marched off to Gloucester.He got th e c i t izen s to pay him £40 a t th e t ime of h is

departure to free th e ci ty from plun dering. H is lan dlord,

or. rather th e m an w h o ow ned t h e house w here h e h ad h is

An t i ., p . 50 .

CIVI L WAR, 1 642 . 61’

quarters,w as pa i d £5

“ for the spo i l ing of h is goods byen terta in ing the governor, Essex .

” W i th Essex ’s aban donmen t of Worcester t h e last Parl iamen t garrison in t h e Coun tyw as wi thdrawn . So far as any mili tary force wen t th e Coun tyw as n ow hel d en t irely fo r th e King . I n November , 1 642 , SirW i l l iam Russel l took possession of Worcester on th e King ’sbeha l f, ho isted th e Roya l Stan dard , an d from tha t date un ti lJuly

,1 646,

Worcester rema in ed a Roya l garrison .

Th e evacuat ion o f Worcester by Co lon el Essex h ad iso latedHereford , and made Lord S tamford

'

s posi t ion there un ten able.

I t soon came home to h im that i t w as quite impossib lefor him to ho ld i t . He w rote to th e Parl iamen t :

“ I am confiden t h ad I n ot kept th is unw orthy ci ty, a torren t of Pap ists andm a l i gnan ts h ad fa l len dow n

,w h i ch migh t have augmen ted the adversaries t o

an in fin i te n umber. N ow, my Lord , w e have as much heart a nd courage left

u s as ever w e h ad ,bu t w e have n ei ther mon ey nor credi t for bread ou r h ay an d

proven der bein g very scan t . Yet so long as I can find any mean s ofsubsisten ce I sha l l rema i n here . The coun try

,as w el l a s th is v i le ci ty

,a re

so base and ma l ign a n t tha t a lthough the roguish army of the Welsh Pap istsand other vagabonds tha t w ere bea ten in th e first ba t t le in Warw i cksh ire dop lun der, k i l l , murder, a nd destroy m en a nd w omen

,take aw ay a l l their goods

a n d ca tt le, yet such is the ir ha tred to ou r condi t ion tha t they w ould ra ther beso used than be rescued by

Such being S tam ford’

s accoun t of h is ow n posi t ion a t

Hereford , i t is hardly t o be w on dered that h e took t h e fi rstopport un ity to rel ieve himself from i t . Fin ding that Co lon e lEssex h ad come to th e con cl usion tha t Worcester w as n o

longer ten able, Stamford decided tha t Hereford w as even lessso . To make mat ters w orse

,a Roya l ist force from Monmouth

sh i re w as advan cing on Hereford,un der Sir Richard Law dey.

Stamford w as pract ica l ly h is ow n master . A commission w as

about to issue, appo in t ing h im“ Comman der-in-Ch ief of a l l the Parl iamen tary forces in the Coun t ies

,

of

H ereford ,Gloucester, Sa lop , and Worcester, w i th the pow er of appoi n t ing

officers, a nd mak ing h is residen ce anyw here in any of those coun t ies,or in

“the Prin cipa l i ty of Wa les

,ac cording to h is conven ien ce as Governor of the

If h e w as to be of any u se to th e Parl iamen t h e should beat head-quarters, n ot at an out lying garrison . So h e

determin ed to aban don Hereford and ret i re on Gloucester .On th e 3rd December h e marched ou t . He h ad held i t fromt h e begin n ing of October— fo r over tw o mon ths— in ci rcumstan ces of con siderable di ffi cu l ty . He could ho ld i t n o

longer .

S tamford ’s evacuat ion of Hereford did for Herefordshirewha t Essex’s evacuat ion of Worcester h ad don e for Worcestershire. I t placed the who le coun ty in the King’

s han ds. Itw as a great success fo r th e Roya l ists. Th e road w as on ce

Webb’

s C iv i l W ar in Her efor dsh ir e, Vo l . I . , p . 2 0 4. t Lord’

s Jou r na ls, D ec. 1 3, 1 642 .

“62 CIVI L W AR, 1 642 .

.more open an d undisturbed . for th e King to draw h is

suppl ies from Wa les. A letter dated th e 1 3th Decemberstates

“ One from Worcester h as in formed m e tha t on Sun day the Earl of Stam fordw en t aw ay from Hereford , hav ing p l un dered and burn t severa l houses there.

New s h ad come to Worcester t ha t their carriages could n ot pass, bu t tha tthey w ere a l l in a dirty lane in t he w ay tow ards G loucester. The Herefordpeop le sen t 70 0 horse a fter them ,

bu t w i th w ha t success is n ot know n .

Hop ton came in to Ledbury w i th co lours an d drum , an d ca l led on the m en to

jo in h im . One an sw ered h im that he h ad recei ved H is Majesty ’s w ord tothe con trary , and he should n ot be a tra i tor. O thers an sw ered to the sameman ner, so h e w en t ou t of Ledbury , an d h is colours and drum w ere takenfrom h im . I t is sa i d tha t Hop ton h as sin ce come to Worcester an d turned

“to the K ing ’sHow importan t i t w as for th e King to have th e road toWa les open w as very soon to be demon st rated . A letter dated2 nd Jan uary , 1 643, saysMy Lord Marqu is Hert ford and my Lord H er bert a re n ow w i th the King

a t Oxford w i th 40 0 0 m en,an d 300 0 they have left a t Worcester, and some a t

He1 efo rd . Being left t he day before by my Lord Stam ford , before my LordM arqu i s h is comingAs Russel l h ad occupiedWorcester

,so Law dey n ow occupied

Hereford for th e King . Thus th e who le o f th e tw o coun t ies— Her efor d an d Worcester— h ad return ed to thei r a l legian ce.

Charles, after th e affa i r at Bren tford, made h is head-quartersfor a t ime at Reading . At th e begin n ing o f December h eremoved from Reading to Oxford

,which place w as for th e

fu tu re th e head-quarters of t h e Roya l ist party . N o furtherfigh t ing took place in Worcestershire during th e rest of 1 642 .

A t 11 0 t ime du r ing th e w ar did th e King’ s prospects appearmore hopefu l than at th e en d of December of that year . Th e

dist ric t h ad been swep t clear of th e en emy , an d Charles w as

aga in,so far asWorcestershire wen t ,

“over a l l person s an d in

.a l l cou rses,as wel l ecclesiasti cal as c ivi l, sup reme.

”

V . Rep t . , p 1 42 . 1 X I I . Rep t . , p t . 2, 32 9.

C H A P T E R I I .

“

I n Jan uary,1 643, th e King

’s posi t ion w as as favourable as

possi ble,far ‘m 0 r e so than . cou ld have b een expected. H is

commun ica t ion s wi th Wa les were un in terrupted ; h is forcesheld th e Thames Va l ley as far as Readin g a l l th e SevernVa l ley to Gloucester w as in h is han ds. A glan ce at th e m apw i l l shew what th e Royal ists h ad to do . To clear th e

Parl iamen t t roops from th e Cotswo lds,so as to open th e road

to th e w est,with an a l tern at ive route to Wa les, to press on up

th e Thames Va l ley ,an d threaten

,i f they did . n ot at tack ,

Lon don . Excep t so far as they directly aff ect Worcestershire ,

i t wi l l n ot be n ecessary to say any th ing abou t th e movemen tsoutside th e Coun ty. Some men t ion wi ll have to be made of

those tha t con cern ed Wor cestershire .

I n Worcestersh ire Sir W i ll iam Russel l held Worcester forth e King

,Co lon el Leveson held Dudley, Co lon el San dys first

an d then Co lon el W ashing ton Evesham,Sir Thomas Lyt tel ton

Bewdley It 1 5 n ot qu ite c lear i f there w as then a garr ison at

Hart lebury . Th e same m ay be sa id of th e other Worcestershire garr ison s.

I n Gloucestershire i t w as d ifferen t . Lord Stamford h ad leftHereford in December for Gloucester. Soon after arrivingthere h e h ad been ordered to th e west , an d h ad left Massey intemporary comman d . Massey at on ce acted on th e off en sive

,

an d proceeded to occupy Tewkesbury , mak ing i t in to a

garrison . Th e importan ce of th is town is shew n by th e n um bero f t imes i t w as taken an d r e-t aken . Placed at t he j un ct ionof the Severn an d th e Avon ,

i t at on ce comman ded th e w ayin to Sou th Worcestershi re and a lso in to t h e Cotswolds. I t

a lso con t ro l led th e Avon Va l ley . Had i t on ly had a bridgeover th e Severn i t would have been th e most importan t placein th e district . Ther e w as a bridge over th e Avon

,bu t n othin g

over th e Severn n earer thano

Upton on th e n orth an d

Gloucester 0 11 th e sou th . A lthough i t w as garrison ed fo r th en ext three years

,i t does n o t seem ever to have been a w a l led

town,or to have h ad any regular works to protect i t . This is

probably th e-reason i t changed han dsso often .

About I O miles from Tewkesbury is th e town of W inchcombe. This w as on the road in to th e hi lls

,and w as in

66 CIVIL W AR , 1 643 .

possession o f th e Roya l ists. Sudeley Cast le,which is close to

W in ch combe , w as t hen garr ison ed by Lord Chan dos for th e

King . Further away in th e h il ls w as Ci ren cester,a fa i rly

st rong town ,held by th e Parl iamen t in force; Part ies from

h ere were able to march ou t,foray

,and d isturb th e Royal

t roops a t Burford , Chipping Norton,an d S tow-oh -th e-Wo ld .

W arw i cksh ire w as as strongly Parl iamen tary asWorcestershire w as Roya l ist . Coven try

,Warwick

,an d Ken i lworth held

g arrison s for th e Parl iamen t .

Th e Parl iamen t h ad a con siderable fol lowin g in S taff ordsh i re

,but so h ad t h e King . Stafford w as held for th e

Parl iamen t,Lich fiel d for th e King .

I n Shropshire ,a lso

,th e Parl iamen t h ad a large fol lowing .

They held Ludlow,Bridgnorth

,and W em

,t h e King hold ing

Shrewsbury.

Parl iamen t , seeing the importan ce of having some offi cerw h o wou ld take t h e comman d an d look after thei r in terests

,

proceeded in th e begin n ing of 1 643 to“associate ”

th e

coun ties, that is to un ite t hem un der on e o ffi cer,w h o shou ld

have very large pow er,both mil i tary an d civi l . Th e coun t ies

n ow associa ted were t h e Coun ty of Warwick,th e C i ty an d

Coun ty of Coven t ry,th e Coun ty of Stafford

,an d th e Ci ty and

Coun ty of Lich field . This w as don e by th e Ordin an ce of Associat ion ,

which di rected that th e Lord L ieutenan t an d th e

committee n amed in th e ord inan ce

should a ssoc ia te themselves to protect the coun t ies,r a ise horse an d foot ,

money and p la te, give bat t le, figh t , a nd levy w a r, pu t to execu t ion of death

,

and destroy a l l w ho shou ld levy w ar aga in st the

They were to obey th e Lord Gen era l Essex,an d n ext after h im

t hei r Lord L ieuten an t Lord Brooke, w h o h ad a lready servedin Worcestersh ire, ho lding Kiddermin ster an d Stourbridgeduring t h e t ime Essex w as a t Worcester. Brooke w as alsoappoin ted gen era l of th e forces of th e tw o assoc iated coun t ieso f S tafford an d Warwick . So on the n orth and t h e east of

Worcestersh ire th e Parl iamen t h ad a respon sible organi zat ionun der a ski l led officer to look aft er thei r i n terests. Therew as

,how ever

,n othing of th e kin d in th e sou th an d west

There everyth ing depen ded on on e m an,w h o w as in a

subordin ate posit ion ,Massey ; but h e w as a h ost in himself

,

an d did more fo r th e Parl iamen t than any associat ion cou ldhave don e.

Lord Brooke at on ce got to work, ra ised some forces,an d

determin ed to dislodge t he Royal ists from th e posi t ion theyh ad taken up in th e Close at Lich field . H e la i d siege to the

place,but w as ki lled by a shot from th e w al ls. Th e Close,

however,w as afterwards taken . Later on in th e year th e Earl of

Ru shw or th 1 0 3.

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68 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

for th e King. Gloucester w as th e cen t re from which th e

forays up th e Leaddon va l ley were made. Ci ren cester w as th eplace from which th e P arl iamen t t roops set ou t to in tercep tth e l in e from Evesham to Oxford . F or the presen t G loucestercou ld n ot be attacked , but i t w as qui te possi b le to takeC iren cester , and th e Roya l ist gen era ls decided that i t must betaken . A l l tha t w as wan ted to do i t were m en .

I t is very di ffi cu l t t o est imate t h e forces a t th e d isposa l ofe ither party at th is t ime. Th e Roya l ists h ad about Burfordt he rein forcemen ts from W a les tha t th e M arquis o f Hert fordh ad brough t up at t h e en d of December

,and there were a

cer ta in n umber of m en from the garrison a t Oxford w h o w ereava i lable for forays and “ bea t ing u p quarters ;

”b u t a field

a rmy,in th e sen se of a n umbe r o f troops beyon d the m en in

t he d ifferen t garrison s, t h e Royal ists did n ot possess. Th e

garrison s were con t in ual ly recru it ing , bu t they do n ot

appear to have don e much more than make good theirlosses from casualt ies and desert ion s ; i t seems tha t anyava i lable field force h ad to be draw n from t he d iff eren tgarrison s

,they from time to t ime recru i t ing to keep u p their

n umbers.

I t w as much th e same wi th th e Parl iamen t . Any force theyh ad for off en sive Operat ion s h ad to be draw n from thei rd iff eren t garrison s. They h ad n o field army

,bu t thei r

g a rrison s w ere more n umerous and more fu l ly man n ed t hanthose of th e Roya l ists, therefore they could put a larger forcein th e field .

As far as can be learn t , n umbers were n ot th e on ly advan

tage th e Parl iamen t possessed. Thei r t roops were bet ter pa id ,bet ter dri lled , and bet ter a rmed as a w ho le than th e Roya l ists

,

and a lthough there w as n ot much to be sa id as to th e discipl ineo f e ither party , ye t th e d isciplin e w as better among th e godlyPuri tan s than among th e godless Cava l iers. I t w as

,how ever

,

very weak on both si des. Fien n es,th e officer w ho h ad com

m anded a t Pow ick , w as n ow th e Govern or o f Bristo l . Tw o of“

h is regimen ts del iberately disobeyed h is orders,and on being

ca lled to accoun t quest ion ed the r igh t of any m an to giveo rders to th e servan ts of th e Lord . Lord Grey, son of thatLord Stamford w h o h ad been Governor o f Hereford , gave a

so ld ier some order that displeased him ; th e so ld ier fo l low edt h e o ffi cer an d cu t h im on the head wi th a po le-axe. Theseacts of the Parl iament troops were a l l j ust ified by thei r m en byreferen ce to th e Old Testamen t , and to the case of some heroo f Hebrew history ; th is they considered no t on ly su ffi c ien texcuse,

‘

bu t obl igatory on th e servan ts of th e Lord to fo l low .

The Parl iamen t so ld ier on ly d isobeyed orders on con

scien t iou s groun ds, the Roya l ists disobeyed them ou t o f

pure lawlessness. On e case, which shews the state o f things,

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 . 69

mm th e W orcester gar rison,wil l prove this. Among the

o fficers there w as a Colon e l H ide,w h o w as in command o f a

r egimen t of foot . He h ad seen serv ice abroad,an d on t h e

strength of such service con si dered h e w as en t i t led to t reat a l l

w h o h ad n ot some such experien ce wi th th e most supreme

con tempt , and especia l ly th e govern or (Si r W i l l iam Russel l )and h is tw o chief o ffi cers

,Si r James Hami lton and Sir Fran cis

Worsley , bo th of w hom were in comman d of dragoon regimen tsforming par t o f th e garrison .

Th e Mayor of Worcester (Hen ry Ford ) in Jan uary , 1 643,gave a N ew Year ’s feast

,to w hich h e asked the govern or and

ib iS offi cers,in clud ing Hide . On si t t ing down to d inn er

,Hide

t ook up h is n apkin from th e t ren cher,looked un der i t

,an d

see ing n oth ing ,observed

,

“ Mr . Mayor,I expected a N ew

Year ’s gift ,”

and then began to abuse t he mayor in n o

measured words for n ot pay i ng h is (Hide’s) soldiers, On th is

b eing arranged,Hide proceeded to drink with t he Mayoress

,‘

a n d a fresh quarre l broke ou t because th e lady decl ined to

drink as many beer glasses of w in e as Hide asked h er to

t ake. On the mayor desi r ing to protect h is w ife ’s ob r iety,Hide threw h is t ren cher a t him . Si r W i l l iam Russel l

,on t his

,

i n terven ed, trying to make peace , b u t Hide became so veryv iolen t that Russel l h ad to pu t him un der arrest. Hide thenleft th e room. O n get t ing in to t h e st reet h e imagin ed that tw owomen in sul ted him , so w i th h is sword he cut one over th e heada n d th e other over t h e shou lder . On e of th e w omen wen t tot h e m ayor to complain . Hide fo l lowed , begin n ing to abuset he ci ty magist rates. To stop the disturban ce

,Russe l l

ordered Hide t o h is quarters. W i th some di ffi cu lty Sir James

Hamilton got Hide to h is lodg ings. He then became mostv io len t

,abusing Russel l

,and tel l ing th e so ld iers he won dered

they submi t ted to be ru led by such a coward as th e govern or ,and declared h is in ten t ion of a t once shooting him . A guardw as

_p laced at Hide ’s door, confin ing him to h is quarters, buth e broke ou t through th e guard

,struck severa l officers

,caused

th e a larm to be bea ten ,an d n early r a ised a serious disturban ce.

Russel l sen t a repor t of Hide’s con duct to head-quarters at

Oxford . Hide w as sen t there un der a guard,tr ied by

court-mart ial , but discharged , asRussel l d id n ot appear aga in sth im .

Hide’s,though a bad case, w as by n o mean s an iso lated one.

Th e ol d so ld iers w h o, Ludlo w says,were made much of, were

g rossly in subord in ate , an d desperadoes of the class of Hide,w h o

,on t h e st rength o f thei r kn owledge of mili tary mat ters

,

were given comman ds,brought in to Englan d th e worst fea tures

o f Con t in en ta l mil itary l icen ce. What made mat ters worse w as

that th e strict mil i tary discipl ine which h ad preva i led abroadw as whol ly wan t ing here

,so these m en became terrors

,n ot

70 C I V I L W AR, 1 643 .

on ly to the garrisons to which they belonged,bu t a lso to th e

coun try , and did more harm to t h e Roya l cause than any th ingelse , shewing to peaceable

,G od-fea r ing Englishmen the

class of m en Ch arles Stuart,if successfu l

,wou ld place to ru le

over ' them . I t is easy to suppose that Worcester,with

desperadoes l ike Hide,w i th can n y Scots l ike Hamilton , and

with a govern or un able t o preserve order or disc ipl in e,cou ld

n ot,in 1 643 , have been an idea l p lace of residen ce.

These r u ffi an s of th e Hide class h ad thei r u se. They werein stan ces of w hat th e profession a l t rooper migh t degen erate in to at th e lowest en d of th e sca le. What h e might beimproved in to w as seen a t th e other en d in th e comman der of

th e Roya l ist caval ry,Prin ce Rupert. H e w as on ly a glor ified

t rooper,an d possessed much of t he spir i t of these m en . I t is

usual ly sa i d that Rupert ’s caval ry were composed of Engl ishgen t lemen

,ready to give thei r l ives and fortun es for th e King.

That there were many such is true,bu t there w as a lso a leavenof m en of th e Hide class

,w h o gave Ruper t ’s Horse thei r

reputat ion for plun dering as wel l as for fight ing . At th is periodof th e w ar Rupert ’s reputat ion w as of th e greatest va l ue to the

Kin g . Powick h ad sun k deep in to th e min ds of both .

frien ds an d foes th e lesson taught by Powick h ad

been confi rmed at Edgehi l l,an d Edgehil l h ad been en forced

at Bren t ford so i t w as bel ieved to be th e fact thatRupert never comes bu t to con quer or to fa l l

that th e t roops of th e Parl iamen t cou ld n ot st an d before th e

caval ry of t h e King, th e reason being wel l pu t in th e remarkCromwel l is sa i d to have made to Hampden

“ You n ever w i l l get on w i th a set o f poor t apsters and tow n appren ticepeop le, figh t in g aga in st m en o f honour .

”

1"

N ow,as a lw ays, Char les

’ great w an t w as mon ey,an d th e

diffi cu lty w as to ra ise i t . I t w as much more diffi cu lt to getth e mon ey to pay th e m en , t han to get th e m en . Worcestershire an swered w e l l to th e King ’s deman ds. At the EpiphanySession s, 1 643, th e Gran d Jury di rected a levy of £30 0 0 a

mon th to be made on th e Coun ty ,“ to be pa id mon th ly tow ards the paymen t of H is Majesty ’s forces sen t an d iraised for the defen ce of the Coun ty of W o r cester .

"

I

John Baker,gen t leman

,w as appo in ted

co l lec tor to receive the money an d pay i t over to S ir W i l l iam Russel l , H ighSheriff of the Coun ty and Governor o f the C i ty of

At th e East er Session s, on th e 4th Apri l , Baker cert ified thatt h e mon ey ordered to be pa i d at th e Epiphany Session s w as,

for the most part yet u n sat isfied/T

See the accou n t o f Char lg r ove F ield,ci ted by F r i th .—Cr om w el l

'

s A r my , p. 1 35.

f Ca r lyle ’

s C r om w ell ’s Let te rs a nd Speeches, I . ,1 67 ed. 1 845.

1 Sessions Records, I ., p . 70 1 . I h .

, p. 7 1 0 .

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .71

A mot ion w as then made in open court for th e con t in uan ce of

th e paymen t of {30 0 0 a mon th for a longer t imeThereupon , w e of the Gran d Jury , tak in g i t in to ou r con siderat ion , do

think fi t the same should st i l l be pa id , ac cording to the sa i d order, fo r threemon ths longer, un t i l further order be taken herein a t the n ext Gen er a lSession s of the Peace by the Just i ces o f the Pea ce and Commissioners of theCoun ty .

“

Th e fact that this order fo r t axing th e Coun ty w as made at

t h e Epiphany Session s an d ren ewed at th e Easter , shewsperhaps more than anything else t hat t h e King 5 in fluen ce w as

n ow predomin an t in th e Coun ty . I t m ay be sa i d that a

Roya l ist Sheriff l ike Sir W i l l iam Russel l wou ld take caret hat a Roya l ist Gran d Jury should be ret urn ed . This m aybe so ; bu t having regard to t h e diffi cu lt ies that were m et

w ith in 1 642 by t h e Commissioners of Array , an d a lso th e

st rong Parl iamen tary lean ing that is shew n in t h e Session sPresen tmen ts, for in st an ce , th e presen tmen t aga in st Cath ol icsfith e order of 1 643 shew s a con siderable advan ce of th e powero f th e Roya l ist party .

Th e presen tmen t of Easter , 1 643, goes on to give direct ion sabout t h e Coun ty ; obviously Massey ’s ra ids w ere begin n ing t o

be felt . I t saysFurther, w e of the Gran d Jury , do [presen t ] tha t the ou tmost parts o f the

Coun ty , w h i ch be [ the] nearest un to danger, m ay speed i ly be se[ cured ] by“ troops of horse an d other n ecessary assistan ce, and tha t w e m ay be freed‘ from giving fr ee quarter, hay, or provender w i thou t money .

"

This shew s t hat a lready Rupert ’s“

system o f a l low ing h is

m en to l ive at free quarters w as resen t ed . This, in fact ,is th e fi rst mu t t er ing of t h e storm that afterw ards brokeou t in t o th e Clubmen of th e Coun ty . Th e people of

Worcestershire do n o t appear to have object ed to th e t axes,b u t to being both t axed and plun dered

,an d they gradua l ly

gravit ated t o th e si de t hat w as able to give them some securityagain st en during both .

Th e presen tmen t proceedsAnd tha t in assessi ng the sa id £30 0 0 , the same shall be assessed a ccordingto the taxing of the by Act of Parl iamen t , and accord ing to th e

order of theThis h ad been ra ised by t h e Statu t e 1 6 Car . I .

,

c . I t w as t o be pa i d by tw o equa l paymen ts ; th e Coun tyof Worcester to pay £580 2 1 0 5 . 6d . , an d th e C ity of

Worcester £356 45 . 9d . A l ien s an d Pop ish Recusan t con vict swere t o pay double. Th e fi rst mo iety w as payable beforet h e 2 0 th M ay,

1 642 , th e secon d'

b efor e th e 2 0 th November ,1 642 Th e Commission ers to levy i t for W orcestershirew ereS ir Wa l ter Devereux

,S ir Thomas Rous

,Baron ets

, Sir John Rous, Kn igh t ,John W i lde, Serj ean t-a t-Law , Humphrey Sa lw ay ( these tw o last w ere the

Session s Records, I . , p . 1 I h ., p. 698. I S ta tu tes of th e Rea lm ,

V .

7 2 C I VIL W AR, 1 643.

Coun ty Members of Parl iamen t) , Edw ard P it ts, Edw ard D ingley , WilliamJeffryes, o f Ham Cast le, John Savage, Henry I ngram , Henry Tow n send,J oh

‘

n Na n fan , Edw ard Vern on , W i l l iam Ch i lde, Thomas Good , RobertWilde, of the Commanders, John W in ford , Esq . , George Len ch , t i l i pBrace , Roger Low e, John Co ld ing , -Esqs. , Hen ry D ison , Edw a rd

r Ba r r et and

N i cho las Gow er, of Droi tw i ch , John Ha i les and Fran c i s G ilding , o f

Bew dley , Dan iel Dobbin s, Esq t he Ba i li ff of K iddermin ster for the t ime“ being , t he Mayor of E vesham for the t ime being, Fra n cis Harw el l , ThomasCh resheld , gen t leman .

"

This l ist is in terest ing as shewing t h e t ren d of feel ing . Bot ht h e Coun ty Members, Sergean t W i lde an d Humphrey Sa lway

(w h o w ere Parl iamen t arian s) , were appo in ted . Th e Membersfor Evesham w ere Richard Ch r esh old an d th e Hon . JohnCoven t ry ; n either of t hem were appo in ted

,un less

,as is l ikely ,

Thomas shou ld be “ Richard Ch r esh old .

” W i l l iam San dys,w h o h ad been th e member

,w as expel led th e House in Jan uary

,

1 64 1 , as a mon opo l ist ; h is mon opo ly being th e paten t to maket h e Avon n avigable, and for dues on goods carried on th e r iver .I n h isn av igat ion scheme h e w as most bit terly opposed by SirW i l l iam Russel l . How they got on together afterwards does n otappear . Coven t ry took h is place, bu t in 1 643 w as disabled fromsit t ing as a Commission er of Array . Richard Ch r esh ol d w as

a Serjean t -at -Law ,Recor der of Evesham

,an d a commission er

t o compen sate th e Avon proprietors for damage don e bySan dys’ scheme of n avigat ion . He w as of a Norfo lk fami ly

,

an d is probably th e person here mean t . Dro i twich w as r epr e

sen ted by En dymion Porter an d Samuel San dys. By a vote of

th e House in February , 1 642 , Porter , w h o w as on e of th e

G rooms of th e Bedchamber , w as removed , being “ on e that is conceived to give dan gerous coun sel .” I n August

,1 642 , San dys, as

a Roya l ist , w as disabled from sit t ing in Parl iamen t . Sir Hen ryHerbert w as Member for Bewdley . It wi l l thus be seen thatt h e on ly Members of Parl iamen t on th e Commission were th e

tw o opposit ion Members for Worcestershire, an d,i f Thomas

Ch r esh old is th e same as Richard Ch r esh ol d,the opposit ion

Member for Evesham .

Th e Commission ers for Worcester Ci ty were :“ The M ayor for the t ime bei ng, John Coucher, Roger Gough , JohnH an bury, J ohn Nash , W i l liam Norris, George S treet , A ldermen Fran c isS treet , Esq Ri chard Heming , Humphrey Vernon ,John Coucher

,w h o w as member in 1 642 , w as then 8 1

,and

,i t

i s bel ieved , n ever took h is seat .

John Nash,th e other member , w as a st rong Parl iamen tarian

,

comman ded a t roop of horse for t h e Parl iamen t,an d w as

afterw ards, in 1 644, on e of th e Assessmen t Commit tee for th eCoun ty .

Th e presen tmen t wen t onW e a lso desire tha t S ir W i l liam Russel l m ay forthw i th give an [accoun t ]

to the Commission ers for the Defence of the Coun ty how he has disbursed

S ta t u tes of the Rea lm ,V. ,

i s7.

CIV I L W AR, 1 643 . 73

“the money by h im r[eceived ] , accord i ng to the fo 1mer order and H is

M ajesty ’s i n struc t ion s.

’

From some papers of Sir W i l l iam Russel l ’s.

i t wou ld appearthat h e h ad spen t mon ey , probably

“th e mon ey so rece ived ,

”

in various w ays. F o r in stan ceV icisimo die, Aug.“ W hereas S ir

b

W iI l iam Russel l ’s Reg imen t o f Horse d id quarter inbber l ey 1n M ay and J un e la st , S ir W i l l iam Russel l ha th [a l ] lowed un to

m e, Constable, said tow n , ou t of the cont r i bu t ion ,mon eths, the sum o f ffower t iene poun ds, ten n sh i l l ings, nyne pence,

“ in discharge thereof.John Ford , Constable. T

Other vouchers ar eRecei ved of Si r W i l l iam Russel l the sum of one hundred pounds tow ards

“the paymen t of my Regimen t . I say, received the sayd some the 24th

December, 1 642 .

John Ow en . Tr o th die F eb 1 642 .

Recei ved , the day and yea r e abovesa id , of S ir W i l l iam Russel l , the sumeof forty sh i i l ing s for cast ing of iron ord in an ce. I say, recei ved the some of

“40 5.

Brian New ton . T1 6th F eb , 1 642 .

“ Rece i ved then , of S ir Wi l l iam Russel l , Baron et , Governor of Worcester“a nd Teuxbu ry, the sum of z o l i. , for paymen t of h is ow n compan y of

dragoon s here a t Teuxbury. I say, r ec. the sume of £2 0Tho . M ayla rd .

’

T

From these it wou l d appear that a l l th e mon ey recei ved w as

n ot disbursed for th e defen ce of t h e Coun ty,bu t gen era l ly for

th e King ’s n eeds.

Th e presen tmen t goes on .

“ And w herea s i t w as ordered by the Ri [gh t ] Arthur Lord Capel l an d the

Coun c i l of W a r tha t the £30 0 0 , and w h a t other mon ey w as formerlyco l lec ted or due for horses , coa t , and conduct money i n t he Coun ty, w i t h

“the pu t t ing ou t of w h i ch mon ey S ir [Wa l ter] Devereux, S ir W i l l iamRussel l , a nd [ S ir John ] Rous w ere en trusted for t he Coun ty now

due to the Coun ty by bond from H i l l , surveyor, sha l l, togetherw i th the in [ terest ] thereo f ow in g , be forthw i th pa i d to C [olon el ] Samue lSandys, tow ards the paymen t of severa l b i l lets and debts of h is regimen t ,and t he ma in tenance of h is so ldier s, a nd tha t t he S ir Wa l terDevereux, S ir W i l l iam Russel l , and S ir J ohn R [ouse] stan dthereof u t terly d ischarged , as by order produced to u s appeareth ,w h i ch sa id or[der] w e approve o f, and do desire the same a t th isSession s be so ordered, and tha t the C lerk of the Peace sha l l deliver u p M r.H i l l ’s bon d .

”

ICoat an d con duct mon ey w as th e sum pa id to a recru it for

h is un i form,outfit , an d J ourn ey t o h is post .

There i s a fragmen t of a presen tmen t in 1 642 , by th e Gran dJury

,among th e Worcestershire Papers, w hich speaks of

paymen t o f the ~m oney un to Co lon el l San dys, a l l w h i ch w e ha vein the of H is M ajesty ’s Commissioners appo in ted fo r the safe tyof the Coun ty of Worcester. W e l ikew ise th ink w e l l tha t Mr. Kimberleysha l l have fifteen sh i l l ings ou t of t he three pounds w h i ch is in the

Th is m ay be A , ” o r C u . 1 Russel l Paper s,1 Sessions Records, I . , p . 7 1 0 . II Sessions Records, I . , p. 70 0 .

74 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

Samuel San dys w as appo in ted in 1 643 to comman d th e horseo f th e Coun ty . He ra ised a regimen t of in fan t ry an d a t roopof horse for th e King, an d th e paymen ts here men t ion ed mustrefer t o some out lay for them .

Th e Session s’ order for th e £30 0 0 a mon th is of in t erestfrom severa l po in ts. I t gives some clue as to th e st rength of

th e Roya l ist forces in th e Coun ty . From SirW i l l iam Russel l ’sa ccoun t s i t appears that th e pay per t roop w as£2 0 a week .

*

Assuming th e who le of th e £30 0 0 wen t in pay,this wou ld

represen t 1 50 t roops, an d , at thei r fu l l st rength of 1 0 0 m en a

t roop , abou t I 50 0 m en . This agrees very n early with th e

accoun t given by Symon ds of t h e n umber of m en in th e

garrison s in th e Coun ty in Jun e,1 644,Tw h o puts i t between

30 0 0 an d 40 0 0 .

What th e t ax w as m ay best be un derstood i f i t is con t rastedw ith on e at th e presen t day

— pol i ce . a year isn ot qu it e w hat th e pol i ce force n ow ( 1 904) costs th e Coun ty .

Spread over th e w ho le Coun ty that represen ts a 5d . rate . On

th is assessmen t i t must have been , i f i t is assumed mon ey isn ow worth n early five t imes more than then

, a z s.

‘

r ate, bu t th e

assessmen t then must have been much less than a fi fth of whati t is n ow .

To raise on t hat wou ld mean a 5s. rate . I t is n ot to

be w on dered at i f on these figures th e people of Worcestershireresen ted th e paymen ts they h ad to make , besi des havin g troopsl iving on them at free quarters

,to say n othing of t h e plun derers

on both sides.

I t wi ll be as w el l to men t ion here a l ist given by Symon ds inh is diaryI of th e t roops ra ised in t h e Coun ty for th e King . H e

says, writ ing in 1 644 :

S in ce the'C ivi l W ar in th is k ingdom these regimen ts have been ra ised outof th is Coun ty (Worcestersh ire) p r o r eg e, w h ich con sists on ly of 1 50 0 d

parish churches.

S ir James Ham i lton , abou t M ay, 1 643, ra ised three regimen ts—one of

horse of 40 0 or thereabou ts, on e of foot , n ear 1 0 0 0 , one of dragoon s ; a l l a t“the charges of the Coun ty. These capta ins w ere under h im of th is Coun ty

OF HORSE.

Captain John Blun t , of Sodding ton , son of S ir Wa lter Blun t .Captain W i l l iam Welch .Capta in Co l t .Al l these a nd h is regimen t w ere cu t off and ta ken prisoners a bout or near

‘

the Devizes. These capta in s a foresa id are n ow in tow n .

H is regimen t of foot lost there, so w as h is dragoon s.

Henderson , a Scot , w as h is l ieu tenan t .Colonel Samuel Sandys, of Ombersley, four m i les from Worcester, abou t

“the same t ime s r aised d h reev regimen ts, one

’

of horse, one of foot , one o f"

dragoon s, a l l a t h is ow n charge. He hath £30 0 0 per an num .

The horse con sisted of betw een 6 o r 70 0 .

John Sandys, h is un c le, Capta in-Lieu tena n t .

Russell P a per s, i p . 1 2 . p . 1 1 .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

76 CIV I L W AR, 1 643 .

wan ts. As soon as Massey learn t of thei r arriva l h e began to

h arass them and beat u p thei r quarters: This w as too-much forRupert . Taking th e Welsh , h is ow n regimen ts

,an d those of h is

brother Mauri ce, on th e 7th Jan uary , h e marched to Ci rencester , attacked it

,bu t w as repu lsed . Massey

,en couraged by

h is success, at tacked th e Roya l ist garrison at Sudeley Cast le,

which w as hel d for th e Earl of Chan dos by Capt a in Brydges.

T h e at t ack w as repu lsed,bu t Massey , ga in ing possession of th e

garden ,set fi r e to a quan t ity of h ay and straw

,an d plan ted h is

gun s t o fi r e on th e Cast le, w hich so a larmed th e garrison thatthey surren dered .

These Parl iamen tary su ccesses qu ite upset th e Royal ist plan s,w hich cou ld n ot be carried ou t un t i l th e Cotsw o lds werecleared . To do this Ci ren cester must be t aken

,an d i t w as

decided aga in to at tempt i t . But i t w as n ot n ow so easy a

t ask ; th e fort ificat ion s h ad been st rengthen ed , and th e garrisonin creased ; fou r great i ron gun s h ad been sen t u p from Bristo l ,a brass gu n from Gloucester . I n sp ite of al l this th e Royal istgen era ls resolved it shou ld fa l l . Rupert h ad gon e off on

on e of h is foraying expedit ion s through Nor th am pton sh i r ean d Warwickshire . Orders were sen t to him to march on

t h e place ; rein forcemen ts wou ld be sen t , an d h e must t ake i t .

On th e 2 9th Jan uary Rupert w as at Shipston -ou -Stour . On

th e n ext day (Mon day) h e marched to W in chcombe. He en

camped in a fiel d at Hull ing,n ear Sudeley Cast le, but made n o

at tempt on i t . On th e I st February h e reached Nor th leach ;here h is rein fo rcemen ts jo in ed him . H e n ow foun d himsel f atth e head of some 40 0 0 horse an d foot

,with wh ich force h e w as

t o make th e at tempt to t ake Ci ren cester . On th e z ud

February h e marched to th e place, and after some hard fight ingt ook 1 1 0 0 prison ers, 5 gun s, I 3 muskets, an d 1 4 co lourswere th e spo i ls of h is vict ory . Tying th e prisoners tw o an d

t w o,h e marched them tow ards Oxford .

Amon g them w as a proper han dsome m an, w i th a very w h ite sk in,w here i t

cou ld be seen for the blood of h is w oundsf He not being able to g o , w asset n aked on the bare back of a horse, h is w ounds gaping and h is bodysmeared w i th blood yet he sa t uprigh t upon h is horse w i th an undaun tedcoun ten an ce, and w hen near the K ing a braw l ing woman cried ou t a fterh im , Ah , you tra i torly rogue, you ar e w el l enough served .

’He, w ith a

scorn fu l look tow ards her , an sw ered , ‘You base w oman ,

’

and instan t lydropped off dead from h is

Th e capt ure of Ci ren cester w as rea l ly a great success. It w as

a serious check to th e Parl iamen t in th e Cotswo l d distr ict , andgave th e King th e upper han d t here .

I t brough t,

says C laren don , 1“a lmost that w ho le Coun ty in to con t r ibu

t ion , a nd w as a grea t en largemen t to the K ing’s quart ers, w h i ch now

w i thou t in terrupt ion extended from Oxford to Worcester, tha t importan tc ity , w i th the o ther of Hereford .”

Ru shw or th V .,1 3 1 . 1 Wh i telock , 64. 1 I L, 97

CIV I L W AR, 1 643 . 77

I t h ad other result s. Massey at on ce began to con cen t rateh is forces in Gloucester . He aban don ed Sudeley , w ithdrewth e garrison from Tewkesbury , w h ich Russel l took possessiono f an d garrison ed early in February , 1 643. Russel l w as

govern or for a short t ime himsel f, bu t later h e appo in ted

Sir Nathan Carew . Rupert did n ot delay . Ci ren cester w as

t aken on th e an d February ; on th e n ext day h is m en werebefore Gloucester , an d summon ed

"

i t to surren der . Masseyrefused , an d Rupert therefore determin ed it should be

besieged .

Lord Herbert , w h o h ad succee ded th e Marqu is of Hert fordin th e comman d in Sou th Wa les, brought up some 2 0 0 0

Welshmen,

an d to them th e siege of Gloucester w as

en t rusted . Sir Richard Law dey, th e Govern or of Hereford,

brought further rein forcemen ts. H e w as pu t in comman d of th e

in fan t ry,th e comman d of th e cava lry w as given to Lord John

Somerset .

Massey w as n ot to be shut up w ithout an at temp t to

beat off h is foes. He marched in t o th e Forest of Dean to '

meet th e Welsh . A skirmish took place at Co leford , in w hichLaw dey w as ki l led , shot , i t w as sa i d an d bel ieved , by a si lverbu llet . H is place sa comman der of th e in fan t ry w as t aken bySir Jerome Bret t , w h o marched at on ce to Gloucester an d

occu p1ed Highn am an d th e V in eyard . Surroun ding Gloucester,

on Massey aga in refusing to surren der , h e immediately began th esiege . Nothing shew s Massey ’

s abi l ity as a sol dier more thanthis siege, w ith a much in fer ior force

,h e throughout assumed

an d kept th e off en sive , an d at last w as able to at t ack th e

besiegers on the i r ow n groun d n ear Highn am . Even i f rel iefh ad n ot been at han d , Massey w ou ld probably have been ablet o hol d ou t . As i t w as, h e w as able to do far more . On

‘

hearing of th e approach of th e Welsh , Massey sen t to

Bristo l , th e head-quarters o f h is Division a l Gen era l , in forminghim of w hat w as t aking place, an d of th e w ay h e proposeddea l ing w ith i t . Th e Severn h ad to be crossed

,an d to

cross t h e Severn w ith an army anyw here below Gloucester isn o easy t ask . Massey ,

how ever, h ad co l lected a n umber of

boats at Framilode , lower dow n t h e Severn , suffi cien t t o

con vey th e t roops across. On ce they h ad crossed they h ad on lyto advan ce on to Highn am , t ake t h e Welsh in t he rear , w hi leh e (Massey) at t acked t hem in fron t . Th e scheme commen deditself

,as any bo l d an d daring scheme w ou ld do , to th e gen era l

comman ding at Bristo l , for that gen eral w as Sir W i l l iam Wa l ler(“W i l l iam th e Con queror ,

”as h is frien ds ca l led him ;

“Th e

Night Ow l ,” from h is bo ld an d successfu l movemen ts by n ight

,

as t he Royal ists ca l led him) , th e Sergean t-Major Gen era l" of th e

Tha t is the Comman :l er-in-Ch ief o f t h e in fa n t r y o f P a r l iamen t a rmy —n ee F r i th ,Cr om w el l

’

s A r m; p. 6 1 .

’

78 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

Parl iamen t army , w h o w as n ow to make h is fi rst appearan ce int h e West Midlan ds.

A t that t ime n o Parl iamen tary gen era l h ad a greater reputat ion ,

an d n o Parl iamen tary gen era l bet ter deserved it . H is

successes in th e south h ad placed him in t h e very foremostran k of th e Parl iamen tary leaders. When Wa l ler left t h eUn iversity h e en tered t h e Ven et ian service

,fought in th e

Bohemian Wars again st th e Emperor , took part in th e

Engl ish expedit ion t o defen d t h e Pa lat in ate . He came back toEnglan d in 1 632 an d married . I n con sequen ce of a quarrelwi th on e of h is wife ’s family , w h o w as about th e Court

,t o

whom Wa l ler gave a soun d an d deserved thrash ing , Wa l lerw as prosecu ted an d severely fin ed . This set h im aga in st t h eCourt . A zealous Puri tan ,

h e w as elect ed for An dover in th e

Lon g Parl iamen t as a member of th e opposit ion . On th e w ar

breaking ou t h e w as appo in ted co lon el of a regimen t o f horse,an d given th e comman d of th e t roops sen t to t ake Portsmouth .

This h e’

did . I n December,1 642 , Wa l ler took Farn ham an d

Arun del Cast les,W in chester , an d Chichester . F or these servicesh e w as made Sergean t -Major Gen era l o f Gloucest er , W i l ts,Somerset , an d Bristo l , with head-quarters at Bristol . Fiveregimen t s of horse an d five regimen ts of foot were t o be ra isedt o serve un der h im . H e t ook up h is comman d on th e 2 1 51:

March . He ou t—man oeuvred Rupert an d took Ma lmesbu ry byassau lt on t h e 2 3r d . H e then marched to Framilode ;u t i l ising Massey ’s fleet of boats h e crossed th e river withou tdi ffi cu lty , marched past Hun t ley

,drawin g up h is m en at

Highn am in t h e rear of th e Welsh t roops,

Massey h ad at tacked them in fron t,

sa l lying ou t fromGloucester . H is att ack h ad n ot been al together successfu l ;t h e Welsh stood thei r groun d wel l

,n ot merely withstan ding

Massey ’s efforts, bu t in thei r t urn at t acking him . Whi le th e

issue w as in doubt Wa l ler s gun s w ere heard fir ing on th e

Welsh rear . Massey ’

s m en , on this, aga in advan ced to th e

at t ack , carried an earthw ork , made th e garr ison prison ers,

then,t o quote Wa l ler

Before t he en emy h ad any not i ce w e fel l upon their backs, and in a shortt ime, w i thou t t h e loss of above two , they rendered up the p la ce uponquarter, w hen w e h ad 1 444 common prisoners, w el l armed , comman ders and

gen t lemen abou t 1 50 , m an y o f the ch ief o f Wa les and

A s soon as th eWelsh foun d t hey were at tacked both in fron tan d rear

,in spit e of t hei r o ffi cers urging them to make an

eff ort to break through t h e l in es, they refused to fight,an d

n othing rema in ed bu t t o surren der . Th e Welsh were angryan d su llen , con si der ing they h ad been deserted by thei r gen era l ,Lord Herbert

,w h o h ad gon e to Oxford

,

“ leaving, says on e a ccoun t , a l l h is Welsh beh ind h im , w h ich made them

Si r W i ll iam Waller ’s let ter to Par l iam en t. B ibliotheca G loucestr ensis, pp . 2 9, 1 95”

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 . 79

sw ear by St . Ta ffy they w ou ld never figh t for h im ag a in , un less he w i l l passi t under h is han d and sea l that he w i l l stand i t

They h ad’

som e groun ds fo r -thei r bel ief that they weredesert ed . Lord Gerrard h ad marched off w i th al l th e cava l ryt o Tetbury . H e might have preven ted Wal ler passing t h e

river at Framilode i f h e h ad h ad any dash , bu t h e n ever evenat tempted to st rike a blow ,

an d left Bret t an d t h e Welsh t o

t hei r fat e . Th e defeat an d t h e disgrace could n ot be den ied .

Th e on ly thing to be don e w as to expla in i t aw ay . Th e

Royal ists, therefore, ascribed i t t o a breach of fa ith on Wa l ler ’spart . After describing h is march

,h is passage o f t h e Severn

,

an d h is at t ack on t h e Welsh rear,t h e Roya l ist accoun t goes

0 11 — T Wa l lermet W i t h such resistan ce tha t he lost 40 0 o f h is m en , and so g ave over fortha t t ime. Findin g the n ext day tha t t he K i ng ’s forces w ere w i l l ing to

admi t o f parley , he hearken ed un to i t an d en terta ined a trea ty w i th t hem ,

hav ing lost so many of h is m en in the former on fa l ls. Bu t w h i le they w ere“ in deba te upon the con di t ion s, a n d a lm ost come to a con c lusion . some of

the m en , percei v ing o ne of t he ou tw orks to be bu t mean ly m an ned (most o fh is so l d iers being w i thdraw n in con fiden ce o f some fa ir end by the presen tparley) , g ave i n upon the same an d w on i t , an d from th i s set upon the rest ,

“tha t the horse, bo th troopers an d dragoons, seeing how l i t t le hope of sa fetythere w as i f t hey shou ld abide i t , w en t fa irly off a nd saved themsel ves forbet ter t imes, lea v ing abou t 30 0 of their foot beh ind them , w h o w ere h adprisoners i n to G loucester, besi des 300 or t hereabou t w h i ch w ere k i l led in

“ defen ce o f the w orks.

”

This view is to some ext en t born e ou t by th e fact that w hent h e Gloucester an d Ledbury Can a l w as cu t a n umber of bon esw ere foun d abou t t h e spot w here t h e figh t took place . At radit ion h ad long existed abou t Barber ’s Bridge that i f certa inmoun ds n ear there were open ed th e bon es of th eWelsh ki l leda t th e siege of Gloucester w ou ld be foun d . I n fi l l ing up a poo li n 1 868 on e of these places w as open ed , disclosing a largen umber of bon es. I t is sa id that these ar e t h e bon es of t h e

W elsh w h o h ad fought at Highn am ,driven back ,

an d

m et at t h e brook by an other body o f so ldiers,there su r

r oun ded an d kil led , so that th e brook w as ca l led , as i t st i l l is,

Red Brook,

” because i t r an r ed w i th thei r b lood , t hatBarber ’s Bridge ”

is a corrupt ion of Barbarous Bridge,

an d

t h e n ame w as derived from th e barbarous massacre of t h e

VVel sh . IWhether ga in ed by t reachery o r by fai r figh t i ng , Wa l ler ’s

t r iumph w as complet e . H e h ad avenged Ci ren cester ; 1 30 0

foot an d three t roops of horse w ere marched prison ers in toGloucester .§ Lord Herbert n ever forgot or forgave th e loss of

h is m en,Years aft er ( 1 666—7) h e w rote to Charles II .

How w as H is M aj esty recru i ted a t G loucester siege , even a fter the defeat

Per fect D iu r na l , a7th Ma r ch to Ap r i l 3r d ,1 643. 1’ Mercu r iu s’ Au l icus.

’

I See a Paper by Cap ta in P r ice , r ead a t a m eet ing of the Co tsw o ld C l Lb , 1 87 1 , p . 1 4.

§ Clar endon I L ,1 1 9. ll H . M . R.

,xii. , app . 9, p . 60 .

80 CIVIL W AR , 1 643 .

given byWa l ler to my m en G od forgive t hem of the K ing ’s party w h owere the occasion tha t 1 50 0 gen t lemen w ere surprised and I no t despa tched

“ from Oxford t i l l the day a fter" Yet a t 1 4 days’

w arn ing I brought 40 00“ foot and 80 0 horse to the siege of G loucester, paying them £600 0 dow nupon the n a il a t Gloucester. ”

Wa l ler ’s succcess ra ised th e hopes of th e Parl iamen t . Thei rfavourite gen eral h ad aga in proved h is right to th e t i t le of“ Con queror .

” Worcestersh ire and Herefordshire were n ow

to see what a rea l ly act ive gen era l cou ld do . Th e Roya l istsfelt something must be don e, an d that a m an shou ld besen t t o take th e supreme comman d w h o shou ld be a matchfor W a l ler . Th e King ’s ‘ i deas in military mat ters n ever wen tmuch beyon d h is n ephew s. Wa l ler h ad ou t -man oeuvredRupert at Malmesbury , so i t w as n o t wel l to sen d him ;there on ly rema in ed Maurice . Th e cho ice w as singu lar . Ayoung m an of 2 3, w h o h ad seen n o service t o speak of

,w h o

h ad n ever h ad any experien ce as a leader , w as sen t to meet

th e best gen era l th e Parl iamen t h ad as yet foun d . The veryimpuden ce

'

of th e thing made i t deserve to succeed , and it

succeeded . Maurice w as a ppo in ted early in Apr i l to th e

supreme comman d in Worcestershire . Rupert w as sen t on a

special service elsewhere :Maurice at on ce set ou t from Oxford to take up h is n ew

comman d . On reaching Evesham he heard t hat Wa l ler h adra ised th e siege o f Gloucester ; t hat Sir Mat thew Carew , th e

Govern o r of Tewkesbury , on hearing t hat Massey w as advan c

ing aga in st th e place, h ad aban don ed i t that within 1 2 hoursMassey h ad r e-occup ied an d w as n ow in possession of i t

,and

h ad appo in ted Capt a in Fien n es Govern or . Mauri ce determin ed to re t ake i t ; un less h e cou ld do so h e w as powerlessagain st Wa l ler . Lord Gran dison w as at Chel ten ham with th erema in s of Lord John Somerset 's horse w hich h ad been absen ta t t h e Highn am surren der . Maurice ordered them to jo in himbefore Tew kesbury . He sen t to Worcester and th e othergarrison s for m en ,

an d co llected a con si derable force ou t

o f th e comman ds of Si r W i l l iam V avassou r,Sir Walter Pye ,

and Co lon elWroughton . W ith t hese h e set ou t from Eveshamto meet Lord Gran dison . Scou t ing w as n ever th e Roya l ists’

st rong po in t . H ad e ither Lord Gran dison or Mauri ce takenordin ary precaut ion s they cou ld probably have taken Tew kesbury an d i ts garrison withou t any di ffi cu lty . March ingle isurely towards Tew kesbury

,down th e Chelten ham Road ,

w hen about a mile from th e town Lord Gran dison m et a

coun t ryman coming from Tewkesbury . He asked th e m an

w hat force w as there , what w as i ts st rength , and w h o com

m an ded i t ? The m an,mistaking them for Parl iamen t t roops,

an d wan t ing to shew h is zea l for the i r side,tol d them of t h e

great'

n umber and st rength of th e Parl iamen t force, an d howimpossib le i t would be for any Roya l ist force to take i t . This

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 . 811

so a larmed Lord Gran dison that h e proposed to turn back an d

ret reat to Chelten ham . Bu t that some o f h is m en chan ced to

see Maurice advan cin g from Evesham ,h e w ou ld have don e so .

On this Gran dison plucked up courage to advan ce, an d reachedTew kesbury j ust in t ime to see th e rear of Fien n es’ forcemaking a hurried departure a long th e Gloucester Road . Bu t

for this cowardly delay n othing could have saved the Tew kesbury garrison from capt ure .

Maur ice at on ce occupied t h e place . H is force amoun t ed toabou t 2 0 0 0 m en . They rema in ed there for some days.

Maurice employed h is m en in bui lding a bridge of boats.

across th e Severn , w hi le h e wai ted to see what Wa l ler ’s n extmove wou ld be . He h ad n ot long to w a it ; Wa l ler determin edto complete th e Welsh discom fitu r e by a ra i d on that si deAccompan ied by h is favourite offi cer

,Sir Arthur H asel r igge,

th e Member for Le i cest er , on e of t h e celebrated five members,w hose wel l-kn ow n regimen t o f cu i r assieu r s from t hei r armou ran d r ed j ackets w ere kn ow n as Hasel r igge

’s Lobsters, Wal ler

set ou t for Ross, passin g 0 11 to Monmouth an d Chepstow . As

soon as Maurice heard of this h e crossed t h e Severn 0 11 h is w ayt o Ledbury an d Ross, part ly by h is bridge of boat s an d part lyby th e bridge at Upton . H is object n ow w as t o shut upWa l ler in th e corn er betw een th e W ye an d the Severn , and

force him to fight , w ith an impassable river in h is rear,so that

i f defeated h e must surren der . To carry ou t h is en circl ingmovemen t h e placed h is force in a l in e from Ross to New n ham

,

making L i tt le Dean h is head-quarters. Maurice ’s st rategy w as

fai rly successfu l ; Wal ler foun d that h e cou ld not ext ri cate himsel f from this corn er w ithou t a bat t le, an d that any bat t le h emight fight Would be un der con siderable disadvan tage , so h e

decided to sen d h is foot , gun s, an d baggage across th e Severnby th e ol d passage from Beachley to Aust , an d wi th h ishorse make a dash through Maurice’

s l in es to rega inGloucest er . He sen t h is gun s an d baggage aw ay

,leavin g

Chepstow at n ight,at daybreak n ext morn i ng h e w as at L i tt le

Dean . Aga in Maurice’s bad scout ing lost him h is chan ce .

Wal ler w as n ot expected ; th e Roya l ists t urn ed ou t, bu t

Wal ler got h is m en through Maurice ’s l in es wi th bu t verysmal l loss and brought them safely t o Gloucester . Wal ler n owdetermin ed to assume th e off en sive and compel Maurice to

ret reat . Th e n ext day h e advan ced to Tew kesbury,

“w here l ay a garrison of S ir W i l l iam Russel l ’s, the H ig h Sheri ff of

Worcestersh ire, upon i n tel l igence of w hose approa ch , so terri ble w a s the

name of S ir W 1 l l iam Wa l ler in those parts, the garr ison presen t ly w i t h on lytw o drakes*fled aw ay tow ardsWorcester, an d left the tow n to noble S irW i l l iam , w ho presen t ly en tered i t w i thout any

W a l ler made Colon el Cooke Govern or of Tew kesbury . He

Sm a ll Ca n non . t G od in the Mou n t , p . 2 94.

82 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

dest royed M aur ice’s bridge of boats,an d sen t a detachmen t to

Upton t o secure an d break dow n th e bridge . If th is w as don eMaurice’s ret reat w ou ld be cu t off .

As soon as h e foun d Wa l ler h ad broken through h is

l in es at L it t le Dean , Mau ri ce began t o ret reat on‘Tew k es

bury . He w as n ot aw are what Wa l ler h ad don e, n or of

th e t rap set for him . Maurice proceeded at h is leisure t o

Up ton ,an d , 0 11 arr iving there

,to h is surprise foun d i t in th e

han ds of th e Parl iamen t . I t then dawn ed on him that h issafety l ay in an in st an t at tack 0 11 t h e place an d capture of th e

bridge . Maurice at t acked at on ce . Th e Parl iamen t m en sa i dt hey were too weak to h o ld th e place again st Maurice ’s force,

so at on ce ret reated over th e r iver . They did n othing t o

dest roy th e bridge, an d Maurice ’s m en at on ce took possessionof i t , w hile h is cava l ry pushed 0 11 aft er th e ret reat ing Parl iamen t t roops. When th e Parl iamen t m en reached Rya lsome fresh t roops from Tewkesbury jo in ed them ,

and it w as

determin ed t o make a st an d . Ripple,l ike so many other

p laces in th e Coun ty , con sisted of a vi l lage w ith en closuresroun d i t , an d a large open field . From Rya l th e fiel dw as reached by a long lan e w ith high hedges 0 11 bothsides ; th is lan e formed th e on ly road for cava l ry . Wa l ler h adcome up w hi le h is t roops ha lted . H e w as t oo late to saveth e bridge, bu t n ot too late to t each Mau r ice a lesson .

I n n umbers Wa l ler w as sl igh t ly th e weakest , bu t th e tw o

forces w ere 0 11 fa i rly equa l terms. Wal ler l in ed th e en closuresroun d Ripple w ith t roops, an d drew up h is ma in body in t h e

large open fiel d at th e en d of the lan e,h is i dea bein g that i f

h is m en w ere driven ou t of t he en closuresMaurice w ou ld fol lowu p th e lan e . As soon as h e got ou t of th e lan e in to th e fieldWal ler w ou ld charge, an d then Powick w ould be repeated ,an d Maurice be driven back in disorder over Up tonBridge . Th e on ly thing requ ired to en su re th e success o f

Wal ler ’s plan w as that h e could rely upon t h e steadin ess of h is

m en . If that fa i led h e w as lost . I t did fa i l . Mau r ice at tackedfuriously , n ot on ly in fron t , bu t 0 1 1 each flan k

,driving Wa l ler ’s

m en ou t of t he en closure in to t h e lan e . There th e Parl iamen t

t roops soon became a disorgan ised rabble, as in to th e lan eMaurice

'

s cava l ry charged , breaking in over t h e hedges at th e

sides, shew in g 1 1 0 mercy,giving n o quart er . On seein g this

Wa l ler t ried to cover th e ret reat an d st ay Maurice ’s cava l ry .

H e ordered Hasel r igge’s Lobsters " to shew fron t to th e en emy

an d charge . To some exten t this checked,at least for a t ime,

th e Royal ist pu rsu i t,and en abled t h e in fan t ry to recover ,

escape ou t of t he lan e 0 11 t o th e open groun d,an d reform .

To u se th e words of a Parl iamen t w rit er,th e bo l d con duct

o f Massey,w h o h ad come u p wi th some fresh t roops, and th e

steadin ess of H asel r igge’s m en

,in some part took off th e

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

84 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

levies for Parl iamen t,h ad besieged an d taken th e C lose during

th e siege Lord Brook h ad been kil led . Charles w as verydesi rous that Lich field shou ld be r e-taken an d t urn ed in to a

Roya l garrison . He w as a lso in con si derable n eed of ammun i t ion ,

h is chief supply of which w as drawn from t h e n ortherncoun t ies. Th e con voys h ad

,however , to pass through dist ricts

wel l affected to Parl iamen t,where

“the enemy w as much superior in a l l the coun t ies betw een York sh ire andOxford , and h ad p lan ted garrison s so n ear a l l the roads tha t the mostpriva te messengers travel led w i th grea t hazard , three being in tercepted forone tha t

w hi le a party l i t t le in ferior in st rength to an army w as.

n ecessary to con voy any supply of ammun i t ion from Yo rkshireto Oxford . I t w as, therefore , reso lved to establ ish a Roya l istgarr ison at L ichfield, thereby forming a cen tre from whichescorts cou ld be sen t to con voy w hatever w as requ i red .

On e characterist i c of Char les w as th e smal l acts of vengean cein w h ich h e in dulged . Among t h e orders given to Rupert fort h e Lich field expedit ion w as that h e should t each Birminghama lesson for thei r d isloya lty , especia l ly fo r th e in su lts they h ad

pu t 0 11 t h e King in October , 1 642 , before t h e bat t le of Edgeh i l l

,in plun dering th e Roya l Coach . Claren don adds that

B irmingham w as thenA tow n of as grea t fam e for hearty , w i l fu l a ffected disloya l ty to the K ing asany p la ce in

Rupert ’s mission w as,

t herefore, threefold . Pun ishBirmingham

,garrison L ich fiel d, an d clear th e coun try as far

as possib le . To do th is h e w as given a force of 1 2 0 0 horse an d

dragoon s an d 60 0 o r 70 0 foot .

On Wedn esday , 2 9th March,Rupert left Oxfo rd , reach in g

Chipping Norton that even ing . On Thursday h e w as at

Shipston -on -Stou r , on Friday, 3 1 5t March (Good Friday) at

St rat ford-on -Avon ,an d on Saturday

,Apri l I st (Easter Eve) , at

Hen ley-in -Arden . Here h e spen t Easter Sun day , an d on

East er Mon day , Apri l 3r d, set ou t for Birmingham to executeth e fi rst part of h is task . Claren don says : IB ir mingham w as n ever m ade a garrison by direct ion of Pa r l iamen t , beingbu i l t in such a form as w a s hardly capable of being fort ified . Yet they h adso grea t a desire to dist ingu ish themselves from the King ’s good subj ec tstha t t hey ca st up l i t t le, sl igh t w ork s a t both ends of the tow n , and

ban icadoed the rest , and vo lun tari ly engaged them selves not to adm i t anyin tercourse w i th the K ing

’

s forces.

”

So Rupert foun d it when , 0 11 th e 3r d Apri l , h e marchedthere from Hen ley-in -Arden . A ft er passing Shirley th e roaden tersWorcestershire, then proceeding n orthwards a long on e

o f the great ma in roads leading ou t of Birmingham,n ow ca l led

t h e St rat ford Road,i t is jo in ed at Spar k h i l l , n ear where

Cla rendon ,I I .

, p . 1 80 . 1 I I . , p . 1 80 I I I . , p. 1 8 1 .

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .85

Th e Merma i d n ow stan ds, by th e road to Warwick . Heret h e further approach t o Birmingham w as barred by some of

t h e sl ight earthworks which h ad been throw n up . Th e m en

o f Birmingham possessed a very in adequat e force to defen dt hese works. I n th e town were stat ion ed a sma l l companyo f foot , un der Capta in Greaves th e Lich field garrison h ad

sen t in a t roop o f horse,bu t thei r un ited st rength did n ot much ,

i f at al l , exceed 2 0 0 m en . Rupert did n ot bel ieve that h is largebody wou ld be Opposed by so in ferior a force . He thereforesen t h is Quart er-Master forw ard to t ake up h is lodgings

,an d

“

to

assure the tow n smen if t hey behaved them selves '

peaceab ly they shou ld not

su ffer for w ha t w as past . Bu t they had n ot con scien ces good enough tobel ieve h im , and absol u tely refused to l et h im quarter in the tow n

,an d from

“ their l it t le w orks, w i th met t le equa l to the ir ma l i ce, discharged their shotupon h i m .

”

I n w as abou t three in th e aftern oon t hat Rupert , to h is

surprise,found that “

th e sturdy son s of fr eedom,

”1Las th e

loca l h istorian cal ls them ,were det ermin ed to figh t . This

determin at ion w as opposed t o th e op in ion of th e P a r l iam en

tar ian s— n ot on ly of th e mil itary,bu t a lso of t h e civi l ian s— th e

min isters of Birmingham ,and th e leading m en of t h e town ;

b u t th e middle an d in fer ior sort ” of people, expecial ly thosethat bore arms

,in sisted on resist ing

,so at last they al l reso lved

t o fight . Fin ding such w as thei r case,Rupert gave t h e order

to at tack t hei r defen ces at on ce . Th e defen ces were on ly a

ban k of earth , behin d w hich th e han dful of musketeers w as

placed . As th e Roya l ists advan ced t hey rece ived so heavy a

fi r e that on reaching th e works they cou ld n ot stan d up aga in sti t an d h ad to

‘ ret i re. A secon d at tempt m et with a simi larrepu lse. Thin gs were get t ing serious ; i t w ou ld n ever do forRupert to be defeated by th e in habi tan t s of Birmin gham . Yetthere w as l it t le chan ce of carrying th e w orks by a direct at t ack .

Some of Rupert ’s m en saw that it might be possib le,by

g o in g across th e fields, to ride roun d an d get in to th e rear of

th e works, an d from there charge th e defen ders. This w as t r ieda n d proved successfu l . Th e defen ders of th e works cou ld n ot

st an d being at tacked fron t an d rear,so aban don ed th e works

an dfled in to th e town . Rupert ’s t roopers fol lowed them .

From th e houses a desu ltory fi r e w as kept up on th e Roya l istt roopers as they advan ced up th e st reet . On this th e t roopersset fi r e t o th e houses from which t hey h ad been fired on , an d

th e town w as soon ablaze in severa l p laces. Pushing on th e

resistan ce became less ; those w h o h ad fought fled an d

scat tered .

B u t th e fight w as n ot over . Greaves ra l l ied h is t roop of

horse , an d drawing them up at th e further (th e Lichfield) en d

C la r endon ,I I . , 1 8 1 . f Hu t ton , p . 48.

86 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

o f th e town ,wheeled them roun d , an d charged th e scattered?

Cava l iers. L itt le expect ing any resistan ce, th e Roya l ists gavew ay. Lord Den bigh , w h o w as leading them , w as severelyw oun ded , kn ocked off h is horse, and left for dead ; h e died

’

.

short ly after from h is w oun ds, an d h is m enfled back helterskel ter t i l l they came n ear thei r ow n colours

,when they

formed up in th e rear of th e Roya l ist l in es. Greaves, havingcarried ou t h is obj ect , which w as by h is charge to givet ime for h is foot to get away , an d to preven t them being “

pursued , did n ot press h is success further . H e h ad h imselfin h is charge received 11 0 less than five woun ds. Reformingh is m en h e faced abou t , an d drew off tow ardsLichfiel d . H e h ad .

saved h is so ldiers, bu t h e left t h e un fo rtun ate town smen to t h e

ten der mercies of Rupert ’s t roopers. Irri t ated by th e resistan ce , an d especia l ly by Greaves’ charge

,Rupert ’s m en w ere n ot

in cl in ed'

to be merci fu l . They rode desperately roun d th e

town ,leap in g hedges and dit ches to cat ch th e tow n smen ;

those they caught they slew . If th e l ists given ar e to be

t rusted , t radesmen , labourers, women w ere al l cu t dow n

in discrimin ately . Tw o cases even then ca l led for n ot i ce .

Some of th e t roopers r iding up to an in n,th e ost ler came ou t

t o take the i r horses, h e w as cu t dow n and ki l led . A min istersla in in th e st reet . Th e Parl iamen t m en sai d h e w as mistakenfor th e min ister of Birmingham

,a vio len t supporter of th e

Parl iamen t , an d w as therefore murdered . Th e Royal ists sa id.

t hat h e to ld th e t roopers thatthe King w as a perj ured , Papist ica l K ing , a nd tha t he wou ld rather die than.

l ive un der such a Kingand that th e t roopers, O11 hearin g th is, cu t him down . The

Parl iamen t m en a l leged h e h ad long been a lun at i c,held Jewish

Op in ion s, and h ad lai d in Bedlam an d other prison s, some sa i d1 6

,some 2 2 years, an d w as on ly lat ely come ou t . On him were

foun d a n umber of i dle an d foo l ish papers,” which th e Parl ia

men t sa id proved him m ad, th e Royal ists sa i d proved himimmoral . L ike ot her fool ish people h e kept a diary , an d en teredin i t a n umber o f mat ters that might wel l have been left ou t .

2 8th March . A com fortable k iss from M r s. E. , w ith some moistness.

A cynam on k iss from a n o ted w oman .

A k iss from a girl of 1 4 yea rsNothing could shew better the feel ings of both part ies.

I t m ay o r m ay n ot have been in accordan ce with th e laws .

of w ar to have cut dow n a preacher making disloya l speeches,.b u t to kil l in co ld b lood a m an w h o h ad in h is pocket a _

j ourn a l w i th doubt fu l en tr ies w as a disgrace even to those wi ld"

t 1m es.

It a lso proves h ow strong fee l ing w as 0 11 th e subject , that inth e accoun t C laren don gives of th e affai r ,i h e says that Rupert

See A Let ter fr om W a lsha l l concer n ing B i rm ing ham. f I I ., 1 8 1 .

CIV I L W AR, 1 643 . 87

took not tha t ven gean ce upon them they deserved , bu t made them expia te

their tran sgression s by payin g a less mu l c t than m ight have been expec tedfrom their w ea l th i f their w i ckedn ess h ad been less.

”

He then j ust ifies th e death of th e clergyman :

“ He w as k i l led a t the en tering o f the tow n , a fter he h ad not on ly refusedquarter, bu t provoked t he sold ier by the most od ious rev i l ings a nd

reproa ches of the person and hon our of t he K in g tha t ca n be imagined , andrenounc i n g a l l a l leg i i nce to h im ; in w hose pockets w ere found severa l papersof memoria ls o f h is ow n scu r r i lo i i s behaviour

,i n such loose expression s as

modest ears ca nn ot endure. The m an w as t he prin c ipa l governor and

in cendiary o f the rude peop le o f tha t p lace ag a i n st their Sovere ign . So fu l la qua l ifica t ion w as a he i gh ten ed measure O f ma l i ce a nd disloya l ty for the

serv i ce tha t i t w eighed dow n t he in famy of a ny o ther v ic ious

Claren don adds’

r that i f i t h ad n ot been fo r th e death of th e

Earl o f Den bigh h e should n ot“ have men t ion ed an act ion of

so l i t t le momen t as this of Birmingham .

”He deplores it

,

becauseof t he d isma l inequa l i ty of the con ten t ion in w h i ch a lw ays some earl orperson of grea t honour o r fortune fel l w hen , a fter a most sig na l v i c tory overthe o ther si de, there w as seldom lost a m an of any know n fami ly , or of

other repu ta t ion than of passion for the cause in w h i ch he fel l . " 1"

This w as especia l ly t rue here . I t w as n ot th e mere death of

t h e Earl of Den bigh ; i t w as th e fact that h is son an d successor(Basi l Fielding) w as a st rong Parl iamen tarian ,

an d th e death of

t h e Earl mean t th e t ran sfer of th e family in fluen ce, which w as

con si derable, from th e King to t h e Parl iamen t .

Th e bat t le of Camp Hil l w as remarkable from th e factthat an armed m ob— they were n o thing more— tw i ce repulsedassaults of th e best t roops in th e Roya l ist army , w h o att ackedthem in overwhelming n umbers. That less than 30 0 m en

shou ld keep some 1 80 0 at b ay, even fo r a short t ime,w as an

act that deserved t o be recorded ; that they , an un t rain ed m ob ,

shou ld have checked th e dreaded Royal ist caval ry , w as a st i llgreat er achievemen t . Th e Parl iamen tarian s w ere del ighted ,

and they h ad reason to be . Capta in Greaves,probably a loca l

m an, a member of t h e family that l ived at King ’s Norton ,

w h o

comman ded th e Parl iamen t t roops, might wel l b e proud of h is

men’s achievemen t .

Nothing that h ad t aken place in th e w ar produced morecon t roversy t han th e w ay in w hich Rupert t rea ted Bi rm ingh am . I t w as certa in ly harsh , bu t by th e law s of w ar as

un derstood on th e Con t in en t , in th e schoo l in which Ruperth ad been brough t up , there w as n othing i l lega l or improper ini t . If th e own ers of a ,

house al lowed fir ing from that house0 11 th e so ldiers of t h e other si de, th e so ldiers fired on

w ere j ust ified in dest roying that house . Burn ing h as a lw aysbeen on e o f th e recogn ised mean s of dest ruct ion . If Bi rm ingh am h ad been a Con t in en t a l tow n n o thing w ould ever

C la r endon ,I I . , 1 8 1 . 1

' I b .,I I . , 1 8 1 .

88 CIVIL W AR, 1 643.

have been heard of i t ; but because th e Con t in en ta l laws of w ar

w ere appl ied to an En glish town th e outcry w as t errible.

Th e organ s of th e Parl iamen t exto lled th e Birminghambravery an d th e Roya l ist cruelty— thei r wan ton cruel ty— l n

burn ing houses. Th e Roya l ist organ s rejo i ced at th e j ustj udgmen t which h ad befa l len th e disloya l town

,an d th e

pun ishmen t it h ad pleased th e Lord to in fl i ct on th e

in habit an t s for thei r rebel l ious views.

Three accoun ts of th e fight were publ ished . Th e fi rst,a

Parl iamen tary accoun t , gives thei r i dea of th e aff a i r . I ts t i t leI S

A true I rela tion I of I Prin ce Rupert’

s barbarous cruel ty I against the I“ tow ne of B r um ingham I to w h i ch p la ce on Mon day, Apri l 3rd , 1 643, he

marched w i th 2 0 0 0 horse and foot , 4 drakes and 2 sakers, w here I a ftertw o hours’ figh t , bein g tw ice beaten off by the tow n smen ,

in a l l bu t 1 40

m usqueteer s, he en tered , I pu t divers to th e sw ord and burn t a bou t 80houses I to a shes, su fferin g no m an to carry aw ay h is g oods I or quen ch thefi re, and mak ing n o d i fferen ce bet w een I fr ien d or foe, yet by God

’

s

prov idence the grea test loss fel l on the ma lignan ts of the tow n I and of the

Cava l iers w ere sla in di vers ch ief comman ders I and m en of great qua l ity,amon gst w hom w as I the Earl of Den bigh , the Lord John I S tuar t , an d , a s

“they themselves I report , the Lord D igby. Lon don , [ prin ted for JohnWrigh t 1 n the O l d B a i ley , I Apri l 1 2 th , 1 643.

This t i t le sets ou t th e grievan ces of th e Parl iamen t aga in stRupert ’s act ion . Th e pamphlet con t a in s tw o reports

,on e sign ed

“R. P . w h o

,i t is usua l ly sa i d

,w as R . Porter

,a maker of sword

b lades of some celebri ty,whose mil l w as afterwards burn t by th e

Roya l ists because h e decl in ed to make o r sel l sword blades toany but those w h o fought on th e side of th e Parl iamen t . H e

is sa id t o have kn own n ot on ly h ow t o make, bu t a lso h ow to

u se a sword when made,an d that h e used h is ow n sw ord with

some effect 0 11 that 3r d Apri l , being one of those t roopers of

Capt a in Greaves w h o took part in that charge aga in st th eRoya l ists tow ards th e close o f th e fight n ear Smethw i ck , inw hich th e Earl of Den bigh w as ki l led . Th e other accoun t issign ed “ R . possib ly Richard Greaves himsel f. There ison e in terest ing passage in i tThe p lunder w as over £2 0 0 0 , o f w h i ch Mr. Peake lost £ 1 30 0 . Mr. J ennenslost much .

”

This w as probably on e of th e J en n en s family , whose largeestat es in an d aroun d Birmingham have g i ven rise to so muchl i t igat ion even down to ou r ow n day.

Th e secon d pamphlet is a Roya l ist product ion .

“ A I let ter I w ri t ten from I W a l sh a l l by a w orthy gen t leman to h is“ friend in Oxford I concer n ing Bu rm in gh am . I Prin ted in the yearMDCXL I I I . I

This brochure t r ies t o defen d Rupert from th e load of abuseshowered 0 11 h im for this Birmingham busin ess.

Th e third is a st rong Parl iamen tary product ion, poss1b ly th e

most savage of al l

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .89

Prin ce Rupert’

s I bu r n ing love to I Englan d I d iscovered m B irm inghamflames, I or , I a more exa c t

t"

and true narra t i ve o f Birmingham ’

5 ca la I m i t ies

under the barbarou s and in huma n I cruel t ies o f P . Rupert’

s forces, I w herein1 5 rela ted how tha t famous and w el l a ffected Tow n of B irmingham w as Iun w orth i ly opposed ,i n solen t ly in vaded ,notoriously robbed and p l undered , By Prin ce Rupert

’

s forces.

a nd most cruel ly firedin co ld blood the n ext dayTogether w i th the number of Prin ce Ruper t

’

s forces, h is con siderable‘

person s sla in or morta l ly w ounded , the many abominable carriages in a nd

a fter t he tak ing I of the tow n . The sma l l strength w h i ch Birm ingham I had“to ma in ta in their defen ce the n ames of their m en slain , the n umber ofhouses burn t , and the persons thereby I dest i tu te of habi tat ion , w i th diversother con siderab le passa g es. I Publ ished a t th e request o f the Comm i t teea t Coven try, I that the k ingdom m ay t imely take not ice w ha t is genera l ly Ito be expec ted i f t he Cava l ier in sol encies be n ot speedi ly I crushed . I Arighteous m an regardeth the l i fe of h is beast , bu t the I tender mercies of thew i cked a re cruel —Prov . xi i . 1 0 . I London . Prin ted for ThomasU nderh i l l , 1 643Th e t it les of these t racts shew clearly what th e grievan ces of

t h e Parl iamen t w ere aga in st Rupert . H is defeat of th e m en

of Birmingham w as resen ted,bu t st i l l more so w as h is appl ica

t ion o f th e ru les of w ar to u n for t ified town s. F or long afterth e Parl iamen t arian s n ever ceased to speak in th e st rongestterms of th e Birmingham But cheries.

A l l t races Of Camp Hil l figh t have passed away . Th e groun d “

h as been a l l bu ilt over,an d th e si te of th e Birmingham earth

works is covered by st reets. A rel i c , w hich h as a lso n ow

disappeared , rema in ed un t i l a recen t dat e. Th e publ ic-houseat

‘

Camp Hil l,kn ow n as th e “ Old Ship

,

”w as

,according t o

l ocal t radit ion,th e head-quarters of Rupert 0 11 th e aftern oon

of that Easter Mon day . It w as at on e t ime kn own as th e“ An chor .

” Before i t w as dest royed th e last own er publisheda history of th e old in n an d t h e even ts con n ected w i th it .

Rupert made 11 0 st ay in Birmin gham to enjoy th e fru its of

h is t riumph . On Easter Tuesday,Apri l 4th ,

h e marched fromBirmingham to Wa lsa l l ; 0 11 th e Wedn esday

,th e sth ,

h e

reached Can n ock . He ha lted there un t i l Saturday,8th

,when

h e marched on to Lichfield .

Rupert at on ce summon ed th e ci ty to surren der . Co lon elRussel l , th e govern or , sen t back th e fo l lowing an swer :

“ I have heard ther e is a m a n w h o goes by the name of Rupert , w ho h asburn t n ear four score houses a t B irmi ngham , a n act n o t becomin g a gen t lem a n , a Christ ian , or E ngl ishman , much less a Pri nce, and tha t tha t m an

has n ot 1 n a l l the K ing ’s dom in ion so much a s a tha tched house,

and i f“t h is be the same m an , I do not in ten d to del iver the K ing ’s p laces of

streng th un to h im , let h i m pretend w ha t au tho r i ty he lp leases for the ha vingthereof.

Rupert accordingly began th e siege . Aft er a week ’s work , 0 11Su nday , Apri l 1 6th , th e breaches were con si dered pract i cable .

Webb , I . , 30 5.

90 CIVIL W AR , 1 643 .

Rupert assau lted th e place, but w as repu lsed . Th e siegew as con t in ued un t i l Friday , 2 1 5t Apri l

,when Rupert aga i n

assau lt ed th e place an d took it , by mean s of a min e— sa idt o have been on e of th e earl iest used 1n Englan d— blowing uppart of th e w a l l of th e Close . O 11 th is taking place th e

garrison surren dered 0 11 terms ; they were a l low ed to marchou t with bag an d baggage, an d sen t un der a con voy t o

Coven try .

Rupert h ad n ow completed h is t ask , an d took steps to

return to Oxford . He did n ot stay long at Lichfield . Th e daya ft er th e su rren der h e set ou t 0 11 h is w ay back , an d 0 11 Mon dayth e 24th ,

w as at Oxford . Here h e foun d th e King most

an xious that steps shoul d be taken t o rel ieve Reading,an d

w an t in g Rupert ’s help . Bu t th e fates w ere un kin d— Rupertg ot n o chan ce of help ing . On Thursday , th e 2 6th , t h e n ewsreached Oxford that th e Royal ist govern or (Co lon el Fielding)h ad surren dered th e place to th e Parl iamen t .

This marks a po in t in th e w ar . Th e Parl iamen t w ere n ow

m asters of th e Thames va l ley . Nothing rema in ed to preven tt hem carrying ou t thei r origin a l i dea of a dash 0 11 Oxford ,provided Essex an d Wa l ler jo in ed forces. To preven t t hemdo in g this w as th e task n ow set Rupert ; th is en t a i led h is .

m archin g to t h e West of En glan d .

As h as been st at ed , after th e bat t le of Ripp le Wa l lerret reat ed to Tew kesbury , an d 0 11 to Gloucest er . When t hereh e foun d orders to repa i r t o h is head quart ers— Bristol . Thish e delayed to do , probably th in king i t w as n ecessary to do

something t o ma in ta i n h is repu t at i on . There w as n o lovelost between him an d Essex . H is bad luck 1 11 th e Operat ion saga in st Maurice ren dered it n ecessary for him t o achievesomething rea l ly bri l l ian t before h e ret urn ed to Bristo l . He

accordingly did n ot obey h is orders, st at ing i t wou ld n ot be

safe for him to leave Gloucester un t i l Hereford an d Worcest erw ere reduced . H e

,therefore, set to work to carry ou t this .

t ask .

From h is spies h e learn t i t w as possib le , i f a bo l d an d suddenat tack w as made, that Hereford might be t aken . Suchw ork Wa l ler loved , an d b e determin ed to t ry. W i th abou t2 50 0 m en h e set ou t from Gloucester

,an d at daybreak 0 11 th e

2 4th Apri l appeared before Hereford . Some desultory fight in gwen t 0 11 during th e day, at t imes rather sharp , bu t th e

garrison h ad n o heart in thei r resistan ce an d deserted,so that

there w as n oth ing for Sir Richard Cave , th e govern or , to Cl O ~

but to surren der . This h e did , and on Apri l 2 5th Wa l ler '

en tered Hereford in t r iumph . H e w as en t it led to every creditt hat belongs to a bol d an d successfu l leader

,an d h ad more than

restored h is repu tat ion as a con queror . He h ad strucku n expectedly , an d st ruck hard , w ith th e resu lt that h e h ad .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

“

92 CIVIL W AR, 1 643.

go back . Th e depredat ion s were n ot confin ed to ra i ds from'

Hereford . Wa l ler ’s so l diers m ay have been sain ts, t hey werecerta in ly th ieves. I n an accoun t book of a lady w h o thenr esi ded in Hereford ar e these en t r ies

“ Apri l 24th , 1 643, h e came, and 2sth , Wednesday , he en tered the c i ty.Pa id John Baddam for men din g the t i les over m y n ew closet , w h ich S irW i l l iam Wa l ler’s so l d iers brake dow n to shoot a t W idem ar sh Ga te w hen hebesieged Heri ford , 4d .

”

“ Pa id R i chard W in nye Sm ith for mending locks and keys a t Heri ford ,w h i ch the p lun derers broke, 1 6d .

”

“ Pa i d M aud P r i tchet t for a cheese w hen S ir W i l liam Wa l ler w as in

Heri ford , for h is so ld iers, that I kept , 1 8d.

"

Having got al l' h e cou ld

,Wa l ler saw i t w aS

'

u sel ess to con

t in n e to hold Hereford , so resolved to return to Gloucesterwith h is force, in order to carry ou t th e rema in ing part Of h is

plan an d occupy W orcester . Probably h is movemen ts werehasten ed by th e kn owledge that th e Royal ists were makingpreparat ion s to re take Hereford . On M ay 1 8th Wa l ler set

ou t for Gloucester ; 0 11 M ay 2 0 th Hereford w as again occupied.by th e Roya l ists.

Th e fate of Hereford h ad pu t th e W orcester garrison on th e

a lert . Th e Govern or (Sir W i l l iam Russel l) h ad gon e to

O xford,Co lon el W i l l iam San dys w as act ing as Govern or .

Russel l , as Sheriff,h ad cal led ou t th e posse com zta tus

,al l

between 1 6 an d 60,to come in an d serve th e King , but i t does

n ot appear that th e summon s h ad been largely obeyed .

_

Therew as a good dea l of in subordin at ion amon g th e Worcestergarrison,

an d th e supply of mon ey an d of provision s w as far

from regu lar . There w as con sequen t ly much discon t en t . Thish ad been kept a l ive by th e fact that ban ds of Wa l ler ’s ra idersh ad come fa i rly n ear th e town ; they h ad been seen at

Upton ,and probably at Pow i ck

,an d some commun i cat ion

w as kept up between th e discon ten ted party in th e ci ty an d

t h e Parl iamen t t roops outsi de . Essex h ad appo in ted variousperson s w h o were favourable to th e Parl iamen t to offi ces int h e Corporat ion durin g th e t ime h e h ad hel d th e town in

O ctober , 1 642 . By a Roya l warran t Of th e 1 5th March , I 643,1these person s h ad been removed an d thei r p laces fi l led withRoyal ists. Th e removed m en were st i l l in Worcest er , and di dn ot regard th e ru l ing power with favour . A l l th is w as to l d toWa l ler , an d h e w as in formed i f h e on ly appeared before th e

wal ls h e wou ld t hereupon be jo in ed by a st rong party fromw i th in t h e city . Wal ler therefore determin ed to at tackWorcester at on ce .

W orcester , in M ay,1 643, w as in a very differen t state from

w hat i t h ad been in Sep t ember , 1 642 . Th e w a l ls h ad been r e

bui l t,th e fort ificat ion s r e-made

,Dud Dudley says

,un der h is

di rect ion an d supervision . Whether that w as so or n ot , th e

Ar chaeo log ia , XXXV I I . , 2 1 0 . I Ha r l . M SS . , 680 2 , 2 1 .

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 . 93'

place w as n ow too st rong to be carr ied w i thou t a regular siege.

A force of some 30 0 vo lun t eers h ad been ra ised an d t ra in edfrom among th e ci t i zen s. Th e garrison ,

about 1 50 0 st rong,

w as in readin ess, an d expected to be at t acked , for W a l ler ’s .

ra iders h ad been n ot iced at Ma lvern an d elsew here . San dysbel ieved a l l w as prepared for Wa l ler w hen ever h e l iked to

come, an d that h e could ho ld th e ci ty if it w as at tacked .

On th e even ing o f th e 2 8th M ay han dbi l ls were scat teredabou t th e st reet s of Worcest erTo a l l gen t lemen , an d o ther inhabi tan ts of the City o f Worcester.As many of you a s are sen sible of t he danger o f your r el igion ,

yourperson s an d goods, an d the pri v i leges of your C orpora t ion , a re desired to

dec lare yourselves sensi ble of them a t th is opportun i ty . I t be i ng my errand( by the help of G od) to rescue them from the oppression o f your presen tgovern ors. And I prom ise t ha t a l l such a s sha l l appear w i l l ing to w el comemy endeavour sha l l n o t on ly be recei ved to free quarter, bu t pro tec ted tothefiatmost of m y pow er.M ay 29th , 1 643. W i l l iam Wa l ler.

This in vit at ion w as clever ly w orded , an d w as mean t to

appea l to a l l classes o f th e discon ten t ed .

“Rel igion ” referred to .

t h e lecturers w h o h ad been displaced for th e parish clergy ;“ person s an d goods t o th e st ate of mart ia l l aw an d bi l let ing t hatpreva i led in a garrison tow n

,to say n othing of t h e plun derin g

of law less r u ffi an s l ike Hide ;“ privi leges of t h e Corporat ion ”

t o

th e displacemen t of th e members by th e Roya l w arran t .

W al ler appea led t o a l l t h e part ies w h o w ere aggrieved,and h e

bel ieved h e should n ot appea l in va in .

Natura l ly , San dys con sidered this han dbi l l w as th e prel udeto an immediate at t ack , so the t roops w ere mustered

, th e

gates closed . He w as right ; w i th th e morn in g cameWal ler .

Leaving Gloucester 0 11 t he aftern oon of th e 2 8th M ay,

march ing a l l n ight through Tew kesbury , Severn Stoke, an dKempsey , h e reached Worcester abou t daybreak 0 11 th e

2 9th . He h ad w ith him a con si derable force , about 30 0 0st rong

,an d 8 gun s. I t comprised a l l h is cava lry , in cluding th e

celebrated Gloucester Blue Regimen t . I t w as Obvious that h eh ad come in earn est to del iver the oppressed . On arr iving on

th e sou th side of th e tow n h e halted h is m en on th e highgroun d above D ig l is, sen t h is t rumpet er to th e SidburyGate to deman d th e surren der of th e place . Co lon el San dysto ld him in an sw er t o h is deman d , that “ h e w as n ot at

Hereford , an d h ad bet ter be off . Th e t rumpeter replied ,right ly , that such an an sw er w as most un civi l

,and n ot such

as h e wou ld take back to h is gen era l . San dys on thisto ld him very peremptori ly to be off , an d havin g sa i d so

San dys return ed to h is quarters. Th e t rumpeter wou ld n ot

leave,refusing to st i r , basing h is refusa l on th e fact that

h e w as by the law s of w a r en t it led to a civi l an swer totake back to h is gen eral . Th e sen t ry thereupon sen t

”9 4 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

t o San dys asking for orders. San dys return ed n ot in th e

best of t empers, accompan ied by on e of h is ofli cer s,Captain

Beaumon t , w h o comman ded on e of th e regimen ts that formedth e garrison . San dys aga in asked th e t rumpeter w hy h e di dn ot go . Th e reply w as short

,decisive

,an d in sul t in g .

On this, Beaumon t ordered th e guard to fi r e at th e t rumpeter .On e of them did so , hit t ing him in th e thigh . He fel l fromh is horse morta l ly woun ded .

A great an d heated con t roversy arose over this “ regrettablei n ciden t ,

”t h e Parl iamen t writ ers an d speakers con ten din g wit h

some t ruth that th e Roya l ists h ad del iberately vio lated aflag of

t ruce,an d ki l led

,whi le do ing h is du ty

,a messenger un der i ts

protect ion,an act opposed t o th e laws of w ar

,an outrage

on civi l izat ion . Th e Roya l ists con ten ded that th e t rumpeter,having discharged h is mission received h is an sw er , an d , refusingt o leave when ordered , h ad by such refusa l forfeited al l th e

protect ion aflag of t ruce gave him ,an d might be

,an d ought

t o be , as h e h ad been ,shot down l ike a dog .

W hatever might be th e r ights or w rongs of th e quest ion , th e

death of h is t rumpeter w as more than W a l ler cou ld st an d ;i t hasten ed h is act ion . I t w as n ow abou t 6 a m . Wa l lerordered t h e at t ack to be begun . P lacing h is gun s in posit iont hey at on ce Open ed 0 11 th e place . A long art i l lery duelfo l lowed . Some accoun ts say i t lasted al l day, some 1 6 hours

(from 6 a m . t i l l 1 0 p m ) ; bu t this can hardly be so ,having

regard t o t h e rest of th e operat ion s. Wal ler ’s gun s w ere n ot

able to keep down t h e fi r e from th e city forts,st i l l less to

Obt a in th e ascen dan t . On e accoun t says :The c i ty can n oneer in-ch ief, w i th h is can non from t he ci ty , together w iththe musketeers, a l l proved goodA 11 assault tow ards Friary Gat e w as repu lsed with heavy loss

t o t h e assa i lan ts. I n fron t o f D ig l is W al ler fared bet ter .

After some hard fight ing h e carried a house j ust ou tsi det h e w al ls n ear th e Cast le Hil l , belonging t o Mr . W i l l iamBerkeley . This afforded Wa l ler cover

,from which h e cou ld

fi r e 0 11 th e ci ty w i th safety ,“an n oying i t an d l ikewise t h e

Friary . San dys determin ed t o dislodgeWal ler from th l s post,

an d aft er some severe fight in g succeeded , n o t on ly in do in gso

,bu t a lso in burn ing t h e house

,so that i t w as 1 1 0 lon ger

t en able by Wa l ler ’s m en .

A sort ie w as made from St . Mart in ’

s Gat e aga in st Wal ler ’sr igh t flank by a party of th e Roya l ist horse . They drove th e

Parl iamen t arian s back 0 11 Wal ler ’s cen t re,n ear Green hil l

,an d

cleared th e east si de o f th e ci ty . Th e fight ing w as severe .

\Val ler lost some 60 or 70 m en . I t w as sa i d that among themw as Sir Robert Cooke

,of Highn am ,

a st rong Parl iamen tarian ,

w h o h ad married th e widow of George Herbert,th e poet , bu t as

7’

Tow nshencl M .S. ,Nash Sup , p . 87.

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96 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

short a t ime o f ga ining the tow n as cou ld be. Bu t S ir Wi l l iam Brereton ’

s

force n ot com ing i n accordin g as w as expec ted , and S ir W i l l iam VVa I lerbeing ca l led a w ay by no less than five pa ckets tha t even in g ou t of the w est ,excla im ing tha t a l l w ou ld be lost there i f he did n ot immedia tely advancetha t w ay, i t w as held n ecessary to ri se to a t ten d that service a s of grea ter

“ importan ce. What the ir loss w as w e can not cert i fy , bu t w e a re credi blyin formed. a sergean t major and a ca n n on eer besides others w ere sla in . W e lost

“ the day before Capta in Lane, k i l led by scou ts ; tha t day Capta in Ba l l , an

en sign , and in a l l a bou t 1 6. Si r W i l l iam Wa l ler’s trumpeter, a fter he haddel i vered h is summon s, w as unso l d ierly shot in the th i gh by one Sterm , a t

the an ima t ion of the Governor, Co lonel Beaumon t . On Tuesday morn in gSi r W i l l iam Wa l ler drew from then ce to Tew kesbury, and so t o Gloucester,

“ leav ing orders w i th m e to throw dow n a s much of the w orks as the conven i

en ce of my t ime w ou ld a fford , w h ich I be l ieve is so done tha t they a r e madeun useful , though n ot ful ly sl igh ted , and to w ithdraw the force fromTew kesbury to G loucester, from w hen ce he had sooner departed had n ot

“ the impossi bi l i ty of either march ing w i thou t money , or get t ing i t w i thout“ the employmen t o f h is troops to co l lect i t , a l i t t le h indered h is speed . The“ coun try is much troubled a t h is departure, and un less my Lord Genera l

'

s

mo t ion s sha l l d irect the other force they fear the w orst .This letter gives a fa i r accoun t of Wa l ler ’s defeat . He h ad

been disappo in ted that there w as n o help from Worcesteri tsel f or fr om ou tside ; Wal ler eviden t ly feared an at tack

, or

h e wou ld n ot have ret i red so qu ickly,or evacuated Tew kesbury

so hast i ly .

Th e W orcester garrison stated,obviously un t ru ly

,that their

loss w as on ly tw o m en and three women . Th e gun n ers weresa i d to have used 1 1 barrels of powder and 2 0 0 greatshot .

*

Th e great po in t in th e defen ce w as th e con duct o f th eWorcester w omen . A l l accoun ts say that they worked hardat th e defen ces to re l ieve th e so ldiers. N or did thei r laboursen d with th e day ’s fight ing . Wal ler h ad been able to makeh is at tack w i th much greater effect from th e cover and shel terh e Obta in ed aga in st th e fi r e from th e wal ls by th e t rees, hedges,moun ds

,an d fen ces outside th e city w al ls, especia l ly roun d

D ig l is, an d a lso by th e houses. I t w as decided that al l the

fen ces an d moun ds should be level led , and also al l houses and

bu i ldings sit uated l ike Mr Berkeley ’s houses n ear t h e wa l ls,w hich cou ld be used by th e en emy , removed . Th is it w as

decided shou ld be don e at on ce,in case Wal ler might ret urn ,

so

“ the ord inary sort of w omen , ou t of every w a rd of the c i ty, joined incompan ies, and w ith spades, shovels, a nd mat tocks d id begin to w ork on

Tuesday last , the 30 th day of J une, w ho w ere to the n umber o f 40 0 on a

day, go ing in a w arl ike m an ner l ike so ld iers, a nd d id so behave themselvesthere 1 n level l ing a l l such for t ifica t ions as w ere left by the Earl of Essex,

and throw ing dow n d itches, that by their ow n industry an d free serv ice in“ im ita t ion of the c i t izens of Lon don , as theyw i th in one w eek perfec ted thelevel l ing of the same, w h ich w as done the ra ther by the reason some of themw ere k il led in the siege, though casua l ly ; a lso to ease the soldier s, w ho ,being w eary of their la te hot serv ice, desired som e rest , a nd to preven t

Tow nsend M S. ,Nash , Supplemen t , 87.

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 . 97

Si r W i l l iam Wa l ler ’s approa ch near i f he shou ld return sudden ly aga inst

They n eed n ot have feared,Wa l ler would n ot return h e w as

in n o st ate to do so . As Cooke’s let ter shews, h is posit ion w as far

more serious than th e Parl iamen t ar ian s were will ing to admit .

Excuses w ere made for him . I t w as sa i d t hat h is zeal an d h is

successes h ad made him att ack a fo rt ified ci ty with an improper,

in sufl‘icien t , in adequat e force . Th e Lord Gen era l,w h o h ad

long been jea lous of Wal ler ’s popular ity an d reputat ion ,

improved th e occasion by a severe cen sure . Wa l ler h ad n o

an sw er to make ; h e h ad blun dered, and blun dered badly . To

Worcester 1 5 du e th e hon our of having checked t h e v i ctoriouscareer of th e most popular , an d hitherto th e most successfu l

, of

th e Parl iamen tary gen era ls. From a Worcestershire m an,a

few w eeks later , h e w as to receive that crushing blow thatru in ed h is repu tat ion as a gen eral . Truly Wa l ler said“Worcestershire w as n ot a l ucky place for himOn th e 3 l st M ayWa l ler reached Gloucester . He at on ce

took steps to comply with h is long-n eglected o rders.

Muster ing al l th e forces at Gloucester an d in th e dist rict , h egot together al l th e recru its an d suppl ies h e could l ay han dsupon . On th e oth Jun e, w i th al l h is horse, n in e regimen ts of

in fan t ry , an d 2 2 gun s,Wa l ler marched ou t o f Gloucester for

h is head quarters, Bristo l . Before h e left h e did on e thingt hat h ad an impor tan t bearing upon th e w ar in th e dist rict .

He obta in ed for Massey a commission as Govern or of Gloucesteran d in sta l led him i n th e post . B u t Wa l ler did much to preven tMassey do ing any useful w ork in h is n ew posit ion ; h e left h imon ly a single regimen t to garr ison Gloucester , a force whol lyin sufli cien t for th e place, an d which pu t an en d to anyhope of assumin g th e offen sive un t i l h e w as re in forced .

Th e Roya l ists, i f they kn ew , which is doubt ful , h ow weakMassey w as

,were st i l l afra i d of him ,

an d con si dered i t n ecessaryto have a n ew genera l to comman d in th e Leaddon Va l ley .

After some l it t le hesitat ion th e Roya l cho i ce fel l 0 11 SirW i l l iamV avassou r , a so ldier w h o h ad served n ot on ly in th e presen tw ar

, bu t also in Irelan d and Scot lan d , as Co lon el of th e 1 3th

Regimen t of Foot .V avassou r

,as a gen era l

,w as n ot fi t for th e place ; h e

w as dist in ct ly in ferior to Massey . Charles h imself sa i d of him ,“ that h e w as a m an w h o cou ld agree with n o on e in h is

domin ion s.

” H is let ters shew h e w as far more profuse in

promises than in performan ces. He w as for a t ime th e leadin gsp irit on th e Roya l ist si de in al l th e fighting that took place int h e south-west of th e Coun ty . H is head-quarters were at

Hereford .

Before further fight in g on any consi derable sca le took

Tow nsend MSS . , cited by Nash , Supplemen t , p . 87.

98 CI VIL W AR,

A

1 643 .

place in Worcestershire great even ts were to happen , an d

Massey ’s han ds were far too fu l l for any thought of ra i dso r skirmishes.

Th e capt ure of Reading h ad la i d th e left flan k of th e

Royal ist s— th e Thames Va l ley— open to th e Parl iamen t . On

t h e r ight f l an k there h ad been a good dea l of figh t ing, on th e

who le in th e Royal ists’ favour . N ow t h e t ime h ad come

w hen i t w as to be decided w h o should ho ld t h e highlan ds of

Gloucest ershire , W i l tshire, an d Somersetshire . Th e Marquiso f Hert ford comman ded for t h e King

,w ith Prin ce Maurice

act ing un der h im , an d i t w as aga in st them that W al ler w as t o

t ry t o redeem h is r epu tat 1on . Th e plan adopted w as thatWal ler

,w hose head-quarters were at Bristo l , should engage

,

defeat , an d , i f possib le , crush th e Marqu is of Hert ford ; havin gdon e this h e should move at on ce t ow ards Oxford

,join Essex

,

w h o w ould advan ce u p t h e Thames Va l ley to meet him,an d

t hen w i th the i r un ited forces march on Oxfor dfi“

I n pursuan ce of th is plan a good dea l of skirmishing tookp lace roun d Wel ls, an d at M ar shfiel d , in G loucestershire,but W al ler w as n ot able

,as h e wan ted , to bring on an act ion

u n der con di t ion s favourable to himself. A t l ast,on th e sth July ,

a despera te figh t took place betw een th e tw o armies at

Lan sdown e, of which Wa l ler h ad certa in ly th e worst . Yett h e Marquis o f Her tford decided to retrea t towards Oxford

,

t hus playing Wa l ler’s game . Wal ler a t on ce fo l lowed,ou t

man oeuvred Hertford,completely cutt ing off h is rear-guard at

Devizes an d qu icken ing h is retreat . So sure w asWa l ler tha tt h e Royal ist t roops that were cu t off must surren der that h ew rote to Par l iamen t

,boast ing tha t h is work w as don e

,an d that

t h e n ext day h e wou ld forw ard a l ist of th e n ames an d qua l i tyo f h is p r ison er s l

Th e main body of th e Roya l ists reach ed Oxford . Thingslooked serious fo r th e King. IfWa l ler cap tured th e rear-guardan d jo in ed Essex Oxford must be evacuated . Cou ld thisb e preven ted ? I t w as a forlorn hope ; probably t h e mostd esperate of a l l th e desperate things don e in that w ar

,

bu t i t w as th e on ly ch an ce . Essex w as at Thame,on ly

I O miles away . an d Wa l ler migh t be in fron t of Oxfordt h e n ext day. It w as decided to risk everything in an attemp tt o preven t this. A l l th e Roya l ists cou ld spare were 1 50 0 horsean d tw o gun s. These were han ded over to W i lmot

,an d h e

w as ordered,i f h e could

,to preven t Wa l ler jo in ing Essex an d

rescue th e King ’s forces. W i lmot set off th e same n igh t,

march ing w i th a l l speed on Devizes,abou t tw o miles outside

t h e town on a fa i r h i l l,

” kn ow n as“ Roun daw ay Down ,

”

W i lmot halted ; wi th“a l l th e in so len ce of assured success”

C la rendon I l .,2 1 5. t Clar endon I L, 2 2 3.

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1 00 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

t h e sou th,between L lan thony Abbey an d th e w al ls

,Lord

Ruthven . This completed th e in vestmen t. Th e Roya l isthopes were high ,

as th e King tol d M assey ’s m essen ger w hobrought th e refusa l to su r ren der

,

“Wa l ler is ext in ct,Essex

can n ot com e .

” N o w on der t h e King w as aston ished at a

han dfu l of m en darin g to defy the w ho le Roya l ist force. He

could n ot u n derstan d h ow they ven tured to do i t . Th e an swerw as simple— they h ad Massey . W i th an en th usiasm that n everfa i led

,th e besieged set to work to strengthen their en t ren ch

men ts. Women an d girls worked,bring in g in turf in

face of th e King’

s horse an d u n der th e fi r e of th e King ’s gun s.

Massey h ad a t on ce to aban don tw o forts on A ln ey Islan d ,as h e h ad n ot m en with which to garrison them . This en abledt h e Roya l ists to cu t off th e water supp ly, which also drove th etown mil ls, so th e besieged h ad to rely on t h e r iver for dr in k

,

and to grin d t hei r corn as best they cou ld .

Massey kept making con stan t sort ies at a l l poin ts,

keep ing th e Royal ists on th e a lert . On th e 1 2 th AugustCaptain Gray headed a sort ie aga in st th e Worcester m en

on K in gsh olm ,burn t thei r ma in guard

,ki l led Capta in

Ramsay with eight or n in e sold iers,took five prison ers

and some arms, an d retu rn ed withou t losin g a m an . On

t h e 1 6th an other sort ie w as made again st the Worcesterm en

,resu lt ing in an exceeding h ot. skirmish for about

h alf-an -h our , th e cann on an d muskets on both sidesplayin g very furiously. On th e 1 8th Massey himsel f led an

assau lt on th e Worcester m en, got behin d thei r gun s and

breastworks, fel l on thei r m ain g uard , k i lled severa l officers,so ld iers

,an d tw o g un n ers, took a l ieu ten an t prison er

,spiked

th e gun s,an d ret ired w i th th e loss of on ly tw o kil led an d fou r

prison ers.

On th e 24th a let ter w as sen t in to th e town,that Mr . Bel l

,

o f San dhurst , and M r . Hil l,of Tew kesbury

,both law yers, h ad

someth ing of importan ce to commun icate . I t w as on ly to

advise th e garr ison to surren der,con siderin g th e great force

aga in st th e place an d th e impossib i l i ty of r el ief. Masseyrefused to l isten to anyth ing of th e kin d .

* Stubbor n as

w as M assey ’s resistan ce,h is con dit ion w as gett ing desperate .

H is m en w ere run n ing short— h is powder shorter . Un lessrel ief came surren der w as on ly a quest ion of days. Wou ldrel ief come ? Th e hero ism of Gloucester h ad roused evenEssex . Parl iamen t were rapidly reachin g fever heat on th e

quest ion th ey determin ed that Gloucester shou ld be rel ieved .

They ordered vo lun teers to be en ro l led for i ts rel ief ; 2 0 0 0 m en .

were to be pressed for i ts succour . Vo lun teers did n ot com e in,

pressing w as n ot successfu l,Gloucester w as n ot rel ieved .

Rushw or th V. , p. 2 89.

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 . 1 01

Parl iamen t became helpless. Th e C ity o f London came to

thei r rel ief. They reso lved that Gloucester must be

rr escu ed , an d determined tosen d forth from the c i ty som e speedy a id for the rel iev ing o f the C i ty of

G loucester, n ow in grea t distress by reason of the enem i es’ army w herew i ththey a re besieged . "

A l l shops w ere ordered to be closed un t i l G loucester w as

succou red Lots w ere drawn by t h e m en of t h e diif er en t

t ra in ed ban ds wh ich should go on t h e service. On Augusta4th a gen era l muster w as held on Hampstead Heath of the

m en to go 0 1 1 th e expedi t ion,an d on th e 2 0th Essex set ou t

o n h is march to rel ieve th e ci ty . Essex w as in earn est .

Wri t ing,on 30 th August , to th e Commi t tee of th e Coun ty of

Northampton,h e says

I am ma r ch ing for the rel ief of G loucester, an d sha l l go to-morrow , G od“w i l l ing , to B icester, w here I desire those horse an d foot of my Lord of

Denbigh’

s wh ich a r e w i th you m ay be, and they sha l l ha ve mon ey from m e,

and w hen tha t business is done they m ay go their i ntended w ay, w h ich w i l lbe bu t l i tt le ou t of the ir w ay. I f the foot can no t come t imely I desirethe horse on ly m ay

As soon as th e Royal ists heard of thismarch,Rupert w as sen t

wi th the cava lry to oppose an d delay Essex . I t h ad n ow

"become a ma t ter of hours h ow lon g Gloucester could hol do u t ; every delay

,how ever short

,w as essen t ial . Any t ime

Gloucester might fa l l even i f Essex w as n ot delayed ; in a

short t ime Gloucester m ust fa l l i f Essex w as delayed. W i lmot,

w h o w en t with th e cavalry , desi red to do a l l that cou ld bedon e to harass and obst ruc t Essex

,and keep h im on th e road ;

Rupert wan ted to bring Essex t o act ion,fight a bat t le

,an d

preven t h im ever arriv in g at Gloucest er . If ei ther p lan h adbeen carried ou t

' i t wou ld have been successfu l,b u t n ei ther w as

;p ersisted in . W i lmot w as n o t al lowed to delay an d harassEssex as h e might have don e Essex w as determin ed

’

n ot to

fight a bat t le . Skirmishes t ook p lace at Bicester,Stow-on

t h e-Wo ld,and other p laces

,bu t Essex, “ by march ing orderly

a n d c ircumspec t ly,

” pressed on . n ot so rapidly as h e wou ldhave l iked

,but st i l l steadi ly

,and Gloucester held ou t .

M arching on,E ssex da i ly reduced th e distan ce

,th e lon g length

to b e traversed got less an d less, t h e opport un it ies to delay h im‘

f ewer and fewer. I t is t rue Essex w as in greater force thanRupert

,b ut i f ever rashn ess wou ld have been j ustified this w as

on e of th e occasion s. Nei ther Ruper t n or W i lmot didanyth ing eff ect i ve to st0 p Essex . On th e sth Sep tember Essexreached P r esbu ry Hill . From there h e looked down on

Gloucester. He saw tha t Gloucester st i l l hel d ou t , for th e

Parl iamen t co lours were flying over i t,bu t to h is surprise

t h e siege w as raised,there w as n o besieging army before

H ist. MSS . Com .,IV. Rep.

, p . 2 63.

1 02 CIVIL W AR, 1 643 .

i t,n oth ing bu t the burn ing hu ts of th e Royal ist

Char les h ad ra ised th e siege. M assey ’s bravery h ad receivedi ts reward .

Th e Severn h ad risen an d fi l led th e approaches w i thcompel l ing Charles to draw o ff h is m en to th e n or th.The King wen t on th e 5th to Pa in sw i ck ; on th e oth th e

Roya l ist army drew up on Bird li p Hil l in order of bat t le.

Essex h ad n o in ten t ion of fight ing,That n igh t th e King wen t

to Cubber ly, th e n ext to Sudeley Cast le,Rupert go ing to Mr .

Stratford’

s a t F ar ncote. On th e 1 1 th Charles w en t on to

Evesham,Ru pert to Sheri ffs Len ch , O n th e 1 2 th both"

Charles and Rupert were at P er shore an d on th e 1 3th Rupertw en t on to White Ladies Aston on th e road to Worcester .Charles an d Ruper t both con si dered that Essex would fol lowthem n or thwards

,and a great bat t le wou ld be fought some

w here i n Worcestershire.

Essex h ad n o such in ten t ion . He or th e Severn h ad doneth e work

,h is object w as n ow to get back to Lon don as soon as

possib le . He on ly r ema in ed at Gloucester three days to revictua li t as wel l as h e cou ld

,and to replen ish i ts arsen a l wi th such '

stores of powder an d shot as h e cou ld spare. To dece ive th e

Royal ists Essex marched from Gloucester to Tewkesbury .

Here h e levied a con t ribut ion for th e u se of Gloucester . Betterto outwi t Char les

,he spen t h is men

’

s t ime du r rn g th e five daysof h is stay in making a bridge over th e Severn . This h efin ished

,and sen t ou t m en to occupy Up ton . Charles w as

completely deceived A t n igh t,on t he 1 4th Sep tember , Essex .

sudden ly marched from Tewkesbury . Crossin g th e hil ls h ew as by morn ing in fron t of C i ren cester. Th e place w as too

surprised to re5 1st , an d Essex occupied i t. Th e importan ce of

C i ren cest er as a garrison,from wha t h ad t aken place

,h ad

g reat ly decl in ed , b u t i ts capture w as a serious loss to t h e

Roya l ist s,as it w as th e m agaz in e o f their army , and by i ts fa l l

a l l thei r stores fel l in to th e han ds of Essex . He h ad n ow

obta in ed th e obj ect for which h e h ad been m an oeu vrin g : h e h adr eprovision ed h is army

,secured an Open road to Lon don ,

and

ga in ed tw o days’ march on th e Royal ists. A l l th is h ad beendon e an d Glou cester rel ieved wi thout a bat t le . Essex w as

congratu lat ing himsel f on h is good luck an d good m an agemen t as h e m arched leisurely back to Lon don .

Th e n ews of Essex ’s ret reat from Tewkesbury must havereached Charles a t Pershore

,i f n ot on the same even ing i t

took place,n ot later than th e n ext morn ing . Charles a t on ce

set off t o get between Essex and Lon don . He left Pershorethe same day, marched to Evesham ,

sen ding on t he n ewsto Rupert at Wh i te Ladies Aston ,

with orders to fo l low as .

rapidly as possible. Rupert set off that even ing,but did n o t

g et beyon d Charl ton . He started very early in th e morn in g

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C I VIL W AR, 1 643 .

of tha t garrison sha l l have a mon th ’s pay bestow ed upon them as a rewardo f the irIt w as easier to reso lve than to perform . Nei ther M assey

n or t he garrison ever saw th e £ 1 0 0 0,th e arrears, or th e

mon th ’s pay.

A letter of than ks from th e Speaker w as a lso sen t to M assey,

with promises of m en and mon ey ; bu t they rema in ed promises.50 0 m en were en l isted , bu t when mustered they dwin dleddown to 50 ,

an d even t hese d id n ot come for some t ime.

Powder , muskets, p isto ls, an d carb in es were ordered to be sen tbut n ever came. After some mon ths’ delay a sma l l supply of

ammun it ion w as forwarded,but n othing l ike a proper quan t i ty.

N o mon ey w as ever sen t . Massey w as thus to a great degreehan dicapped .

V avassou r fared better . He w as rein forced to some exten t ,ordered to occupy Tewkesbury

,garrison i t

,an d harass

G loucester from th e Welsh side . These orders V avassou r

carried ou t,wi th th e resu l t tha t Massey w as in diffi cu lt ies

about food . V avassou r n ow elaborated a scheme by which,

w i th th e a id o f th e govern ors at C i ren cester,Bristol

,Su deley

,

a n d Berkeley Castles,h e could blockade Gloucester and starve

ou t Massey . W i th thei r help V avassou r kept th e right ban k of

t h e Severn fai r ly safe,and protected th e distr ic t pract ical ly

f rom the M a lvern Hills to Bristo l .To carry ou t any rea l schem e again st Gloucester Tew kes

bury w as essen t ia l. N o town,certa in ly n o u n for t ified town

,

h ad in the cou rse o f th e w ar been taken an d retaken with

g reater frequen cy . I n th e last 1 2 mon ths i t h ad changedhan ds a t least seven t imes. V avassou r n ow determin ed to

aga in take i t for t he Kin g . W i th th is object early in Octoberh e set ou t f rom Hereford with 70 0 horse and foot . CrossingUpton Bridge -h e reached Tewkesbury an d occupied it . He

promised th e town speople that , as thei r govern or,h e wou ld

behave with moderat ion ,

”and asked the town speople for a

l i tt le help. But M assey w as n ot going to part with Tew kesbury without a struggle. He sen t up on th e t ide a boat loado f so ldiers from Gloucester . These on thei r lan ding

,caused

V avassou r con siderable a larm . On th e arr ival of Massey’ssold iers V avassou r

’

s m en mutin ied,deman d ing thei r pay.

V avassou r h ad n o mon ey to g ive them,so th e sold iers

took themselves off over th e Avon Bridge , past Ripple and

Upton ; on ce over th e Severn they dispersed to thei r homes,

caving V avassou r in Tewkesbury wi th n o force bu t h is offi cers.

W i th these h e cou ld n ot resist an a ttack by Massey,so n oth in g

r emained for him but to aban don th e place and march off

w i th h is offi cers. This h e did,taking th e road to Upton ,

crossing the bridge,an d r etu r n ing to Hereford .

Rushw or th V . , p . 2 95.

CIVIL W AR, 1 643 . 1 05

Massey ’s despatch to Essex,describ in g the affa i r , clearly

ib r ings ou t mat t ers.

*

sth Oc tober, 1 643.

Monday la st there being marched in to Tew kesbury 400 foot an d 3 or

400 horse. Report is a lso tha t con siderable n umbers a r e marched in toSudeley a nd tow ards Evesham , and their ful l reso lu t ion a r e to l ie a t S troud

,

Pa in sw ick , a nd Chel tenham , on the forest side a t New n ham , M itcheldean ,and New en t , and n earer a lso, so tha t you r Excel len cy w el l know est ‘how im

possi ble i t w i l l be for u s to ma in ta in t h is garrison w i thou t supply o f

streng th , man y of the tow nsmen here being w eary of the service, and th e

coun try a lready desire n ot o r w i l l not look upon u s, being a lso l ikely to loseou r markets, sin ce w e a re not able to defen d them from the enemy ’s seizur e.

To remedy a l l th is I am ho ld to make th i s address to your Excel len cy, byw hose favour of a speedy order a nd comman d ou r succour m ay be ful l and

“t imely , w h i ch , i f delayed t i l l they set t le and fort i fy themse lves in theirw in ter quarters, it w i l l be a th ing of much hazzard and di fficu l ty to rel ieveu s.

”

“ P ostscr ipt , Ociober 61fi .— I am tru ly advert ised by my scou ts tha t those

foo t w h ich w ere a t Tew kesbury, being o f the Welsh forces, ar e a l l marchedaw ay yesterday upon an a larm my troop of horse gave t hem , that they criedou t , the enemy from G loucester w a s coming w i th 4 p ieces of ordin an ce and

20 00 foo t and horse, ’ a nd so in much con fusion an d haste qu i t ted the tow n ,a nd some , being of the Welsh force, tha t the Lord Herbert shou ld n evermake them slaves aga in , nor bring them ou t of their ow n coun try on any

preten ce w ha tsoever, so took th e w ay over Upton Bri dge, and n o persuasionof Colone l Vavassou r or other o ffi cers, nor the force of their horse, w ouldcon stra in them to stay an d fort i fy Tew kesbury , as th is day they shou ld havebegun ; an d now not on e left there, I kn ow tha t th e enemy w i l l do w ha tpossi bly they can to take Tew kesbury fo r their w in ter quarters if w e can

preven t them n ot , for w e expec t others in the room of the Welsh , w hom Ipersuade mysel f w i l l hard ly ever be brough t so fa r aga in upon any serv i cew ha tsoever. W e hear n oth ing of .S ir W i l l iam Wa l ler, bu t hope ou r supp lyis cared for . S ir John W in ter ’s house in the forest is fort ified , an d a largenumber of sold iers a l lot ted to garrison there. S ir Ra lph Hopton is sa i d tobe a t Berkeley Cast le, and ha th brough t w ith h im 3 or 40 0 m en to garrisonthere.

This let ter of Massey ’s shews what d ifficu lty h e h ad to ma int a in himself at . G lou cester

,even with Tewkesbury in h is

possession . On e of h is great dangers w as h is commun icat ion s“ with Lon don . H is on ly source for supplies and h is on ly routew as across th e Co tswo lds to Blockley

,then to W arwick ,

Newport Pagn el l,St . A lban s

,and Lon don— a long w ay roun d .

S udeley Cast le being a Royal ist garr ison,an d n ear the l ine of

r ou te,formed a basis from which part ies were con stan tly sen t

to in tercept h is messengers an d con voys. If a party got pastSudeley they h ad then to r un th e gaun t let of the Campdeng arrison ,

which h ad become a very strong post , as it l ay on th e

Roya l ist l ines of commun i cat ion betw een Oxford an dWorcester ,as wel l as on th e Parl iamen t l in es between Warwick and

Gloucester . Th e Roya l ists determin ed to in crease thei rgarrison s ; a n ew on e w as formed at Stoke. Lord Molyn euxw as ordered to take h is regimen t to Campden

,rema in

“there an d garr ison i t

,doin g a l l in h is power by sortie

,foray,

H ist . MSS . Com . X I I I . Rep.,App . I .

, p . 1 33.

1 06 CIVIL WAR, 1 643 .

and any other w ay to in tercept and cu t off the Parl iamen tcon voys.

Massey h ad n ot force en ough to“ bea t up ” M olyn eux at

Campden , but what Massey cou ld n ot do others cou ld . Someo f t he few a tt acks on Worcestershire from th e east were n ow

made. Warwick Castle h ad a lways durin g the w ar been hel dfor t he Par l iamen t . Sergean t-Major Bridges

,w ho w as n ow in

comman d there, w as an active o fficer . From Warwick Cast leh e h ad been carryin g on a system of warfare much resembl ingw hat Massey h ad been do ing at Gloucester . Bridges determ ined to make Lord Molyn eux move from Campden . He set

o ff on e n ight wi th a strong force from Warw i ck,marched th e

1 7 miles so as to reach Campden early in th e morn ing,an d at

on ce at tacked t h e ga rrison . Th e at tack w as qu i te successfu l ;Lord Molyn eux w as surprised

,driven ou t

,a n umber of

prison ers an d 1 0 0 horses taken . This w as, however, on lya temporary success. Campden w as very soon r e-occupiedby t h e Roya l ists. I t w as n o t on ly that Massey

’

s m en h ad to

r u n th e gau n t let of th e Roya l ists in their commun icat ion s .

with Lon don that w as a mere in con ven ien ce . Th e quest ionof suppl ies w as vi ta l . A l l th e autumn Massey ’

s m en madesor t ie after sor t ie from Gloucester to ob ta in t h e suppl ies thatw ere n ecessary to susta in th e garrison

,th e chief result of thei r

labours w as n o t merely to procure food,b u t a lso to w in .

for themselves,doub t less deservedly, a most evi l reputat ion fo r

bein g n oth ing bet ter than a body of robbers.

Th e autum n show ed th e u se o f Bristo l to th e King . I n

November about 1 0 0 0 foot,t oo horse ,

an d 8 gun s w ere lan dedthere from Irelan d

,un der th e comman d of Si r W i l l iam St .

Leger . On e of h is co lon els, Nicholas M yn n e, w as a m an w el lable to dea l wi th Massey , an officer w h o h ad a l ready '

erved un der V avassou r . This rein forcemen t w as sen t fromBristol to Thorn bury an d Woot ton un der Edge. Here theywere at tacked by a force sen t ou t by Massey to m eet them

,

comman ded by a Cap ta in Backhouse . Th e Par l iamen t troopswere repulsed in this attack wi th some loss

,an d th e re in force

men ts proceeded on thei r w ay to Chel tenham,Tewkesbury ,

over Up ton Bridge,an d so on to Newen t , where, much to th e

disg ust c f th e in habitan ts, they were quartered .

Vavassou r , being un able to reduce Massey by fa i r fight ing inth e open

,determin ed to employ other means. Amon g

Massey’

s offi cersw as a Capta in Robert Backhouse, w ho w as in

comman d of th e Parl iamen t caval ry . H e h ad , before h e tookto sold iering , been an a ttorn ey and w as wel l kn own in th e

d ist rict,and h ad a large loca l acquain tan ce. Among them w as

aWorcester m an,a Roman Cathol i c

,Co lon el Edw ard Stamford , .

w h o,on t he st rength of h is acqua in tan ce with Backhouse, .

wrote th e fol lowing letter to him from Worcester

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1 08 C I V I L W AR, 1 643 .

con voys or messengers, or a t tackin g houses or posts held byopposi te sides. A body of t roops on the m arch were a lw ays '

l iable to be attacked,an d from t h e differen t garrison s par t ies

w ere con t in ually sen t ou t to in tercept any of t h e opposite sidew h o were passing in th e n eighbourhood , bu t a l l these breacheso f th e peace

,a l though they often in vo lved loss of l i fe

,an d

a lways damage to property , h ad l i t t le or n o rea l effect on th e’

w ar .

Fight ing w as n ot th e on ly evi l th e w ar h ad brough t about .There w as a complete cessa t ion of t ra ffi c upon th e roads

,which

as a result brought great d istress in to most of t h e town s ; th emarkets were ruin ed

,th e dea lers cou ld n ot go abou t th e

coun try. A t Shrewsbury it w as sai d thatA w an t of a l l commodit ies, no t n a t i ve w ith u s, w i l l fo l low the in tercoursebetw een u s and London bein g i n terdicted .

Merchan ts were arrested o n thei r journ eys and wer e n ot

in frequen t ly,an d perhaps properly , hung as spies. It w as

d angerous to t ravel withou t a pass. On March 8th,1 643, there

is an order of th e House of LordsTha t M r s. Gerrard , w i th four sma l l ch i ldren and tw o ma ids, i n a ha ckn eycoa ch

,an d coachman an d tw o m en , should have a pass to go to M a l ver n

,1n

W o r cestersh ire,a nd to have h er n ecessary apparel , an d th e coach , coach

m an , and on e o ther m an t o return to Lon don .

”

Bu t what pressed hardest on th e Royal ists were tw o

o rdin an ces passed at th e begin n ing of th e year. Th e fi rst,on th e 2 7th March , forbade

“t en an ts to pay ren ts to

d e l in quen ts,“ thus pract i ca l ly putt ing an en d to th e in comes

of most of th e Coun ty squ ires. Th e secon d , on th e I st Apri l , 1 643,w as

“ for sequestrat ing n o torious del inquen ts’ Thiso rdin an ce appo in ted sequest rators in each Coun ty, any tw o of

whom were authorised to t ake and sei ze in to thei r hands th eperson al estate an d th e lan ds an d real estate of

a l l person s, ecc lesia st i ca l or tempora l , as have ra ised or sha l l ra ise armsaga inst the Parl iamen t

,or have been , a re, or sha l l be in a c tua l w ar aga in st the

same, o r have vo l un tari ly con tri bu ted o r sha l l vo lun tari ly con tri bu te, n otbeing under the pow er of a ny part of the K ing

’

5 a 1 my a t the t ime of suchcon tribu t i ng

,any mon ey , horses, p la te , arms, mun i t ion , or o ther a id or

assi stan ce for o r tow ards the ma in tenan ce o f any forces r a i sed aga in st theParl iamen t

,or for opposing any force or pow er ra ised by au thori ty of both

Houses of Parl iamen t . ”

Th is pract i cal ly gave th e Commission ers power to take th e

p roperty an d in come of anyon e they pleased,as they were th e

so le j udges of whether o r n ot th e person came within th e

defin it ion of delin quen t . F or Worcestershire th e Commission ersn amed were th e t w o Coun ty Members, Sergean t W i lde and

Humphrey Sa lw ay ; t h e Member for Evesham,Richard

Cresswe l l ; Edward D ingley,o f Charlton

,a t whose house

Rupert stayed on th e fi rst n ight o f h is m arch from Wh ite

Rushw or th V ., 30 9.

CIVI L W AR, 1 643 . 1 09 ~

Ladies Aston to Newbury, and doubt less th e fact of h is bein ga sequest rator w as n ot forgotten ; Edw ard P i tts, of Kyre ;Thomas Greves, of King

’

s Norton,whose son comm anded th e

Parl iamen t t roops aga in st Rupert in th e fight at Camp Hil lan d W i l l iam J effr eyes, of Earl ’s Croome

,th e son of that

Thomas J effr eyes to whom Butler,th e poet

,is sa id to have

acted as j ust ice’

s clerk . I t wil l be seen that they were selectedfrom differen t parts of th e Coun ty

,so that thei r loca l kn ow

ledge might prove useful .-Worcestershire an d Herefordsh ire h ad th e reputat ion of

being part icu larly ma l ign an t coun t ies, so they were specia l lytreated . I n addi t ion to th e sequest rat ion

,an excise on

,amon g

other art ic les, cider an d perry w as imposed— th e fi rst excisethat h ad been levied as a gen era l tax in Englan d . Th e

King,by a proclamat ion from Oxford

,dated 7th A pri l , 1 643,

after stat ing that in three mon ths Parl iamen t h ad ra ised a sum

exceeding t he great subsidy of A“

ordered h is subjectsn ot to pay th e t axes, n or submi t to th e sequest ration

,but to

resist t o th e u tmost of thei r pow er a l l person s w h o shouldoppose th e King

'

s orders.

*

Th e people aga in st w hom th e Parl iamen t were most b i t terwere th e coun t ry clergy. That th e clergy were n ot a l l thatcou ld be desi red is probably t rue , b u t th e orders framed again stthem were usual ly made on charges of gross miscon duct

,an d

such charges were far too gen eral an d w ide-spread to be ful lyaccepted . W orcestersh ire examples m ay b e c ited in th e

“caseo f Durran t , th e V i car o f Blockley , w h o w as charged wi thassaul t ing th e con stable ;

’

r an d Ho l l ington,th e V icar of A lve

church,

aga in st whom tw o charges wet e made : ( I ) of

miscon duct ing himself w ith h is parishion ers ; ( 2 ) that in readingth e Remon st ran ce h e left ou t w ords,

so as to obscure from the people the grea tn ess of the danger the Honse of

Common s w as in ,as it is con cei ved in favour of the other side.

”

i

To protect th e clergy , Charles issued a proclamat ion on 1 5thM ay, 1 643, forb idding them being disturbed or plun deredu nder i l lega l ordin an ces.”To show h ow th e sequest rat ion acted on e example m ay be

given . Thomas Savage,of Elmley Cast le, h ad comman ded a

t r 0 0p of horse for th e Kin g. F or some reason he became

dissat isfied,gave up h is comman d

,and w en t to l ive qu ietly

with h is mo ther at Ma lvern,in th e Abbey House. Having

on ce served th e King h e came within t h e defin it ion of a

del in quen t in the ordin an ce, an d so w as l iable to have h isproperty seized and h is ren ts taken . Elmley w as too n earTewkesbury n ot to make Savage apprehen sive of being

Rushw or th V ., 3 1 3. 1 Wor cester sh ir e Sessions Records, 1 642 , N o. 59. 1 l b N o . 60 .

ll Rushw or th V ., 3 1 9.

1 1 0 CIVIL W AR, 1 643.

visited . He accordingly appl ied to M assey for protect ion,and

Massey agreed i f Savage pa i d £30 0 to obta in h is dischargefrom any sequest rat i on an d perm i ssion for him to reside at

Malvern . At that t ime th e Worcestershire sequestrators h adn ot been appoin ted

,so Massey w as th e on ly person to whom

Savage could go. Relyin g upon M assey ’s promise,Savage

pa i d th e mon ey an d return ed to M a lvern . He w as n ot

long a l lowed to rema in in peace,but w as

,in spite of Massey’s

promise an d h is paymen t,arrested and imprison ed by t h e

sequest rators, w h o came in th e autumn and sat at Tewkesbury,

t here being n o place in Worcestersh i re w here they were ablet o si t . Massey greatly resen ted this t reatmen t of Savage

,an d

wrote t o Lord Den bigh remon st rat ing aga in st i t,an d asking

for Savage to be released . After en during a longish 1m pr ison

men t Sav age w as made to pay a fin e of£ 1 5oo as a composit ion,

and w as set at l iberty .

Probably th is system of sequest rat ion did more to a id th e

Parl iamen t than fighting . The lan down ers recogn ised if they* were n o t to be ru ined they h ad bet ter submit . Those w h o

submitted ear ly gg ot better terms than th ose w h o hel d ou t .

Those w h o came in before I st Apri l,1 644, go t off wi thou t a

fi n e ; those before th e I st November,1 644, were fin ed on e

t en th,after that on e-th ird of th e value of t hei r estates A

let ter to Ormon de in October,1 644, shows h ow th is system

w orkedThe poverty of ou r n oble gen try in those shires w e possess i s so in su ffer

able tha t w e sha l l n ot ho ld ou t man y mon ths w ithou t yield ing ; a lready30 00 gen t lemen ha ve compoun ded , and da i ly more

I t is di fficul t to rea l ise a l l th e exaction s that were pract ised .

Th e un fortun ate Roya l ists were plun dered by th e Parliamen tfor th ei r loya l ty to th e King. They were requ ired by th eKing to shew thei r loya l ty by thei r con t ribut ion s

,thei r fa i th

by thei r works. Th e case of th e Dean an d Chapter of

Worcester an d o th ers i l lustrates th is.

I st February,1 643. Reso l u t ion of th e Dean an d Chapter,

agree ing to supply Charles with £ 1 0 0 0,to be obta in ed by th e

fel l ing o f t imber t rees ou t o f Cor nw oodfr N or did t h e

Worcester clergy escape. They were asked by the King to

make a loan,to be duly an d speedi ly

repa id w i th in terest of £8 per cen t . a s soon as these distrac t ion s sha l l besomew ha t appeased ,

”

1

b u t th e securi ty offered does n ot seem to have appea led to

t hem . How ever,in Jan uary

,1 643, they shewed thei r loyal ty

by thei r readin ess to con trib u tea good sum of mon ey tow ards ‘

the ra ising of a troop of horse under thecomman d of S ir James H ami lton . 1

* Car te’

s Orm onde , I I I . , H ist . MSS . Rep. X I V., App. 8, p . 1 89.

I H ist. MSS. Rep., X I V. , .App 8, p . 2 0 3.

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C H A P T E R I I I .

1 644.

On th e surface i t st i l l looked as i f al l th e advan tage of th e

w ar w as on th e King ’s si de. At th e begin n ing of 1 644 ,Worcestershire and Herefordshire were st i l l free of Parl iamen tt roops. Th e w hole of th e Severn Va l ley, in cludin g th e port ofB ristol

,w as th e King

'

s,with th e except ion of what C laren don

ca l ls :tha t un fortuna tely obstin a te tow n of G loucester, w h ich on ly kept h im fromcomman d ing the w ho le Severn .

”

Th e Roya l ist t r0 0 ps were thus distributed in Worcestersh i rea t t h e begin n ing of th e year. On t h e l in e from Oxfor d to

Worcester the garrison s wereS tow -on-the-Wold , Earl of Northampton , 6 colours, 30 0 foot .Campden , Lord M ol ineux.

S toke.

Evesham , Co lon el Knottsford , 1 50 horse ; Co lon el Wash ington , 40 0 foot .Pershore and other p laces, S ir Wa lter Pye and o thers.Worcester, Co lon el Sa ndys, 30 0 horse and 1 0 0 0 foo t .

I n th e n orth of th e Coun ty th e garr ison s were :Bew d ley , S ir Thoma s Ly t tel ton .

Hart lebury Cast le. Colon e l Sandys.

Dudley Cast le, Co lonel Leveson .

I n th e south of th e Coun tyS trensham , S ir W i l l iam Russel l .

A n d a l though outside th e Coun ty border but forming part ofi ts mil i tary systemSudeley , Lord Chandos.Tew kesbury , S ir W i l l iam Vavassou r .

M adr esfield does n ot seem to h ave become a regular garrisonu n t i l later.Webb says th at Ma lvern w as then a garrison of Massey’s

,bu t

th is can hardly have been so, theWorcester garr ison would n othave a l lowed a host i le post so n ear them

,n or on e so close on

their l in e of commun ica t ion s with Herefordshire.

Th e Parl iamen t does n ot appear to have h ad any garrisoni n the Coun ty , bu t outsi de, on th e east

,w as Warw i ck

,w i th

B rydges as govern or . It did for that part w hat M assey w as

do ing at Gloucester. I n th e south an d south-west Gloucester ,w i th M assey , on th e n orth-west , in Shropshire, Bridgnorth .

30 6.

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1 1 6 C I V I L W AR, 1 644.

that on Febr uary 1 5th , Gloucester Fa i r day, the Royal istt roops shou ld come to the west gate of Gloucester

,an d Back

house should l et them in,o r arrange

,

for them to be let in ,

having previously sen t them th e pass-word to e n able them to ~

‘

go by t h e sen t r i es an d pickets. Mat ters seemed so favourablean d so certa in that Rupert h imsel f came from Oxford to

Newen t to set t le w hat should be done,and to make arrange

men ts for wh at act ion should be taken on t h e surren der . Tw o

of V avassou r’s offi cers, Sir Wa l ter Pye ,

whose regimen t w as.

quart ered at Tewkesbury , an d Co lon el Wroughton , w h o com

m an ded a regimen t of horse t here,w ere n ow in structed by

V avassou r to hold themselves in readin ess to carry ou t t h e

scheme.

Massey , feel ing h e h ad got V avassou r un der h is power,

d irected Backhouse to ra ise h is terms. As a proof of h is

sin cer ity , V avassou r w as requ ired to order Berkeley Cast le to

b e evacuated , an d to march h is garrison ou t of Tew kesburyan d stat ion them at Pershore . S t range to say, V avassou r

agreed even to these terms. As a fu r th u r display of confiden ceMassey sen t V avassou r a lamprey pie. He a lso w rote h im a

let ter,expressing h ow much h e fel t grieved that an offi cer so

dist inguished as V avassou r,w h o h ad fought so wel l aga in st

Pap ists in Irelan d , shou ld ac tua l ly b e foun d serving wi th themin Englan d . I n ret urn for th e p ie V avassou r sen t Massey a

bu t t of M etheglin,an d wrote, saying

“ if M assey cou ld con v in ce h i m he w as figh ting aga in st the Protestan trel ig ion he w ou l d never draw h is sw ord aga in on t he Roya l ist si de.

”

I t is impossib le to say to w hat exten t Vavassou r wou ld havebeen humbugged . H is o ffi cers, how ever

,began to fee l u n

comfortable . an d would n ot do wha t h e proposed . In stead of

ma rch ing h is m en from Tew kesbury to Pershore, Sir Wa l terPye wen t to Oxford an d lodged a forma l charge of t reasonan d treachery aga in st V avassou r . Th e Govern or of BerkeleyCast le flat ly refused to evacuate i t a t V avassou r

’

s orders,

W rough ton refused to march h is m en ou t of Tew kesbury,and

w orst o f a l l M yn n e w as so u t terly disgusted with th e who leaff a i r tha t h e wen t to Oxford an d begged h e migh t be r el ievedo f h is comman d a t Newen t an d sen t back to . I r elan d . Noth in gcould , however, shake V avassou r

’

s bel ief that Backhouse wou lddel iver up th e place

,so h e got ready th e m en to sen d to

Gloucester to take i t over .On th e 1 4th February

,V avassou r

,having r ece1ved , a

m essage from Backhouse that th e pass-word for th e n igh t w asBristo l ,

”sen t off h is troops

,armed with this word

,to occupy

th e place . I t w as essen t ia l,to carry

.

ou t thei r p lan,t hat

they shou ld arrive in th e early morn i ng before i t w as l ight .On thei r do in g so , and giving th e word a t th e gates, they wereto be admitted . I n th e even ing of the 1 4th Massey ca l led a

C I V I L W AR , 1 644 . 1 1 7

"coun ci l of w ar an d disclosed to them th e who le affa i r,an d h ow

h e in ten ded i t should be dea l t wi th . An hour before daybreakt h e garrison were to stan d to arms. Th e Roya l ists wou ld be:a l low ed to cross th e Over-Bridge , w h ich w as then a suspen sion1b ridge as soon as they h ad passed t h e bridge pickets were to

cu t th e cables o f th e bridge so as to l et i t down in to th e r iver.an d cut off th e Roya l ist ret reat . Then having th e Roya l istst rapped on th e long cau sew ay

,on an islan d from which there

w as n o exit,between th e fi r e of th e t r0 0 ps at th e bridge and

t h e fi r e of th e garrison from th e town,they cou ld e i t her

be sho t dow n at leisure or made to surren der,as w as con

sider ed best . Massey ’

s plan w as approved,t h e bridge guard

strengthen ed ; an d Massey an d h is m en wa it ed wi th an xiousexpect at ion to see th e Roya l ists walk in to th e t rap set for

them .

But i t w as n ot to be. From tw o acciden ts th e Roya l ist sescaped th e snare . Backhouse ’s messenger wi th th e pass-w ordd id n o t reach the Roya l ists t i l l far later than h e shou ld havedon e

,so that h ad they set o ff a t on ce on rece iving i t they

w ou ld hardly have got to Gloucester before daybreak . Wheni t d id arrive V avassou r

’s offi cers were so st rongly of Opin ion

t hat there w as treachery that they flat ly refused to st i r . A tl ast

,with diffi cul ty

,V avassou r got over thei r scruples an d

in duced them to march bu t too much t ime h ad been takenu p ; as . they marched over Lassin gton Hill

,wi thin a mile o f

G loucester , th e d ay w as breaking” so i t w as useless go in g-on . They ha lted , looking down on Gloucester

,th e Over

Br idge,and t h e t rap set for them . Probably th e n umber of

th e t roops a t th e bridge con firmed thei r suspicion s of th e

r ecept ion prepared for them . They faced‘

about an d marched1b ack t o Newen t . Backhouse made an o ther appo in tmen t withV avassou r for th e Roya l ists to come

,V avassou r st i l l reta ined

h is ch i ldl ike fa i th,b u t t h e m en would n ot move. So at last

,

w i th an impuden ce on e can n ot fa i l to admire,Backhouse

,to

g a in credit from th e Parl iamen t,n ow there w as n o more to be

g ot ou t of V avassou r,publ ished a ful l accoun t of th e aff a i r ,

u n der th e t i t le of “ A True Relat ion of a Wi cked Plot .”

Glorying in h is shame, Backhouse boasts h ow h e deceiveda nd n early deceived to h is ru in

,V avassou r an d h is m en .

Having , by t h e plot, got what h e w an ted in th e w ay of

suppl ies, Massey resumed th e off en siv e. He kept t he Roya l istscon t in ual ly on th e a ler t

,ever appearing when least expected

,

r a i ding and plunder ing th e coun t ry for a distance of 30 milesr oun d Gloucester . He w as far .more than a match for

V avassou r both in w ar and in dip lomacy . M yn n e with h isgarrison at Newen t

,h is outposts at

“ Highleadon an d Taynt on

, kept that si de of Gloucester fa irly qu iet . But i f on es ide w as closed Massey ra ided t he other. He prepared a

1 1 8 CIVIL W AR, 1 644?

vessel of suffi cien t si ze to carry enough m en for a ra i d or beating u p quarters, and took h is m en up to Upton wi th the t ideor down to Aust . Lan din g on . either ban k-of -th en iver

,when

l east expected , h e ca rried off what spo i ls h e pleased,an d in t his

w ay kept h is m en wel l suppl ied . Dropp in g down th e r iver toth e W ye mouth

,h e r an up to Chepstow

,wh ich w as ga i r ison ed

by a regimen t of horse Lord Herbert w as engaged in formingThey were utterly surprised by Massey

’s appearan ce ; some

were kil led , some were taken . Th e Chepstow register recordst h e surprise. There is an en try“ Capta in Ca rv ine , w ho w a s k 1 l led in h is chamber in the George I nn bycertain so ldiers w h ich came from G loucester, w as bur ied 2 0 th Jan uary . ”

I n addit ion to dispersing the garr ison,Massey’s m en made a

more va luable capture. A Bristo l sh ip w as lying there ladenw i th suppl ies for th e W orcester garr ison ; Th is t urn ed ou t a

prize of grea t val ue,th e cargo being sack

,tobacco

,and

ammun i t ion .

*

Massey made h is n ame a terror . So much w as this the casethat when on on e occasion V avassou r

’s m en were attacking

Boddin gton House,n ear Chelten ham

,with good prospect of

taking i t , a rumour w as circu lated t hat Massey w as on h is w ayfrom Gloucester to rel ieve i t . W i thou t wa i t ing to see i f thereport w as t rue or fa lse

,V avassou r

’s m en made off and aban

don ed th e at tack. It must have cau sed th e Royal ist offi cersmuch m or t ificat ion to see the posi t ion to which they werereduced . V avassou r h ad more t roops than Massey

,an d

probably bet ter t r0 0 ps ; m en w h o,i f on ly decen t ly led an d

han dled,could an d would have rou ted Massey over and over

aga in,bu t the fear an d th e dread of th e Govern or of Gloucester

h ad so en tered in to th e sou l of V avassou r as to ren der h impowerless to con ten d aga in st h im . At last even th e headquarters’ staff a t Oxford became disgusted that n o th ing effect ivew as don e

,an d con si der ed that th e t ime h ad come for a change.

On the 2 nd Apri l , 1 644, an order w as issued from Oxford,direct ing V avassou r to draw ou t of Gloucestershire th e forcesu n der h is comman d

,leaving sufli cien t in Tewkesbury an d th e

Forest of Dean ,bu t n ot to remove th e garrison of Sudeley

Cast le,to which Lord Chan dos, w h o w as then quartered in

Worcestershire , w as to march . An i ron piece,carrying a glb .

bul let,w as to be sen t from Lud low for i ts defen ce

,an d Mr.

Foley w as to sen d 1 0 0 sh otsJL

As h as been stated,th e advan ce of the Scots changed th e

posi t ion of aff a i rs in“

the North o f Englan d . To preven t th eParl iamen t troops iso lat ing th e n orth Rupert w as ordered to

do h is best to provide for th e securi ty of Shrewsbury,Chester,

an d North Wa les,an d to ra ise the siege of New ark .

Webb , I ., 362 . 1 Har l MSS . , 680 2 , 88.

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CIVIL W AR, 1 644.

o f th e t imes,Joh n F ox. After Ruper t’s sack of th e place

i n Apri l , 1 643, t he Birmingham m en h ad aga in ra l l ied to th eParl iamen t . A par ty of them

,headed by F ox

,h ad sei zed an d

garrison ed Edg baston Hal l,then th e residen ce of the Goug hs,

and from it h ad made forays a l l over t he dist rict of n or th W or

cester sh i r e. F ox w as on e of th e most ac t i ve of th e Birminghamm en . Accord ing to th e Royal ists h e h ad been a t in ker , b u t i tseems more l ikely h e w as on e of th e many sma l l makers of

sword blades an d kn ives in n or th Worcestershire. Whateverh e w as n at ure design ed h im to be a leader o f m en ,

for h e w as

a ble , by h is presen ce an d influen ce,to keep in order an d to

reta in in h is service a body o f unmit igat ed scoun drels. F ox

w as bold,reckless, en th usiast i c , able to i mpart h is en th u

siasm to o thers,rel ig ious accordin g to th e rel ig ion of reci t ing

t exts,a lways ready to ascribe acts of plun der

,however felo

n ion s,as acts o f zea l for th e Lord . He w as a typica l example

o f the Puri tan mili tary in strumen t . To th e Parl iamen t sucha m an w as in va luable. I n M arch

,1 644 , Lord Den bigh gave

him a commission as colon el o f a regimen t o f horse which h ew as

-engaged in ra ising. I t w as to con sist of six t roops and tw o

t roops of dragoon s,some 80 0 m en in a l l

,an d as thei r pay w as as

doubtfu l as t hei r p iety,they probably formed a most formidable

body of th ieves A commission as major in th e regimen t w as

given to one Russel l F ox,w ho is sa i d to have been th e co lonel ’s

.son . Fox ’s i nfluen ce over h is m en is best shown by a letter h ewrote to Lord Den bigh

,in reply to an order from tha t n oble

m an,u nder

‘

w h ose comman d h e was,to atten d him .

“ I cannot , say‘s F ox, leavemym en to w a i t on your Lordsh ip , for fearof mu t iny and genera l departure .

F ox very soon proceeded to j ust i fy h is appo in tmen t . H e w as

a most con stan t correspon den t w i th h is ch ief. On th e 1 sth

March,1 644, he wri tes

* represen t ingthe many comp lain ts o f the coun try, by reason o f Lord Denbigh ’s n ew

garrisons exa c t ing provision s, p i l lagi ng , a nd issu ing w arran ts ( one of w h i chhe en c loses) for money in Lord Den bigh

’

s n ame, and in p la ces obedien t toh is imposi t ion s and under h is pro tect ion .

”

On th e 1 8th M arch h e wri tes giving an accoun t of Rupert ’sm arch from Wo lverhamp ton to Lich field

,

Yesterday , abou t 1 2 of the c lock , a t Bloxw ich , a bou t 4 m i les on the w ay“ from Wo lverhampton to Lichfield , w as Prin ce Rupert

’

s rendezvous, beingno t above 90 0 horse an d foot in the ou t side of h is strength . The grea terpart w ere horse, though bu t w eak , except some 2 or 3 troops tha t w ere reasonably good h is foot very poor a nd ragged , very many n o arms bu t sw ords.

The last n igh t ‘

h is force w ere a t Lichfiel d , w here “he h imsel f w as the n igh t

before, a s i t is bel ieved . Col one l Baggot t sen t forth w arra n ts to h is neigh“ hou t ing parish ioners to bring in prov ision s for 40 0 0 of h is so ldiers. I t i s

cred ibly though t they a r e boun d for

I V. Rep .,H ist. MSS . Com . , p. 2 64. i I h. , p 264.

CIVIL W AR, 1 644.1 21

F ox h ad not been con ten t w ith Edgbaston . He h ad beenin st rumen ta l in carrying ou t Lord Den bigh

’

s po l icy of establ ish ing n ew garrison s and h ad set on e up at S tour ton Cast le, n earS tourbridge . F or th is purpose h e sen t h is brother with 30 0m en to occupy S tourton Cast le

,and t urn i t in to a garrison for th e

Parl iamen t . This w as don e successful ly,and Stour ton became

r ather a thorn in th e side of th e n orth WorcestershireRoya lists. Major Hervey applied to Sir G ilbert . Gerrard ,t h e govern or of Worcester

,for help to take Stourton Cast le.

F ox heard of this ; h e w rote to Lord Den bigh,on th e

2 4th March,po i n t ing ou t th e advan tage of Stourton Cast le

from i ts» st rength and sit uat ion,an d that i t w as n ecessary

i ts garrison shou ld be a t on ce rein forced . As n o reply,

-o r n o sat isfac tory reply,w as rece ived F ox did h is best

to drive off Gerrard,w ho h ad a ttacked i t wi th some gun s

an d troops of horse . F ox m et Gerrard on StourbridgeHeath , j ust in si de th e Worcestershire border . Gerrard seems

to have been far too st rong for th e Tinker,th e Roya l ists’

accoun t says that they pi teously banged F ox,charged and

rou ted him an d h is m en ,pursued them for three miles and

slew many .

The first runn ing rebel bein g the j ovia l Tinker h imsel f, w hose examp le w as

w el l fo l low ed by a l l h is w orthy trayne.

”

F ox,Richard Turton

,an d Cap ta in Thomas Hun t wri te to

Lord Den bigh as to th is figh t on Stourbridge Heath . Theystate that they were outn umbered an d so fa i led in thei r attempt to rel ieve Stourton

,ask for rein forcemen ts

,

“.as i t

wou ld be a great pi ty to lose such a place.

” Th e rein forcemen ts were n ot for thcoming an d as th e Tin ker cou ld n ot go to

i ts rel ief Stourton surren dered . F ox wrote to Den bigh to sayi t h ad been surren dered on honourable con dit ion s. Thingscou ld n ot have been so bad with F ox as th e Royal ist wri tersrepresen ted

,for on th e 3 l st March h e wrote proposing an ex

change of prison ers. He w as,however, un der con si derable

apprehen sion as to what Rupert might do,and obviously

d readed a possi ble visi t a t Edgbaston . Having defeated M el

drum and ra ised t he siege of Newark,Rupert left there on

t h e a7th M arch on h is return to Shrewsbury . On th e 3 l st h e w as

a t Lichfield,an d Edgbaston w as n o t much ou t of h is road . F ox

h ad a close watch kep t on h im and thus w r i tesf‘

on th e 5th

Apri l to Lord Den b ighI n tel l igen ce of Prin ce Rupert , tha t yesterday he kept h is ren dezvous a t

Sh ireoaks, and _

last n igh t quartered a t H amp ton Brew ood . H is so ld iers“ ta lk of S ta fford and some other garrisons as though they mean t to besiege“them , bu t th is day 's march W l l l d iscover more certa in l y w h ich w ay heben ds.

F ox w as n eedlessly alarmed . I t w as qui te t rue that Rupert

IV. Rep ., H ist . MSS . Com .

, p . 2 65 . f I h ., p. 2 65.

1 22 CIVIL W'

AR, 1 644.

h ad a

'

gar r ison in h is min d,bu t i t w as n ot Edgbaston

,bu t“

Longfor d House,n ear Newpor t

,in Shropshire. I t w as taken

by composi t ion . Ruper t stayed that n igh t at New port , andth e n ext day wen t back to Shrewsbury , wh ich w as for t h e t imeh is head-quarters.

Bein g freed from fear of Rupert fo r th e t ime, F ox,on th e

sth Apri l , w ri tes to Den bigh,ca l l in g atten t ion to h is ow n .

con dit ion . He

“ comp la in s of the w an t o f money and n ecessaries for the subsisten ce of h is

so ld iers. Th is garrison n eeds n o enemy to destroy i t , for i f money be not

supp l ied i t w i l l destroy i tsel ffi .

Somehow th e difi‘i cu l t ies at Edgbaston were got over , and i t

rema in ed for some t ime on e o f th e ch ief cen tres of P ar l iam en

t ary act ivi ty in th e n orth of th e Coun ty . I t is l ikely thisdevelopmen t of fightin g in th e n orth of th e Coun ty m ay be

due to th e zea l and act ivi ty of th e Tin ker .It w as n ot on ly Edgbaston that th e people of th e n orth were

ca l led upon to supply wi th provision s. There is an order fromThomas Nor r eys, whoever h e w as

,to th e con stable a t Hagley,

o rdering him at on ce to br ing in t he supp ly of provision s forth e Worcester garrison ’

r

F ox w as in Apri l preparing h is great explo i t , on e that readsfar more l ike an in ciden t ou t o f

“Th e Three Musketeers.” or

some other of Dumas’

n ove ls,than an actua l even t. Un for tu

n ately, th e accoun ts ar e n ot so deta i led as cou ld be

w ished . Bewdley w as a Roya l garr ison ,of w h ich Si r

Thomas Lyt tel ton w as govern or . Th e exact st rength of th e

garr ison a t that date does n ot appear,b u t i t must have been at

least 1 2 0 m en . These,or th e greater n umber of them ,

w erequartered in th e town . Th e govern or l ived ou t of th e townin th e Roya l Lodge

,o r Pa lace of Ticken h il l

,in th e Forest of

Wyre,and h ad certa in ly some

,bu t i t is n ot clea r what n umber

of t roopers,w i th h im. Lyt tel ton w as th e most p rominen t of

th e Worcestershire Roya l ists, high in Charles’ favour,and i t

wou ld be a grea t ach ievemen t to make him prison er, i f i tcou ld be don e. Th e diffi cu lt ies were great , bu t F ox reso lvedto t ry.

Bewdley l ies on the west of th e Severn . At ordin aryt imes th e r iver is fordable. There w as a bridge

,but th e then

bridge h ad a gatehouse in the middle, which would be keptc losed at n igh t , and there would have been a bridge guard .

Bew dley con sists of on e short ma in street at th e top a roadt o th e left leads to Ticken h i l l . I t w as n ecessary to cross ther iver, surprise and overpower th e garrison in the town

,preven t

any word being carried to Tick enh i l l , and having got th e

town an d garrison in thei r han ds to surprise Ticken h i l l . As

IV. Rep. , H ist . MSS . Com ., p. 2 65. f I b .

, p. 265.

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$1 24 CIVIL W AR, 1 644.

Fox’s tra i l an d pursued wi th th e in ten t ion of rescu ing the

prison er they foun d h e h ad got too much start . F ox h ad

ir eached Coven try , or , as h e put i t , B lessed be G od,they came

a day after th e fa i r .”

I t w as certa in ly a bri l l ian t b i t of impuden ce,and deserved

s uccess,and i t isd iffi cu lt to avo i d feel in g sorry fo r F ox,

ash e reapedn o substan t ia l advan tage from h is bravery. Lyttel ton w as too

great a cat ch for an i rregular co lon el to be a llowed to reap a

ransom . Parl iamen t at on ce appropriated him an d sen t h im to‘

t h e Tower . Essex,however

,w h o kn ew Lyt telton

,offered to be

come h is ba i l,an d on th is h e w as soon afterw ards released, bu t

in t h e some reason ,h e w as r e-arrested an d aga in

sen t to the Tower,where h e rema in ed for some t ime. He

subsequen tly rega in ed h is l i berty. He died,however

,soon

a fter,i n 1 650 , and is buried in Worcester Cathedra l .

F ox st i l l w as act ive. It w as probably owing to h im that att h e end o f M ay Lord Den bigh un dertook th e siege of DudleyCast le. F ox appears to have assisted at th e siege

,bu t i t is n ot

qu ite clear if h e took par t in t h e fight with W i lmot when h e

t ried to ra ise i t in Jun e .

F ox is sa i d to have been in strumen ta l in plan t ing an other

g arr ison in th e Coun ty,H aw kesley, th e house of th e Middle

m ores,strong Roya l ists

,st rong Catho l ics, and con sequen t ly

-strong ma l ign an ts. A party from Edgbaston ,i t is n ot qu ite

certa in when,turn ed th e M iddlem or es ou t

,and con verted

th e place in to a' garrison for th e Parl iamen t . Symon ds

says* -Th e.. rogue,F ox

,pu l led dow n "th e church to

make th e works.

” But,whatever sin s F ox m ay have been

g u i l ty of , i t does n ot seem that h e w as gui lty o f th is,as there is

n o church anywhere n ear Haw kesley.

F ox a lso appears to have been govern or of another garr i sonkn own asRushin Ha l l

,sai d by Symon ds to b e in Warwickshire

,

b u t i t seems mor e l ikely to be th e Rusha l l Ha l l,n ear Dudley

,

t ha t w as taken durin g t he siege of th e cast le .

F ox made himself so act ive and so object ion able that i t w as

determin ed to make a serious at tempt to get r id of h im . On

sth October , 1 644,Forces w en t ou t from Worcester and j o ined w i t h others from Dudley Cast le,to recover Edgba ston House from the rebels. Returned w ithout doing

As h as been stated,early in Apri l V avassou r ceased to be th e

comman der in th e south-west o f th e Coun ty. A l i t t le t imeel apsed befor e a n ew appo in tmen t w as made

,and M assey took

advan tage of this to g et some suppl ies from Lon don .

They h ad to come roun d by Warwick an d over th e Co tswo ldH ills. Th e diffi cu lt ies at ten ding th e t ran si t ar e wel l shown in

D ia ry, 1 90 . 1 N oa ke , N otes a nd Q uer ies for Wor cester sh ir e, p. 32 9.

CIV I L W AR, 1 644 . 1 25

a let ter from E . M . (Edward Massey) to Brydges, the governorof Warwick Cast le.

“Desir ing to know your reso l u t ion o f M arch , and the w ord . sig na l , a nd‘ the

w ay by“

w h i ch you mean to march . The enemy is reported to be‘very strong

abou t S tow ,Broadw ay , Campden . Evesham , Upton , a nd Tew kesbury , and

i f he be no t draw n off by H is Excel len cy ’s o ther forces, your party w i l l betoo slen der I am a fra i d . Yet i f I h ave your t imely and certa in n o t i ce I sha l lendeavour to d ivert the enemy in these parts, and keep them on the otherside of the

Massey did h is best to carry ou t h is promise. A Dutchman

n amed Behr , w ho comman ded t he cava l ry th a t escorted th e convoy, seems to have been a very ski lful officer. A lthough Rupertkn ew of t h e con voy

,and d id h is best to in tercep t i t , yet

Behr w as too wary . H e took h is convoy in safety pastt he Roya l ist ’s posts, between Warwick an d Gloucester

,

an d thus furn ished Massey w i th suffi cien t suppl ies and ammun i t ion to t ake t he offen sive . This great ly del igh ted th e

Parl iamen t . Th e P erf ect D iu r n a l sta tes TPart o f the ammun i t ion is arri ved sa fe a t G loucester, w hereby the garrison

“ is set t led in so good a con di t ion . Co lonel Massey w i l l ven ture abroad , andbe in a c t ion sudden ly . ”

On Vavassou r being deprived of th e comman d th e King consu l ted Ruper t on th e selec t ion o f a successor . Rupert a t on cesuggest ed M yn n e, an d M yn n e w as accordingly appo in ted . N o

sooner w as this don e than h e let Massey kn ow tha t h e h adn ow a very diff eren t class o f m an to dea l w i th t o V avassou r .

M yn n e’s head -quar ters w ere a t Newen t

,b u t h e h ad

n o i dea of con fin ing h imse lf to Newen t o r th e n eigh bourhood ;h e at on ce assumed th e offens ive . Post ing m en from th e

V in eyard Hil l o r Ma isemore h e broke dow n th e bridge an d

w a i ted for Massey to move . Massey w as very weak in cava lry,

and thus w as han dicapped to a grea t ex ten t . He , how ever ,though t h is chan ce h ad come. Behr

,w i th th e cava lry

,wh ich

h ad escorted t he con voy,w as st i l l a t Gloucester an d migh t

b e ut i l ised . W it h some di ffi culty h e got t h e Du tchman to

agree to help i n an a t tack on New en t . M yn n e w as equa lto th e occasion . I n t h e early morn ing Behr at tackedt h e place

,for t h ree hours making assault after assau l t,

each of w hich M yn n e successful ly repulsed. Massey then r e

t ired havin g lost a n umber of m en in k i lled an d w oun ded,and

leaving behin d h im tw o guns probably th e gun s with whicht h e church tower of New emt w as so ba t tered t ha t th e marks ofth e ba l ls were visi ble on , i t fo r years after

,un t i l th e days o f

modern restorat ion . If M yn n e h ad on ly h ad a suffi cien t forceof cavalry

,thingswou ld have gon e badly wi th Behr an d Massey

,

b u t as i t w as th e pursu i t h ad to be stopped. Behr w as therefore able to get h is woun ded away in carts and make good h is

H ist . M SS . Com .,IV. Rep .

,2 64. 1 Ap r i 1 — 8, 1 644.

1 26 CIV I L W AR, 1 644.

r etreat to Gloucester . To preven t th e repet i t ion of such ex

p loits Essex peremptor i ly ordered Behr at on ce to r eturn fromGloucester , bu t did n ot leave Massey without help . Colon elP ur efoy,

a Warwickshire m an,from Westow

,n ear Tamwor th

,

w as sen t with h is regimen t of cava lry to Gloucester to

a ssist Massey,

w ho w as on ce more able to take th e

o ffen sive . F or some reason which does n ot appear , but , in al l

p robabi l i ty , to carry ou t a scheme in conj un ct ion with Ru pert,

t o draw Massey ou t of Gloucester an d cu t off h is retreat ,M yn ne decided to con cen trate h is force on th e west side of

G loucester, leaving th e Leadon Va l ley an d th e Worcestershire border un defen ded . Takin g advan tage of th is Masseya dvan ced up th e Leadon Va l ley an d occupied Ledbury.

Massey w as act ing in con cert wi th Lord Den bigh,w h o proposed

to advan ce on Worcester from th e Warwickshire si de , an d i f h ed id n ot at tack i t h e wou ld at least preven t any force being sen tou t to oppose Massey. This caused great a larm a t Worcester.S ir G ilber t Gerrard, th e govern or , wrote on I st M ay, 1 644, to

R uper t,compla in ing of th e state o f th ings

,adding that at

W orcester many of th e town were “very base,

”an d that if h e

w as n ot sen t help , wi th some con siderable force,t h e Coun ty

wou ld be /r u in ated .

” Gerrard w as r ight,the who le of south

west Worcestersh ire w as n ow at Massey’s mercy. P u r efoy’s

c avalry, havin g a n ew and comparat ively un plun dered distr ictin w hich to forage

,certa in ly made th e most of i t. Th e

c ava l ry w orkin g th e dist rict between th e Severn an d t h e

Ma lvern Hil ls caused t h e greatest a larm at Worcester. It w as

fortun ate for t h e ci ty t hat Massey h ad M yn n e, n ot V avassou r,

t o dea l w i th , for h e deemed i t bet ter,un der exist ing ci rcum

stan ces, to keep h is fron t rather than h is rear towards th e en emy .

Massey accordingly devoted h imself to th e coun t ry towardsHereford rather t han t h e coun try towardsWorcester . He r e

so lved to fort i fy Ledbury an d make i t a base for fu tureo perat ion s ; but h e w as n ot a l low ed to remain in a

posi t ion in which h e could selec t h is ow n base . Rupert cons ider ed Gerrard

’

s compla in t requ ired at ten t ion . Set t in g off

from Shrew sbury on Easter Mon day,z an d Apr i l

,h e marched

t o Ludlow an d th e n ext day to Evesham ,h is plan bein g to

m arch to Up ton,j o in han ds wi th M yn n e , an d t hus cu t Massey

o ff from Gloucester . H ad h e marched th e n ext day h e migh th ave succeeded

,but on th e 24th Apr i l (Wedn esday) , Rupert

w as summon ed to Oxford , an d w as deta in ed there un t i l

5 th M ay (Sunday) , when h e go t back to Evesham it w as

t oo la te to carry ou t h is scheme. Massey ’s scouts h ad heardo f i t and warn ed him of h is danger ; h e aban don edLedbury and fel l back on Gloucester. F or a t ime southWorcestershire w as freed from Massey

,w h o devoted h is

a t ten t ion to th e Forest of Dean . Rupert,on .h is r eturn to

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1 28 CIVIL W AR , 1 644 .

town '

,t ry ing to en ter i t by th e Bredon road . It h ad

,however

become dark , and M assey hardly l iked to a ttempt i t. He

sen t on a few m en, an d to h is surprise and j oy they

return ed , report ing tha t th e garrison h ad fled over th e

Avon Bridge towards Worcester , having utterly aban don edth e place. Besides th e place i tself, Massey took tw o drakes

,

I 8 barrels of powder , an d some stores.

Th e loss of Tewkesbury w as a great d isappoin tmen t to

M yn n e . On th e very day t hat Massey took i t h e w as on

h is w ay there from Her eford to take steps to make i t

more secure. Massey ’s explo i t aga in earn ed him th e thanks ofParl iamen t

,an d this t ime a more tang ib le proof of thei r

g r at i tude than than ks They ordered th e GloucestershireCommittee , w h o were dea l ing with del in quen ts’ lan ds, t o sett leou t of those of Papists and del in quen ts upon Massey an estateof in heri tan ce of th e yearly amoun t o f at least £ 1 0 0 0 . Reinforcemen ts were ordered to be ra ised an d sen t him Masseyrequested Par l iamen t to sen d him in stead what h e requi redfar more

,mon ey . He h ad n othing w herewi th to pay th e men

h e h ad with h im . If h e h ad on ly mon ey h e cou ld en l ist as

many m en as h e pleased , m en w h o were fi t fo r any fight ing ,aga in st any odds.

Massey ’s fame as a successfu l so ldier h ad become so greatthat i t a t tracted m en from a l l sides

,as they felt su re of

securing tangible advan tages from servi ng un der h im . If th ea ccoun ts a r e true

,recruits came in so n umerously tha t Massey

h ad to refuse over 1 0 0 0 appl ican ts,m en w ho h ad serv ed on

both si des ; so ld iers of fortu ne , m en w ho desi red t o share t h e

profi ts an d ga in th e honours w hich fel l to Massey ’s m en . Th e

recru i ts th e Parl iamen t en l isted in Lon don w ere o f a whol lydiff eren t k in d. There th e refuse of t h e u n employed cameforward to b e en l isted

,m en w ho ,

if they h ad n ot previouslydeserted ,

would bo l t at th e soun d of th e first shot .Th e Roya l ists foun d great di ffi cu l ty in gett ing m en . As a

r ule thei r gen era ls h ad n ot been successful,and th e con sequen t

a t tract ion s to their side were bu t few . They h ad , therefore, to .

resort to impressmen t to keep up thei r forces, which ren deredthem even more un popula r. Sir Gi lbert Gerrard

,as Governor

of Worcester,Sir W i l l iam M yn n e , as Govern or of Hereford

,

were both au thorised to impress m en an d horses to fi l l up th e

gaps in t he regimen ts,to assess and levy con t ribut ions for their

paymen t,b il let an d quar ter them according to thei r con

ven i en ce ,and pun ish a l l disorders by mart ia l law . Th e sheriffs.

an d a l l other offi cers were ordered to assist an d obey them in

execut ing thei r commission s.

About th e middle of M ay Parl iamen t reso lved to resume th e

Cor be t’

s M il i ta ry Gover nm en t of Gloucester .

CI V I L W AR, 1 644. 1 29

off ensive, their idea being st i l l th e on e of the year before :e i ther to shu t up th e King at Oxford and force him to

surrender,or compel h im to leave Oxford

,fight a gen era l

action in t he open,

w hen they hoped to destroy h is

army and compel h im e i ther to surren der or take to fl ight .

It w as on ly by on e o r o ther of these ways that,in t hei r

Opin ion , ther e w as any possib i l i ty of en ding t he w ar,as al l

attempts at accommodat ion were at an end. They thereforeordered Essex and Wa ller both to march on Oxford fromopposi te sides

,drive in th e Roya l ist forces

,blockade th e town

,

an d compel a surren der .Th e plan w as a t on ce pu t in operat ion an d w as a l l bu t suc

cessfu l,so n early so tha t some of th e Kin g

'

s advisers act ual lyproposed to h im to surren der to Essex .

* The King wou ld n ot

hear o f i t . So n oth ing remain ed for h im b u t to leave Oxfordat th e earl iest possib le da te . On Mon day

, 3r d Jun e , a t 9 p.m .,

h e left,escaping between Wa l ler ’s an d Essex’s armies

,reach in g

Handborough in th e early morn ing,h e did not con

sider i t safe to ha lt there,so pushed on to Burford. A t

n igh t h e aga in set ou t an d marched to Bour ton -ou -th eWa ter . So secret ly w as a l l th is don e that Essex would n ot

bel ieve Charles h ad qui t ted Oxford,so made n o haste to

fol low him up . Wa l ler w as bet ter served by h is spies ; theyto l d h im th e King h ad rea l ly gon e , so h e set ou t after him. Sorapidly d id h e march that a t Burford h e fel l in wi th some of

th e st ragglers of the Royal army . Hearing Wal ler w as on h is

t rack Charles pressed on ,an d t he n ext day reached Evesham ,

then held for h im by Co lon e l Kn ot tsfo rd. He w as here m et

by fugi t ives from Tew kesb u ry , w h o gave differen t version s of

t he storm and capture of that p lace by Massey on t he previousday. Both Wal ler and Essex were n ow fo l lowing after th eKing ; Essex h ad go t as far as Chipping Norton ,

Wa l ler as

Broadway . Here,hear ing tha t Charles w as safe over th e Avon

a t Evesham,Wa l ler did n ot pursue any far th er . Charles did

n ot feel safe at Evesham , both h is flan ks w ere Open to th e

en emy. Massey could move up from Tewkesbury,Den bigh

march dow n fromWarwickshire ,an d i f on e or both got between

him an d Worcester,en cumbered as h e w as by women and bag

gage,h e h ad with h im 30 coaches of ladies w ith thei r belongings ,h is posi t ion wou ld be very cri t ical . Evesham w as a lso verydisaff ected . Charles order ed the bridge across th e Avon to

be destroyed— probably Twyford Bridge 0 11 th e o l d Lon donroad . Knot tsford w as ordered to rema in t i l l h e saw th e en emyapproach

,then to demo l ish th e fort ificat ion s. Char les, passing

through Bengewor th,Charlton

,and Crop thorn e

,reached P er

shore,breaking down the bridge over th e Avon behin d him .

C la rendon , ,I I , 377.

l 30 CIVIL W AR, 1 644.

This w ork w as don e in such a hurry that al l th e t roops fa i led to

g et safely over. M ajor Bridge, tw o or three offi cers, an d 2 6

pr ivates w ere drown ed , a s wel l as some 80 coun t rymen,whose

hats w ere picked up floa t ing down th e r iver. Charles accordingly

left Pershore an d pushed on to Worcester ; reach ing thereon Jun e 1 2 th Here h e stayed n early a w eek

,an d kn ighted

t h e m ayor,Sir Dan iel Tyas. By blan dishmen t s

,or more forc ib le

m ean s,Charles in duced th e city to advan ce h im £ 1 0 00 . He

w as lodged in th e Bishop ’s Pa lace , h is troops, som e 60 0 0,were

q uartered in th e town . S tockin gs,boots

,an d gen er a l supp l ies

for t hem came in,so tha t a t th e end of th e week Charles

w as at’ last in a posit ion to shew some resistan ce to th e en emy.

He real ly owed h is safety to a d ispu te betw een Wa l ler an dEssex A coun ci l of w ar w as hel d at Burford

,at which it w as

decidedthat Wa l ler, w ho h ad th e l ighter ordnan ce and the less carriage, shou ldhave sen t an addit ion of force a s M assey, the Governor of G loucester, could

“gi ve h im , and shou ld pursue an d fo l low the K in g w her ever he shoul d go,

w h i le E ssex, w i th th e grea ter ordnan ce and heav ier carriages,shou ld reduce

“ the w est to the obedien ce of

Aga in st th is decision Wa l ler protested, stat ing thatWorcestersh ire w as n o t a fort un ate Coun ty for him .

” H is

prev ious service there with Massey h ad n ot redoun ded to h is

credit . Wa l ler wan ted to go to th e w est,leavin g Essex to dea l

w ith th e Kin g , bu t t his did n ot su it th e Lord-Gen era l . He

gave Wal ler h is posi t ive orders to m a rch accordin g to th e

advice of th e coun ci l of w ar fr ThisWa l ler w as obl iged to

o bey,b u t h e sen t a strong compla in t to Parl iamen t abou t

Essex’s con duct . They wro te Essex a very angry an d

imperious let ter , cen surin g him for n ot submitt ing to the

d i rect ion s they h ad given h im , an d requ iring him to l et Wal ler

go t o th e west . To this Essex replied that thei r di rect ion sw ere con t rary to th e discipl in e of w ar and to reason

,an d con

t in u ed h is march westward .

W a l ler w as right ,Worcestershire w as n ot a l ucky d istrict forh im ,

bu t h e h ad n oth ing to do b u t to obey h is gen era l ’so rders. Taking advan t age of Massey

’

s capture of Tewkesburyh e marched to W in ch combe , com pel led Sir W i ll iam M orton

,

t h e Govern or of Sudeley Cast le,t o surren der

,w i th 2 50

so ld iers, three gun s, ammun i t ion,horses, an d 1 0 0 quarters

o f gra in . Wal ler then m arched th e n in e miles to Evesham,

an d fou n d th e inhabi tan ts h ad repa i red th e bridge,

so

as to fac il itate h is crossing th e Avon . Here h e rema in ed on

t h e r 1 th an d r a th Jun e.

Lord Denbigh d id n ot , as Charles expected,at tack h im a t

Evesham . He h ad set t led on an other p lan o f Operat ion s.Dudley Cast le h ad a lw ays been a thorn in th e Parl iamen tary

Clar endon , I I . , 378. i Cla r endon , I I . , 378.

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1 32 CI VIL . W AR , 1 644.

the pursu i t a t presen t w e hear not . La tely i t w as further cert ified tha t SirW i l l i am Wa l ler, being w ith h is force abou t the Va le of Evesham , and un derstan ding tha t t he Earl of Denbigh w as engaged w i th a party of t he K ing

’

s

Horse, immed ia tel y sen t aw ay 2 0 0 0 horse to h is relief, w ho ,n o tw i thstand ing

“ tha t the enemy w ere bea ten off from the sieg e about tw o hours before they“ came ( a s some report ) , they m ay un doubtedly do good serv i ce in the

pursu i t ."

This accoun t abou nds in in accuracies. W i lmot w as n ot

touched , n o offi cer of n ote on th e King ’s side w as hurt,

Charles w as n ot n earer th e bat t le than Worcester,n or Wa l ler

than Evesham . Th e fol lowing private letter gives a betteraccoun t of t h e aff a i rTru ly i f G od h ad not fough t for u s w e w ere a l l lost m en , for they w ere, by

the con fession of those p r isoner s w e took , betw een 4 an d 50 0 0 and w e n ot

1 hey fel l upon ou r rear before w e cou l d begin t o march , on ly ou r forlornadvan ced . They assau l ted u s a quar ter of a m 1 le th is side t he leaguer w i th suchfury tha t h ad n ot ou r m en behaved themselves very g a l lan t ly w e h ad been

“ u t ter ly defea ted , bu t t hey w ere en coun tered so sharp ly tha t they w ere fa in to r

“r etrea t tow ards the c ast le, and w ere so handsomely bea ten tha t they h ad n o ,

m in d to come on aga i n . W e slew about 30 of their m en, 1 1 hereof some of n ote,

and one they w ished H is M aj esty had been k i l led r a ther than he (you m ay

percei ve by th is their love to H is M ajesty) , an d very m any i l l w oun ded a nddangerously . A l l the flow er and the grea test part of the King

’

s forces w ere in '

“t h is body . There w a s the King ’s Genera l of Horse (Lord W i lmot ) an d the

Earl of C levelan d . The King and the poor rema inder of h is forces is a t

Wor cester, w here Sir W i l l iam Wa l ler is advan c ing. S ir W i l l iam,hearing of

“the enemy coming to r a ise ou r siege, sen t 2 0 0 0 horse to ou r r el ief w h i ch camen ot t i l l the next morn ing . Had they come in t ime by God '

s help w e h ad l

given the enemy a grea t defea t , bu t not kn ow in g of their coming w e durstn ot pur sue them w e being so in consi derable in st r ength

, the place a ffordingthe enemy many

There w as n o pursu i t ,W i lmot drew off in good order wi thh is p r ison ers towards Bewdley . A day or tw o after th e siegew as ra ised an d th e Parliamen t force drew off t o Stafford .

Symon ds,w h o w as presen t w i th th e King at Worcester

,says.

i n h is diary :“ Mon day, June l oth . The Lord W i lmot , w i th h is horse, w en t fromWorcester on tha t side of Severn n ext Hereford , so t o Bew dley

,and relieved .

th e Cast le of Dudley, w h ich w as besieged by th e Ea r l of Den bigh ; took .

some pr isoner s.

”

f

W i lmot m ay have fa i led to rel ieve th e cast le bu t h is at temptw as far from a fa i lure. Wa l ler h ad been do ing h is utmost to

g et Den bigh to ra ise th e siege,jo in forces wi th h im an d at tack

t h e King . This Den bigh w as unwil l ing to do before W i lmot ’sa t tack , a lt hough h e w as th in king of ra ising th e siege and .

r eturn ing to Stafford . I n th e fight W i lmot h ad so crippledM yt ton

’s Brigade as to make i t n on -effect ive. Den big h.

d id n ot care to risk B r er eton’s,th e on ly other cava lry h e

h ad,leaving himself wi th on ly in fan t ry to resist

, as h e ret i red ,an a t tack of Roya l ist horse. Wh atever else W i lmo t did

,or

fa i led to do ,h e h ad ham pered Wa l ler ’s m ovemen ts by

h ist. MSS. Com ., X I V. p t. l V. , p. 63. f Sym onds

’ D ia r y, p . 1 3.

C IVIL W AR, 1 644 . 1 33

d epriving him'

of a l l a id from Den b igh ’s forces,and thus

preven ted h im from taking t h e offen sive aga in st th e King.

0 11 th e 1 2 th Jun e Charles left Worcester an d marched n orth .

His idea is sa id to have been to have pushed on to Shrewsb ury and then across coun try in to Yorkshire

,an d having jo in ed

h is m en wi th Ruper t ’s,w ith t his very con siderable force

marching back to crush fi rst Wal ler and then Essex Iti s doubt ful if th is w as th e King’s rea l p lan

,for i f i t h ad been

t here w as n oth ing to preven t him carrying i t ou t . H is m archi s thus described

Wednesday , the 1 2 th J un e, H is Maj esty marched ou t of Worcesteron that side of the Severn n ext Hereford , by the Parish of [H a l low ] , w hereis a park w here S ir Wa l ter Devereux l i ves, tw o myles on the righ t han d on

the w ay from Worcester. Then by Shraw ley , a parish . At last to Bew dley,“ten mi les from Worcester, w here the Kin g l ay tha t n igh t , a t the Manor o fTicknel l . on t he top of the h i l l near the tow n

, a house belongin g to thePrin ce of Wa les, n ow farmed ou t to S ir Ra l fe C lare, a fine, h i l ly pa r k abou t

“t he house. The church is a m yle from the tow n ; in the tow n is on ly achape l-of-ease, tw o myles from Kiddermin ster. Th is is an en c losed coun try ,

“sma l l pastures a nd corn fields, a n arrow w ay, most part of i t stony , th equarry of ston e of a bri ck ish

Outwardly th e in habitan ts of Bewdley received th e King wi thp leasure. Th e accoun ts say :Pd . for r ing inge a t the Kin g ’s comin g to tow n and go ing forth 0 2 0

“ F or pul l ing dow n the Ba i l i ff ’s seat and set ting u p aga in w henth e K ing w as here 0 o 4

F or paving, w h ich the Reformadoes broke up 0 6 1 0’

1

On e thing made th e King’s stay in Bewdley memorable.

I t w as whi le here that h e sen t h is orders to Rupert to fight inYorkshire

,th e con sequen ces o f which w as th e defeat of

Marston Moor .Wa l ler must have heard of Charles’ march from Worcester .

Th e n ext day, l gth , h e left Evesham an d marched to

Bromsgrove,sen ding h is horse on to Kiddermin ster , wi th

o rders to wat ch th e Bridgn orth road an d in tercept th e King ifh e t ried to march n orthwards. The tw o armies were therefore n ow wi thin st riking distan ce. Some of Wa l ler’s horse

,

probably those sen t on to Dudley when W i lmot wen t there,were posted at Stourbridge . Wa l ler wen t there himself ino rder

,as h e says

,to in terpose between th e King an d Prin ce

Rupert in case th e King off ered to advan ce from that sidet o Shrew sbury . A l though th e tw o armies were n early equali n n umber

,al l th e advan tages from arms

,equ ipmen t

,an d

d isc ipl in e w ere on Wa l ler’s side,st i l l h e did not con sider

himself st rong enough to at tack th e Royal ists.Things cou ld n ot have been pleasan t for th e people l iving in

th e district . A let ter from a Co lon el Frazer , dated 6th Jun e,1 644, con tain s an offer

Symonds, p . 1 3. f Bu r ton ’

s Bew dley, App. ,XXX I I .

1 34 CIVIL W AR, 1 644.

“to march betw een Worcester and Evesham ,

w here there is n o other w ay forH is Maj esty to pass to Prin ce Rupert bu t through Worcester and so to

Shrew sbury. N o in tel l igen ce yet , bu t la st n i gh t there appeared a t K idderminster, a t 1 2 of the c lock a t n igh t , a party of 1 20 horse, w h i ch threatenedthe inhabitan ts to ru in them i f t hey sen t any prisoners to your Lordsh ips

W i th Wa l ler’

s caval ry wan dering abou t the in habi tan ts weren ot safe from being plun dered , an d t hose w h o desi red to maket hemselves secure h ad to get protection from the Parl iamen tgen erals. Among Lord Den bigh

’

s papers is th e fo l lowing

7th June, 1 644. Order to a l l comman ders in the servi ce of the K inga nd Parliamen t to forbear to p l un der the c lo th in the fu l ling m i l ls in .

K iddermin ster and Hart lebury, belonging to Robert ‘

vVil lm ott , Treasurerfor the Commi t tee for the Coun ty of S ta fford . ”1

"

Charles on ly stayed tw o days at Bewdley— Thursday,1 3th

Jun e,an d Friday , 1 4th . H e h ad made up h is min d wha t

to do . On Sa turday , 1 sth ,h e ordered some of h is cava lry to

march up th e Severn towards Bridgn orth . Whi le thus throwing Wa l ler off h is guard , th e in fan try , gun s, an d baggage were ;

pu t on board boats an d sen t off dow n st ream to Worcester .Having despatched them th e cava lry were ordered to fa l lback to Bew dley

,when they an d those w h o were there

set off an d m arched to Worcester,where they a rrived on

Saturday even ing. Wa l ler h ad sen t h is cava l ry forward to

wards Bridgnorth to in tercept Charles, but th e King com

pl etely dece ived him and w as fa l l ing back on Worcesterwithou t Wa l ler ’s kn owledge.

On Sun day,1 6th Jun e

,Charles atten ded service at th e

Cathedral,and about n oon set off for Evesham. Reaching i t

in th e even ing h e on ly ha l ted an hour o r so,bu t long en ough

to compel th e town to pay a fin e of £ 2 0 0 on accoun t of thei rdisloya lty in enabl ing Wa l ler to pass th e river by repa iring t h ebridge— which h e aga in broke down . Th e town w as also ‘

ca l led upon to provide th e army with 1 0 0 0 pai rs of boots.

Having thus pun ished d isloya l ty th e Kin g marched th e

same even ing to Broadw ay where he slept at Mr. Savage’s .

house. From Broadway, by Charles’order

,Digby w rote to

Rupert sayin g :They w ere ra ised to com fortable hopes from a state a lmost of despera t ion . .

The truth o f i t is had Essex or Wa l ler j o in t ly e i ther pursued u s or a t ta ckedOxford w e had been lost . I n the one course Oxford h ad been yielded up to

“ them,hav ing n ot a fortn igh t ’s provision s, and n o hope of relief. I n the

“other, Worcester had been lost an d the K ing forced to retrea t to yourH ighness.

”

I

Char les w as on ce more safe . From Broadw ay h e wen tby Campden

,Stow-on -the-Wo ld

,to Burford

,sleep ing t here

a t th e George.

” Here h e w as join ed by a rein forcemen t of

4th Rep. H ist. MSS . Com ., p . 2 67. 1 4th Rep. H ist . MSS. Com . , p . 267.

I Webb, I I . , 44.

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1 36 CIV I L W AR, 1 644 .

musketeers, a company of dragoon s,an d 1 0 0 musketeers from

Malmesbury . W i th these t roops h e ma rched to Stow-on -th eWo ld

,on th e 24th to Shipston -on -Stou r

,and on to n ear

Edgehi l l . Her'

e h e received from Coven t ry and Warwick1 1 gun s and more re in forcemen ts. Wal ler n ow con si deredhimself st rong en ough to meet th e King.

“

Th e tw o armiesm et at Cropredy bridge on th e z oth Jun e, and aga in W i lmotshewed h imself a superior gen era l to Wa l ler.After Cropredy bridge , on ce more t h e King return ed to

Worcestersh ire. He marched by Farth in ghoe,

“

Ayn h oe,D edin g ton ,

to Moreton -in -th e-M arsh .

“ From then ce H is M aj esty , w i th h is w ho le army,marched over the

“ Cotsw o ld H i l ls, w i th co lours flying , on to Broadw ay , then ce to Eveshamtha t n ight

,w here he l ay. H is troops w ere quartered a t

Charles staved at Evesh am n in e days— from th e 4th'

to th e

1 3th Ju ly. He lodged a t a house on t h e n orth side of BridgeS treet

,t hen occup ied by A lderman Mart in

,belonging to th e

Langston family,on e of whom h ad been Member for Evesham .

F rom ou r court a t Evesham,th e 4th day of July

,th e

King sen t a message for peace t o t h e Lords and Common s of

Parl iamen t,assembled at Westmin ster

,to which n o an swer

w as retu rn ed .

“ Tinker ” F ox h ad h is eye on th e King . He wrote fromEdgbaston a t 1 0 p .m .

,0 11 th e 8th July

,that th e King w as

m oving from Evesham towards Dudley Cast le qui te a fa lse bito f in format ion Charles’ atten t ion w as d irected to quite a

d ifferen t quarter. A force of Roya l ists were stat ion ed n earB redon

,w hose objec t w as to retake Tewkesbury. On th e

1 3t h Charles left Evesham an d jo in ed them . They werewi thin a mile of th e tow n an d a l l w as ready for an assau l t .Massey did n o t in ten d aga in to lose Tewkesbury . He sen t upa rein forcemen t of 2 0 0 musketeers from Gloucester

,w h o w ere

t o cross Upton Bridge,come down to Tewkesbu ry on th e

Ripple side . A force w as sen t from W orcester,wi th orders

to advan ce down th e west bank of th e Severn, secu re th e

bridge at Up ton so t h at Charles, when Tewkesbury w as taken,

cou ld wi th h is m en march over Upton Bridge in to Herefordshire

,an d so on in to Wa les. On ce aga in Massey w as t oo

n imble for th e Roya l ists. H e wa i ted on th e west bank of the

Severn for the force sen t from Worcester. They did n ot

merely secu re th e bridge at Upton , bu t tried to secu re,or

rather sw eep,th e coun t ry rou n d from th e en emy . Massey

wa i ted for them in Elder sfield,at Corse Lawn . A sharp fight

took place,and Massey taugh t the Worcester m en a lesson by

completely defeat ing them .

On J uly oth the Parliamen tary j ou r n a l I says

Sym onds, 2 5. f Ru shw or th , V .,687. I F ez/ act Occu r r en ces , Ju ly 5— 1 2

,1 644.

CIV I L W AR, 1 644 . 1 37

By let ters i t w as certified to the Comm it tee tha t th e K ing h ad faced“ Tew kesbury , and w as gone tow ards G loucester, i t w as supposed for

Bristol . ”

Th e resu lt o f the figh t at Co rse Law n w as that i n stead of th ebridge at Upton being in the han ds o f the Royal ist s i t w as in

those of M assey . Cr ossing over t h e Severn by i t h e w as ableto bring up h is m en to rel ieve Tew kesbury on th e n orth side ,

an d to seriously threaten th e Royal ist posit ion . Charles an d

h is advisers saw th at th e con fin es of Tewkesbury w ere n o

place for him . I t w as therefore reso lved to ra ise th e siege .

Th e King return ed to Evesham,marched to Broadway

,ov er

th e Cotsw ol ds n ear Sudeley Cast le,

from w here .

”says

Symon ds,“the rebels gave u s tw o great shot . That n igh t

,

a t on e of th e clock,th e King got to h is quarters at Cubberley

an d so on by Sapperton,D ag lew or th ,

Badmington,to Bath .

Massey profited by h is vic tory and by th e King ’s ret reat ; h esen t ou t troops of horse in to th e coun t ry roun d Tewkesburyon th e Royal ist l in e of march . He at tacked th e rearguard

,

cu t off a l l st ragglers, an d took some 50 or 60 prison ers.

M yn n e thought that M assey ’s absen ce at Tewkesbury gaveh im a chan ce that h e w as n ot slow to u se. He w as

determin ed t o take Gloucester,an d h is syst em of con t inued

figh t ing h ad great ly reduced both Massey’

s fo rces an d h is

resources. To keep up h is suppl ies Massey h ad to make con

stan t forays,most of which were successful . From Tew kesbury

Massey sen t h is pickets al l over south Wo rcestershire ,an d h is

m en came on forays to within four miles of Worcester,

causing th e greatest con stern at ion to th e in habit an ts. Theycarr ied off Sir Hum phrey Tracy an d tw o o ther offi cers as

prison ers. It w as felt to b e n ecessary to do someth ing to

abate this n u isan ce M yn n e accordingly made h is plan s to

assemble a t E lder sfiel d a l l th e forces h e could,in cl uding a

party from Worcester,march on Gloucester

,laying waste to a l l

t h e coun t ry through which they passed,so that i t could n ot ,

even i f wi ll ing , furn ish suppl ies to Massey. M yn n e h ad learn tin Irelan d that th e most effec t ive w ay to dishearten a garrisonw as to dest roy th e standing cr0 ps. He determin ed to t ry thisi n Englan d.

On th e 2 6th July M yn n e , taking with him such m en as h e

could muster,advan ced to Hartpury

,on th e w ay to Gloucester.

Massey saw th e move w as dan gerous and should be stopped a t

on ce. Co l lecting a l l h is ava i lable m en,cal l ing in some part

of th e Tewkesbury garrison,h e g ot together what h e though t

a su ffi cien t force. He h ad some di ffi cu lty in reta in ing h is m en

owing to a quarrel betw een tw o of h is offi cers,wh ich set them

a l l by t he ears. A t last,late in t he even ing

,b e arranged

m at ters, marched ou t and surprised an outpost of M yn n e’s at

Sym onds,2 8 a nd 30 .

1 38 CIVIL W AR, 1 644.

High Leadon,driving off some and taking others prisoners.

M yn ne h ad meanwhi le fa l len back on Redmar ley with h isma inbody , wa i t ing for th e Worcester m en to join him before h ea ttacked . After wan derin g about for some t ime in the darkan d marching by and missing th e Roya l ists

,Massey ha l ted h is

m en at E l der sfiel d , th e forces being abou t tw o m i les apart .

I n th e early morn ing M yn n e’

s drummers,by beat ing th e

r evez l l e’

,disclosed th e posi t i on of h is force to Massey . M yn n e

h ad drawn up h is m en,850 in fan t ry and 1 60 cava lry

,i n some

en closures,l in ing th e hedges with h is musketeers

,w a i t ing for

t h e Worcester m en to come, w h o , bu t for t h e fog , shou ld havearrived an d taken up groun d to M yn n e

’s left

,after crossing t he

open common . Bu t M yn n e soon foun d h e w as not to be

a l lowed to wa i t for th e Worcester m en . On th e fog l i ft ingMassey advan ced h is m en in tw o bodies in order o f bat t le.

Co lon el Hurley led th e van wi th three troops of horse,su p

por ted by that Capta in Backhouse w h o h ad so deluded Stamford an d V avasso ur

,with three more t r0 0 ps. On th e flan k of

'

th e horse w ere a body o f in fan t ry . Th e rear w as brought upby an other troop of horse an d in fan try. Th e reserves werestat ion ed in the vi llage of Redmarley .

M assey at on ce began to at tack th e r ight flank an d fron t,

drove th e Roya l ists ou t of th e en closures and from th e

hedges,put t h e horse to fl igh t

,broke in to th e foot and

shat tered th e who le body . M yn n e ,w i th 1 30 of h is m en

,fel l

fighting , an d 30 offi cers,1 sergean t

,an d 2 0 0 sold iers su r

ren dered ; th e remain der made off a t thei r top speed to

Ledbury . A t th e momen t w hen Massey h ad rou ted M yn ne, ,

Co lon el Passey,th e comman der of th e Worcester t roop

,rode

u p asking for orders. He w as w oun ded an d left for dead .

H is m en ,however

,con t in ued to advan ce un t i l they saw on

thei r righ t th e bu lk of M yn n e’s horse fleeing in disorder

,then

they hal ted . They were n ot long left in un certa in ty . Masseyret i red quickly, whi le th e Worcester m en

,having lost t he i r

leader,an d n ot knowing what to do

,r em ain ed

,h a l ted and

a l lowed Massey,with h is prison ers

,to escape .

Such w as th e bat t le of Redmarley . H ad th e Worcester m en

arrived a l i tt le earl ier,Massey himself admi t ted h e must have

been dest royed . Th e fog an d th e Worcester m en losing thei rroad a lon e saved him from destruct ion

,but h e w as saved , and

n ot on ly saved,bu t freed from on e w h o h ad don e more than

anyon e else to ren der h is effor ts as govern or of Gloucesterun ava i l ing .

Massey con veyed M yn n e’

s body to Gloucester and h ad i tburied there ; th e precise place of burial is n ot kn own . It does .

n ot ma tter,for M yn n e cou ld n ot have h ad a bet ter mon umen t

or a more eloquen t epitaph than on e sen ten ce of con temporary “

test imony :

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1 40 C I V I L W AR , 1 644.

Th e defea t of th e Roya l ists at Marston Moor en han ced the

part th e Scotch army played in th e w ar . I t w as n o lon ger a

fight between th e tw o great English part ies, i t w as a fightbetween th e Engl ish Royal ists an d th e Puritan party, whetherthat party w as Engl ish or Scotch . Th e importan ce of th e

Scotch help wi l l be seen when i t is sa i d that th ei r army , wheni t en tered Englan d u n der Lord Leven ,

con sisted of

foot , 30 0 0 horse,and 50 0 0 or 60 0 0 dragoon s. Th e Scotch h ad

n ot much to do d irect ly wi th t h e fight ing in Worcestersh ireu n t i l 1 645 ; bu t in di rec t ly , by set t ing free more Parl iamen taryt roops, and so a l lowing th e differen t garrison s to be rein forced

,

t hey h ad con si derable effect,especia l ly as i t w as j ust th e

t ime when th e Roya l ists were feel ing t he greatest diffi cu lty inkeep ing up the i r n umbers. Th e Scotch were in ten sely.un popular with both sides A Scot ch army w as r epresen ted as

bein g a l l that w as bad,

an d th e combin ed effect of thisteach ing wi th th e pract ica l experien ce th e Scots gave t h e

coun t ry of thei r greedin ess for supplies wen t far to j ust i fy thei runpopulari ty. So strongly w as th is felt that Charles

,in

August,gave secret in struct ion s t o a Mr . Hard ing , direct ing

h im to go wi th th e Marquis of Her t for d’

s son (Earl Beauchamp )to Essex

,as secret ly as possib le

,del iver the King ’s let ter

,and

in form him thatth e ev iden ce therein rela tes to h imsel f

,and i f possi ble to induce the Earl to

join the King w i th h is forces in order to effect a gen era l pacifica t ion .

An other m emoran dum direc ted Harding to en deavour toi n duce Essexto t ry to preserve th e coun try from the common danger of a con quest by theScots, and d irected h im to avoi d susp i c ion of any other design than tha t of

a ccompanying Lord BeauchampTh e Roya l ists

,n at ural ly

,did thei r best to st 1 r up every

prej udice aga in st t h e Sco t s. Th ey w ere successfu l,and they

h ad thei r reward,for when , seven years later , an other : Scotch

army came to Englan d to figh t for th e King th e hat red wh ichth e Roya l ists in 1 644 an d 1 645 h ad roused again st t h e Scotchst i l l con t in ued

,so that there w as n ot th e sl ightest sympathy

an d en thusiasm for them . I t is in deed more than probablethan the ch i l l ing recept ion Charles I I . m et with in 1 651 w as in

a great measure due to th e prej udices and disl ikes w h ich th eRoya l ists h ad exci ted aga in st th e Scotch in th e first C iv i l W ar .

Th e in troduct ion o f th e Scot s seems a lso to have h ad a

con siderable effect in in ducing both parties to a rrive at an

accommodat ion . Certa in ly th e people o f Worcestersh ire werebecoming t ired of th e w ar . I n August

,

d ivers of Worcestersh ire offered to ra ise forces for the Parl iamen t , and an

ordin an ce w as passed to en able them to do so .

”

Wh i t lock , p . 96.

CIV I L W AR, 1 644 . 1 41

A pet it ion w as sen t from diversWorcestershire gen t lemen

to th e House of Common s, dated September 4th ,on beha lf of

t hemselves and others o f th e sa id Coun ty ,stat ing that they

“ have fo r the last tw o years been under the pow er o f the en emy, w ho haveexacted la rg e sums o f money from the Coun ty , besi des seiz ing ca t t le a nd

“ horses w i thout paymen t . Your pet it ion ers have, besi des, su ffered a t the

hands of t he Parl i amen t forces, w ho in their in r oads and requisi t ion s make n o

dist in ct ion betw een the i l l-a ffected a nd w el l-a ffec ted . There is now a greatopportun i ty for reduc ing the Coun ty en t irely , and your pet it ion ers desire thatthere m ay be n o delay in passing t he ordin a n ce for tha t purpose sen t up bythe House of Common s, and n ow before your Lordsh ips.

It w as th is an d simi lar compla in ts that persons in th e

Coun ty were plun dered a l i ke by both sides— by th e Roya l istsand by th e Parl iamen t equa l ly— tha t l ed to th e format ion of

th e Cl ubmen,and th e associat ion s that were formed for mu t ua l

p rotect ion of l i fe an d property,which afterwards gave so

much t rouble .

Th e fightin g in th e n orth of t h e Coun ty during th e aut umno f 1 644 degen erated , to a great exten t

,in to plun dering ra ids.

Tw o in stan ces wi l l give an i dea of what th e plun dering w as.

Th e first is a passport for a clergyman , w h o i t is true w as a

plura l ist , as h e held th e l iv ings of Ha lesow en an d Suckley,an d

would,therefore

,i f h e visited both

,have to do a good dea l or

t ravel l ing. I t says a good dea l for the in secur i ty of th e

district that this clergyman shou ld requ ir e a pass. I t is as

fol lowsTo a l l officers a nd sold iers of the Pa r l iamen t , or under Lord Den bigh ’scomman d . Forbea r' to molest , disturb , or seize up n the person ,

goods, or

cha t tels of Thomas L i t t leton , Parson o f Suck ley and V icar of Ha lesow en , a

laborious, pa in ful m in ister, w el l—a ffected to the

Th e other is a let ter from George Varn ey to W i l l iamW i lmot

,1‘ written in 1 644

“ I h ad eleven horses taken aw ay by the K ing ’s so ld iers, and foun d the

1 1 w ere w el l w orth £40 . I r ode a fter the 1 1 horses and bough t 9 of themaga in and brought them home ; then , rid ing a fter the other tw o

, w h i le Iw as abroad the King ’s so ldiers took the other 9 aw ay aga in , and cou ld neverhave them more. S in ce, aga in , the last w in ter, go ing to market w i th a loadof corn , the Earl of Man chester’s sold iers m et w i th my m en and took aw ay

“ my w ho le team of horses, let t ing my cart stan d in the fiel d 4 mi les fromhome never had them more. Besides a l l th is, w hen the King ’sso ld ier s come to m e they ca l l m e Roundhead ,

’

Rogue,’

a nd say I pay ren t“

.to the Parl iamen t garrison s, a nd they w i l l t ake it aw ay from m e. And,l ike

“w ise

,w hen the Parl iamen t sold iers they r eckon w i th m e

,and tel l m e I pay

“ ren t to Worcester and W in chester,therefore the Parl iamen t so ld iers say they

w i l l have the rest . ”

W i ll iam Bathe,

of'

Amblecote,col l ier

,writes to Lord

Denbigh,compla in ing that

certa in so ld iers had arrested h im w h i le he w as drin k ing w i th a friend , and“ took from h im h is purse, mon ey , and w ri t ings

,w h i ch he prays m ay be

restored to h im , and tha t he m ay be set a t l i berty. II V. Rep. H ist . M SS . Com . , p. 265 ; possib ly Suck ley is a m ista ke fo r Lu t ley, w h ich

is nea r Ha lesow en . f H ist . M SS . Com . , X I . Rep ., app . VI I . , p . 2 1 7.

I I V. Rep . H ist . MSS . Com ., p. 2 72 .

1 42 CIVIL W AR, 1 644.

If th e fo l lowing is true,i t expla in s a good dea l of the

plundering an d miscon duct of Den bigh ’5 m en . H is offi cers andso ld iers pet i t ion ,

represen t ing the i r dest i tute con dit ion in

r espect of mon ey an d clothes,an d reca l l ing thei r great service

a t Dudley and o ther p laces. When th e existen ce of an i l ld iscip l in ed

,starving so ldiery

,dest i t ute of mon ey and clothes

,

i n a coun try which could be p i l laged wi th success,is born e in

min d,bad as a r e some of th e stories that have survived of th e

p i l lag e of some of th e Worcestershire people,i t seems fa i r ly

cer ta in tha t w e do n ot k n ow th e ful l measure of th e in i qu i ty .

I n th e sou th of th e Coun ty t he fight ing during th e au tumn

o f 1 644 st i l l cen tres roun d Massey,w h o w as at last receiv in g

recogn i t ion for h is bravery an d perseveran ce . A t th e en d of

August,1 644, h e wen t to Lon don ,

wa it ing for th e orders of

t h e Parliamen t . During h is stay there h e w as highlyhon oured

,as h e deserved to be . His return to Gloucester is

described in t he fol lowing terms

W e m et w i th Colon el M assey on th e last Sa turday n igh t , so late, and the“n igh t so dark , tha t w e knew h im on ly by the l ustre of h is va lour, w h i chhonoured and overcame the dark ness. He w as then return ing to h is governmen t o f Gloucester, and made haste by the priv i lege of n igh t to get a dayupon h is

Parl iamen t h ad become ful ly a l i ve to th e great importan ceo f Massey ’

s w ork. A n ordin an ce w as passed direct inga mon th to be ra ised for th e Coun ty of Gloucester fo r

t h e rel ief o f t h e garrison an d sold iers. To give them va lue forthei r mon ey

,M assey exten ded th e area o f h is operat ion s to th e

solu th as far as Bath

,where h e t ried to put an en d to Rupert’s

effor ts to recru it ; eastwards to Ban bury, to help th e besiegers

t here ; and n orthwards, through Herefordsh ire and Shropshirein to Nor thWa les

,to scour ou t th e scat tered horse and fugit ives

-'

a fter t h e ba t t le of Mon tgomery . It n eed hardly be won deredthat

,con sequen t on a l l this act ivity

,at th e end of September

M assey h ad to wri te to Parl iamen t compla in ing of h is n eed forh orses and m en . Bu t Parl iamen t were u n able t o supply h iswan ts. I n Oc tober h e aga in wrote that a l l h e w an ted w as an

addi t ion of 2 0 0 0 foot an d 50 0 horse to con quer al l SouthWa les. A report w as circu lated that Massey w as fo l lowin g upCharles so c losely wi th 40 0 0 horse an d foot that th e Kin g ’sa rmy .w er e so d ist racted thatthey k new n ot w h i ther to go , n or w ha t to do , and tha t the K ing h imsel f, w ho nowby th is v igi lan t a nd a ct i ve Co lon el Massey is n ow pursued , is fearful to lodge toany tow n or garrison

,bu t ha th la in severa l n igh ts in the fi eld . Thus w e have

ou r report , bu t a fterw ards it is sa id Co lonel Massey hath n o strength of thousands

,as w e heard i t reported h e desires bu t 1 50 0 . I w ould he h ad them ,

for

h is strength is so sma l l , and h is art i l lery so grea t,tha t w h i lst he took 600

“ horse from Gerrard ’s rear, S ir J ohn W in ter ha th t aken Monmouth from h im.

Lon don P ost , N o. 3, 2 7th August , 1 644.

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CI VIL W AR , 1 644 .

arrested Pi tt,and fi red on the party

,ki ll ing some of them

Pitt w as han ded over to a court-martia l,t r ied as a spy, con

v icted , and

Th e o ther case w as that of a gir l of from 1 6 to 1 7 years o fage, w h o

disguised as a boy, offered hersel f a s a recrui t for the Guard a t Hyde ParkShe w as a n a t i ve of Gloucestershire, and w as pu t to a master for an appren

’

t i ce for six w eeks upon tria l , bu tfled upon the eve o f the day she w as to be

boun d . She w as taken up , and though t by some to be a spy to discover“the state of Lon don , bu t her age and her sex seemed to destroy th isop in ion .

”

Th e accoun t,which is a Fren ch on e

,con t in ues

N eanmoins l a ma l ice du sexe fem in i n , est bien grand el le va bien souven tau dela de l ’age.

”

T

A good dea l of t ime durin g t h e au tumn w as spen t in n egot iat ing what w as cal led th e Treaty of Uxbridge. L ike a l l othera ttempts at n egot iat ion i t fa i led . Th e in terest ing po in t in i twith regard to Worcestershire is that th e Parl iamen t p roposedto make a n umber of the more act ive Royal ists

,as a pun ish

men t for thei r loyal ty, in capable of h o ldin g offi ce or of comingto Court . These person s were selected from a l l over Englan d .

I n Worcestersh ire,

“ that loya l coun ty ”as i t w as sa id to be,

Parl iamen t on ly proposed to except on e m an,Sir W i l l iam

Russel l,of S t ren sham 1

There w as a good dea l of desu ltory fighting durin g t he

w in ter,of which l i t t le or 11 0 t race h as su rvived . F or in stan ce,

Major Robert Harley,w r it in g to h is brother

,Co lon el Edward

Harley,on th e a8th November

,1 644 , says : “ I men t ion ed

Worcest er in my last,which design miscarr ied .

” What th e

design here referred to w as there is n o r ecord .

During th e autumn tw o rather importan t Worcestershi reRoyal ists were taken prison ers by the Parl iamen t. Both h adbeen Commission ers of Array , an d both h ad don e what theycould

,but in diff eren t ways

,to help th e Roya l cause. Th e on e ,

Sherr ington Ta lbot,of Salwarpe

,on e of th e Shrewsbury family

,

w as a magistra te an d deputy-l ieuten an t,an d h ad at th e ou t

break of t h e w ar been very act ive for t he King, especia l ly in

ra ising m en . He w as a Commission er of Array in 1 642 , h ad

been arrested at th e in stan ce of Sergean t W i lde,an d sen t to

Lon don in custody . He obta in ed h is release,bu t st i l l showing

h is Royal ist v iews,w as aga in arrested and sen t to th e

Tower. Th e other w as Richard Dow deswel l , a lso a Commission er of Array

,w h o carried ou t a successful plot to get

Tewkesbury surren dered to the Royal ists, and an un successfu lp lot to get Gloucester surren dered . He w as also arrested and

sen t up to Lon don . §

Wh i telock , 1 0 1 . . f Le fi l er cu r e Ang l er'

s, N O. Oct . 3- 1 0,1 644.

1 Rushw or th , V . , 798. Wh i telock , 1 30 .

CIVIL W AR, 1 644. 1 45

Th e rest of th e year w as taken up in sma l l loca l ra ids andfights. A lul l came over both parties, possi bly from mutua lexhaust ion . Th e Parl iamen t recogn ised th e n ecessi ty of doingsometh ing to in fuse n ew vigour in to thei r army, and tooksteps for that end. Probably th e Roya l ists a lso recogn ised i t

,

but i t w as hardly possib le for them to reform thei r forces un derexist ing circumstan ces. The best idea of h ow mat ters stoodat th e close of 1 644 can perhaps be ga in ed from a loca l accoun t

,

w hich m ay fi t ly close th e n arrat ive of th e w a r for th e year .Th e let ter is dated Tewkesbury , December 1 6th ,

F or new s in these parts w e have th is, tha t the Worcester sh ire Commi t teea re come sa fe to ou r tow n of Tew kesbu ry w i th 240 horse and m en , w el lappoin ted , and Co lonel Rous is r a ising a regim en t of foo t , I hope to goodpurpose, w h i ch , w i th those horse belonging to ou r govern or, Colonel M assey

,

m ay do w el l , for h e is st i l l abroad a n d in a c t ion .

W e have a fron t quarter hereabou tsw i th the enemy by reason of the loss of

Monmouth . TheWelsh a re st i l l hearken ing for ou r govern or ’s absen ce ; an d thenon the Forest of Dea n side w e n ever w an t con stan t a larm , especia l ly w hen he istow ards S troud or C iren cester, so tha t w e have a hel l ish l i fe un less w e cou ldd iv ide ou r forces, and that can not be un t i l these horse do j o in w i th u s. S ir, Ican in form you of a successful passage of la te, tha t w as ac ted by Capt a inG a in sfor d , w ho keeps one of our garrison s on the forest si de. He h ad

“ in tel l igen ce tha t S ir John W in ter’s for ces w er e gone abroad to p lun der thecoun try , an d tak ing abou t 40 m en w i th h im he m et w i th the p lunderer s,k i l led 2 1 of them , and took 1 4 of them prisoners, together w i th 4 w aynes and

the dri ver s of them and 1 6 oxen . I t w a s a brave defen ce,I w i l l assure you . I

cou ld cert i fy you of some other passag es, bu t it w ould be too tedious. One is

of ou r Governor ’s Cap ta in-L ieuten an t , w ho , w i th a party , m et w i th a party ofthe King ’s horse, k i l led 1 2 of them , took .1 prison ers, a nd one capta in of

grea t n o te, a nd a scarf w orth { 1 0 a t the least . Capta in Robert M assey w as

a t the same t ime nea r taken in h is quarters. bu t h is trumpet sounding un to“ horse the en emyfled, though they er e w i th in a stone

’

s cast of h im . Ith in k w e could fright them w i th Rams’ horn s. There w as la tely a mut in ya t Sudeley Ca st le by the base abuse of un ruly sold iers being bu t one daybeh ind of their pay. Capta in George M a ssey , t he Govern or thereof, w as

gone to borrow mon ey t o pay them accordingly , and hearing of it camehome, and deman ding w h o w as the mut in eer s, one of them an sw ered tha tw ha t w as don e w as don e bu t in j est , bu t he underst anding tha t he w h o madethe an sw er w as ch iefest st i ck ler, he did p r i ck h im 1 11 the th igh w i th h issw or d

, w hereof he died . Bu t a l l is w el l aga i n in tha t Cast le, w h i ch is of

grea t con sequen ce. Some u nruly kn aves w i l l be do w ha t a m an can .

W e have now three brothers, a l l hon est m en — ou r Govern or Massey , Cap ta inGeorge M assey , and Capt a in Rober t M assey , o f London

,w ho is coming on

w i th a good troop of horse. He is a va l l ia n t m an , a s w el l as the rest . O thersl igh t businesses have been done, bu t those I omi t t rl l further proceedings be

“to sa t isfie you a t large . To con c lude, i f some of your grea t forces do n ot

come forw ard to suppress the enemies sa l lying ou t so near u s, here w i l l beno rest ing in qu iet ; they do so fo l low u s on three o r four si des. Thus for the

“ t ime I take leave and rest ,Your Friend .

From this descrip t ion of th ings at Sudeley,l i fe in “Ein

klein e garrison ,

”in 1 644, must h ave been qui te as un pleasan t

as l ife in a simi lar place at th e presen t day in a foreign army,

but possib lv n ot fo r th e sam e reason s.

Lon don P ost , j anua ry i 8th , 1 645.

C H A P T E R I V .

1 645.

A t th e begin n ing of 1 645 t h e garrison s in Wo rcestersh irerema in ed n early th e same as before . Co lon el San dys h ad suc

ceeded Gerrard as Govern or o f Worcester ; Evesham h ad h ad

i ts fort ifica t ions destoyed in th e summer when th e King and

Wa l ler were there, and i t rema in ed for a t ime without fo r t ificat ion s an d wi thou t a garrison , but both were restored , i f n ot a t theb egin n ing , early in 1 645. Maj or Robert Legge

,a major of

horse in Prin ce Mauri ce’s regimen t,w as made th e Govern or.

Symon ds" puts down Dro i twich as a Roya l garr ison,but gives

n o governor ’s n ame. Except this statemen t there appears tobe n o au thor ity for saying that i t w as so .

Symon ds does n ot men t ion Bewdley among th e garrison s,an d

i t does n ot appear that any governor w as appoin ted after SirThomas Lyttel ton . There w ere con stan t ly t roops at Bewdley

,

b u t there is n o eviden ce of a regular garr ison being kept therea fter 1 644.

At Hartlebury ,Sir Samuel San dys w as govern or

,W ith h is

k in sman un der him . F or some reason,during the year

t h e defen ces of Har t lebury were great ly stren gthen ed . To do

t his m en were impressed from th e differen t places in th e

n eighbourhood , an d made to work on th e cast le an d i ts

defen ces. Amon g other p laces directed to sen d a con t in gen t forth is work w as Bewdley

,t h e Bew dley people objected to going

,

a nd i f possible to get them off gave on e of those in authori tya drink to get excused. Th e Bewdley accou n tsT

L have th isen try

“ Pd . for w ine for Mr. Turton , to get off ou r m en f r om going to w orka t t he Cast le 0 0 1 0 .

I t is n ot recorded what effect th e win e h ad.

Dudley st i ll con t in ued to ho l d ou t for th e King . Somet imei n th e autumn of 1 645 M adr esfiel d w as made in to a Roya lgarr ison

,but n ei ther th e date when i t w as made,

n or th e

reason for making i t appear . It w as before October,for in

t hat mon th i t w as besieged . Chipping Campden rema in ed an

importan t Royal ist post,and a lso the latest garrison

,S toke

,th e

comman d of which h ad been given to Capta in Hen ry Ba i rd ,w h o

,un less much bel ied by repor t

,appears to have been one

,O f t h e most lawless of th e Cava l iers of that day, which is sayingmu ch .

D ia ry, p., 1 67. 1 Bur ton ’

s Bew dley, App. ,XXX I I I .

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1 48 CIVIL W AR, 1 645 .

n otwithstan ding tha t th e stormers were withou t shel ter and '

th e bu l lets an d ston esflew th ick about them . As soon as th e

Roya l ists heard of th e attack,th e troops formin g th e tw o garr i s

son s of Evesham and Campden came in h ot haste to th e rescueof t hei r friends. But Brydges

,w h o h ad suspected they wou ld

come, on t aking th e place at on ce fi red th e house,

col lected a l l th e plun der h e cou ld,an d made off for Warwick .

H e says tha t Stoke w as on ly a fort of Pap ists,an d that h e

carried off with h im five Papist captain s, 30 other Pap ist offi cers

an d gen t lemen,besides th e common soldiers.

Th e dest ruct ion of th is garr ison w as on ly an other of th e

acts that were drivin g th e person s on both si des w h o h ad‘

anything to lose to take steps to defen d thei r property,

who l ly i rrespective of par ty . Th e state of th e Coun ty w as go in g :from bad to worse. N o t on ly did l evy fol low levy in frequen tsuccession

,bu t there w as n o safety for l i fe or property.

Roya l ists plun dered,Parl iamen tar ian s p l un dered . When

e ither party w as co l lect ing suppl ies th e quest ion w as n ot i f th eown er of th e property abou t to be taken w as on th e side of th e

King or of th eParl iamen t,b u t h ad h e any property worth taking

if so,i t w as sei zed

,i f th e ow n er w as on t h e plun derers’ si de

because i t w as h is duty to suppor t them ; i f h e w as n o t becausei t w as thei r duty to preven t him support ing thei r oppon en t s.

I n al l Coun t ies this plun der ing w as felt , b u t in Worcestersh irem ore than in a l l o thers

,as there were more plun derers Every

detachmen t of troops tha t passed o r repassed a long th e Coun tyroads wan ted something

,an d th ey. took i t . Th e un fort un ate

in hab itan ts were left a lmost dest i t ute. Wh i telock" saysParl iamen t received pet i t ion s compla in ing of th e

“ in su lts tot h e women an d th e murder ing of m en

,

”to redress which evi ls a

commit tee w as appo in ted to con sider :These fruits of c iv i l w a r ; robberies, and 1 n num er ab le w i cked a c tion scommitted by the barbarous so ldiers, to the un speakable m i sery of the

poor coun try.”

I n some Coun t ies th e movemen t w as made main ly aga in st:on e party

,n otably th e Cava l iers. As in Dorsetshire

,where i t

w as said T there were 40 0 0 m en,armed

,w h o threa ten ed to

plun der al l w h o did n ot j oin them to ext i rpate t h e Cava l iers. .

But th e usua l th ing,an d th e on e that preva i led in Worcester

sh ire,w as an a l l ian ce of both par t ies aga in st a l l w h o p lun dered

,

t o whatever side they sa i d they belon ged.

I n Worcestershire some 2 0 0 0 person s got together an d pu to u t a declarat ion of thei r in ten t ion s aga in st th e Popish party

, .

t hat they should preserve th e King ’s r igh ts an d th e privi legeso f Parliamen t . Thei r n umbers kept in creasing so fast thatRupert became alarmed , an d t ried an d tried in va in to pacify

Wh ite lock , p. 1 20 . f I h. , p. 1 30 .

CI VIL W AR, 1 645 . 1 49

t hem. Th e ch ief diffi cu lty w as that th e con stables would n ot

bring in t he n ames of those w ho took part in these assembl ies.

I n March,1 645, th e sym ptoms of popu lar r isings became

accen tuated , both in Worcestershire an d Shropshire,w h i le in

Herefordshire there w as an actua l rising .

“ Oppression w as

t hei r plea , n eutra l i ty thei r cry .

” These ban ds of farmers and

peasan ts cal led themselves Clubmen ,

”a n ame for which tw o

der ivat ion s ar e given ; on e that they were armed with clubs,

t he other that they were members of a club or associa t ion .

Th e lat ter appears to b e the most l ikely. They displayedban n ers, on which were in scribed

I f you o ffer to p l under, o r take ou r ca t t le,

Rest assured w e w i l l give you ba t t le.

”

I n Herefordshire th e storm fi rst burst,ma in ly from th e acts

o f some Roya l ist soldiers,probably some of th e Anglo-Irish

w hom M yn n e h ad brought over to figh t Massey,an d w h o ,

w hen discipl in e became l ax after M ynn e’

s death,became l i t t le

removed from ban ditt i . A body of peasan ts resisted some o f

t h e plun derers,this led to an en coun ter between them

an d some t roops of Scudamore ’s,th e Govern or of Hereford .

Th e C lubmen appeared before Hereford,deman ded redress of

t hei r wrongs, an d in default threaten ed to t ake vengean ce .

Scudamore,at first

,t reated th em an d thei r gr ievan ces wi th

c on temp t,bu t h e soon foun d th e mat ter w as seriou s.

M assey,on hearing of i t

,thought i t might be t urn ed to th e

advan tage of th e Parl iamen t,so set ou t from Gloucester an d

marched to Ledbury to meet the He soon foun dt hat they disl iked him every b it as much as they d isl iked h isOppon en ts Their on ly obj ect w as to stop plun derin g

, an d as

h e h ad to l ive by i t there w as n o greater plun derer than Massey .

Par l iamen t were determin ed to put th e Clubmen down a t

on ce,an d sen t peremptory orders that a l l plun dering should

forthwith cease. F o r th e Roya l ists Scudamore took prompta ct ion . He den oun ced thei r con duct

,cal led on a l l loya l

person s to come to h is help,men t ion ed th e r ingleaders by

n ame,and ordered thei r arrest .

Massey sen t th e fo l lowing letter to Sir Samuel Luka iSi r

,

Major Harley ’s hasty departure here meet ing w i th my extraordinaryoccasion s w as such tha t h e overran my i n ten t ion and let ter purposed by h imun to yoursel f, for th e paying of that tri bu te w h ich I ackn ow ledge to ow e

,a n d

you m ay j ust ly c la i m from m e. S ir,th is post can r ela te the Hereford

business the w hole Coun ty being n ow in a rms in a con fused man n er, and

before the C i ty of Hereford,a nd some of the Worcestersh ire side have j o in ed

w i th them . They keep the so ld iers i n the garrison,an d a r e reso lved to

have the governor and sold iers ou t o f i t before they leave i t , there being“together sin ce Tuesday last 1 5 or 1 60 0

,an d amongst them , as is reported ,

a t least 6 or 70 00 muskets and other fi r e arms. I have sen t you a copy oftheir ar ticles and demands from the Governor of Hereford.

B ir ch ’

s Mem oir s,1 1 2 . f B i rch , 2 1 6.

1 50 CIVIL W AR, 1 645 .

Sir , upon th is n oise, I advan ced upon Wednesday last to Ledbury,w i th“

50 0 foot and 1 50 horse, being a s many as I cou ld spare or make a t presen t ,and deman ded their resol ution ,

and desired them to j oin w it h m e in obser v

ing the Parl iamen t’

s comman ds. They w ou ld fain have m e assist them ( for“they dare trust m e) , bu t they w i l l not as yet dec lare themsel ves for theParl iamen t , bu t they con ceive themselves able to keep off both the Parl iamen t

“ forces and the K ing ’s a lso from con tribu t ion a nd quarter in their Coun try.That is their ma in hope, and upon tha t groun d I un derstand they have takenup tha t reso l u tion .

“ S ir,i t is an opportun ity offered to the Parl iamen t , i f they l ay ho ld of th is

occasion and sen d m e speedy force, to ga in them a l l to the Parl iamen t ; i fnot the loss w i l l not be sma l l to u s. Be i t how i t w i l l

,I have used a l l the

best argumen ts I can to move them to dec lare themselves for the Parliamen t,

then they m ay have protec tion and a u thority for w ha t they do. N ow the ir“act is a perfect act of rebel l ion , to be j ust ified by no l aw or sta tu te, and theircon fusion w i l l be certain . My humble request to you is to furn ish th is mypost w ith a horse to Lon don ,

tha t my letter, sen t by h im to the Committeeof both K ingdoms on th i s beha l f

,and to H is Excel len cy

,m ay find a speedy

resolu t ion and return , w h i lst I ho ld fa ir w ay w ith the Coun ty .S ir, I am ,

Your a ffect ion ate and ever obedien t servan t,

G loucester, 2 2nd March , 1 645. Edw ard Massey .

Parl iamen t do n ot seem to have rea l ised th e mean ing of th e

movemen t,o r i ts im portan ce. Neu t ral i ty w as to them pun ish

able— th e sin of th e Laodicean Christ ian s. Sir Samuel Lukew rote to Lord Essex that as h e h ad property of h is ow n in

Herefordsh ire h e h ad better come down and dea l wi th th e

mat ter h imsel f. Scudamore seems to have fel t th e n ecessity forsomething more than correspon den ce . He arrested and hun gt h e ringleaders, an d havin g shewn th e con ci l iat ion of severi ty

,

brough t th e others to terms an d t hus go t ou t of t he presen tdiffi cu l ty. Bu t th e rel ief w as merely temporary, the evi l w as

t oo deeply spread to be easi ly cured . Th e Cl ubmen h ad a rea lgrievan ce

,and a grievan ce in ten sified by th e fact t ha t thei r

action led th e so ld iers of both si des to greater and greatera trocit ies.

The soldier,

says a Parl iamen tary accoun t , * hath of la te assumed grea t“pow er and presumpt ion (or , ra ther, indiscret ion and d isobedien ce) , to h im

“sel f, as is too man i fest by this last mu t inous impr isonmen t and murders.

There w as reason for th is compla in t . If property w as in secure, l i fe w as more so . Colon el Rober t San dys is sa i d to havestabbed Colon el Pr ice

,t h e member for Radn orshire

,in th e

streets of Presteign . Sherr ington Ta lbot , whose ar rest h asbeen men t ion ed

,is sa i d to have been seen in th e streets of

Worcester,h is sword in h is h an d , dripping with b lood , boast

ing h e h ad j ust ki l led an un armed rebel , a poor prison er , w how as being brought in to Worcester. Parl iamen t ordered tha ta l l Irishmen in th e King’s servi ce

,w h o might be taken in

arms,shou ld be put to death ; in obedien ce to this order

,

Brereton ,after th e batt l e of Nan twich

,hu ng h is so-cal led Irish

P erf ect D i u r n a l , 1 7th Mar ch,1 645.

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1 52 CIVIL W AR, 1 645 .

mon th to each of th e garrison s of Worcester,Gloucester

,and

M adr esfiel d. Hen ry Town sen d,of Elmley Lovet t , pa id th e

Commi t tees of both Worcestersh ire an d Staffordsh ire .

Among o ther person s w h o suffered w as Sir W i l l iam Russel l .A garr ison from Tewkesbury took h is fortified house a t

Stren sham an d occupied i t . I t w as sa id they foun d in i t platean d mon ey to th e va l ue of {40 0 0 . This is doubtful , con sidering how completely Nehemiah Wharton an d h is frien ds h adcleaned ou t th e house in October

,1 642 . This state of

in securi ty for property caused a con dit ion of th ings of whichtradi tion st i l l l ingers

,t h e con cea l in g of plate an d mon ey by

t h e own ers to avo i d p lun derin g . There is hardly a family w h opossessed a lan ded estate at th e t ime of th e Civi l W ar tha thave n ot some

“

legen d o f con cea led t reasure. F or in stan ce,

t h e Berkeleys, of Spetchley , say the i r b u t ler to save th e familyp late hid i t un der on e o f th e elms in th e . aven ue. The bu tlerw as woun ded

,and t ried with h is last breath to con fide to a

member o f th e family h is secret,bu t cou ld g et n o further than

plate,

”elm

,

”aven ue

,

”an d died

,so that t h e plate remain s

hidden to this day.

To a l lay t h e preva i l ing discon ten t , M aurice w as sen t to

Worcester. N ot on ly d id h e utterly fa i l to do th is, bu tactua l ly aggrava ted i t

,as h e requ i red th e Coun ty to make him

an a l lowan ce of £ 1 0 0 a mon th for h is ow n person a l expen ses.

Wha t w as worse,h e w as a frien d of Ba i rd ’s

,and so hated

w as Ba i rd tha t this a lon e would have ru in ed Maurice’spopulari ty if there h ad been n othing else. Ba i rd ’s last act

m ay be men t ion ed. He join ed th e King in M ay, 1 645, on h is

Leicester march . Aban don ing Campden House,h e burn t i t

t o th e ground,an act

,accord ing to that w as quite

n eedless. He says:“ I t had brough t n o o ther benefit to the publ i c than the enabl ing thel i cen t ious governor thereof ( Ba ird) , w ho exercised an u n l im i ted tyranny

“over the w hole coun try , a nd took h is leave o f i t in w a n ton ly burn ing th en oble struc ture w h i ch he had too long i nhabi ted , and w h ich

, n ot many yearsbefore, h ad cost the bu i ldin g. ”

Rupert determin ed to pu t an en d to th e Clubmen an d thei rorgan isat ion . Based on th e i dea of th e Solemn League and

Coven an t , he drew up a protestat ion,which h e requ ired a l l

comman ders,so ld iers

, g en try , c it izens, an d freeho lders,with in

th e Coun ty an d Ci ty of Worcester,to make when ten dered to

them by t h e High Sheri ffand Commission ers of th e Coun ty,and

o rdered tha t a schedule of the n ames of those w h o refused to

m ake i t shou ld be del ivered u n to Sir W i l l iam Bel len den ,th e

Commissary Gen eral .Another act of 1 645 h ad an importan t resul t on the

w ar,th e n ew model l ing of th e Parl iamen tary army. F or

I L, 50 3.

CIVIL W AR, 1 645 . 1 53

some t ime th e jea lousies and differen ces between th e differen tleaders h ad been becomin g acute ; to get ri d of these th ea rmy w as reformed on a n ew model or basis. Th e “

selfdenying ordin an ce ”

w as the ma in par t of th e scheme. It w as

b ased on this resolu t ionTha t n o member o f ei ther House of Parl iamen t sha l l , during the w ar ,

en j oy or execu te any office or command , mi litary or civi l , and tha t an

ordinan ce be b rough t in for tha t purpose.

“

Th e n ew army w as to con sist iLof m en— 60 0 0 horse

,

I OOO dragoon s,an d foot . The horse to b e d ivided in to

1 0 regimen ts,th e dragoon s in to 1 0 single compan ies. Each

regimen t of foot to con sist o f a t least 1 2 0 0 m en,and th e who le

charge to be a mon th,to be ra ised by an assessmen t

proport ion ately throughou t th e kingdom . Sir Thomas Fa i rfaxw as appo in ted Gen era l

,Sk i ppon Major-Gen era l ; Fa irfax to

n omin ate a l l t h e offi cers. Th e co lon els of h orse wereM i ddleton

,Sidn ey

,Graves

,Sheffi eld , V erm uden

,Wha ley

,Sir

Michael L ivesey,Fl eetw ood

,Rossi t er

,an d Sir Robert

Pye. Th e co lon els of foot Crayford,Berkeley

,A ldridge

,

H olborn,For tescu e

,Ingoldsby

,Mon tague

,Picker in g

,Welden

,

Ra in sbor ough . ITh e con sequen ces o f th e ord inan ce h ad a marked effect

on Worcestersh ire. I t got rid of on e of t he most act ive of th e

Parl iamen tary leaders,Den bigh . He

,as a member of th e House

o f Lords,h ad to give up h is comm an d

,as h ad also Essex and

Man chester .While th e Parl iamen t were r e-organ ising an d strengthen ing

thei r forces th e Roya l ists were becoming more an d more diso rgan ised . Maurice w as most unpopular with th e people

,on e

reason being that in h is eyes a soldier could do n o wrong. If. h e did n ot actual ly support

,h e did n o t restrai n h is m en in

t he i r p lun dering. The worst featu re w as th e in crease o f

lawless ou tcasts. M en h ad left thei r homes to avo id payingMaurice

’

s t axes en forced by Maurice’s sold iers,and taken to

t h e woods. Shrawley Wood w as sa i d to swarm with them, 50

m en ou t of on e parish being among th e ou t laws there . Some

n ot ion of Maurice’s i deas of d iscip l in e an d good governmen tcan be obtain ed from on e in stan ce. I n Apri l

,1 645, Maurice

sen t ou t a party of 60 0 horse to take a con voy of powder an d

ammun i t ion go ing from Warw ick to Gloucester . On reach ingt h e place where they h ad reso lved to in tercept th e convoy

,

Maurice’s m en found i t h ad been too quick for them an d h ad

passed on i ts w ay to Gloucester D isappo in ted of th e con voy ,they determin ed n o t to return empty-han ded . They co l lecteda good dea l of plun der from th e farms and houses on thei rr oute. Riding in to Strat ford-on -Avon they put th e town to

Rushw or th,V I . , p . 4. f Rushw or th , V I . , p. 7. I Rushw o r t h

,V I .

, p . 1 3.

l 54 C I V I L W AR, 1 645 .

r ansom,asking in th e first p lace £80 0 , bu t after a t ime

'

agreein g to take £ 1 0 . Th e Warwickshi re Commit teeassembled some m en to cut off th e plun derers’ ret reat to

Worcester,when ,

i f they cou ld do n oth ing else,they might a t

l east recapture some of th e plunder. Th eWarw ick m en wa i tedt i l l Mauri ce’s troops reached a n arrow part of th e road

,then

charged an d completely overthrew them . Severa l of th e

o ffi cers were taken prison ers,a l l th e plun der retaken

,al l

Maurice’s m en dispersed to Evesham,Droi twich andWorcester .

Whi telock" thus describes i t‘Warw ick horse, and some from New port , in a l l a bou t 1 60 , fel l upon a

party of abou t 30 0 o f Worcester horse, w ho had much p l undered the coun ty ,an d rou ted them , k i l led about 1 0 , w ounded man y , a nd took 60 prison ers,1 70 hor ses and arms, one co lour, and recovered a l l the p l un der.

Th e fighting th is year began by th e Scots j o in in g Si r

W i l l iam Brereton . On th is Ruper t marched from Oxford toWorcester

,and then ce to Ludlow . Here h e heard of Sir

M armaduke Langda le ’

s V i ctory over th e Scots at Pon tefract .

Ruper t then marched across t o B r idg n or th , j o in ed Langda le,moved on to Wen lock

,Market Drayton

,an d Whit church .

Co l lect ing such t roops as h e cou ld from h is Worcestershiregarrison s

,Mau ri ce marched ou t an d join ed them on th e

1 9th Apri l , when they r a ised th e siege of Beeston Cast le,

which h ad lasted for 1 7 weeks. Here Rupert hal t ed,as

B rereton and th e Scots advan ced aga in st him . Con siderin gh imself too w eak to fight them

,Ruper t ret i red to W hitch urch

,

Market Drayton,High Erca l l

,an d Newport . While here

h e heard of t h e proceedings of th e Worcestershi re an d

Herefordshire Associat ion s an d C lubmen ,these h e at on ce

determin ed to pu t down . Set t in g off from Newport h emarched to Bewdley . Here h e ha l ted . Marchin g west toBromyard h e w as to ld of a meet ing of Clubmen in a

vi l lage n ear. Turn ing aside h e wen t to th e vi l lage ,suppressed the meet ing

,marched a l l n ight

,reached Here

ford in th e morn ing ; then ce h e proceeded to Monmouth an d

Bristo l . He ret urn ed rapid ly to Hereford,where h e w as

m et by Ast ley wi th t h e n ews that Massey h ad marched ou t of

Gloucester and h ad occupied Ledbury .

If Ruper t w as act ive Massey w as more so . FromGloucester h e scoured th e coun try in al l direct ion s. I n

March on e of h is ban ds wen t to Pershore and dest royedth e house adj o in in g th e Abbey Church , i t being rumouredthat th e Roya l ists were go in g to p lan t a garr ison t here.

Subsequen t ly M assey h ad received rein forcemen ts, and

desi rous of do ing what h e could to harass th e Roya l istsset ou t for Ledbury. On reaching i t h e in ten ded t o make

Memor ia ls, p . 1 38.

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1 56 CIVIL W AR, 1 645 .

leg , and some few o ther gen t lemen h ad hurts, w hose names as yet w e haven ot. H is H ighness’ horse d id most ga l lan t ly, leap ing hedge a fter hedge tocome a t the rebels, so as the foot a cknow ledge themselves much indebted to

“the horse for disengaging them a t the barricadoes

,and vow ( w hen t ime

serves) to make a fa ir requ i ta l . Massey h imsel f w as observed to chargew el l in the fight

,and to draw off h is foot in the rear to make them r u n

faster aw ay ; w hich, yet , cou ld n ot serve h im , bu t tha t a t last he w as

g lad to sl ip off tow ards Tew kesbury , and w i th 80 horse spur home to

G loucester.Massey ’s despatch to th e Speaker is as fo l lowsS ir,On Tuesday last , the Z I st o f the in stan t , Apri l , Prin ce Rupert , marching

_

a l l tha t n igh t , came t he n ext morn in g, Wednesday,the 2 2nd

,before

Ledbury , w here I then w a s, bu t the enemy i n tercept ing ou r scou ts w e h adn o i n tel l igen ce un t i l they w ere n ear a t hand . Th e enemy advan ced and

charged in to the tow n u pon u s,and mysel f (w i th di vers gen t lemen , v iz . :

M aj or Horton , L ieu ten an t-Co lon el Kyrle, M aj or Bacchus, Capta in G i fford .Capta in M oore

,and Cap ta in Ba i ley, w ith some o thers) , an d some common

so ld iers,w i th the a ssistan ce of 2 0 0 musketeers ou t of th e coun try force,

recei ved them . And a s soon as w e r ece ived the a larm w e drew ou t upon“them , a nd march ing c lose u p to them fel l upon them , bea t them to a

retrea t,and ma de i t good aga in st them so long t i l l my foot migh t retrea t a

secure w ay to G loucester . After the foot w ere marched off and ou t o f the

tow n w e had tw o or three h ot charges upon t hem , w hen w e slew n ear 40 of

the en emies’ m en,an d man y of them tha t w ere k il led w ere o fficers, a t w h ich

charge, a s it seems,the Lord Hast ings, w i th some o thers of qua l i ty , w ere

sla in . On ou r part w e h ad very few k i l led , n ot above 6 or 7, bu t I w asen forced mysel f to charge a t the head of a l l my troops to en courage a l l th e

Warw i ck and Northampton horse I an d my officers bearing the heat of theday. At leng th , i n tend ing to r etrea t to ou r p la ce of advan tage ( some horseof those sen t to m e n o t stan ding to i t as they shou ld have done) , the en emygot in amongst ou r foot, bu t w e redeemed tha t aga in

,and so marched off

in to the fiel d .“Th e enemy have sen t u s a l ist of the prisoners they took from u s. The

n umber of their ow n l ist is 1 1 0 prisoners, bu t above 80 of t hese w ere none

of my m en , on ly such coun try people a s they sw ept aw ay w i th them in their“ retrea t tha t d id n ever bear arm s, on ly they carried them aw ay a nd causedthem , by money o r mak i ng frien ds fo r exchange, to redeem themselves. Mymaj or ( Sergean t-Maj or Ba cchus) is despera tely w oun ded in the head , and

w as carried aw ay pri soner by the enemy to Hereford . M aj or Horton h ad a

sl igh t w oun d in the head and another in th e a rm , bu t came bravely off .Capta in B a i ley an d Capt a in Foster, w i th som e other common m en o f ours,a re taken prison ers by them . I have sen t fo r their freedom by exchangeof some of those pr ison ers I took from them , m any of them being of

qua l i ty , enough to redeem t hem a l l i f they w ere thri ce a s man y. Prin ceRupert sen t m e w ord by my t r umpeter tha t I sen t , t ha t in the figh t he

“sough t m e ou t , bu t kn ew m e not t i l l a fter, n o more than I kn ew h im , bu t i t

seems w e charged each other, and h e sho t my horse un der m e a nd I did as

much for h im . At tha t charge many commanders of theirs fel l .Prin ce Rupert , I hear, is very much enraged to un dertake so grea t and

4 ‘ to i lsome a march and so much to miss h is end . I had, by God’

s blessing,my in tendmen t , a nd stopped h is pr esent march n orthw ard . To G od be

the glory . Prin ce Rupert’

s army,by the report of the coun try, is n oised

abou t to be 6 or 70 0 0 horse and foot,w ho a re now upon their march aga in

tow ards Ludlow , and so,as I hear

,in tend for Sa lop , i f they be not preven ted

aga in , w h ich must be by a more con sidera ble strength than I h ave.

“ The forces tha t w ere w ith m e in a l l abou t 50 00 foot and 350 horse n or

w ere-these a l l w i th m e at Ledbury , for n‘

iyguards w ere no t com e.

The en emy brag l it t le .of their get t ing , bu t lamen t much . The names of

CIVIL WAR, 1 645 .

“ the commanders and o fficers that w ere sla in by us I shal l send you bythe n ext .

Your humble servan t ,April 2 5th , 1 645. E . Massey .

Massey admits a defeat . But i t w as somethin g more than a .

defeat , i t w as a rou t . Rupert says"

M assey w as soundly bea ten yesterday , h is foot qu ite lost , and h is horsebeaten an d pursued w i th in six mi les o f [G loucester He himsel f andsome of h is officer s made a han dsome retrea t .

’

Massey or dered h is foot t o ret i re, an d did h is best with h ishorse and h is o ffi cers to check Rupert w h ile th e foot ret reated .

On th e who le h e succeeded , b u t a t on e place Ruper t’s horsebroke through or roun d th e foot

,fel l 0 11 Massey’s rear guard

,

an d took n early 2 0 0 prison ers, amon gst w hom w ere tw o cap”

t ain s,and Sergean t-Major Bacchus, w ho died soon after of h is

woun ds.

Rupert lost some comman ders an d man y common so ldiers.

A lthough successful in driving Massey ou t of Ledbury,h e

fa i led in h is p lan ,w hich w as so t o cripple Massey that

h e w ou ld make n o more sort ies. N ot havin g don e this,

.

Ruper t did n ot care to advan ce to th e n or th and leaveMassey in force an d on th e off en sive in h is rear . As

Massey w as st i l l able to figh t,Rupert return ed th e same

day to Herefo rd . Here h e remain ed,recru it ing h is force

to fi l l up th e vacan cies caused by th e late fight ing . Charles,

w h o w as then in Oxford,sen t a party of about 2 0 0 0

horse to Rupert ’s help , so as to en able him to pass to Oxford i fh e w an ted to do so . Parl iamen t heard this force w as about t omarch

,an d sen t word t o Fa i rfax to in tercep t a l l rein force

men ts go ing to Rupert . This,however

,they were n ot able to

do . Rupert,wi th h is m en

,marched withou t any in terruption

from Hereford to Worcester . At Worcester h e jo in ed wi thMaurice

,and w as n ow so strong that Cromw el l , w h o h ad been

in st ructed to in tercep t them,fel l back from wan t of t roops .

to do so .

On M ay I st,Rupert an d Maurice , wi th a l l thei r forces

,

march ed to Evesham and con t in ued thei r march to Oxford ;making n o stay at Evesham they reached Oxford in safety .

Th ey did n ot stay there long . On th e 7th M ay, Char les beg an that march

,th e “ Leicester march

,

” which w as to be so

very fata l to h is fortun es an d to himself.When they left Oxford

,on th e 7th of M ay, th e army with th e

King an d Rupert con sisted of abou t 80 0 0 horse an d foot . On .

t h e 8th th e Kin g w as at Stow on th e Wold,on th e 9th at

Evesham . Here h e w as jo in ed by Lord Ast ley’s foot

, 30 0 0

st rong . Th e King’s ow n troops were quartered a t Chi ldsW ickham

,between Broadway and Evesham . W ith th e King

W'

ar bu r ton , ‘

I I . , 40 8.

“

1 58 C I V I L W AR, 1 645 .

came Sir Hen ry Ba i rd and t he Campden garrison,th e house

having been burn t . Ruper t staved at Bretforton,betw een

Campden an d Evesham,wi th Mr . Can n ing . On Satu rday,

l oth , th e King wen t to Inkberrow ,Rupert to A l cester . I t 1 5

said that a t t he V i carage a t Inkber row,about 50 years ago ,

there w as st i l l a book of maps of England an d Wa les,w i th every sh ire a nd the sma l l tow n s in every one of them , on six maps,portable for every man

’

s pocket , useful for a l l commanders for quartering of

so l d iers, an d a l l sorts of person s tha t w ou ld be in formed w here the arm iesbe. Never so commod iously draw n before th is,This w as t h e King’s copy, an d h e is said to have left i t behin dh im on th e visi t to I nkberrow.

*I t is loca l ly sa i d that Charles

stayed at Thorn Farm,n ear Inkberrow. O n Sun day

,M ay

1 l th,th e King ,

w i th h is ow n regimen t o f foot a nd horse,

marched to Dro itwich,where h e stayed t i l l Wedn esday

,M ay

1 4th . Tw o let ters which th e King wrote whi le staying herear e extan t . On e to Lord Jermyn

,compla in ing t hat h e h ad

sen t him 11 0 n ew s of th e Queen .

O n ly take a l i t t le more in w ri t ing to m e con cern ing my w ife’

s

hea l th .

The o ther to th e Queen herself,in which h e says h e

cou ld not brag fo r stores of money, and con t inues So farew el l , sw eet

heart , a nd G od sen d m e good new s of thee.

”

Both these letters were in tercepted by Parl iamen t,and ar e

n ow in th e House of Lords. On t h e 1 4th th e King wen t toCofton Hacket t . Rupert ’s bagg age,

“h is family ”as i t I S termed

,

w as sen t to Bromsgrove. He,however

,wen t on beyon d

Bromsgrove towards N or thfield,where there stood

,and st i ll

stan ds,t h e rema in s of an old house kn own as H aw k esley, th e

property of t h e M iddlem or es,a st rong Cathol i c family

,most

z eal ou sc ava l ier s. F ox h ad t urn ed them ou t of th e house an d

con verted i t in to a Par l iamen tary garrison,un der a Capta in

Gray . Rupert desi red to check th e Tin ker ’s ” activi ty,an d

determin ed to t ake i t . On th e n ight of Tuesday,1 3th ,

Rupert quar tered before th e house. I t w as n ot st rong en ought o resist for lon g this force brought aga in st i t . About 2 p m .

on Wedn esday i t su rren dered,j ust as th e Kin g came up .

It w as agreed that the o ffi cers should be freed from th e

in solen ce of th e common so ld iers. A mon th ’s provision an d

ammun i t ion w as foun d in th e house, but th e so ldiers decl in edto fight . The garrison con sisted of 60 foot and 40 horse.

These were made prison ers an d were han ded over to LordAst ley , as w as a lso th e plun der of t h e place. When LordAst l ey

’s m en h ad fin ished p l un dering

,th e house w as set on

fi r e an d burn t. Th e King return ed to Cofton Hacket t,to

Mr. J ol l iffe’s,where h e held a meet ing of th e governors

N oake, Notes and Q uer ies fo r Wor cester sh i r e, 32 1 .

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1 60 CIVIL W AR, 1 645 .

breastwork , surmoun ted by pal isades,with a di tch on th e

outer si de, h ad been th rown up . M assey con veyed th e bulk of

h is m en from th e Bengeworth to th e Evesham side of th e r iver,

probably at Twyford Bridge, a spo t n ow m arked by th e ferry,

k n own as Offen ham Boat . W hy h e w as a l lowed to do so is

n ot clear . Possib ly Legge’

s garr ison w as so weak th a t h e cou ldn ot spare th e m en to oppose i t . I n order to preven t anyre l ief comin g from Worcester

,Massey sen t h is horse as far as

Fladbury, to guard th e Worcester road . Five separate po in tsin th e breastwork w ere selected for at tack

,an d dividing h is

m en for th e pu rpose Massey ordered that t hese five poin ts, an dth e bridge at Bengeworth , shou ld be simu ltan eously assau lted

,

obviously thin kin g tha t with so smal l a garrison n o effect iveresistan ce cou ld be made aga in st such n umerous on sets.

A t daybreak , on th e 2 6th,th e sign a l w as given to storm .

Massey h imself l ed on e party up to th e ditch . They carr iedfaggot s wi t h w h ich to fi l l th e dit ch an d en able them t o rush th ebreastwork . Throwing th e faggots in to th e ditch they crossedover on them

,swarmed up t he breastwork

,tore down t he

pa l isades,an d effected a lodgmen t on th e rampart . Legge w as

n ot yet beaten . Pouring in a heavy fi r e from h is musketeers,

Massey ’s m en,un able to stan d aga in st i t , gave w ay, aban don ed

t h e rampart,and sought th e shel ter of th e di tch. Massey

reformed h is m en an d l ed them again to th e ramparts. an dt his t ime they stood fi rm

,in sp ite of th e fi r e, charging down

in to th e tow n . Here they were again repulsed an d drivenback . B u t th e m en w h o h ad ga in ed th e rampar t

,in the i r t urn ,

open ed a fi r e on th e town ,and Legge ’s garrison w as too weak

t o dislodge them . M assey ordered h is m en to make a pas

sage through th e breastwork as soon as possible,so that h is

horse could en ter,an d h is m en

,working hard a t th is

,were

aga in attacked by Legge , an d began to give w ay. Theywere slow ly driven back over th e ramparts

,Massey con test in g

t h e groun d,foot by foot

,w i th Legge’s sol diers. M at ters were

becomin g serious,when sudden ly Massey heard a cheer an d

saw h is horse on h is right flan k,charging dow n in to th e

t ow n . A passage h ad been made pract i cable for cava lryt hrough th e breastwork away from th e fight ing

,and through

th is Massey’

s horse st reamed . Tak ing Massey ’s assa i lan tsi n flan k they drove th em back in to th e tow n with con sidera ble loss. Legge

,however

,aga in r al l ied h is m en

,an d w as

leading them on to an other attack on Massey ’s force,w hen

a cheer w as heard in th e town .-On looking roun d they saw

t h e Parl iamen t horse making thei r w ay up t h e town to at tackthem in th e rear. Massey ’s m en h ad carr ied th e bridge at

Bengeworth , pushed u p Bridge Street , an d h ad n ow got Leggebetween tw o fi res

,in fr on t an d in r ear . There w as n o escape.

Legge’s m en had fough tlw el l bu t thei r cou rage w as n ot en ough

C I VIL W AR, 1 645 . 1 61

to resist th is double attack . Massey’s tr0 0 ps kept pouring

i n over th e earthw orks. Resistan ce w as hopeless,th e assa i lan ts

t umbledover the w orks on a l l si des, and. charged up bo th horse and foot w ith equa l;ga l lan try , bore dow n t he enemy and mastered the garrison a fter a fiery conflict , ma in ta ined for a lmost a n hour w i th much reso lu t ion by th eThis w as th e end . Further fighting w as useless. Surren derw as th e on ly course open to Legge.

So fel l Evesham ,and fel l by t he va lour of Massey ’s m en .

The gen t lemen and o fficers w ho charged w ith Massey a cted their partsw i th courage, a nd spurred on t he va lour of their so l d iers, the reserve of

foo t d iv ided i n to three bodies to second . The assa i lan t s performed a s becameresol ved m en , and the w ho le a c t ion w as comple te a ccord i ng t o t he idea a nd

p la t form o f t he

It w as a br i ll ian t feat of arms,and every credi t is due to

Massey for it . 550 p rison ers, 70 o f w hom were ofli cer s,were

t he resu lt of th e fi gh t . Massey even deserved t h e somew hathigh-flow n pra ise o f on e of h is admirers.

“ W ho w as h e tha t w en t ou t from the command a t G loucester in such ablaze to add glory un to conquest , a nd crow n h is a c t ion s w i th a n ever-dyinghonour, w hen he took the stro n g-garrisoned Evesham in a storm o f fi re and

leaden ha i l , the loss w hereof did make a K ing shed tears ? W as i t n ot“ M a ssey ? ” "

r

M assey’s despatch to Len th a l l w as as fol low s

Evesham , 2 7th M ay, 1 645.

Evesham w as yesterday morn in g assau l ted by storm and took , in w h i chw e took the Governor (Co lonel Robert Legge) , Co lonel Foster, and Co lon elBel l ingham , Maj or Tresi l l ian ,

1 3 ca pta in s, I 6 l ieu ten an t s, and other officersand so ld iers to t he n umber o f abou t 545. O f ours w as on ly sla in a bou t 7 or8, and o f t he enemy a bou t 1 2 . Th e assa ul t w a s hot , a nd the defen ce n ot to bedisparaged . I desire tha t the governmen t of the p la ce be set t led byParl iamen t w ith a l l speed , to enable m e to ma r ch to the w est

, w hereParl iamen t has comman ded m e. And a lso tha t t here m ay be taken furtherset t lemen t of Gloucester. ” 1Parl iamen t felt their obligat ion to Massey. Evesham w as

stormed on th e 2 6th M ay,t he n ews reached them on th e 2 9th

M ay. They at on ce ordered th e Speaker to sen d Massey a

let ter of than ks, ackn ow ledging h is great services.§G loucester w as most unwil ling to part with Massey. They

sen t a pet i t ion to Parl iamen t praying h e might be a l lowed tostay there

,

as by h is va lour, through God’

s blessing , they had been so defended aga instcon t inua l fears of the enemy .”

What Massey ’

s brothers were h as a lready been stated . Agl impse in on e o f these papers is given of h is sister .She has la tely come from G loucester to London , in w h i ch p lace she leftbehind her many admirable examp les o f p iety a nd discret ion ,

and in tha tcoun ty , made w i ld and desola te by w a r , she appeared l ike a nother na ture,

Cor bet’

s M il i ta ry Gover nm en t of G loucester .

f V i r tue a nd Va lou r Vind ica ted. London , 1 647.

I H ist . MSS . Com .,X I I I . Repo r t , App.

, p . 2 35, Duke of Por t la nd,I.

§ C . J . I . ,1 56.

1 62 CIVIL W AR, 1 645 .

and w as as grea t a housew i fe as the earth i tsel f, w h ich turneth a l l th ings in ton ourishmen t and beau ty .

"

As Massey h ad requested , measures were taken for the de

fen ce of Evesham. Six guns an d 50 0 muskets were ordered tob e at on ce sen t ou t of th e publ ic stores to th e garrison n ewly

'

reduced. On th e 1 8th Ju ly, Co lon el Rouse w as appo in tedgovern or of th e town . an d upon h is death , which took place in1 647, Maj or W i l l iam Dingley became h is successor .iOn t he asth Ju ly 50 0 muskets an d ban do l iers were sen t to

t h e garrison a t Evesham . On August I st th e commit tee'

of

t h e army w as desired to lend th e committee of Wo rcestershire50 0 muskets for th e service of th e garrison of Evesham .

Th e loss o f Evesham w as a serious blow to,

the King. Itsevered th e di rec t l in e of commun icat ion betw een Oxford

,

Worcester and Sou th Wales. F o r th e future a l l con voys an dt roops going to th e Kin g could be at tacked and harried on

t hei r w ay backw ards o r forwards. Charles’ commun icat ion swere n o longer safe.

Thus en ded Massey ’s conn ect ion wi th Worcestershire as far

a s th e fi rst Civi l W ar is con cerned . When n ex t h e appears i tis as th e comman der o f a Scotch d ivision . F or th ree years

,

in spi te of m uch d iscouragemen t and of great d ifli cu l t ies,

M assey h ad been t h e author an d th e susta in er of th e P a r l iam en

t ary party in th e Coun ty . Bu t for h im th e w ar wou ld haveen ded differen t ly ; Gloucester would have fa l len

,and th e

Parl iamen t been crushed. He and h e a lon e ma in ta in ed the

cause of t h e Parl iamen t when a l l else despa i red . Possib ly th e

best test imony to h is w ork w as th e fact of th e GloucestershirePar l iamen tary Committee cal l in g th e a t ten t ion of Parl iamen tt o the danger o f that place and Coun ty by th e remova l of

Co lon el Massey.

Charles,meanwhi le

,on th e g 1 3t M ay, took Leicester by

storm,and things appeared to b e go ing we l l

,bu t on th e

1 4th Jun e w as fough t th e Ba t t le of Naseby . This markst h e begin n ing of th e last part of th e first C i vi l W ar . I t n ow

became clear tha t th e King w as beaten,as i t w as n o t possib le

for him to pu t an o ther army in to t h e field stron g enough todefeat th e Parl iamen t. Th e en d w as therefore in sigh t .

When th e end w ould come w as merely a quest ion of t ime .

Naseby w as fough t on Sat urday,Jun e 1 4th .

Tow a r dsI n igh t H is Maj esty, a fter t he w ounded w ere t aken care for inLei cester, an d the tw o Prin ces w ere come sa fe to h im and h ad taken orderw i th tha t garrison

,and left t wo regimen ts o f horse there, the Q ueen

’

s an d

Co lonel Ca rye'

s, marched tha t n igh t ( for n ow w e had left run n ing ) to Ashbyde l a Zouch . O n Sun day , J une 1 sth , H is Maj esty, abou t 1 0 a 111

,left Ashby

and w en t to Lichfield . Tha t n igh t he l ay in t he C lose,the horse w ere

quartered in v i l lages round abou t,some in the c i ty . Here the K ing left

P a r l i a m en t P ost , N o. 1 1 , Ju ly 1 sth— 2 3r d , 1 645.

1 Mercu r ius’ B r itan icus. N o. XX I I I . I Sym onds’ D iary, p . 1 94.

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1 64 CIVIL W AR, 1 645 .

“ certain ly have a very i l l a c coun t of them . So desiring your answ er as soon

a s you can ,I rest , your lovin g Un c le and most fa ithfu l friend ,

Charles R .

Charles w as doubt less right . It would have been th e heighto f fo l ly , with t h e Scotch on th e march for Worcester to havewithdrawn Mauri ce an d Washing ton with thei r m en . Wha tw as don e does n ot appear

,but from th e Scots aban don ing

th e i dea of an at tack on Worcester,it seems fa i r to assume th e

garrison w as n ot reduced,or i f so on ly in a very sl ight degree.

Meanwhi le th e Scots were n o t at a l l in love w ith their un dertaking . Lord Leven wri tes from A l cester

,on July 8th ,

t o th e Scotch Commission ers“W e w rote to you from B irmingham the da ily in creasing hard condition of

“ou r army. W e th in k oursel ves i l l-used . W e a r e ca l led to march , march ,tha t a p len t i fu l coun try is st i l l before u s, w here n othing w i l l be w an t in g tou s

,bu t w e find n o th ing by the w ay bu t so l i tude. P leasa n t p la ces, indeed ,

for grass an d trees, bu t fo r n o other refreshmen t , th e coun try peop le look ingupon u s as enemies to t ake from them w i thou t paying for i t , as O thers do , .

a nd so eschew ing to bring u s a ny provision s, a l l w h i ch ha th been enduredh itherto w ith adm irable pa t ien ce by the poor so l d iers. W e ar e

n ow in th is sh ire. l ’Ve a r e desired to march to w i th in a l i t t le distan ce of

Worcester. W e sha l l be ashamed to be so n igh the enemy and to

do n oth ing w orthy of the army.

The Scots rema in ed some days at A lcester ; and th e i deacerta in ly w as that they wou ld march on Worcester. On 2 0 th

Ju ly,H . Vern ey wrote t o Sir R . Vern ey

The Sco ts a r e at presen t w i th 9 o r horse and foot before Worcester,bu t I can not lea r n w ha t their desi gn m ay be , to besiege i t or not , or to fo l lowthe K ing , w ho is a t Raglan Cast le a-recrui t ing.

This,however , is a mistake

,th e Sco ts n ever g ot to W or ces

t er . After some del iberat ion they changed thei r p lan s an d

determined to march on Hereford . To carry th is ou t they.marched from A lcester to Pershore,

in ten ding to pass over th eSevern at Upton ,

but th e frequen t demo l i t ion s of Up ton bridgew ere sa i d to have ren dered i t un safe for th e passage of t roops.A recon n a issan ce from A lcest er on Worcester h ad been m et an d

rou ted by Prin ce Maurice w i th th e Roya l ist cava lry . Th e r e

sul t w as t hat th e Scots determin ed to fin d some other p lace topass over th e r iver . They accord ingly marched to Dro i twich

,

and after a ha l t there to Bewdley,where they crossed th e

Severn . From Bewdley they marched to Ten bury,through

t h e Forest of Wyre,an d then on to Hereford

,deviat ing a

l i t tle from th e di rect rou te in order to at tack Can on Frome.

I t refused to surren der,w as at tacked , an d carried by storm.

Seven ty of th e garrison w ere pu t to th e sword , that is, ki l ledin co ld blood

,for presuming to at tempt to hold an indefen

sible place.

Parl iamen t w as del ighted wi th th e Scots’ victories. Speaker “

Len th al l wrote on th e z ud August,to the Earl of Leven :

“ I n the n ame of the House, thank ing h im for recommending the

CIVIL W AR, 1 645 . 1 65

Governor of Canon Frome to the House, and sta t ing tha t they w ere sendingh im (Lord Leven ) a sma l l remembra n ce in token of the1r love.

"

The sma l l remembran ce w as a jewel wor th £50 0 , which w as

ordered from a go ldsmi th n amed A l len ,w ho w as a member of

t h e House. Th e govern or w h o Lord Leven recommen dedw as Co lon el Edward Harley

,son of Sir Robert Harley.

Th e Scotch foun d themselves very short of supplies. Leven,

wri t ing to th e Scotch Commission ,on th e 7th August , 1 645,

‘r

says '

The army is reduced to tha t extrem ity fo r the presen t serv ice w hereonthey ar e engaged , tha t w i thou t the pears, app les, and w heat that they ga therfrom the ground they ar e n o t able to subsist .”

Possib ly i t w as th e shortn ess o f suppl ies that l ed them ou t of

t h e di rect route,fo r from Can on Frome they marched to

Ledbury,from Ledbury to Mitcheldean , from there to

New en t,an d then to Hereford . A let ter from Sir John

Corbet t to Speaker Len th a l l descr ibes th isIOn Wednesday last w as sevenn igh t the army marched tow ards Hereford ,

and on the n ext morn ing th e foot w ere draw n up before the tow n . The

gen era l forthw i th summoned i t , a nd w e,by h is advice, sen t a let ter to th e

Mayor an d Corpora t ion . The trumpeter w h i ch w as sen t cou ld not be

admi t ted in to the tow n,bu t t hrew h is message over the w ork s, and w e ha ve

j ust cause to bel ieve that ou r letter came n ot to the Mayor’s han ds,because

w e have received no an sw er thereun to. S in ce w e came h i ther w e have found“the coun try very backw ard in assist ing u s. H is Excel len cy r eceiving certa in in tel l igen ce of the King being marched to Wo lverhampton la stn i ght w i th abou t 60 0 0 horse and dragoon s, sen t a party con sist ing of ei gh tregimen ts of horse, one of dragoon s, and 50 0 commandeered mu sketeers on

horseback , under the comman d of L ieut .-Genera l Lesl ie and Genera l MajorMiddleton , to secure h is mot ion .

”

Th e Scots compla in ed to Par l iamen t as to th e shortn ess o fprovision s an d to th e wretched state of th e army. On th e sth

A ugust,1 645, Parl iamen t an swered

“ Orders w ere given to the H igh Constables of a l l the Hundreds in the

Coun ty of Hereford , and a lso to the Commi ttees of the adj oin ing coun t ies,“ to bring in £200 per diem in mon ey and provision s, much fru i t w hereofcou l d not be expec ted in 4 days

’

t ime, considera t ion being h ad of the

ma l ignan cy o f the Coun ty . The horse tak ing free quarters in thoseparts ou t of w h i ch the da i ly prov ision w as to be brough t for the foot

,n o t

on ly before the army sa t dow n before Hereford , bu t sin ce, p l un dering o f

houses, tak ing aw ay goods and ca t t le of a l l k in ds, and some o fficers tak ingupon them to sen d forth w arran t s for money and provision s of a l l sorts, ha thdisabled man y from prov iding and bringing in perpetua l supp l ies.

”

This gives some i dea as to th e con duct of th e Scots. Can i tbe won dered at i f l iv ing in th is w ay, a t free quar ters, theymade themselves thoroughly hated in th e Coun ty ?On the 1 3th August , Sir John Corbet t w r ites to

S peaker Len th a l l from the Leaguer before Hereford,asking for

A copy o f the orders as have been pa ssed as to the tak ing free qua r ters,

H ist. M SS. Rep. X I I I . , App. I . , p. 2 2 2 . Du ke of Por t land, I . f I h. , p . 2 38.

I I h . , p . 2 44. I b . p . 2 48. II I b. p . 2 50 .

1 66. CIV I L W AR , 1 645 .

and of the ru les to be observed abou t the sam e. He en c loses a copy of theorders un der w h i ch Lesl ie marched a fter the King .

This show s h ow th in gs were going , bu t a letter from Co lon el?Morgan ,

M assey ’s successor as govern or of Gloucester,w r i ttem

from Gloucester on th e 1 4th August , 1 645, to SpeakerLen th al l ,

*throws a further l ight on t h e ma t ter . He says :

The burden of the Scotch army quarterin g for a t ime in the Coun ty uponfree bi l let ha th much impoverished a grea t part of i t . W e a r e sen d ing the

3 of ou r grea test pieces of ordina n ce, w i th a proport ion ate quan t i ty of ba l l '

and ma t ch , to the Leaguer, near Hereford , besi des keep ing the ir sickm en n ear ou r garrison ,

ha th n ot a l i t t le charged and pressed th e Coun ty to

cry ou t for succour an d support if they knew how be remed ied . As

though these persons w ere n ot su ffic ien t to un do an d ru in a Coun ty,w e a r e .

charged by the Commi ssioners resid i ng abou t Hereford w i th £2 0 a daytow ards their ma in tena n ce, n otw ithstanding a grea t part of the Coun ty beunder the pow er of the en emy .

”

If th is w as th e version of on e of th e Par l iamen tary Co lon els onth e con duct of th e Scots

,i t is n ot diffi cul t to imagin e w hat the

Roya l ists wou ld say. Every day th e Scots stayed they weremore an d more h a ted .

On th e 2 2nd August,1 845, Sir John Corbet t wrote to .

Len th a l l 1 from th e cam p before Hereford,acknowledging the

services of th e horse for th e despat ching a

“party to a t tend on the mot ion s of the K ing ’s forces, dec laring on tha t andevery other occasion they w ou ld do their best to m ake i t ev iden t tha t t hecommon cause, a ccording to the Covenan t , w as the ch ief desire of thei rhearts.

”

Th e Scots were pressing th e siege of Hereford . They di dn ot con sider there w as a ch an ce of i ts rel ief. This appearsfrom a letter of Lesl ie— w h o h ad been detached to wa tch th eKing— to th e Sco tch Commission ers

,from Not tingham

,on the

2 6th August , 1 645, h e says :There be few horse left w ith ou r foot n ear Hereford . I t w ere good i fGen era l Poin tz and Colon e l Rossi ter w i th o ther coun ty forces

,h ad orders

“to a tten d the K in g ’s mot ion s, a nd ch iefly to in terpose betw een h i m and ou r

army . Yet I am con fiden t the K ing can no t much trouble them .

Lesl ie w as wron g. Th e King proved , in an un expected w ay,

that h e cou ld r ise to th e di ffi cu lt ies of h is posi t ion,an d n o part

of th e,Civi l W ar reflects greater credi t-on h im than th e act ion .

h e took to rel ieve Hereford .

Whi le a t Cardi ff , a t th e en d of Ju ly, h e w as to ld of the

Scotch advan ce,an d that i f h e could n ot rel ieve Her eford in

m on th i t m ust fa l l . A t that t ime h e h ad n o regular force.

There were some 2 0 0 0 m en,ch iefly horse , between M onm ou th r

an d Raglan , and an other 30 0 0 sca ttered abou t towards Ludlow,.

in th e Shropsh ire garr ison s,bu t th is w as h is whole force. B e

at on ce took steps to co l lect supplies,orderin g p ikeh eads from

Stourbridge . Th e Sheriff of Worcestersh ire w as ordered to

ca l l ou t th eposse com i ta tus; th e Dudley garrison were to meet

H ist . MSS . , X I I I . Repor t , App . I p . 2 50 . f I h. , 2 58.

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168 ( : 1e W AR, 1 645 .

Hereford and w ere upon the ir march to Fow n hope, 4 m i les then ce in the roadf‘ tow ards Gloucester. On Monday last H is Excel len cy in formed u s of theKing ’s coming to Worcester w ith 40 0 0 horse and dragoon s. They sa id they

j“should have been ready to storm t he n ext day i f th is had n ot happened . W e

“ urg ed them to storm before t he K ing cou ld arri ve there,being then 2 0 long

mi les off . The genera l sa id i t w as too dangerous to be a t tempted . W e

proposed to con t inue the siege, and draw off such party of horse and foot as

mi g h t en coun ter th e K ing, ou r in forma t ion being tha t their horse w ere w ear y,an d not of the n umber repu ted . The gen era l rep l ied i t cou ld n o t possiblybe done they h ad so few horse, Middleton and Leslie being gone to

Sco t lan d w ith a l l the horse tha t fo l low ed the K ing. W e cann o t bu t in formyou o f the sad an d most miserable con di tion of these parts; i t much grievesu s to see ou r friends ruined and a l l left to the fury of a merc i less enemy. ”

On th e same day Ba lmer in o wrote to Len thal l“ Hav in g certa in i n format ion tha t th e K ing ’s forces ar e m arched tow ardsHereford , tha t Prin ce Mau r i ce from Worcester, and S ir Ja cob Ast ley fromW a les, a re mak ing a l l the prepara t ion s they can for their assistan ce, w herebythe S cot ch army

,in the absen ce of t heir horse

,and those un der the command

“of Colonel Genera l Po in tz being few an d a t a grea t d ista n ce

,m aybe brough t

in to g reat d istress, w e do earnest ly desire tha t you w ou ld be p leased to move“ the House to gi ve orders to S ir Thomas F a irfax for sen ding some force fortheir r el ief and assistan ce.

Charles h ad reason for t ri umph . W i th a m uch in fer iorforce h e h ad st ruck terror in to th e grea t Scotch army tha t w as

to have don e such won ders. H e could say wi th truth , as th egovern or of Hereford sa i d for h im

,at h is

com ing the Scott ish m ist began to disperse, and the n ext morn ing van ishedou t of si ght . ”

On t he sth September Co lon el P u r efoy wrote to Len th al l :tI n ou r last of the 3rd w e a cquain ted you w i th the rising of the Scots armybefore Hereford upon in forma t ion of the King ’s approa ch t o Worcester.The genera l and w hole army quartered last n igh t a t Highnam

,and a r e n ow

m arch in g t hrough G loucester to Chel ten ham , 6 m i les hen ce, on the w ay to

Warw ick .

”

Scudamore h ad don e more than h e h ad promised . He h ad

hel d Hereford for six weeks,having refused to l isten to a l l p r o

posal s of surrender . He h ad scorn ed a l ike th e men aces o f h isfoes an d th e importun i t ies of h is frien ds urging him to give u pth e place. He h ad been hard p ressed . Sym onds I says :“ The Parl iamen tarian s h ad g ot n ear the tow n ,

and h ad made two brea ches,bu t w ere repu lsed . Tw o m ines and dra ined the ditch .

Charles w as n at ura l ly as j ubi lan t as th e Scots were furious.

They compla ined,an d n ot withou t reason ,

that th e Parl iamen th ad n ot given them th e support they h ad a right to expect .

Possibly this is t rue . Parl iamen t h ad ordered Po in tz to

fo l low up th e King,but h e refused to do so

,declaring that h e

w as both ou tn umbered and outmatched . I n addit ion,th e su c

cesses of Mon t rose in Scot lan d h ad a larmed the Scots army.

They a l leged that they h ad n o horse, an d so could n ot fight ,Leven having sen t a l l the horse aw ay with Lesl ie an d M iddleton .

H ist . MSS. Com .,X I I I . Repor t , p. 2 64. t I b . , p. 265. 1 D ia ry, p . 2 32 .

CIVI L W AR, 1 645 .1 69

‘Parl iamen t , they a l leged , h ad promised t o keep them suppl iedwith provision s, bu t h ad fa i led to carry ou t thei r promise .

They h ad been obliged t o l ive as best they cou ld,an d this w as

.by plun der . Even to ou r ow n day stories have survived of

what th e Scots did during thei r occupat ion of Herefordshire .

N o story of the i r acts w as too absurd to be bel ieved . Alet ter from Tew kesbury , gives some accoun t of thei r ret reat .

On Wedn esday, th e 3rd September, they marched to New en t , w here theyquartered th a t n igh t . On Thursday

,t he 4th , to I singh am [H ighn am ] , 2

mi les short of G loucester. On Fri day they marched a l l through G loucestersh ire, and qua r tered a t Oxendon , 4 mi les on th is side Gloucester ; on

Sa turday to C leave. On the Lord ’s D ay they a l l rested , an d th is n i gh t theyen tered their quarters a t W i ckham ford , 3 mi les from Evesham , and so

“on w ard to the n orth . ”“ At th is very i n stan t Maj or-Gen era l Po in t z is here w i th the Commissioners,and h is horse a re n ow passing over Severn in boa ts on theWorcestersh i r e side,a nd so on w ards, i n ten ding to be observan t of the King ’s mot ion s

,especia l ly

“ i f h e look tow ards Bristo l . ”

An other accoun t says:“,EF rom G loucester i t w a s th i s day cert ified tha t the Scot t ish army h adra i sed the siege o f Hereford a n d w ere marched th i s w ay. Tha t on Thu r sdaylast th e w hole army passed the ir quarters a t H ighn am

,2 mi les of G loucester.

Tha t on Friday they marched through G loucester, in t en ding to quarter tha t“n igh t a t Che l tenham , and so tow ards Warw i ck , and then ce homew ards.

M aj or—Gen era l Po i n tz , w i th betw een 3 an d 40 0 0 horse, w as then w ith in 6

mi les o f G loucester, a nd w as mak i ng a bridge n ear Tew kesbury, overSevern ,

to a t ten d th e King ’s mot ion s, w ho is now abou t Monmou th an dHereford .

”

1

So en ded th e siege of Hereford . Great w as t h e grat i tude of

t h e cit i zen s. A t St . Peter ’s Church i t is recorded :Here i s a lso i n ten ded an an n i versary sermon for the del i veran ce th is c i ty

h ad from your Sco ts, August 6th ( sic) , 1 645. Mr. Row lan d An drew s gives,4 1 0 per a n num therefor. ”

Cl ar en don I blames th e King for n ot fo l low ing up th e Scotso n h is arriva l before Hereford . He says :

I f the Sco ts h ad on ly been pursued , there i s l it t le doubt very many, if notthe grea ter part of tha t army , had been destroyed .

Charles w as, however , in n o state t o pursue . I t w as m ar

vel lou s, l it t le short of miracu lous, that h e h ad don e what h e

h ad . Even i f th e Scots h ad been a beaten,in st ead of an u n

b eat en ,force, i t w as best for Charles t o l et them pass aw ay

without a fight . Po in t z w as on th e l in e of march coverin gthei r ret reat , an d Po in t z w ould have been more than a mat chfor Charleswithout paying any heed to t h e Scots. Bu t Charles

, could n ot aff ord a bat t le, st i l l less cou ld h e afford a defeat . H e

very wisely a l lowed th e Scots t o pass aw ay . That this w as so

i s shown by w hat fol low ed . From Hereford Charles w en t to

Raglan,there h e heard of th e surren der of Bristo l . H e

r eturn ed to Hereford , then ce to Worcester , from when ce h e

P erf ect Occu r en ces , Sep tem ber 5— 1 2

,1

1

6

145. 1 P erf ect D zm w a l , Septem ber 8— 1 5, 1 645.

o ' 1 535

CIVI L W AR, 1 645 .

proposed to ret i re to Oxford . Bu t h e could n ot do so as:

Po in t z w as on h is l in e of march to Oxford , Evesham bein g inh is han ds. So Charles gave up th e i dea of Oxford . Charlestherefore un dertook to ra ise an other siege, t hat of Chester .

H e marched from Worcester to Ludlow . Here h e heard thata body of Roya l ist Horse h ad been defeated betw een Leom in

ster an d Bromyard , so h e ret urn ed to Ludlow an d passed on

from there to New tow n in Mon tgomeryshire . Po in t z n ow be

g an to fo l low th e King up closely . A t last Charles reachedChester . On th e n ext day h is hopes and h is army were al ikecrushed , hopelessly crushed , at Rowton Heath .

*Charles’ w an

der ings ar e n ow very di ffi cu lt t o fo l low . On October I st h e

w as at Bridgn orth . He o rdered a quan t i ty of brimston e an d

saltpetre to be sen t t o him at Oxford through Wor cester . .

Maurice,w h o h ad been with th e King

,w as sen t back to

Worcester .

There h ad been some fight ing before Dudley,an d in this .

t h e Parl iamen t cla imed to have been successfu l . On th e 3r d

Sept ember , 1 645, a let t er to Lent h al l from Shrewsbury says :Sin ce ou r last success before W i l len hal l an d Dudley .

” Whatthis fight w as is n ot clear , possibly on ly a skirmish .

There h ad a lso been some figh t ing in o r n ear Kiddermin ster , .

Co lon el Jon es, a Parl iamen t ary Co lon el,claimed to have

at t acked an d dispersed a Roya l ist force n ear Kiddermin ster . .

Short ly aft er an other Roya l ist force w as sen t t o Kiddermin sterThey occup ied Tr im pl ey and i t seems made a fort there . SirThomas Aston w as t h e oflficer w h o w as in com m an d there . I t

appears from th e Kiddermin ster register t hat during t h e

win ter of 1 645 there w ere severa l soldiers buried at Kidderm in ster . A t th e begin n ing of November th e t roops w h o

occupied th e post at Tr im p ley h ad to fight a bat t le . Th e

accoun t is given in a let t er dated Stafford,1 0 th November , .

1 645, writ ten by Edward Leigh to Len th al l :Upon Thursday last w e sen t ou t Capta in S ton e

’

s troop to Wrot tesleyHouse, a ga r rison w h ich w e have la tely erec ted n ea r Dudley Cast le. Tha tn igh t they understood by the scou ts w here S ir Thomas Aston quartered .w ho w as then upon h is march tow ards Worcester, and u pon Friday mor n i ngCapta in S ton e

’

s a nd Capta in Ba ckhouse’

s troops from Wro ttesley marchedtow ards S ir Thomas Aston , w hom they overtook betw een Bridgnorth and

K iddermin ster, and found h im draw n up in a pla ce of advan tage, w i th abou tan equa l n umber of horse to those ready to figh t w i th them . Our troopsmade the first charge , and w ere stou t ly received , b u t a t last they rou ted S irThomas Aston ’

s party an d pu t them to fl igh t,in w h i ch S ir Thomas Aston .

“o ften ra l l ied w i th such as he coul d procure to stand , and engaged fo r thesa fety of h is m en ,

un t i l ou r troops slew about 20 of h is m en upon th e p la ce,w hereo f Capta i n Aston , son of S ir Arthur Aston ,

and Capta in Moor w ere,and took prisoners S ir Thomas Aston h imsel f, h is l ieu ten an t , cornet , quartermaster, and Corpora ls, one Capta in George o f Worcester, 40 troopers, and 80horses, w hich they brough t to the garri son . There do rema in vet

Rushw o r th , V I . , 1 1 7.

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"

1 72 CI V I L W AR, 1 645.

Archbo l d sen t word to Morgan at Gloucester of th e state of

th in gs an d begged for hel p . Morgan at on ce marched withsome o f h is ow n m en t o rel ieve Can on Frome. He got some

m ore m en from Corse Law n . Scudamore ret reated to Malvern,

.bu t left a force at Ledbury . Archbo ld,sal lying ou t from Can on

Frome,att acked t hem . Taking them completely by surprise,

h e rou ted t hem , capt ured t h e sow ,an d th e Can on Frome

expedit ion thus proved a fa i lu re .

An other fight in th e same dist rict is almost too roman t i c tob e t rue . On th e 1 7th November a report w as sen t to t h e

House of that 60 of t h e King ’s tr0 0 ps came t o

Ledbury to t ake up thei r quarters there . They were m et byI 5 of Mr . Hopton

’s m en

,w h o h ad t aken th e great plun derer of

t hose parts. Th e 1 5 charged right through th e 60,ki l l in g

tw o an d t aking four prison ers, an d were makin g thei r w ayb ack to Gloucest er when they m et an other party of

Roya l ists,w h o were carryin g off t o t hei r garrison some 2 0 0

catt le they h ad co l lected . Th e brave 1 5, n otw i thst an din g theywere en cumbered with four prison ers, at tacked th e Royal ists,rescued th e cat t le, an d , i f th e accoun t is t o b e bel ieved , in st eadof driving t hem in to Gloucester restored them t o thei r ow n ersan d , i t is sa i d , wen t on t hei r w ay rejo i cing .

Th e Worcester garrison appears at t imes during th e au t umn

t o have been very hard pressed , an d to have foun d i t n ecessaryt o scour th e Coun ty for suppl ies. Thei r con st an t deman dsand plun der ing drove even some of t h e Roya l ists over t o th e

Parl iamen t , an d l ed t o greater act iv ity by th e Clubmen . I t

w as reported that,

on th e 2 5th November , 1 645, Mr .D in el ey an d divers of Worcestershire h ad declared for th e

Parl iamen t , compla in in g of th e in so len ce an d inj uries of th e

garrison of Worcester . Th e effect of t his process of plun derw as seen on th e I st November , when a great meet ing of

C l ubmen w as hel d 0 11 Bredon Hil l . I t is sa i d t hat they were30 0 0 st ron g . Whatever thei r n umber , they m et there t o

choose officers in order to be able t o take armed act ion t o: protect themselves. Sir Edw ard D in eley, o f Charl ton ,

n earFladbury

,w as selected as leader , an d other ofli cer s were chosen

‘

t o serve un der h im . They declared fo r Parl iamen t , an d

deman ded to be suppl ied with arms. D in eley w as desi rous of

s hewing w hat th e Clubmen cou ld do . Early in DecemberRupert an d Maurice

,wi th a sl ight escort , were on thei r w ay

f rom Worcester to Oxford . I t w as determin ed to in terceptthem , an d h ad these tw o arch plun derers fa l len in to th e han dso f th e Clubmen thei r fate rrrigh t have been doubtfu l . Bu t

D in el ey with h is Clubmen ,w hatever thei r advan tage in

n umbers, were n o mat ch for Rupert . D in eley placed h is m en

Wh i telock, p . 1 87.

CIVIL W AR, 1 645 . 1 73

in th e w ay to obstruct th e passage of t h e Prin ces, an d, i fpossib le, to take them . Rupert an d h is escort charged , cu tt hei r w ay through th e m ob of peasan ts, an d wen t on to Oxfordwithout further in terrupt ion .

Th e tw o places as to which most in terest w as felt at th e en d

of 1 645 w ere Chester , th e k ey of North Wa les, an d Hereford.

Chester , w here Byron comman ded , w as ho lding ou t ga l lan t ly,an d th e Roya l ists w ere do ing al l they cou ld for its rel ief. Th e

Parl iamen t w ere t rying to cut off al l at tempts to co l lect th escat t ered forces for th e purpose. 2 0 0 0 m en were advan cin gfrom Oxford , they were m et on Broadway Hil l an d drivenback to Oxford . Th e Parl iamen t hel d th e bridges an d fords .

of t h e Avon with so t ight a grip that n o on e cou l d pass t hatw ay. A l l th e Parl iamen t efforts w ere direct ed t o preven t th esma l l part ies of Roya l ists un it ing . Vaughan co l lect ed a partyfrom th e differen t garr ison s an d marched to Ludlow . Thei rroute , i t is st at ed , w as marked by t hei r plun der ing, for i t w as .

on ly by p lun der they cou ld exist . They w ere sa i d to be so

ragged an d raven ous that th e Govern or of Ludlow refused to

admit them in to t h e place . Sir Gi lbert Gerrard l ed an otherparty to Stourbridge an d Kiddermin st er , w h o ar e described bya Parl iamen tary w riter as bein g “

th e most rude, raven ous, an d“

i l l-govern ed horse that I bel ieve ever t rod u pon th e earth .

”

They hoped to be re in forced , bu t some m en un der Morganfrom Gloucester defeat ed Washington ,

w h o w as coming t o .

thei r help , n ear Abberley , an d when they proposed to marchon Worcester , Parl iamen t t roops occupied Ombersley in forcean d preven t ed them . On th e 1 7th December Capt a inPicker in g left Worcest er for Kiddermin ster . On th e 1 2 th

December,

Christopher Ha les wrote from Coven t ry toSir Wi l liam Brereton :

W e have even n ow rece i ved in tel l igen ce tha t the K ing ’s forces a re upon“their mar ch tow ards Evesham , an d then ,

a s w e a r e in formed , tow ardsChester. They a r e a bou t 1 50 0 , ra ther more . W e have given n ot ice hereof

“to Co lon el Genera l Po i n tz to the end that h e m ay do w ha t he can to i n tercept their passage.

Sir Thomas Rous wrote from Evesham th e same day to SirW i l l iam Brereton

A body of horse and foot, they say themselves 2 0 0 0 , bu t others w h i chv iew ed t hem 1 0 0 0 or 1 50 0 ,

came in yesterday a t 1 1 to S tow -on-the-Wo l d .some 1 0 mi les from t h is garrison . Ther e and thereabou ts they quartered ’

la st n igh t . They ta lk of mak in g for Worcester , w h i ch is n ot improbable,and the ra ther because S ir W i l l iam Vaughan and

‘

those horse w h i ch stayformerly abou t Worcester a r e n ot yet advan ced . I t m ay be they in ten d t oj oin and so pass on tow ards the rel ief of Chester. W e have sen t to Co lone lMorg an ,

w i th w hom most of ou r horse a re a t presen t , to advert ise h im of“th is body . The Lord Northampton commands the party from Oxford .

”

An other skirmish took place at Ma lvern . A party o f

H ist . MSS . Com .,X I I I . Rep ., p. 32 0 .

~

1 74 C I V I L WAR, 1 645 .

Parl iamen tarian s from Herefordshire crossed th e hi l l an d came

u pon a body of some 50 t roopers. Completely surprised , t heyw ere n ot able to offer any great resist an ce, and 50 horses and

2 8 prison ers were t aken .

Various of th e Roya l ist garrison s were a lso captu red an d

sl ighted ,”on e n ear Ten bury

,but in Sh opsh ir e, Burford (Sir

G eorge Cornw a l l ’s) bein g thus t reated .

I n t h e middle o f December th e Parl iamen t h ad a great successby th e capture of Hereford . Morgan very cleverly surprised i tan d took i t almost withou t resist an ce , thus do in g wi th a han dfu lo f t roops what th e great Scot ch army h ad fa i led t o do . It w as

a crushing blow,an d

,what w as worse, so ut terly un expected .

Scudamore, th e Govern or , w h o desi red to make h is w ay to

'O xford -an d explain mat ters at head-quarters, w as arrested at

W orcest er 0 11 h is w ay there an d pu t in prison ,an d there

rema in ed un t i l th e ci ty surren dered in t h e fo l low ing summer,On a l l si des things were go ing aga in st th e King . He h ad

11 0 longer an army,an d very l it t le chan ce of being able to ra ise

su ffi cien t m en to be able to meet th e Parl iamen t forces in t h e

fiel d . Naseby an d Rowton Heath h ad made th e King’s defea tcert a in . Th e on ly quest ion that rema in ed w as h ow long couldh is garrison s ho l d ou t

,an d th e most importan t of these

.{Chester) w as n ow in dire dist ress.

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1 76 CIVIL ‘W AR, 1 646 .

tow ards Chester , set to w ork to co l lect m en to go to th e;

rel ief of th e King at Oxford . Bu t h e w as too late. I n the

Cotswo lds, barring h is w ay, w as Morgan , th e govern or of th eGloucester garrison , with a formidable force. On h is rightflan k w as Birch , th e govern or of Hereford , with a force moret han equa l to any that Ast ley could bring in to th e field

,whi le

in h is rear , pushing him onwards towards Morgan an d Birch,

w as Brereton ,h is army n ow able to act as Chester h ad fa l len .

Th e won der is, that w ith a l l t hese forces arrayed aga in st h im,

Ast ley w as able to make so good a fight as h e did .

Ast ley h ad visi ted St afford an d other garrison s to col lecth is force . He h ad t ried t o rel ieve High Erca l l

,which w as

being besieged , bu t h ad fa i led . A t last h e perce ived thati f h e w as to j o in th e King th e t ime h ad come to do

t herefore,in th e begin n ing of March ,

h e gave orders for a l l th e

m en from th e differen t g ar r l son s w h o w ou ld jo in him, to r en

dez vou s at Bridgn orth ; here h e co l lected some 30 0 0 m en . I t

m ay be imagin ed to what st ra it s t h e Royal ist s w ere reducedw hen i t is sa i d that ou t of these more than ha l f were“ reformado ”

ofli cer s, that is, officers of regimen ts that h ade i ther ceased to exist , from being dest royed or disban ded

, or

become so reduced in n umbers there w as 11 0 n eed for sucho ffi cers. They formed a desperate ban d of broken m en

, w h o h ad

a l l to ga in by plun der an d everything to lose by peace . Ast leyw as in dire n eed of mon ey so much so that h e h ad t o borrowfrom th e corporat ion of Bridgn orth t o pay h is person a l expen sest here . Having co l lected h is m en Ast ley advan ced from B r idgn o rth to Kiddermin ster . Some sort o f a post

,probably a

look-ou t post , to w at ch any movemen t of m en , w as kep t at

Tr im pley. Some sort of skirmish took place n ear Kiddermin ster,.as th e regist ers show that Capt a in Charles D u ngh am an d

on e of h is so l dierswere ki l led an d buried . From Kiddermin sterAst ley marched to Worcester

,here h e halted for a few days

,

an d here h is t roubles began . He w as aw are that Morgan an d

Birch w ere wa it ing fo r him at Broadw ay , an d Brereton w as

moving up in h is r ea1 an d pressing him forw ard . Ast ley ’s taskw as a diffi cu lt on e . Evesham h ad a Parl iamen t ary garr i son an d

t h e Avon could n ot be crossed there . I n t h e hi l ls, on h is roadto Oxford

,were Morgan an d Birch

,w a it ing for th e fi rst sight

o f h is m en to un ite an d fal l 0 11 him ; w hi le st i l l n earer Oxford,

i f h e got past these forces, Fleetw ood w as wa i t ing betweenS tow and Oxford to in tercept any Roya l ist at tempt to rel ieveAst ley

,or to cu t off any of Ast l ey

’s m en w h o got past Morgan .

Ast ley’s fi rst move qu ite deceived h is oppon en ts. He sen t

some of h is m en forw ard towards Evesham , but w ith th e ma inbody h e marched back to Dro itwich , thus leadin g Brereton to

t hin k h e w as abou t to attack b irh. Then mak ing acrossco un t ry by Feckenham and Inkberrow to Bidford an d Cleve

CIVIL W AR, 1 646 . 1 7?

Prior , h e crossed th e Avon ,an d pushed down th e Buckle Street

road to Hon eybourn e, leaving Morgan at Broadway on h is

r ight , h e marched past h is flan k to Campden , Blockley,Bourton -ou -t h e-Hil l , for Stow . Morgan , fin ding that Ast leyh ad ou t -manoeuvred him , made a series of at t acks on h is rearguard , harassin g and delayin g thei r march , so as to give t ime for

Birch to come up in fron t and Brereton t o advan ce in th e

rear . Ast ley , by pushin g 0 11,h ad reached Don n ington

,a

vi l lage seven miles from Stow -on -th e-Wo ld,j ust ou tside th e

Worcestershire boun dary . Brereton having n ow come up,

Morgan a t tacked th e wear ied Roya l ists in th e dark, tw o

hours before dawn ,on the 2 1 5t March . Birch in fron t , and

Morgan in th e rear t ried to surroun d t h e Roya l ists. Morgancharged Ast ley

’s rear with 2 0 0 fi r elocks an d 40 0 horse . He w as

repu lsed twice, an d Ast ley n early succeeded in breaking throught h e ring t hat w as surroun ding him . Bu t as Ast ley pressedthrough Morgan ’

s m en in th e rear , Birch pressed h is chargeshome in th e fron t . St i l l Ast ley shew ed a stubborn resistan ce.

Birch ’s horse w as shot un der him ,h is regimen t h ad 32 m en

ki lled . I n spite of al l th e Roya l ist efforts th e ring gradual lyt ighten ed roun d Ast ley . A t last , seeing a possib le w ay of

escape,some of th e Roya l ists broke an dfled ; through t hei r

broken ran ks Birch ’s horse rode in ; there w as n oth ing thenleft bu t to surren der . This w as don e, and th e last Roya l istfield army ceased to exist . Lord Ast ley, Sir Charles Lucas,Co lon el Corbet , Co lon el Gerrard , Co lon el Mo lesw orth

,L ieut .

Co lon el Broughton , and Major Bi l l ingsley were among th eprison ers. Ou t of th e 30 0 0 m en Ast ley h ad w ith him Morganret urn ed 1 60 0 prison ers. Many were kil led

,more were

w oun ded , th e rest dispersed . Those w h o h ad broken throughwere possib ly th e worst off ; they were overtaken

, cu t downan d ki lled by F l eetw ood ’

s dragoons. A l l th e Roya l ist arms an d

ammun it ion were taken . Th e rout w as complete ; Ast l ey’s

force, which h e h ad co l lected w ith so much care, an d

man oeuvred with so much ski l l w as dest royed . Ast ley ful lyrecogn ised this. Worn ou t w ith h is marches

,h is man oeuvres

,

h is fight , h e sat down on a drum and,addressing M organ ’

s

m en ,sa i d :

You h ave n ow done your w ork and m ay g o to p lay , un less you w i l l fa l l ou tamong yourselves.

”

So en ded t h e last Roya l ist field army Th e Kin g could n ot

hope t o bring any further force in to the field , as Claren donsays :There rema ined from tha t t ime no possibi lity for the K ing to draw any

other troops in to the fiel d .A l l w as over . Charles h ad fought from August

, 1 642 , to

March , 1 646, with th e resu lt that the Parl iamen t on ly h ad to

I L , 581 .

1 78 CIVIL W AR, 1 646 .

r educe th e few st rongho l ds as st i l l hel d ou t for him . Whent his w as don e thei r v ictory w ould be completed .

Morgan ,as soon as possib le after th e Roya l ist de feat

, sen th is prison ers t o Gloucester , an d marched h is force towardsWorcester , accompan ied by Birch an d Brereton . They arrivedi n fron t of th e ci ty on 2 6th March an d summon ed i t to su r

ren der . Washington ,th e Govern or , refused . Th e gen era ls

,

stat ing t hey h ad n ot a force suffi cien t to u n dertake th e siege,drew off to Dro i twich , but gave Washington n ot i ce that theyon ly did this to give him full Opportun ity to learn h is hopelesscon dit ion . Some sort of skirmish en sued

,an d Birch h ad a horse

sh ot/ u n der him . F or a t ime Worcester w as n ot at tacked,an d

that t ime w as employed by Washington in making plun der ingexpedit ion s in order to get in suppl ies. On e of th e foraysw en t as far as Evesham ; th is probably l ed Morgan to appo in tMajor W i l l iam Din gley Govern or of that place . Washingtonkn ew that a siege w as certa in ; th e date when i t w ou ld beginw as th e on ly un certa in ty . Accordingly , on th e 3oth March

,

h e began clearing th e groun d outsi de th e wa l ls to preven t anybu i ldings giving shel ter to a host i le att ack . St . Oswa ld ’

s

H osp ital w as pu lled down , bu t Mr . Somers’ house at th eWhiteLadies, a large ston e house, capable of accommodat in g 50 0

m en ,w as for some reason spared . W i th th e t imber from th e

houses a store of fuel w as la i d u p , an d 1 0 0 0 loads of fi rew oodwere obta in ed from Shrawley Wood .

Th e three Parl iamen t gen era ls after summon ing Worcesterb roke up t hei r jo in t forces. .Morgan wen t to Raglan

,Birch

to Ludlow ,an d Brereton to Lichfield .

Th e Roya l ist garrison s in th e Coun ty that were st i l l ho ldin gou t were Dudley, Hart lebury, M adr esfiel d , Stren sham ,

an d

Worcester . N o regular operat ion s aga in st any of them werebegun for some l i t t l e t ime, but there were con t in ual skirmishesin th e Coun ty ; part ies of Parl iamen t m en movin g aboutpart ies of Roya l ists co l lect in g suppl ies. On th e 1 9th Apri l ,1 646, there w as a skirmish in fron t of Worcester , th e record of

which appears in t h e Kiddermin ster register,where th e buria l

o f a so ldier is men t ion ed , un der t hat date :“ John Jones, a Parl iamen t so l dier, sla in a t the sk irm ish a t Worcester.

On th e 2 7th Apri l , about mid-n ight , Charles left Oxford fort h e last t ime, in company of Dr . Hudson an d Mr . JohnAsh bu r n h amflL Charles w as disgu ised as Ashburn ham ’

s servan tin a cloak wi th a b ag beh in d him . They wen t to Hen ley

,

Bren tford , Harrow,St . A lban s

,Market Harborough , where

they expected t o meet a Fren ch agen t , w h o did n ot appear ;then to Stamford

,Down ham (in Norfo lk) , and Southam .

From here, on th e sth M ay, Charles wen t to Lesl ie’s quarters

Bur ton ’

s Kidderm inster , p . 2 1 7. 1 Rushw or th , V I . , p . 267.

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1 78 CIVIL W AR, 1 646 .

r educe th e few st rongho lds as st i l l hel d ou t for him . Whent h is w as don e thei r v ictory would be completed .

Morgan ,as soon as possib le after th e Roya l ist de feat , sen t

h is prison ers t o Gloucester , an d marched h is force towardsWorcester , accompan ied by Birch an d Brereton . They arrivedi n fron t of th e city on 2 6th March an d summon ed i t to su r

ren der . Washington , th e Govern or,refused . Th e gen era ls,

stat ing t hey h ad n ot a force suffi cien t to u n dert ake th e siege,drew off t o Dro i twich , but gave Washington n ot i ce that theyon ly did t his to give him ful l opportun i ty to learn h is hopelesscon dit ion . Some sort of skirmish en sued

,an d Birch h ad a horse

sh ot/ u n der him . F or a t ime Worcester w as n ot at tacked,an d

t hat t ime w as employed by Washington in making plun derin gexpedit ion s in order to get in suppl ies. On e of th e foraysw en t as far as Evesham ; th is probably l ed Morgan to appo in tMajor W i l l iam Din gley Govern or of t hat place . Washingtonkn ew that a siege w as certain ; th e date when i t w ould beginw as th e on ly un certa in ty . Accordingly , on t h e 30 th March

,

h e began clearing th e groun d outside t h e wa l ls to preven t anybu i ldings givin g shelter to a host i le att ack . St . Osw a l d ’

s

H ospita l w as pulled down , but Mr . Somers’ house at th e W hiteLadies, a large ston e house, capable of accommodat ing 50 0

m en ,w as for some reason spared . W i th th e t imber from th e

houses a store of fuel w as la i d up , an d 1 0 0 0 loads of firew oodwere obta in ed from Shraw ley Wood .

Th e three Parl iamen t gen erals after summon ing Worcesterb roke up thei r jo in t forces. .Morgan wen t to Raglan

,Birch

t o Ludlow ,an d Brereton to Lichfield .

Th e Roya l ist garrison s in th e Coun ty that were st i l l ho ldin gou t were Dudley, Hart lebury, M adr esfiel d , Stren sham ,

an d

Worcester . N o regular operat ion s aga in st any of them werebegun for some l i t t l e t ime, but there were con t in ual skirmishesin th e Coun ty ; part ies of Parl iamen t m en moving aboutpart ies of Royal ists col lect ing suppl ies. On th e 1 9th Apri l ,1 646, there w as a skirmish in fron t of Worcester , th e record of

w hich appears in th e Kiddermin ster register,where th e buria l

o f a so ldier is men t ion ed , un der that date :“ John Jones, 3. Parl iamen t so l dier, sla in a t the sk irmish at Worcester.

On th e 2 7th Apri l , about mid-n ight , Charles left Oxford forth e last t ime

,in company of Dr . Hudson an d Mr . John

A sh bu r n h am f r Charles w as disgu ised as Ashburn ham ’

s servan tin a cloak with a bag behin d him . They wen t to Hen ley

,

Bren t ford , Harrow,St . A lban s

,Market Harborough

,where

t hey expected to meet a Fren ch agen t , w h o did n ot appear ;then t o Stamford

,Down ham (in Norfolk) , an d Southam .

From here, on th e sth M ay, Charles wen t to Lesl ie’s quarters

Bur ton ’

s Kidderm inster , p . 2 1 7. f Rushw or th , V I . , p . 2 67.

CIVIL W AR, 1 646. 1 79

at Kel lam an d surren dered himsel f to th e Scots, thus part in gwith h is l iberty , w hich h e n ever rega in ed .

Parl iamen t were completely deceived . They imagin edCharles h ad gon e t o Lon don ,

an d issued orders that h e w as at

on ce to be given up , u pon pain of anyon e con ceal ing h im for

f ei t ing h is estate an d dying wi thout mercy as a tra itor to th e

Commonwealth . On th e oth M ay th e Scots wrote to th e

Parl iamen t " from Southwel lTha t the King h ad come to them yesterday in so private a w ay that a fterthey h ad made search for h im ,

upon summon s of some person s w ho preten dedto know h is face, yet they could not find h im ou t in sundry houses.

On th e King ’s arrival,Leven in sisted that h e shou ld at on ce

~o rder Newark t o be surren dered t o th e Parl iamen t . Charlesd id so

,sen ding an o rder to th e govern or , Lord Bel l asis, t o t hat

effect . On 8th M ay i t w as given up , th e offi cers an d soldiersmarched home

,

an d the pl ace,Tw ith the gun s, in c lud in g a very great p iece of ordnan ce,

ca l led Sw eet l ips,’

2 mortars, divers drakes a nd sma l l p ieces, 40 0 0 arms, 40

barrels of pow der, grea t store of bu l lets,mat ches, and ammun i t ion

han ded over to Parl iamen t .

On th e n ext day,th e oth M ay, th e Scots marched n orth

' ward , taking th e Kin g w ith them . I n four days (on th e 1 3th)t hey reached New cast le-on -Tyn e

,where they ha l ted an d

r ema i n ed . On th e l oth Jun e,1 646, Charles issued t h e fol

low ing w arran t —I

To ou r trusty and w el l-beloved S ir Thomas G lenham,S ir Thomas

Ti l desl ey, Co lon e l H . Wa sh ington , Co lonel Thomas Bl agge, Govern ors of ou r

ci t ies an d tow n s of Oxford , Litchfie l d, Worcester,and W a l l ingford

,an d a l l

other comman ders of any tow n,m a le,

an d fort in ou r Kingdom of Eng l and .

Charles R .

Hav ing resolved to comp ly w i th the desires of ou r Pa r l iam en t i n every th i ngw h i ch m ay be for the good o f ou r subj ects, an d leave n o mean s unessayed forthe removi ng of a l l di fferen ces amongst u s, t herefore w e have though t fi t

, the

more to eviden ce t he rea l i ty of ou r in ten t ions of set t l ing a happy and fi rmpea ce, to r equire you upon hon ourable terms to qu i t those tow n s ,

cast les, an dforts en trusted to you by u s, and t o disban d a l l the forces under your severa lcommands.

“ New cast le,l oth J une

,1 646.

Th e Parl iamen t ary comman ders h ad n ot w a i ted for thiso rder . On th e I st M ay, 1 646, Fa i rfax , with th e a id of Sk ippon ,

w h o h ad recovered from h is w oun ds at Naseby , began h is

operat ion s aga in st Oxford . I t m ay have been design ed fore ff ect t hat Sk ippon return ed t o h is comman d on th e I st M ay,t h e ann iversary of th e n ew -model led army t akin g th e field .

Before do ing more at Oxford than drivin g in th e ou tposts,Ban bury w as at t acked

,an d surren dered on oth M ay. Fa i rfax

rn ow sen t off as many horse as h e could spare to Worcester

,

un der th e comman d of Colon el Whal ley, to st ra iten th e

Rushw or th , V I .,p. 268. f 2 7 1 : t Rushw or th , VI . , p.

-

2 76.

1 80 CIVIL WAR, 1 646 .

garrison un t i l such t ime as th e army were at l iberty to

advan ce aga in st i t .

*

On th e 1 3th M ay, 1 646, th e Worcester garrison wrote to theKin g asking for h is specia l in struct ion s. On th e 1 6th M ayFa i rfax wrote fr om ~Heddin g ton ,

n ear. Oxford, to Washin gton

,

t h e Govern or of Worcester , requ iring him to surren der th eplace. Washington repl ied

I t is a ckn ow ledged by your books and by report out of your ow n quarters,“tha t the King is in some of your armies. Tha t gran ted , it m ay be easy fo ryou to procure H is M ajesty ’s comman ds for the disposa l of th is garrison ,

t i l l“then I sha l l make good the t r ust reposed in m e. As for con di t ion s, i f I sha l lbe necessit a ted I sha l l make the best I can . The w orst I kn ow a nd fear n ot .I f I had

,the profession of a so ld ier h ad n ot been begun

,or so long con t in ued

,

by your excel len c ie’

s humble servan t .Henry Wash ington .

This an swer , as might have been foreseen ,w as at on ce fol

lowed by th e arriva l of some Parl iamen t t roops un derWhal leyOn th e l t M ay they en camped on Wheeler ’s Hill

,n ear

Elbu ryWood , an d bu i lt hu ts. Washington at on ce made a

sal ly with a sma l l body of horse . This w as repulsed by a largeforce which , fo l lowing up t h e besieged , came un der the fi r e of

th e town gun s and suff ered some loss.

Whi le steps were being t aken as t o W orcester tw o of th e

other garrison s were disposed of . Th e first w as Dudley . Atth e begin n ing of M ay, Brereton moved up to at tack Dudley .

This place h ad long been an eyesore to th e Parl iamen t ,

Leveson having defen ded it successfu l ly for th e King duringt h e whole w ar . I ts t urn w as n ow come . Leveson

,expect in g

an at tack , h ad prepared for i t by clear ing away al l th e

bui ldings roun d th e Cast le t hat could shel ter th e enemy . An ote in th e par ish register shews this“ Note. The church of St . Edmun d being demo l ished by Co lonel Leveson ,in 1 646 ,

both parishes did meet in that of St . Thomas, a nd became as one in

a l l admin istra t ions, and so in their offi cers, w i th in a few years a fter, so that“the register book became one a lso from then ceforth .

N o deta i ls of th e fin al st ruggle appear , but i t cou ld n ot havelast ed long as th e cast le w as surren dered on th e l oth M ay,an d th e terms approved by Parl iamen t on M ay I 3th . i

’

Th e

art icles of surren der ar e given in a t ract,prin ted in Lon don ,

1 4th M ay, I 646.

Sir Thomas Fa irfax h is summon s sen t in to Oxford , &c.,and the copy of the

art ic les for the surren der of Dudley Cast le to Sir W i l l iam Brereton,w i th a l l“.

or dinan ce, armies, and ammun i t ion , bag and baggage.

”

“ Art ic les agreed upon the l oth day of M ay, 1 646, betw een Lieu t .-Co lon el .Beaumon t , Major Christopher Henn ingham ,

a nd Major John Gi fford,de

pu ted on the beha l f of Colonel Leveson , governor of the Cast le of Dudley,

and Co lonel Skipk ins, L ieut .-Colonel Hun t and Cap ta in Stone, commissioner s appoin ted by S ir W i l l iam Brereton , comman der-in-ch ief of the forces,employed for reduci n g of the sa id cast le, touch i ng the surren der thereof.

Rushw or th , V I . , p. 2 85. 1' Wh i telock , p. 2 1 0 .

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1 82 CIV I L W AR , 1 646 .

made un ten able . Whether t his is t h e same as“sl ighted is

n ot easy t o say.

Hart lebury w as th e n ext Worcestershire garrison to be dea ltw i th . Morgan advan ced with a st rong force aga in st i t , arrivin gbefore it on th e 9th M ay,

h e summon ed i t to surren der ,stat ing in h is summon s that i t m igh t ~w el l do so as far st r on gef

cast les, such as New ark an d Ban bury,h ad al ready capi tulated .

Th e govern or , Co lon el W i l l iam San dys,repl ied ,

*admit t ing

thati f New ark w as rea l ly t aken h e cou ld not possibly expec t relief, and desiring

“that he migh t have so much t ime as might be su ffi c ien t to in form h imself of

“the certa in ty thereof, and i f he shou ld find it accordingly he w ou ld forthw ithtrea t .”

San dys’ request appears to have been gran ted,at al l even t s

t o some exten t,for it w as n ot u n t i l n early a week later , on

M ay 1 4th , t hat th e place surren dered . Th e surren der w as

made on terms, bu t t here were secret art i cles, on e of whichw as that Morgan pledged himsel f to San dys t o u se h is besten deavours to secure that t h e sequest rat ionof the S

o

an dys’ esta te a t Ombersley might be t aken off w ithout a ny fine or

Com posmon .

On Jan uary 7th ,1 648, Morgan pet it ion ed th e House of

Lordstha t this might be done, so as to be ten der of h is honour and gran t a per

form an ce of h is promise.

"

Here aga in t h e al legat ion s of t reachery an d bribery weremade on accoun t of th e su r ren der , but i t is difficu l t to see w h afelse could have been don e . I t must be admit ted that in th iscase San dys’ barga in with Morgan h as a very n asty look an d

makes a doubt ar ise i f th e best possib le terms were obta in ed .

When Hart lebury surren dered Morgan got a n umber of

prison ers, n early a l l th e San dys’ family . Nash gives a paperfrom th e Town shen d MSS T

Names of those gen t lemen w ho w ere in H art lebury Cast le a t the surren der“thereof, 1 4th M ay, 1 646

Lord W in dsor,Hew el l Grange .

Co lonel Samuel Sandys, la te Governor of Worcester.Mr. An derson

,h is brother, Lady Sandys, 1 2 0 foot , and 40 horse.

Capta in W i l l iam San dys, Governor of Hart lebury Cast le.

Capta in M art in San dys.

Th e surren der of Hart lebury left on ly three Roya l ist garrison s“

in t h e Coun ty,Worcester

,M adr esfiel d , an d St ren sham . As

to th e last i t is n ot clear w hen th e Parl iamen t took i t . I n the

art i cles of th e surren der of Worcester i t is provided that i t bedisgarrison ed , bu t i t does n ot state i t w as t hen in Royal ists’

han ds, i f it h ad been probably more would have been sa i dabou t i t .

H ist . MSS . C om . Du ke of Por t la nd, I . , 359. 1 Nash , I L,cv.

CIVIL W AR, 1 646 . 1 83

Th e siege of Worcester h ad been carried on for some t imebefore anything w as don e about M adr esfiel d . Th e Govern or

(Captain Aston ) h ad been presen t at a coun ci l of w ar,at

w hich h e h ad stated that h e could ho ld th e place aga in st a l l

force for three mon ths at least i f mortar pieces were n ot

brought aga in st him . On th e 1 7th Jun e Capt a in Aston sen t

a messenger (Capt a in Bl in kow ) t o Co lon el Washington,t el l ing

h im h e h ad been summon ed that morn ing to del iver up t h e

house, an d asking h is pleasure. Washington sen t word backrecal l ing Aston ’

s promises, an d to l d him that without anyt reaty h e expected him to ho ld ou t for a mon th , promisingthat i f in th e mean t ime Worcester should be t reated for

M adr esfiel d shou ld be in cluded in th e t reaty . On th e 1 9th

Jun e horse an d foot were sen t from St . John ’s to besiege

M adr esfiel d . On th e 2 0 th n ew s came from M adr esfiel d

“tha t Capta in Aston , n otw i thstandin g h is charge to the con trary

,had

“ treated and del ivered up the house to Colonel Wha l ley , most basely, and

con trary to h is fa i th , the enemy on ly coming before it , hav ing n o can nonw i th them

,and, as it is sa i d

,so ld the same to Colonel Lygon ,

w ho w as the

ow ner of the house and on e of the enemy ’s colonels. H is con dit ion w as to

march outw ay w i th h is arms,and to be pa i d {2 0 0 in money ; h is troops w ere

to have 3os. in han d per m an,and foot sol d iers I Os.

,an d to leave a l l h is

ammun i t ion and p r ov isions beh in d

If th e terms ar e correct ly stated , M adr esfiel d h as even a moreun comfortable look than Hart lebury . I t does seem as i f, int hese tw o garr ison s, some private reason s h ad weighed in

set t l ing th e surren der . Such w as th e Opin ion of that day, fort h e w riter of th e Town shen d MS . goes onThere w ere never four such governors as S ir MichaelWoodhouse

,of Ludlow ;

Co lonel Lucen [Leveson ] , of Dudley ; Capta in W i l l iam San dys, o f H art lebury ; and Capta in Edw ard Aston , of M adresfield ; w h i ch del ivered uptra i torously , cow ardly

,and basely four such strongholds, the w eakest w hereof

cou ld w i thstan d an army,as themselves asserted

,for a quarter of a year, an d

three of them for an age, i f vi c tua ls an d ammun i t ion could have lasted . Bu t‘the go lden hook w as supposed t o have been sw a l low ed

,and so the loya l c i ty

of Worcester w as surroun ded by the un i ted forces of Shropsh ire, Herefordsh ire

,and G loucestersh ire, an d Co lonel Wha l ley

,from Ban bury , n otw i th

“standing , it hel d out longer than Oxford and the C lose

,a t Li tchfield

,an d

w as the last tha t surrendered .

It rema in s to give an accoun t of th e siege of Worcester , th elast of th e Roya l garrison s in th e Coun ty .

As h as a l ready been st ated,whi le Fa i rfax w as besiegin g

Oxford h e sen t Whal ley to reduce Wo rcester . Wha l leyarrived on th e 2 1 5t M ay, en camped on Wheeler ’s Hill , n earE lbu ryWood

,an d made hut s for h is m en . Nothing w as don e

on th e 2 2 n d an d 2 3rd M ay. On th e 24th th e besieged made a

sa l ly , fel l on th e Parl iamen t foot about Roger ’s Hil l , ki l l ingan d w oun ding at least 40 .

On 2 5th M ay a summon s to surren der w as sen t in to th e

Nash , I I . , xcix.

1 84 CIVIL W AR, 1 646 .

M ayor ,A l dermen ,and Common Coun ci l of the ci ty . Th e n ext

day an an swer refusing w as retu rn ed .

Th e besiegers, on recei p t of this, began t o make a l in e of

forts betw een Roger ’s Hil l an d Wheeler’

s Hil l , for security tol odge in an d t o en close t h e c ity . So ldiers an d town smen com

plain ed of w an t of provision s.

On th e 2 7th M ay Colon el W ha l ley and th e committee sen ti n a reply to th e Mayo r ’s an swer .On th e 2 8th M ay an acciden tal fi r e burn t th e besiegers’ hu ts.

On th e 2 9th M ay th e garrison h ad a review . They foun dt hat thei r total strength w as 1 50 7, beside gen t lemen an d the

c i ty ban ds. They computed th e besiegers to be 50 0 0 strong .

On th e same day a parley took place,bu t without any

t isfactory resu lt . Th e govern or sen t ou t a foraging party to

Ast ley . They return ed , havin g taken six horses an d tw o

m en .

On 3 l st M ayW hal ley crossed th e r iver an d occupied Hal low,

p lacing there, in Mr . Fleet’s house

,1 40 foot

“

an d tw o t roops of

h orse .

On th e I st June th e besiegers received further rein forcem en ts from Lu dlow .

On the 2 n d Jun e Wha l ley sen t ten co lours of foot down to

Roger ’s Hil l , to th e n ew works there. A great i ron cu lverinw as plan ted on St . Mart in ’

s Gate, to dislodge th e besiegers fromRoger ’s Hil l . I t burst on discharge

,woun din g th e chief

engin eer . A sort ie w as made again st Hal low, bu t n oth ing

came of i t . I t w as sa i d that a mistake w as made in makinga n at tack in fron t in stead of sen ding th e m en roun d by th e

Broadheath to t ake th e besiegers in th e rear .On Jun e gr d th e besi egers exten ded thei r works from W in d

m i l l Hi l l to Bar bou r n e, an d thus on to th e r iver . Some letterspassed between th e govern or an d th e besiegers. Th e let terf rom th e Parl iamen tar ian s is sign ed byWhal ley, Thomas Rous,W i l l iam Dingley

,W i l l iam Lygon , Edward Smith

,Joseph

Edg iock , an d Hen ry Hun t ; th e l ist of sign atu res shewing w h o

t h e Coun ty Parl iamen tarian s then were.

On June 4th th e besiegers wen t on with thei r works at

B ar bou r n e,some skirmishing took place on P itch cr oft . This

r esu lted in th e besiegers bringing down n ext day 50 0 footand z oo horse as a guard to protect thei r works. I n th e

c ity a coun ci l of w ar w as hel d . They ordered al l shovels,

spades,an d mat tocks to be seized an d brought to certa in

n amed places. A l l th e coal,w ood

,and l ime in St . John ’

s w as

brought in to th e ci ty . A l l un n ecessary people were sen to u t . A clearan ce roun d t h e wal ls, so as to make a road forcava l ry to pass al l roun d th e town , w as made. N o on e w as

a l lowed to en ter or to leave withou t a pass. Th e n ext threedays were qu iet .

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1 86 CIVIL W AR, 1 646 .

an d threw up a breastwork on each si de of th e river to )

protect i t .Early in th e morn ing of th e l oth , Capta in Hodgkin s, or

W i cked W i l l,

” being very drun k , sa l l ied ou t over th e bridgeto St . John ’

s, att acked th e guard of th e besiegers,kil led on e ,

an d came back in safety . H e w as so drun k h e fel l off h is horsetw i ce

,an d h ad to be t aken back across th e r iver in a boat .

Th e gun s th e garr ison placed on th e quay kept up a fi r e on

St John ’s an d ki l led four m en . at t h e back of t h e Swan I n n .

A l l th e south si de of th e t own,beyon d th e Sidbury Gat e, w as

st i l l open to th e garrison . They w en t ou t beyon d th e wal ls.

to make h ay, which they brought in by th e r iver , an d tu rn edou t thei r cat t le to graze .

On th e r oth th e besiegers paraded in ful l force,fi red three

vo l leys, an d l i t a bon fi re in S t . John ’

s t o in duce th e garr isont o bel ieve Oxford h ad surren dered ; th e act ua l surren der didn ot t ake place un t i l th e 2 0 th Jun e

,w hen th e Pr in ces Rupert

an d Mauri ce, w h o were in i t,accepted passes t o go abroad

,

which they did 0 11 th e sth Ju ly .

On th e 1 7th th irteen gun s were fi red at St . M art in ’s Church

and th e Cross I n n . Whal ley sen t in a buck as a presen t toth e govern or . Th e cit i zen s’ w ives an d some of th e cit izenmembers o f th e Coun ci l

,urged t h e govern or to t reat . This.

Wash ington refused . H e caused a foray to be made by th egarrison tow ards Kempsey an d Pirton , to bring in a l l th e cat t lethey could cat ch . As th e Irish so ld iers in th e garrison begant o give t rouble th e govern or ’s t ask w as becomin g more an d

more di ffi cu lt . To bet t er secure th e defen ce h e h ad th e parapets of th e bridge over t h e r iver ra ised an d loopho led for

“

musket ry .

On Jun e 1 9th th e govern or ’s footman w as taken prisoner .

Th e besiegers began throwing up n ew w orks in St . John ’s.

A l l useless person s were made to leave th e city . Thesen umbered some 1 50 0 , w h o i t w as sa i d h ad on ly on e mea l aday. An other st rong party w as sen t ou t to make a furtherforay, seize a l l th e provision s they could co l lect , an d compelperson s to bring in whatever eatables they h ad . Report came

t o th e p l ace as t o th e hopelessn ess of resist an ce, an d a fema lemessenger w as sen t off t o th e King to learn h is pleasure aboutth e garrison resist ing . Compla in tsw ere made of th e scarcity ofbread , a scarci ty ar ising n ot merely from t h e lack of flour butfrom th e refusa l of th e bakers to bake, n o less than sixteen flat lydecl in ing to do so . A can n on ba l l h it th e mayor ’s house .

On Jun e 2 2 n d th e govern or t ried to st rengthen the defen ceson th e n orth si de th e city wal l

,n ear P itch cr oft . I n th e part

n ext th e but ts,betw een Foregat e Street and St . C lemen t ’s

Church,po les, rafters, cross-pieces an d hurdles w ere fixed an d

th e spaces fi lled up with earth an d horse dung . To st i l l further

CIV I L W AR, 1 646 .1 87

carry ou t th e in vestmen t th e besiegers occup ied Kempsey an d

B ar n sh al l .

On th e 2 3r d th e force at Bar n shal l w as much st rengthen ed , .

t h e in vestmen t carried dow n to t h e river on th e sou th side, .

an d so completed . On that n ight , th e city w as . on ce moresummon ed t o surren der , and told of thei r hopeless con dit ion 1

as Oxford h ad fal len . This last n ew s W ashington refused to

bel ieve an d asked leave to sen d a messenger'

to Oxford . On

hear ing of th e summon s th e people pressed t h e govern or tocap it ulate, bu t this h e refused to do . On h is refusa l th ebesiegers began con st ruct ing n ew w orks at Batt en h a l l , so as to :

make th e in 1 estm en t qu ite secu re . An i ron saker , at t h e

Blockhouse burst , do ing mu ch damage . A piece of i t , w eighing 1 60 1bs. , fel l on th e “ Rose an d Crow n ,

”n ear St . Helen ’

s.

Church , an d other p ieces in Broad St reet,w oun din g various.

person s. Th e garrison showed st ron g sign s of in subordin at ion ,

a good dea l of plun dering wen t 0 11 , much discon t en t preva i led ,an d th e offi cers w ere n ot able

, even i f they w ere in cl in ed , tocheck i t . The govern or h ad a l ist m ade of a l l th e provision sin th e town , so that some idea might be ga in ed as to h ow longthey cou ld ho ld ou t . Th e besiegers h it u pon an ingen ious bu tcruel device to capture th e city cow s w hich w ere t urn ed ou t to

graze un der th e w al ls. They t ied a cow to a st ake,made a fi r e

roun d i t , so that th e cow began to bel low . This, i t w as t hought ,wou ld bring th e other cow s to see what w as t h e mat t er , an dthat then th e besiegers cou ld g et betw een them an d th e ci tyan d so cu t them off . Th e at temp t

,however

,fa i led . A further

let ter came in from th e besiegers, an d on i ts being read a

doubt w as ra ised i f Oxford h ad real ly surren dered . Bu t at

n ight Prin ce Maurice’s secretary , An thony Kempson ,w h o h ad

been t aken prison er at Oxford , bu t h ad a pass given him ,.

arrived , and told them that th e fa l l of Oxford w as t rue an d i t

w as u t terly hopeless t o look fo r rel ief.So on th e n ext day,

th e 2 6th Jun e,Washin gton ca l led a

coun ci l of w ar, to meet at th e Bishop ’s Pa lace, to con si der thei r

posit ion an d hear Kem pson’s statemen t . He told them they

were in a hopeless state, as Fa i rfax , w i th foot an d 50 0 0

horse w as march ing on Worcest er,so that they h ad bet ter at

on ce accept th e best t erms they cou ld get . Th e coun ci l , onthis, sen t Kempson to see Wha l ley . He did so

,an d Wha l ley

wrote offering to t reat .

On t h e 2 7th Jun e an other coun ci l w as held t o con si derW h al l ey

’s letter

,th e resu lt of thei r del iberat ion s w as th e

Govern or sen ding th e fol lowing let terS 1r,Upon over ture of a treaty from you ,

in tel l igen ce of the del ivery of Oxford ,i nd the si ght of H is Maj esty ’s let ters there prin ted for the su r i ender of th isgarrison ,

amongst others, upon honourable terms, I have n amed the gen t le:m en underw r it ten to meet w ith those tha t a re or sha l l be n amed by you for

1 88 CIVIL W AR, 1 646.

tha t purpose, and in stead of hostages I am con ten ted to t ake your engagemen tof hon our, under your han d , for the sa fe con duct of those gen t lemen and theirnecessary a t ten dan ts. To-morrow being Sunday

,unfit for business. I leave

the t ime and p la ce to your appoin tmen t .Your servan t ,

Jun e 2 7th . Hen . Wash ington .

F or Major-G en . Wha l ley.

Con si derable discussion arose as to w h o should be t h e

treaters.

” Th e mil it ary m en n amed Sir Robert Leigh , SirJordan Croslan d , Sir W i l l iam Bridges

,an d Major Thomas

S avage.

Th e gen t lemen n amed Lord ' W i l l iam Brereton ,Sir Ralph

Clare, Sir Rowlan d Berkeley , an d Mr . Ra lph Goodwin .

Th e cit izen s n amed Sir Dan iel Tyas (w h o , as Mayor,h ad

been kn ighted by Charles in Mr . Fran cis Street , th eTown C lerk , A lderman Hacket , an d A lderman Hemin g . To

.t h e last-n amed object ion w as t aken , so L ieut .-Co lon el So ley

w as appo in ted in h is place .

Th e clergy n amed Dr . Down e (Dean of Chichester) , an d Dr .W arm est ry (son o f th e registrar of th e diocese) , a member ofa n old Worcester family

,wh ose n ame survives in th e st reet

k n own as“W arm est ry

’s Slip .

” He w as afterwards Dean of

Worcester .Mr . Fitzwi l l iam Conyn gsby, th e head of th e recusan ts an d

r eformadoes,a m an of good property in Herefordshire, obj ect ed

t o any idea of surren der un t i l they heard from t h e King .

Conyn gsby h ad been th e Roya l ist Govern or of Hereford , an d

h e n ow con si dered it t o be h is duty to in sist on n o surren der .

Great heat en sued . Th e govern or,w ho w as a very passion ate

:m an,asked

i f they w ould l ive and die w i th h im upon the w a l ls,and fight i t ou t to the last

4 1 m an

Conyn gsby sa i d t hey would,an d asked that al l those w h o were

n ot o f th e same min d shou ld be thrown over th e wal ls. Th e

g overn or sa i d i t should be pu t to th e vote whether theysurren dered or n ot . This th e bishop an d t h e moderate m en

opposed , saying that th e govern or shou ld ho l d a coun ci l ofw ar an d g et th e mil it ary reason s for w hat should be don e. Th e

govern or sa i d h e wou ld do as h e pleased , an d proposed to

break off al l n egot iat ion s,an d fi r e a gu n from th e wa l ls him

sel f to shew t hat this w as don e . Swearing a great oath , h ew en t off to do i t

, bu t th e bishop an d some others r an

after , stopped him , an d at last persuaded him to appo in t six

gen t lemen , six so ld iers,six cit izens

,together w ith th e bishop

an d Dr . W arm est ry, to decide i f they should or should n ot

t reat . After some debate,th e commit tee were u n an imous to

t reat,an d th e govern or ’s letter w as sen t . Wha l ley repl ied

“ S ir,

S i n ce ou r proposed trea ty is condescen ded to by you ,and the t ime and

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”1 90 C I V I L W AR, 1 646 .

proposed terms of surren der, Co lon el Bridges sa i d they were

t erms for m en i f th e King h ad h is town s,cast les, an d armies

,

n ot for such as were th e on ly city left , an d,were act ual ly

b et ter t erms than h ad been given to Oxford or any other p lace,an d cou ld Worcester , th e last garrison ,

expect better terms for

h er obst in acy ? Sir Ra lph Clare sa i d soon er than surren der onadish on ou r ab le terms t hey would see th e ci ty an d th e garrisonin ashes. Co lon el Betsw or th sa i d i t w as bet ter in ashes t hanreceived on such terms. Co lon el Bridges sa i d t h e Parl iamen t

forces wou ld l ay al l thei r bon es un der th e wal ls rather thanagree t o such terms.

On Ju ly z ud an at tempt w as made to captu re Co lon elBet sw or th ,

w h o w as quartered at Kempsey, bu t t h e party weredelayed as i t w as a dark

,w et n ight . Betsw o r th got word an d

escaped , an d a l l th e resu lt of t h e sort ie w as to captu re fiveh orses an d m en .

Things w ere go ing badly with th e city . There w as greatdi ffi cu lty in ma in ta in ing discip l in e

,or keeping th e troops at

t hei r posts. On Ju ly 4th some four troopers came up fromM r s. An drew s, at Bar n sh al l

,un der th e D ig l is works, drove

away seven head of cat t le,as n o sen t in el w as on guard .

I n t h e aftern oon 30 horse came w i thin carbin e shot of th e

scon ce, but there w as n o guard . On e m an w h o w as therep icked up a musket an d shot a gen t leman of n ote, whose bodyt h e Par l iamen t compoun ded fo r .

On July 5th th e en emy aga in came up aga in st th e scon ce,

an d a sharp skirmish took place , which ended in th e besiegersdrawing off .

On th e 6th Ju ly Capta in “W i cked W i l l made a sa l ly, be

haved most gal lan t ly , an d brought in seven prison ers.

On th e 8th th e govern or gave publ ic n ot i ce h e must opent h e magazin e, which w as don e .

W h al ley'

s con n ect ion wi th th e siege w as n ow en ded, Co lon el

Rain sbor ough w as appo in ted to t ake over th e comman d . On

t h e 9th July h e held a gen era l review of th e besieging force on

Rain bow Hill o r Wheeler ’s Hill . Thirty-on e carriages, ten Ofwh ich w ere o rdn an ce, were drawn up at Bar bou r n e House .

On th e r oth th e besiegers jo in ed up thei r works from PerryWood t o Red Hill Cross. On e of th e shots h it Edgar Tow er ,a long mile from th e works. Th e besiegers made an effort toraise a n ew fort on W a l l ’s furlong , bu t this w as Opposed

,an d

a fter some fight ing successfu lly Opposed , by th e besieged . C ivi lmessages passed between Ra in sbor ough and th e govern o r .

On t h e l oth Rain sbor ough open ed a fresh t reaty . Th e be

sieged st rengthen ed the i r works on th e Cast le Hill,placed tw o

brass field p ieces on th e t op of th e tower comman ding W in dmi l l Hi l l to an swer th e n ew works there, an d a t th e Kn owle

,

n earer M r s. An drews’, where th e besiegers h ad been erect in g

CIVIL W AR, 1 646 .

'

1 91

f ur ther bat teries. Ten ts were set up at Bar bou r n e House,

w hich w as Rain sbor ough’s head-quarters.

Provision s w ere becoming scarce . Fresh meat— beef, mutt on ,

an d vea l— sol d at 8d . per I b .,about gs. 4d . at presen t

p ri ces. Sir John Kn otsfor d gave 30 5 . 1 0 5 . 0 d . ) for a pieceO f roast ing beef. On th e 1 1 th Ju ly , th e fi r e from Roger

’s Hil l

caused great an n oyan ce . On e ba l l h it th e Tow n Hal l an dr o l led to th e Earl

’

s post,a distan ce of 40 yards. An other hi t

Mr . St reet ’s (th e Tow n Clerk ’s) house .

On th e I 3th th e works on Cast le Hil l were st ren gthen ed .

On t h e 1 sth a sma l l brass gu n w as placed on th e top of

.t h e Cathedra l , w hich,i t is added , “

w i l l ga l l th e besiegers.

”

Rain sbor ough sen t in a let ter Offer ing to t reat . Th e govern o rcon sen ted to t reat on hon ourable terms

,an d a cessat ion o f h os

t i l i t ies w as agreed upon . On th e l oth th e n egot iat ion s w en t

-On . A private let t er in t imat ed they m igh t have hon ourablet erms

, bu t th e gen t ry an d so ldiers sa i d they shou ld ho ld ou t to

t h e last , so t hat , asWorcester h ad been th e fi rst city to decl ar efor th e King

,i t should be th e last to give up h is cause . Th e

n egot iat ion sw en t on ,th e besieged in sist ing that Whal ley shou ld

n ot be appo in ted govern or i f there w as a surren der .

On th e 1 8th Ra in sbor ou gh sen t in h is t erms,saying they

w ere fin a l . On this i t w as proposed to fight i t ou t,bu t th e

g overn or told t hem if it came t o a st orm h e h ad on ly powdert o last an hour ’s fight

,bu t h e w as qu ite wi l l in g to hazard h is

o w n person .

Th e fo l lowing let ter w as then agreed upon :

S ir,“ Your proposi t ion s a re so obscure to m e tha t I sha l l desire you t o gran t a.

pass to M r . Goodw in to r ecei ve a c lear sen se o f them,and upon h is return

you sha l l recei ve further an sw er from your humble serva n t ,Henry Wash ington .

W ithin tw o hours Rain sbor ough sen t this replyS ir

,

A l though I am n ot sen sible of the least Obscuri ty in the art i c les, yet , tha t I

m ay n ot be w an t ing in anyth ing w h i ch is c ivi l i ty, I have sen t a pa ss for Mr.Goodw in ac cording to your desire . a nd rema in .

Your humble servan t .“ T . Ra in sborough .

Th e mayor cal led a common coun ci l of th e ci t izen s to discuss

th e t erms, an d they agreed t o accept t erms i f they were th e

best to be got .

Th e terms were :“ Art i c les Of agreemen t for the surrender of t he garrison O f Worcester, conc luded July 1 9th , betw een Co lonel Thomas Ra in sbor oug h ,

genera l in tha tbeha l f of S ir Thomas Fa irfax, gen era l Of the forces ra ised by Parl iamen t .a nd Colon el Henry Wash i ngton , governor of W orcester." Tha t the C i ty of Worcester, w i th a l l forts, ordn an ce, arms

,ammun i t ion

,

stores and provision s Of w ar thereun to belongin g,sha l l be del ivered up ,

w i thout w i l ful spoi l or embezz lemen t , un to H is Excel len cy S ir Thomas Fa irfax,

or w hom he sha l l appo int to » recei ve the same,upon the 2 2nd July

,a t 1 0 a .m .

,

1 92 CIVIL W AR, 1 646 .

in such manner and w ith such except ions as are con ta ined in the ensuingart i c les.

“ Tha t on the 2 3rd July the governor and a l l Officers and so l diers of thegarrison ,

w ith a l l other person s tha t w i l l , sha l l march ou t of Worcester w ith“their horses, arms, and baggage, tha t properly belong to them

,to any p la ce

w ith in one mi le Of Worcester, w h i ch the governor sha l l choose, w here a l l theirhorses and arms, excep t such as a re in the en suing art i c les

,sha l l be del ivered

up to such as H is Excel len cy S ir Thomas Fa irfax sha l l , appo in t . A l l thesoldiers sha l l be disbanded , an d a l l such , both officers and sold iers

,and others

as sha l l engage themselves by promise never to bear arms aga in st t he Pa rl iamen t of Englan d , nor to do anything w i l ful ly to the prej udice of theira ffa irs, sha l l have the benefit of these en su ing art i c les.

“ Tha t a l l such as desire to go to their ow n houses or priva te friends sha l lhave the genera l ’s passes and protect ion for t heir peaceable repa ir to and

abode at the severa l p laces they sha l l so desire to g o un to. The governor to '

pass w i th a l l horses, arms, and baggage properly belonging un to h im . Eachco lonel to pass w ith three horses, ea ch l ieut .—colonel and sergean t-maj or w ithtw o horses, ea ch cap ta in , l ieu ten an t , and cornet w ith one horse

,a nd every

person n o t un der the degree of an esqu ire w i th three horses,and a l l of them

,

w i th their arms and goods properly belonging to them , to be carried upontheir horses, and a l l so ld iers, w i th their sw ords and such baggage as properlybelongs to them , w h i ch they carry abou t them .

“ Tha t a l l person s w ho a r e to have the benefi t of these art i c les sha l l , i f theydesire it , have passes to go beyon d sea , provided they depart th is k ingdom.w ith in tw o mon ths a fter the surrender of the tow n .

“ Tha t the C i ty of Worcester a nd a l l the inhabitan ts thereof sha l l be preserved from a l l p lunder or v io len ce o f the sol d iers.

“ Tha t S ir W i l l iam Russel l , now residen t w i th in the C i ty of Worcester, beexempted from any benefi t of t hese art i c les.

“ Tha t the garrison s of Worcester, Evesham , S trensham ,Hart lebury and.

M adresfiel d be disgarrison ed , and the B ishop of Worcester,S ir Wil liam

Russel l , and Co lonel Lyg on be restored to their houses and estates.

“

Goodw in urged that by th e art i cles of Oxford al l othergarrison s were en t it led to as good t erms, b u t these were in

some of th e det ai ls w orse, an d expressly objected t o t h e ex

cept ion of Sir W i l l iam Russel l as something qu it e un heard Of.Rain sbor ou gh replied that Worcester h ad lost th e ben efit of

th e Oxford art icles by con t in uing to fight an d n ot surren der ing .

H e refused to a lter th e art icles, or to give more than tw o daysfor th e surren der .

On th e govern or fin ding that th e cit i zen s would n ot fight,h e

in formed th e gen t lemen an d oflficer s that h e h ad on ly threebarrels o f great pow der for ordn an ce, five barrels of musketpowder , an d on e of p ist o l powder left , scarcely en ough for on e

day ’s h ot service an d sto rming for 30 0 0 m en ; that during th ecessat ion o f host i l it ies many of th e m en h ad deserted ; that th eprovision s wou ld n ot last above a fortn ight ; that n o help cou ldb e looked for from th e King . On this i t w as decided to acceptt h e terms. 1 Accordingly , Washington wrote con sen t in g to t heterms, and agreeing to surren der on th e 2 2 nd

,but beggin g to

be a l lowed to sen d a messenger to Fa i rfax to t ry an d get bettercon dit ion s.

Rushw or th,VI .

,2 86.

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1 94'

CIVIL W AR, 1 646 .

Talbot , from Grafton ; Sir Edward L it t leton , Sir EdwardBarret t , o f Dro i tw i ch ; Hen ry Town shen d , of Elmley Lovet t ;Edward P en el , of Woodson ; An thony Langston ,

of Sedgeb errow ; Edw ard Sheldon , of Beo ley ; Sir Martyn San dys, of

W orcester ; Joseph Wa lsh , of Abberley ; Russel l , of L i tt leMa lvern ; W i l l iam H ab ingdon , Of Hin dlip ; th e Bishop

(Prideaux) ; t h e Sheriff (Hen ry In gram, of Earls Court ) ; Sir

W i l l iam Russel l , of Stren sham ; Sir Rowlan d Berkeley, of‘Cother idge ; Sir John W in ford , of Ast ley ; Hen ry Bromley

, of

Ho lt ; Thomas Acton , of Burton ; Thomas Hor nyol d , of

Blackmore ; Robert Wylde, of th e Comman dery ; JohnCockes, o f Crowle ; Major ThomasWylde

,Major John Ingram

,

Co lonel Herbert Prior , of Pedmore ; George Acton ,W i l l iam

Walsh , of Abberley ; George Wel ch , Thomas Berkeley,of

Spet chley ; W i l l iam Langston ,o f Hen ley (P Han ley) ; Fren ch ,

of Pershore, an d John Lan e, a lderman o f th e

Some hit ch occu rred ; they arrived at Ra in bow Hil l at

1 0 a .m . , bu t there w ere n o passes. So they h ad to wa i t t i l l t h e

passes arr ived ; th e t ime elapsed bu t n o passes came . At last,at

I p .m .

,they w ere rece ived . Then they were han ded to Hugh

P eters, the fan at i ca l min ister , w hom t h e Roya l ists hat ed wi tht h e bit terest hat red , to dist r ibute . Th e cho i ce o f such a personcould n ot have made for order or peace . Each m an w as askedi f h e promised n ot to bear arms aga in st th e Parl iamen t , and i fh e gave th e promise then , bu t n ot t i l l then , w as h is pass han dedo ver t o h im . This is n ever remembered when th e r ising un derCharles II . is spoken of . H ad any of these m en then foughtf or Charles t hey would have del iberately broken thei r paro le,

for

r ight ly or wrongly th e promise given w as gen era l , n ot con fin edt o that w ar . On rece ipt of th e passes they marched off .

About 5 p m . Rain sbor ough en tered th e city . He h ad

a l ready sen t in some of h is t roops, an d h e thus fin ished‘

t h e fi rstC ivi l W ar , so far asWorcestershire wen t .

N o t ime w as lost in get t ing ri d o f th e besiegin g army . Itw as determin ed to reta in in Worcestershire on ly on e regimen to f foot , I OO horse, and some dragoon s

,as a guard for th e Sher iff.

T h e rest were marched off in to other Coun t ies.

B u t,a lthough th e fight ing w as over , Worcester w as made to

feel th e heavy han d Of th e con queror .

On July 24th Rain sbor ou gh ordered al l arms to be broughtin on pa in Of death ; a l l Royal ist so ld iers to depart th e cityw i th in ten days ; an d that

,whi le in t h e town

,n o Royal ist

shou ld wear a sword .

Having disarmed th e cit izen s th e commit tee got to work th en ext day, t h e 2 5th ,

by begin n ing to make an in ven t ory of al l

estates,deman ding a con t ribut ion of 2 5 per cen t . Any m an

Nash , 1L, cv.

CIV I L W AR, 1 646 . 1 95

‘

they pleased to cal l so became a del inquen t,an d w as

“then so

: squeezed that h e could n ot recover in an age .

”

Th e commi t t ee con sisted of Sir Thomas Rous, Nicho lasLechm er e , o f Han ley ; Dan iel Dobyn s, of Kidderminst er ;C o lon el W i l l iam Lygon ,

of M adr esfiel d ; John Eg iock , of

F ecken ham ; Maj or Richard Sa lw ey , secon d son o f HumphreySa lw ey

,of St an ford ; Capt a in Thomas Milw ard , Of A lvechurch ;

Thomas Cookes, of Ben t ley W i l l iam Moore,o f A lvechurch

Major Edward Smith , W i l l iam Co l l in s, of King ’s Norton ;W i l l iam Younge, of Evesham ; John Younge , servan t t o LordBrooke ; John Fow n es, of Dodford ; John Giles, of Ast ley ;Co lon el \Vi l l iam Dingley , govern or of E1 *esh am .

*

Th e prison ers t h e Parl iamen t took and obl iged to compoun d1 in cluded among others : Sherington Talbot

, of Salw ar p ;E dw ard Vern on , of Han bury ; Phi l ip Brace

, of Doveda le ;‘

John VVashbor n e, o f \V ich en for d ; Fran cis Fin ch , of Rushock ;S i r Thomas L i t t leton , late govern or Of Bewdley ; Edw ardS heldon , o f Beo ley , a con dit ion of w h ose composit ion w as that h essh ou ld st ay at home ; M r s. P ak ing t on ,

of Harvington,w h o h ad

leave t o stay at home . Sir John P ak in g ton ,of Hampton

Lovet t , w h o w as t h e then member fo r A'ylesbury ; an d SirHen ry Herbert , O f Ribbesford , w h o w as then member fo rBewdley , volun t ari ly w en t and com pou ndedfi

L

Th e commit t ee go t rapidly to w ork . They fi rst dea lt w it ht h e Mayor of \Vo r cest er (Mr . Evit ts) .By the commit tee of t he coun ty an d c i ty of Worcester it is ordered tha t M .

Evet , the ma l ignan t mayor of W orcester,be confin ed to h is house

,and the

sw ord , mace,and sea l of the corpora t ion ,

in possession O f the mayor, beseized on and del i vered to th is commi t tee

,a nd tha t M . Wr i ter and M . John

Ti l t sign ify th is order to the mayor and demand the sw ord and other the

above men t ioned imp lemen ts of magistracy.I t w as as con querors t hat th e task w as carried ou t . Th e

Worcestersh ire Roya l ist s were made to feel t hat they were th econ quered . There w as n o more fight ing . Th e t ime w as

spen t in fin ing , compoun ding ,sequest rat ing . So far as w ar

w as con cern ed there w as a lu l l . There w as to be n o more‘

fight ing within t h e borders of t h e Coun ty fo r th e n ext fivey ears.

Na sh , I L,cv i.

C H A P T E R V I

1 647— 1 650.

A t th e end Of 1 646 th e Worcestershi re Roya lists were for

t he t ime crushed, i t cou ld n o t wel l be otherwise . Such of

those w ho Open ly favoured Charles and were in Worcester a tth e surren der h ad given thei r paro le n ot to make w ar aga instt he Parl iamen t , so could n ot in h on our

,even i f they would

,

have been wi l l in g t o r un th e r isk Of fin es,forfe i t ures

,and

sequestra t ion s, break thei r w ord . Th e l ist given in th e lastchapter of those in Worcester a t th e surren der

,an d th e fact

tha t a n umber Of others h ad compounded b u t h ad n ot yet

pa id th e who le of thei r composi t ion,an d were seeking to g et i t

reduced,w ould t en d to keep t hem quiet . Added to this

,for

th e presen t further resistan ce w as hopeless,so obviously so

t hat on ly m en w h o h ad n othing to lose by w ar an d rebel l ion .

would dream of i t . A lthough gloomy as w as th e out lookthere w as n ot wan t ing person s w ho p lot ted an d plan n ed aga in stt h e Governmen t

,wi th a V iew of being in readin ess to strike a .

blow when occasion arose.

Th e history of th e n ext four years is very obscure and must,

obviously, be so,as i t is t he histo ry of plots wh ich would

,as

far as i t w as possib le,be kep t secret , and further

,after the

Restorat ion ,every person w h o w as in any w ay conn ec ted wi th

t hese plots an d designs, did n ot fa i l to put forw ard a cla im for

compen sat ion . When on ce i t w as rea l ised that those w ho h ad

helped th e cause Of mon archy wou ld be rewarded,and sub

stan t ia l ly rewarded , th e n umber of cla iman ts grew even in a

quicker ratio than thei r a l leged services. N or did th e cla iman tsa l low th e va lue of t hei r services to rema in obscured . Theywere n ot slow to magn i fy thei r impor tan ce. I t is

,ther efore

,

h ardly possible to give an accurate accoun t Of th e deta i ls O f

what rea l ly took place during th is t ime.

Th e broad out l ines ar e,how ever

,fa i rly clear

,an d are as

fo l lowsW i th th e surren der of Worcester th e resistan ce of th e

Coun ty came to an en d. N o soon er d id Parl iamen t hear of i tt han they at on ce, on th e 24th Ju ly, 1 646, made an order :“ Tha t a l l gar 1 ison s in W orcestershire, except Worcester City , w ere to be

sl igh ted , a nd a l l the horse there, w ere to be disbanded , except 80 to“a t ten d o n the H igh

Wh i telock, p. 2 2 2 .

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1 98 CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 4650.

to th e Isle of W ight . Wh i le there h e con cluded a treaty with »

t h e Scots. Th e fact of th is t reaty became kn own , bu t n ot i ts.

con ten ts. I t w as sa id,but u nj ust ly , tha t the treaty w as a

breach of fa i th . So st rongly did t h e Republican s feel this tha t .

they proposed “ to l ay th e Kin g by and set t le th e Governmen t “

without him .

” A vote in Parl iamen t for n o more addresses to "

be sen t to th e King w as carried on t h e 3r d Jan uary , 1 648, by"

1 4 1 to 92 . This an t i-mon archica l st ep brought together and

un i ted n ot on ly a l l Roya l ists,but a lso a l l those w ho objected

t o such a fun damen tal change in th e Con st i tut ion as gett in gri d of th e Kingly O ffi ce, and al l w h o desi red to see Englan d a

Mon archy. I n fact i t produced a n ew division of part ies, in toMonarchists and Republican s. Numerica l ly th e Republ ican sw ere far t he weakest

,actu a l ly they were far t h e strongest

,as ,

they could rely upon t he army to suppo rt them .

This n ew division caused disturban ces of a l l kin ds,r iots an d

t umu l ts occurring a l l over th e coun t ry,Often from such sma ll .

mat ters as sports and games,which

,a lthough quite harmless

,

th e fan at ica l zea l of th e Puri tan s desired shou ld be put down .

As a resu lt Of Charles’ treaty i t w as kn ow n t hat t h e Scotswou ld in vade th e coun try to restore th e Kin g

,on th e terms

they h ad dictated . It w as fel t that to rega in power th e Kingwould con sen t , at least in n ame

,to any terms that might be

proposed . I n Wales,Ken t

,Essex

,Herefordshire

,Not t ingham

shire,an d Cornwa l l r isings actua l ly took place. I n other

Coun t ies act ive preparat ion s were made for risin gs.

Worcestershire w as among th e lat ter class. N0 regularn arrat ive of th e Worcestershire plot tings seems ever to havebeen wri tten . In format ion as to them h as to be picked upfrom isolated accoun ts of diff eren t occurren ces. I t is

,there

fore,qu ite possib le that th e fol lowing statemen t is not accurate

,

ei ther in al l i ts deta i ls or in th e order in which they occurred .

But as far as at presen t can be sa id,t h e plan of opera t ion s in

this Coun ty w as somewhat as fol lows.

As h as been stated , in 1 646, after th e surren der OfWorcester,

Parl iamen t set t led tha t a l l th e Coun ty garrison s bu t Worcestershould be disgarrison ed . I n March

,1 647, they made an order

as to Gloucestersh i re,by which i t w as fixed

Tha t G loucester C i ty be con t i nued a garrison an d 60 0 m en kept in i t, and.n o other garrison i n that Coun ty.Tha t Co lonel Morgan shou ld con t inue governor of G loucester. 1‘

A l i tt le later h is pay w as fixed at 1 2 5 . a day as govern or,and

8s. a day as captain . I

So far a l l wen t wel l,an d p0 55 1b ly i f th e Governmen t h ad

been able to have pa i d thei r t roops regularly a l l wou ld have‘

gon e w el l,and t here would have been l i t t le i f any t rouble

P er /23d D i u r n a l , Ma rch 1—8,1 646-7. 1 I h . , Ma r ch 1 3. 1 I b. ,

Apr i l 1 2— 1 9, 1 647.

CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650 . 1 99

B u t mon ey w as scarce w i th the Parl iamen t. They could n ot

pay the ir t roops, an d so th e m en became mutin ous. Th e

lesson ,th e evi l lesson ,

that they h ad been taught by th e

example of various places tha t if they on ly mutin ied for

thei r pay they would get , i f n ot a l l,at least some of i t

,h ad

sunk in to th e min ds of th e Gloucester garrison . Act ing on i t,

they thought the best w ay to get thei r pay w as at on ce to

m ut iny . Th e Royal ists took advan tage o f th is discon ten t .I n Jan uary

,1 648, th e Presbyterian Offi cers of the Gloucester

an d o ther garr ison s, w h o h ad , l ike Massey,becomeMon archists

as Opposed to Republ ican s,took act ion .

From i ts posi t ion there were few places in Worcestershirethat h ad seen more of th e w ar

,

-an d w ere better su ited for th e

ren dezvous of t roops than Broadw ay. Un der t h e Cotswo ldHi l ls

,on th e direct road from Wa les to Oxford , n ot far from

t h e spot where th e road from Warwick to Gloucester crossed,

i t w as’

a loca l i ty of n o sma l l importan ce. Bein g on the

borders Of three Coun t ies i t made a most con ven ien t cen tre.

I t is,therefore,

n ot surprising that at Broadw ay those w ho

w ere discon ten ted wi th th e exist ing state of things m et to

con si der i f i t w as possible that anything could be don e. Th e

fo l low ing is th e men t ion Of th is meet ing by Rushworth‘ A let ter w as read to the House of Common s con cern ing the com p lot t ing of

some O ffice1 s in a dangerous design abou t G loucestersh ire a nd the'

sh i res

adj acen t .’ Sen t by an eminen t person , the copy w hereof fo l low eth .A coun ci l w as held a t Broadw ay the grea test part O f la st w eek by abou t

80 O ffi cers Of Colon el Kem pson’

s, Co lonel Ayre

’

s, Co lonel Herbert

’

s, and

another regimen t o f foot , and of Co lonel Cooke'

s regimen t of horse. Thei rdeba te w as upon their discon ten ts

,the surprisa l of G loucester, i t being

a l leged tha t there w ere 30 0 bar rels o f pow der there, and they knew w here tocome a t i t , and tha t the w ork s bei ng bad they could easi ly surprise the tow nby n i gh t . H art lebury Ca st le, they con cei ved , w ou ld be del ivered to themby Co lonel Tu r ton . I f not , they held tha t easi ly to be surprised , too .

They h ad some d iscourse a t [ as to ] Lud low , Shrew sbury , and Hereford ,and an a ssuran ce tha t Lan gbou r ne w ou ld j oin w ith them , and tha t they w ou ldhave 20 00 capm en from Bew dley , and a lso tha t th e d iscon ten ted ci t izen s ofLondon ‘

w ould furn i sh them w i t h presen t mon ies. To th is deba te therew ere abou t 2 0 di ssen ters, so tha t Sa turday last they broke u p their coun c i l ,bu t i t is thought tha t the r est w ho w ere fo r i t w i l l meet aga in , or have m et

somet ime the beginn in g of th is w eek . I am assu red by t he gen t leman tha t“ the genera l is a cqua in ted herew ith by some of the d issen ters. The governor“and the o fficers a re acqua in ted herew i th

,and I find noth ing bu t a l l fa ir a nd

w el l w i th them , t hey being now w i l l ing to adm i t of the genera l ’s forces inupon the paymen t of common so ld iers their tw o mon ths, w h i ch w e sha l lprovide, a l though w e have scarce £30 0 ( now ) in of the a ssessmen ts.

Capta in Bayly’

s horse w as forgot ten i n the establ ishmen t . The commissioner s sen t for £20 0 0 , so tha t to the end w e m ay have orders for moneyenough . W e w i l l desire you for an o ther order for the issuing ou t of £1 0 00more ou t of the assessmen ts. Capta in Bayly

’

s horse ha th done good“serv ice here, and therefore I sha l l desire tha t they m ay ha ve t heir tw omon ths pay ( a ccor d ing to the establ ishmen t) , bu t in th is w e look ford irec t ions from you . I hope tha t they sha l l find your favour. I have sen t

Rushw or th V I I ., p. 974. P ezflct Occu r r en ces, Ja nua ry 2 1— 2 8

,1 647.

‘

2 00 C I VIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650.

a messenger aw ay to my brother w i th the former in tel l igen ce, to the in ten t“ that they m ay look to Hereford , Shrew sbury, and Lud low . The messengerstays for th is, so I must end, rest ing .

Signed by a person of note.

Gloucester,“ J an . 1 9, 1 647.

The House, on deba te hereof, ordered to refer the business to the Com“ m it tee of the K ingdom a t Derby House, and the let ters to be commun i

Th e Parl iamen t were alarmed at th is commun icat ion . Theya t on ce took steps to check th e con sp iracy . They reso lvedthat t he Gloucester garrison shou ld be forthwi th changed .

S ir W i l l iam Con sta ble'

s regimen t marched in to G lou cester on Thursday“ last

,the 2 8th Jan uary ; Co lone l Morgan ( the govern or) and h is Officers

marched ou t . There w as shew ed lov in g respec t on both sides, and Co lonelMorgan ’

s force are n ow quartered abou t S tow-on-the-W old .

”

1L

P lacin g Morgan and h is m en on th e Lon don Road, to in ter

cept any force that th e con sp irators might sen d towardsLon don

,show s h ow a larmed Par l iamen t w as at th e plots

,and

thei r bel ief tha t in Worcestershire there w as a stron g M on

a rchica l movemen t,an d t hat i t w as du e to acc iden t more than

t o anything else that th is Coun ty d id n ot take par t in th e

secon d Civi l W ar .

Th e referen ce to Bewdley con n ects th e Broadway plo t witht h e subsequen t movemen t . Th e cap t rade w as then a greatBewdley in dustry . Th e Session s Records shew that th e cappers were n ot t h e most peaceable people

,an d were ready

,

dou bt less, to rise when occasion required th em to do so .

What w as th e n ext step in th e Broadway Plot does n ot

appear,but on M on day

,February 2 8th

,there is a statemen t

in th e proceedings in th e House of Common s,tha t

There w as a lso someth ing pub lished , in one of the w eek ly sheets n ot longsin ce, of a design amongst some o ffi cers holding a coun c i l a t Broadw ay, inWorcestersh ire

,aga in st G loucester, w here in amongst others some Officers of

Co lon el Herber t ’s regimen t w ere sa id to be con cerned, bu t very un j ust lyaccused , as m ay appear by the cert ificates fo l low ing w h ich we publish forbet ter sa t isfa c tion .

Forasmuch as i t ha th been set forth in severa l prin ted papers, tha t the“ O fficers of the reg imen t of foot , under the comman d of Co lonel Herbert ,

amongst others, hel d a deba te a t Broadw ay, in Worcestersh ire, abou t the2 2 nd J an uary last, fo r the surprisa l of Gloucester and Hart lebury Cast le,etc. These a r e therefore, a t their desire, to cert i fy w hom i t m ay con cern ,

that Capta in Short , together w i th the L ieu t .-Co lon el , the Major, Capta in ,

“and o ther commission o fficers and so ld iers of the said regimen t en teredin to th is Coun ty of Somerset upon the 1 3th J anuary last to quarter, and ha veever sin ce con t in ued here, a t tend ing from t ime to t ime upon u s and the r est

o f the comm issioners o f Parl iamen t for the receipt of su ch mon ies as havebeen a l lot ted them upon their d isbandi ng. Whereby i t man ifest ly appearstha t the impu ta t ion la id upon them is a l together un true.

Wi tn ess ou r hands a t Somerton , the 1 l th February , 1 647.W . S t rode, G eo. Hor nek , John Buck land, Thomas H ippesley. I

I t is obvious, from this discla imer, that there must have

Rushw or th , V I I . , 975. 1 Rushw or th , I Rushw or th , VI I . , 1 0 1 2 .

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202 CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650.

“a n assoc ia t ion of divers kn igh ts, colonels,

’ gen t lemen , an d others for thek ing. ”

I t con sisted of diverscava liers o f Worcestersh ire, Sa lop, Sta fford , and Hereford for surprisingHereford . Co lon el Dudley, Sir Fra n c is Oak ley, Co lon el Lan e, Maj o rEl l iot t , Major H a r cot , Brough ton ( the parson of W o lverley ) , and divers

“others w ere in the p lot to surpr ise Daw ley Cast le and the house of S irBa z i l l Brooke n ear adjacen t . ”

A Capta in Jen et wen t,or w as sen t

,to Wo lverley , to the

house o f th e Parson,Broughton

,and on makin g a search

,

foun d in a corn fiel d beh in d th e house ha lf-a-hun dred-weighto f powder . On th is

,Major Har cot w as arrested and brought

to Hart lebury Castle. Here,on h is refusing to con fess an d say

w ho h is associates were,an d what were thei r p lans

,h e w as

t ort ured by havin g l igh ted musket fuses placed to th e so les ofh is feet . This drove him to make a

_con fession

,which w as

reported to th e House an d thoroughly a larmed them . Theya t on ce made an order approving of

“ the r egar r ison in g of Worcester by Co lon e l D ingley, and the w el l a ffectedgen t lemen of tha t Coun ty , ordered the r eg a r r ison ing of Hart lebury , and

referred i t to the commi t tee to dec ide h ow mon ies migh t be ra ised for thema in ten an ce of the forces of those

Parl iamen t h ad reason to be a larmed ; a wide-spread con

spir acy w as on foot . A movemen t,possi b ly a con t in uan ce of

t h e Broadway plot,w as go ing on roun d Bewdley to ra ise m en

an d find arms. Th e m en w ere to be ra ised by th e wel l-kn ownCo lon el Dud Dudley

,w h o h as given h is ow n accoun t of h is

part in th is an d o ther affa i rs.

Dud Dudley w as th e fourth son o f Edw ard,Lord Dudley ,

w h o died 1 643, by h is mist ress, Elizabeth ,daugh ter of W i l l iam

Tomlin son , of Dudley . A l though i l legit imate,h is pedigree is .

recorded in th e Staffordsh ire V isi ta t ion of 1 663-4 . He is

most ly kn own as th e in v en tor of th e method o f smel t ing ironw i th coa l in stead of w ood , a process h e describes in h is.

“M eta l lum Mart is. Bu t . he should a lso b e kn own for t he

act ive part h e took on th e King ’s side as“ co lon el of a

regimen t in t he army of King Charles I .,and gen era l of th e

o rdin an ce to Prin ce Maurice for h is sa i d Majesty’

s

After th e surren der of Worcester,in 1 646, n othing is heard

of him un t i l July,1 648, abou t which t ime h e began to ra ise

m en for th e King in Worcestershire an d Staffordshire,i t is .

on ly righ t to add,at h is ow n cost. Th e Staffordshire m en were

being dr i l led in th e Boscobel Woods,n ear Madeley

,an d from

in format ion wrung from H ar cot by tortu re th e place an d t imeo f th e dril l ing were disclosed . This led to them be ing su r

roun ded,at tacked

,an d cap tu red whilst dri l l ing . They were

some 2 0 0 in n umber,an d a l l were e ither d ispersed or taken

Rushw or th , V I I . , 1 1 85.

CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650 .

prison ers. Among those taken w as Dud h imself,Maj o r

Ell iott,Capta in Long

,an d Corn et Hodget ts. They w ere

carried off to Hart lebury Cast le an d confin ed there. Dud saysthat h e and th e others were stripped n aked , or n early so

,an d

subjected to a l l sorts of in sults an d con t umely . After a t imethey w ere sen t on to th e prison at Worcester. On th e journ eythey w ere made to ride a lmost n aked through th e st reets

,an d

subj ect ed to every possib le in dign i ty . On arr iv ing at Worcesterthey were kept close prison ers. Th e fact of thei r bein g con fin edthere caused con siderable alarm in th e ci ty

,so much so that th e

guards,both at t h e cast le and at th e ci ty gates

,were doubled .

Nothing daun ted by these precaut ion s,Dud an d E lliot t

determin ed to escape. I n this they were successfu l . They

go t ou t from th e gao l on to th e roof of an adjo in ing housefrom there they made thei r w ay a long t h e roofs of t he n earesthouses

,so as to pass t h e cast le guard an d gate and a lso

t h e sou th gate of th e town (th e Sidbury Ga te) , and so

got clear away in to th e coun t ry . They were closely pursued , .an d were obliged to h ide in t rees in th e daytime an d.

t ravel on ly at n ight . Con t inu ing in t his w ay for some days,t hey at last reached Lon don in safety. Thei r l uck n ow

changed. After a few days Ell iot t w as discovered an d arrested,

an d very soon Dud shared th e same fate . They w erebrough t before th e Lord Mayor (Sir John Warn er) , w h o at

on ce reman ded th em to appear before th e commit tee that w as

then si tt ing to dea l with a l l mat ters relat ing to th e w ar

“that cursed commit tee as Dud ca l ls them . Th e commi t teedea l t with th e prison ers in a very summary man n er ; both.

were at on ce sen ten ced to be shot . Pen ding thei r execut ionthey were sen t to th e Gatehouse

,Westmin ster . Th e fo l lowin g

Mon day,2 6t h August

,1 648, w as th e day fixed for thei r death . .

On t he Sun day morn ing,durin g th e t ime of d ivin e service and

sermon,abou t I O a n umber of Roya l ists

,in cluding D ud

,.

overpowered th e few guards w h o were n ot a tten din g th e

sermon and broke ou t of prison . Dud at on ce separated fromth e rest , an d made for th e open coun try. He h ad a woun d inh is leg , probably received in h is escape, so w as on ly able to

wa lk with great d ifficul ty,and on crutches. W i th remarkable

pluck and determin at ion h e pushed on . H e h ad n umerousescapes, some of them very n arrow in deed . Ammg others,.

“h e fed three weeks in private in an en emy ’s h ay m ow,” but

h e escaped detect ion an d reached Worcester in safety. Onh is arriva l there h e foun d h is wife an d chi ldren gon e

,h is house

so ld , h is i ronworks dest royed . He heard h is wife and

family were at Bristo l,so h e set off to go there

,an d with

delays and difii cu l t ies reached it in safety. There h e dwel tfo r some t ime

,l iving a most ret ired l ife , un t i l th e Restorat ion .

He died in 1 684 and is buried in St . Helen ’s Church ,.

:204 C I V I L W AR , 1 647— 1 650.

Worcester,where there is a mon umen t to h im on th e wa l l o f

th e south a isle,w i th a long in scription which h as been a l lowed

t o sca le off,bu t which

,w hen legible

,set ou t h is career as

r eg z'

re m aj esfa f z’

r fia’issz

'

m u s su bdz’

tu s e/ scr am in asserm a’o r egent i n

crc/esz'

am i n p r o/ ug n an a’o leg en ac l z

'

ber taz‘

em A ng l z’

ca f zam J ar/ e

r aptu s, an n o 1 648, sem el r on a’em n a tu r et tamm n on

How far th is is an accurate accoun t of Dud i t is di ffi cu lt tosay, as a lmost th e on ly version w e have of Dud’s adven t ures ish is ow n

,n ot drawn up un t i l years after

,when th e Kin g w as

restor ed , and i t w as Dud ’s in terest to magn ify a l l tha t h e h addon e an d suffered for Roya lty. Rew ards w ere then go in g fort hose w h o h ad helped th e Kin g . So i t wou ld n ot be r ight toexpect abso lu te accuracy in every deta i l of Dud’s accoun t o fhimsel f an d h is action s. B u t of th is there can be n o doubt?that in 1 648 h e w as arrested whi le dri ll ing m en w h o were bein gra ised to en able them to strike a blow in Wo rcestershirefor th e Kin g

,an d which

,i f h e h ad n ot been arrested

,w ou ld

probably have been st ruck . Whi telock descr ibes i t )“

A design o f ma l i gn an ts in Worcestersh ire preven ted , and M r. Harcourt andothers apprehended for i t . Orders for garrison ing Wor cester by Co lon e lD ineley, and H art lebury .

”

M en were useless wi thou t '

arms. Th e n ext in ciden t tel lsh ow th e arm s were bein g provided . It is con tain ed in a documen t among th e Sessions Records. Th e declarat ion o f EdwardReyn olds

,of Kiddermin ster

,taken before Gervase Birch an d

John Latham, t w o J ust ices of th e Peace for th e Coun ty, as t o

Edwar d Broad,o f D un ck l in [D un clen t ] , Esq . I

Abou t seven days before Sir Henry L ingen did rise aga in st the Parliamen t

( this w as in A ugust,1 648, when L ingen co l lected a body of

horse,at tacked Harley ’s Coun ty t roop n ear Leomin ster

,and

took 80 prison ers. But tw o or three days later Harley and

Horton surpr ised L ingen between Radn or an d Mon tgomery ,vr ou ted h is force

,retook th e

a nd surprised and took the Coun ty troops of Hereford . The sa id Edw ardBroad spoke to th is in forman t be i ng h is tenan t , and h is w arriner to g o to

John B r an ci l l ’s dw el l ing a t K iddermin ster, being a j o in er and w el l sk i l led instock ing of gun s, to come w i th a l l speed to stock gun s for h im , an d w i l lin g ,

“th is in forman t a lso h imsel f to be in read iness. And th is i n forma n t ask ingh im w ha t u se t here w ou ld be for so many gun s, t he sa i d Edw ard Broa’ dan sw ered there w ou ld be u se for them very speedi ly . an d further sa id tha tMr. Hugh V icon idge, of Comberton , and Mr. Thomas W an ner ton , and'

“other Roundheaded rogues shou ld be hanged to begin w i th a l l . And the

sa id B r an ci l l came to D u n ck lyn a ccording ly , bu t how many gun s he stockedtheir in forman t kn ow eth n ot . And a fterw ards, w hen th e n ew s w as first tha tS ir Henry L ingen had surprised Hereford Coun ty troops, the sa id Edw ardBroad a sked t h is in forman t w h ither S ir H enry L ingen w as gone, w hereuntoth is in forman t a n sw ering tha t he d id n ot kn ow ,

the sa i d Edw ard Broad

Na sh, I L ,

cxl ix. 1 Memor ia ls, p. 3 1 5. I Wor cestersh i r e Session s Records, 1 651 .Wh i te lock, p . 32 5.

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‘

206 CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650.

W i l l iam Pi t cher h ad formed on e of the Worcester garrisonwhen th e surren der took place in Ju ly

,1 646. H e served aga in

aga in st th e Par l iamen t in Wa les,t hus breaking h is paro le.

Being arrested in Lon don h e w as promptly tr ied by a Coun ci lo f W ar , foun d gu i l ty an d sh ot .

*

Colon el Morgan pet i t ion ed th e House of Lords to carry ou t

. . h is arrangemen t with Co lon el Samue l San dys,of Ombersley

,

'u n der w hich San dys surrendered Hart lebury Cast le to h im in

1 646, to t ake off th e sequest rat ion on San dys estate,wi thou t

‘

fi ne o r composit ion . Morgan begs th e House to be tender ofh is hon ou r an d to gran t a performan ce of h is promise .

Parl iamen t felt t ha t someth ing should be don e to makegood th e damage th e city an d th e

,Coun ty h ad susta ined by

'

t he w ar . An ordin an ce w as made for t h e sa le of th e leadensteeple on the n orth-east of t h e Cathedra l Church .

i 8th February , 1 647. The Lords a nd Common s being in formed that inthe Ca thedra l Church Yard of the sa i d c i ty there i s a. steeple ca l led the

leaden steep le, [ n ot ] fixed to the sa id church , nor employed in any o theru se than a w oodhouse, the lead a nd o ther ma teria ls of w h i ch steep le a r e

est ima ted a t above 1 2 0 0 1 , therefore ordered a n d orda ined tha t certa inperson s be empow ered to sel l the steep le and employ t he money fo r r e

“ed i fying of th e sa i d a lms houses an d fo r th e repa irs of the

churches o f S t . John in Bedw ard in e Dodderh i l l , and Cast lemorton . T

I n con sequen ce t h e steeple w as sol d ; i t brought £6 1 743. 2 d . Th e mon ey w as n ot by any mean s a l l devoted to

repa i r o f churches and a lmshouses. A surpl us rema in ed inhan d . £ 1 0 in 1 651 , after th e batt le, w as ordered to be pa i d toMr . James W arwick

,min ister of Han ley Cast le

,and £2 0 to

M r . Symon Moore,min ister of t h e Co l lege at Worcester

,

being a very fa i th fu l prea cher of God’

s w ord , and of sin g ular good a ffec tionto the Governmen t of th is Commonw ea l th , w ho had su ffered grea t losses bythe Scotch army a t W orcester .

”

I

O ne o f th e Committee of Sequest ra t ion for th e Coun ty w as

Sergean t Wylde,or Chief Baron Wylde

,as h e h ad n ow

become. From th e Bewdley accoun ts i t wou ld appear thath e w as n ot who l ly averse to having a drin k ” at t h e expen seo f those w ho came before him

,as there ar e th e fol lowing

en t ries§ in those accoun ts :Pd ou r charge , rid ing to JudgeW i lde, a t WorcesterPd . fo r w in e bestow ed on J udge W i ldeMoney la i d ou t a t Worcester to z r st December, 1 648, to a t tendthe Commission w hom the Coun ty sen t to Oppose the ordercharging them 0 0 09 0 1

I n th e beginn ing of 1 648 a val uable go ld cup w as carr iedaway from Belvo i r to Oxford

,and then to Worcester

,by Paul ,

t h e Govern or of Belvo i r Cast le . A lthough there w as a good

Rush w or th V I I . , 1 377. Wh itelock , 360 . f X IV. Rep.,V I I I . App.

,1 88.

I X I V. Rep. , p. 1 88. Bur ton ’

s Bew dley.

C I V I L W AR , 1 647— 1 650.

d eal of fuss m ade about th e cup , i t n ever seems to have beenfound

,o r real ly kn ow n w h o th e thief

So far as Worcestershire w as con cern ed th e plot of th e

Royal ists to en sure a rising w as qui te frust rated by t h e fa i l ure-of t he plot ters to carry ou t thei r p lan s. F or a t ime th is must.have h ad a very marked effec t upon t h e gen try of Worcestershire .

But,w hatever they m ay have felt , they were. n ot

p repared to take t h e plunge in to Republ ican ism,an d were

most l ikely more loya l to th e Kin g in Jan uary ,1 649, than th ey

h ad ever been . O n e thin g m ay have made them so . Amon gth e n umerous m en w h o ar e sai d to have been“ those tw o person s w ho, being disgu ised by frocks an d v izards, d id appearupon the sca ffo l d erec ted before Wh i teha l l , upon the 3oth o f J an uary ,

“1 649 , a nd w ho w ere ou t of the Act of Obl i v ion w ho l ly excepted a nd

for epr ised.

”1"

o ne is sa i d to have been a Worcestersh ire m an,Thomas

F ox,t he t in ker

,b u t there is abso l u te ly n o eviden ce come

dow n to u s tha t could in any w ay accoun t for such a

suspicion . There is,in fact

,n o eviden ce to con n ect th e

“ Tinker wi th th e King’

s dea th beyon d t h e fact tha t h ew as a most zea lous Par l iamen t arian .

Whoever th e persons were thei r act , or rather th e act of on e

o f them ,l ed to a st rong Roya l ist react ion . Parl iamen t n ow

foun d that they h ad gon e so far that they were obliged to go

further . Th e House of Common s took on i tself th e power of

Parl iamen t . It declared th e House of Lords “ useless an d

dangerous,”th e offi ce of King un n ecessary

,burden some

,and

dangerous,

so i t abol ished both . A Coun ci l of State w as

appo in ted , w i th fu l l execut ive power in a l l home an d foreignaffai rs. Among i ts members w as on e Worcestershire m an

,t h e

Chief Baron W i lde. An other High Court of Just ice w as

formed to t ry th e prison ers taken i n th e secon d Civi l W ar,at

'Col chester : Hamil ton ,Ho l lan d

,N orw ich , Capel , an d Owen .

Bradshaw aga in acted as presiden t, an d th e servan t s foun d i tw as suffi cien t to be as t heir master . Tw o

,Owen and Norwich

,

were reprieved , an d th e rema in der, in addit ion to Lucas andL isle

,executed . Probabl y th e stern w ay in which these m en

were dealt wi th w as t h e t ruest mercy,as i t shew ed pla in ly

what w as th e certain fate o f rebels. I t h ad i ts eff ect . F o r

t h e t ime Mon archy w as dead in Englan d ,I t w as otherw ise both in Ire lan d an d Scot land . I n Irelan d

strong hopes of a Roya l ist rising preva i led . I n Scot lan d,on

h is father’s death, Char les w as at on ce provision al ly p r o

c la imed King. Th e quest ion that pressed hardest on th e

Royal ists w as,w here shou ld th e struggle begin

,Irelan d or

Scot lan d ? Each h ad i ts st rong supporters,an d each h ad

H ist. MSS . Co n . , X I I . Rep . ,[ pp. V.‘

1 1 2 Ca r . I I .,c. 1 1

,sec. 34.

208 CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650 .

strong argumen ts to adduce in i ts favour . Charles and h is

advisers decided on Ire lan d . A s soon as th is appeared .

Parl iamen t determin ed to put down Mon archy in Irelan d on ceand for ever. Cromwel l w as sen t over

,and ordered to remove

th e un clean t hing with th e sword . This work took him un t i lt h e 2 6th M ay, 1 650 , when h e ret urn ed from Irelan d to En glan d . How h e did h is task is best shewn by th e fact tha t evenn ow , tw o cen t uries an d a ha l f after th e work h as been fin ished

,

th e bitterest Irish imprecat ion is “Th e curse of Cromwel l beupon you .

”

I n Englan d th e Roya l ists were in a sad state. Th e pr o

ceedings in th e mat ter of Sir Mar tyn San dys w i l l g ive an

in stan ceThe Coun ci l of S ta te ordered its Secretary to w rite to the Lord Ch ief

“ J ust i ce tha t S ir Martyn San dys, aga in st w hom a w arran t h ad been issued ,.

he being ou t law ed for the murder of Mr. S tayn er, of Worcester, w a s t hen insa fe custody, in the G a te house, to be proceeded aga inst a s a dangerousperson .

”

San dys h ad been arrested in rather a pecu l iar w ay. On e

Hast ings w as a person t he Coun ci l were desi rous of arrest ing .

They heard h e w as somew here i n Essex , d isguised . Hear in g ofthe whereabouts of a disgu ised Roya l ist

,they sen t to ar rest h im

,

and to thei r great surprise foun d when they brought the i rpr ison er to head-quarters that they h ad arrested

,n o t Hast ings

,

bu t San dys. To j ust i fy h is deten t ion a charge of murder,for

something h e h ad don e durin g th e w ar,w as made aga in st h im .

Tw o o f th e Coun cil,Sir Hen ry M i ldmay an d Sir W i l l iam

M asham,were appo in ted to further examin e in to i t . Mildmay

,

th e Registrar, an d Commi t tee at Go ldsmi th ’sHa l l were orderedto cert i fy th e sum a t which Si r Martyn h ad compoun ded

,an d

i f h e had prosecu ted h is composi t i on in to effec t .

I n November,1 649, John Compton applied fo r and obta in ed

leave t o bring an act ion aga in st San dys,

provided he be n ot thereupon removed to any other prison w i thou t w arran t“ from the Coun c i l o r Lord Ch ief J ustice, or h indered an sw er ing to j ust i ce inw ha t h e stood commi t ted for .

”

A fur ther compla in t w as made by th e Coun c i l of State tot h e Worcestershi r e Commi t tee in con sequen ce of

a comp la in t formerly made of w aste of t imber i n Bew dley Park, w e gave

“order fo r preven t in g thereof. S in ce then some person s have proposedbuying the t imber, and a c la im h as a lso been made on i t by S ir Ra lph C lare,to w hom (as he pretends h is ev iden ces a re in the coun try ) w e have g ivenh im tw o mon ths to prove h is t i t le to that w ood and t imber. Takecare tha t n one of i t be fel led or d isposed of un t i l the t it le be ev iden ced and

“ further orders taken in it .f On December 8th ,

1 649 , th e Coun c i l of State wrote to th etrustees for the sale of th e Dean and Chapter lands

,ordering

them to give n ot ice to th e Coun ci l before they offered for'

sa le Aym ore Wood, Worcestershire,near th e Severn

,th e

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121 0 CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650.

took place in Norfo lk, th e result of wh ich w as a series of

execution s. A l l these plots thoroughly a larmed the P ar

li am en t,

as t hey clearly shewed i f Charles did in vadeEnglan d, un less spec ia l steps were taken , t h ere would be

a very serious rising , which would try thei r resources to th eu tmost .Parl iamen t urged thei r spies to spec ia l act ivi ty

,so th e

Governmen t received in formation of th e al leged deta i ls of

Royal ist p lots, deta i ls which w ere stated as t h e resul t of th e

late r ising in Norfo lk . W hether t h e in format ion w as t rue o r

false,t h e Governmen t acted upon i t an d a rrested very freely .

Among o ther person s w as on e Birken head , whom ,i t w as sa i d

,

w as engaged in prepar ing a r ising in Lan cash ire. Steps,

decisive steps,were promptly t aken to secure tha t Coun ty

,

steps so severe but so effect ual that when th e Scots did come

t h e support they received in Lan cashire w as reduced to the

lowest d imen sions,an d which probably made th e subsequen t

a ttempt of th e Ear l o f Derby to ra ise th e Coun ty hopeless.

Arrest fol lowed a rrest . Some o f th e person s arrest ed werePresbyterian s, some were min isters, tw o of them (Love and

Gibbon s) were t ried for t reason,sen ten ced to death

,and

executed .

I t is qu ite possi b le i f th is so-ca l led p lot h ad not been dis

covered , an d these stern steps n ot taken,when Charles did

come h is expedit ion wou ld n ot have fa i led ; Lan cash ire wouldhave r isen . Th e feel ing that this w as so caused th e Parl iamen tt o t ry t o strangle the Roya l ist movemen t by placing thei rleaders in side prison wal ls, in stead of a l lowing them to rema inout side an d able to help .

Th e cause of mon archy did n ot look hopeful . Th e Scotswere far from en thusiast i c. A t that da te Highlan ders and

Lowlan ders were as far apart as Engl ishmen an d Scotchmenn ow ar e. The Highlan der d id n o t care for Charles or h is

cause. Th e Lowlan der h ad h is doubts as to whether Charlesw as in deed and in truth a coven an ted King .

” I n on e thingan d in on e th ing on ly were th e tw o agreed

,in feel ing n o con

fiden ce whatever in t hei r K in g . I n a less degree,b u t on ly in a

less degree,n ei ther party h ad con fiden ce in their gen era l .

That Lesl ie w as an able so ldier no on e w h o reads the historyo f that t ime can have any doubt . That h ad Lesl ie h ad a freehan d h e would have proved more than a match for Cromwel lseems most probable . But to th e Highlan der Lesl ie w as in

competen t,as h is defen sive tactics were regarded as t reachery .

To th e Lowlan der h e w as t reacherous,as h e h ad permitted th e

sa in ts of th e Lord to die on t h e Dunbar Hi lls. If i t is desi redt o kn ow h ow i t w as that th e defea t at Worcester w as so

c rushing and so complete i t is essen t ial to keep these th ingsin mind .

CIVIL W AR , 1 647— 1 650. 2 1 1

"A l though there w as n o actua l rising in Worcestershire in“1 650 yet t here w as a great dea l of discon ten t

,an d discon ten t

which l ed to bloodshed , ma in ly owing to th e exact ion s and

o ppression s of th e Commission ers of Excise. Early in th e year,

in February , th e Coun ci l of State wrote to th e Committee of

Excisetha t the persons formerly emp loyed in Worcestersh ire a s Sub-Comm isioner s

4 ‘ for Exc ise m ay not be emp loyed aga in , there having been some bloodshedin the Coun ty through the defau lt of these m en .

”

Abou t a fortn ight later th e Coun ci l of State wrote to theC ommission ers of Excise

“ Some d isturban ce has lately happened in the Coun ty and C i ty of W or

cester by the v io len t proceed ings of Capta in Prescot t an d some other SubCommission ers of the Exc ise, w herein severa l m en w ere sla in a nd othersw oun ded , to the breach of the peace and breeding of great disa ffect ion .

The Pa r l iamen t , upon t he desire of some of tha t Coun ty, ordered tha t some‘others shou ld be Commissioners of the Exc ise there and the others la i d

“aside, w h i ch is not yet don e , a nd th e sa i d person s st i l l go on in theiremp loymen t , w i th w h ich th e Coun ty is much d iscon ten ted . Fearin g it m ay

produce some i l l-effect s i f speedy care be n ot taken , w e desire you forthw ithto discharge the sa i d Commission ers, a nd appo in t in the ir p laces Edw ardElmers (A lderman o f Worcester) , W i l l iam Co l lin s and W i l l iam S tephen s(Sub-Com missioners) , a nd Gervase Buck (Comptro l ler) , m en w el l-a ffected tothe Commonw ea l th . ”

This looks as i f th e Roya l ists h ad been using th e Com

mission ers to st i r up st rife -with a view to even tual i t ies.

Gervase Buck w as a most act ive magistrate an d a very strongParl iamen tarian . Parl iamen t w as st i l l un easy about th e sta teo f th e Coun ty . I n Jun e th e Coun ci l of State wrote to Major-Gen eral Harrison

,w h o

,from this

,must then have been at

Worcester or in th e Coun ty,

“ to con si der w hether M a tchfiel d’

[M adr esfield] House, in Worcestersh ire,is fi t to be demo l ished .

On th e 1 l th Jun e th e Coun ci l of State directed

S ir W i l l iam Con stable ( the Govern or of Gloucester) , a nd Co lonels Harrison ,Saunders, an d Dingley , to v iew the strength of M a tchfield House, fourmi les from Worcester, an d i f anyth ing be necessary to make i t un tenable, tosign i fy the cha rge and w ha t loss it w i l l be to the proprietor.

”

F or some reason M adr esfield w as th e cen tre of disturban ce.

Parl iamen t w as in dread of a rising an d of th e house bein gsei zed an d held as a fort . Deta i ls of t h e reason s why a tten t ionw as so c losely directed to this quarter ar e wan t ing

, b u t from1 650 to Apri l 1 651 , Parl iamen t w as most

’

an xious t hat M adr esfiel d shou ld be made un ten able.

'

A t the en d of t h e year there is a pet i t ion from an o ldC aval ier

,John Washbourn e

,of W i chen ford

,which wel l i l lus

t rates th e con dit ion s un der which the “Ma lignan ts ” h ad to

l ive. Washbourn e asked to be al lowed to come to Lon don,

b u t th is w as on ly to be gran ted

21 2 CIVIL W AR, 1 647— 1 650.

i f upon en qu iry the Lord Ch ief Baron Wy lde conceive h im fi t to be su ffered"to come h ither, and likew ise certifying w hat securi tyWashbourne shou ld pu t

“ in .

”

That is,th e malign an ts cou ld not leave thei r Coun ty wi thout

i t w as thought fi t,an d n ot then without special ba i l

,and such:

bai l for safe appearan ce as thei r n eighbours,w ho w ere th ei r

opponen ts, con sidered sufii cien t.

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C H A P T E R V I I .

1 651 .

On the I st Jan uary , 1 65 1 , Charles w as crown ed a t SconeKing of Scot lan d . He h ad n ow become formidable

,having

,

to u se th e w ords of a recen t h istorian ,succeeded in lying h is

w ay in to a comman ding posi t ion .

“

F or some reason ,w hy

— un less i t w as 0 11 th e road toWa lesi t is di ffi cul t to discover , as Worcestershire w as n ot on the

direct rou te between Scot lan d and Lon don,th e Parl iamen t

were very an xious abou t th e Coun ty,and took a l l th e steps

in thei r pow er to ensure a t igh t han d being kept on i t . On

th e 1 3th Jan uary , 1 651 , th e Coun ci l of State orderedTha t specia l care be taken for the securi ty o f Worcester, Gloucester andHereford , tha t a l l dangerous and suspi c ious persons be r emoved , and an

a ccoun t taken of a l l arms and ammun i t ion .

”

I n March,1 651 , th e Coun ci l of S tate

d irected Lord Grey to move Parliamen t to give orders for mak ing the city“of Worcester un ten able, for preven ting the dangers tha t m ay come to the

Commonw ea l th thereby.”

This shews th e con t in ued an xiety of Par l iam en t wi th regardto Worcester an d thei r fear of disturban ce

,bu t , curiously

en ough , n o accoun t of th e movemen t aga in st which Parl iamen t an d th e Coun ci l of State were n ow t rying to guard h as

,

apparen t ly , come down to u s.

On l gth March , Par l iamen t made a further orderTha t the Coun c i l of S tate take care the C i ty of Worcester be forthw ithmade un ten able.

”

On th e same day ( 1 9th March) th e Coun ci l of State wrote toth e Mili t ia Commission ers for th e Coun ty o f Worcester

“ Parl iament , for specia l reason s, has ordered the City of Worcester tobe made un tenable, and has referred i t to th e Coun ci l to give order for it ,and a lso to the spec ia l care of Lord Ch ief Baron Wylde an d Mr. Lechm ere,

“ to see i t don e. As there a re some design s on foot by the enemy aga instthat p la ce it shou ld be speedi ly and effectua l ly don e. W e desire you to

give a l l assistan ce therein .

”

Th e a larm did n ot subside,for on 1 9th Apri l , 1 651 , the

Coun ci l of State wrote to th e Govern or of Gloucester (SirW i l l iam Con stable)“ The business touch ing Worcester is under con siderat ion , and w e a l l knowye W i l l have a w a tchfu l eye upon i t and a l l parts abou t you , for preven t ion

Ga r diner , Common w ea lth , I . , 353.

2 1 6 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

“of any portended disturban ce. M a tchfield House belongs to ColonelLygg in (sic) , formerly a garrison for the K ing, and w hether i t has beenmade un tenable, and give a speedy a ccoun t thereof

On th e 3 r st March,th e Coun ci l of State wrote to Co lonel

John James, issu ing a commission to h im to ra ise an d com

man d th e forces in W orcestersh ire un der the Mil it ia Acts.

James set abou t h is task with a wi ll . Th e Coun ci l a lso wroteto th e Mili t ia Commission ers for th e Coun tyHearing how much i t w ou ld conduce to the advan tage of the service if

“ the horse and dragoon s in your Coun ty, ra ised on the Act for the m i lit ia ,

w ere under the command of John J ames, w e have i ssued a commission for“ tha t purpose and sen t i t to h im , and desire you to use a l l di l igen ce in

ra ising the forces.

I n M ay, the Milit ia Commission ers for th e Coun ty wrote to

t h e Coun ci l of State as to impressing m en for Irelan d . Thisw as referred to th e Irish Commi t tee , and th is Committee w as

instructed to prepare let ters to th e Commission ers for W or ces

ter sh i r e,th e Ci ty of Worcester to sen d thei r proport ion .

Worcestershire h ad a lways been a recru i t ing groun d for

Irelan d,and th e fact that i t w as n ow so used wou ld seem to

po in t to th e in feren ce that th e immediate danger , whatever i tw as

,tha t h ad so a larmed t h e Governmen t about th e Coun ty

h ad passed away. Non e of thei r precau t ion s were,however

,

r elaxed. On th e 1 9th M ay there is an order relat ing to the

wel l-known Roya l ist , Co lon el Samuel San dysWhereas Co lonel Samuel San dys w as

, by order of the Coun cil , not to depart ou t of the l im its of Oxfordsh ire w ithou t specia l l i cen ce, and w as not togo in to Worcestersh ire. The Coun cil thereby in tends tha t h e sha l l not goou t of Oxfordsh ire w ithou t ‘

spec ia l occasion to be made know n and approvedof by four J ust ices o f the Peace of tha t Coun ty, and tha t then he may not

go in to Worcestersh ire.

”

Major Savage , of Worcestershire, probably th e Savage of

Elmley Cast le,w h o h ad gone to l ive at Ma lvern and w ho h ad

been so hard ly used,and for whom M assey h ad in terceded

,

w as discharged on en tering in to a recogn i zan ce for £ 50 0 , withtw o suret ies of £2 50 each

,on the usua l terms.

Co lon el D in eley, one of th e Commission ers,w as able to

work that body for h is ow n affa i rs. I n Jun e the M i l i t ia Comm issioners were in struc ted by th e Coun ci l of Sta teTha t there being money due to Co lone l D ingley, a s he a l leged , for services

“ in tha t Coun ty, they w ere to examin e in to t ha t business and cert i fy thestate thereof to the Coun ci l , and a lso w ha t money w as rema in ing in thatCoun ty tha t w as raised un der the late M i li t ia Act , w hereupon further dircet ions could be given .

”

Taken by themselves these in ciden ts ar e of sl ight importan ce, but taken together they give some i dea of the condit ionof the Coun ty .

The plots of th e Worcestershire Roya l ists h ad caused theCoun ty to be thoroughly dist rusted

,as w as shown by

ra ising soldiers to keep i t qu iet . I t wi l l be r emembered that

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2 1 8 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

and th e Highlan ds h e '

w ou ld compel h im to evacuate h is

posit ion‘"

at S t i rl in g , an d retreat ei ther westward . or n orthward,

or otherwise be cut off from h is base an d un able to obta in.

suppl ies. This is the usual ly accepted idea,an d i t is men t ion ed

as a grea t in stan ce of Cromwel l'

s strategy.

There is, however , another and a more probable explan at ion . Th e Engl ish Governmen t were then fu l ly persuadedt hat soon er or later they wou ld have to meet an in vasion byCharles and the Scots

,they w ere n ow ready to do so . They

wou ld n ever aga in be in a bet ter p0 31 t 1on . Th e majority of"

the leadin g Engl ish Roya l ists were ei ther exiles or prison ers.

However in cl in ed th e Engl ish migh t be to rise, a rising w as

then i f n ot impossib le yet reduced to i ts smal lest possib ledimen sion s. I f th e Scots were given th e chan ce to invadeEnglan d

,would th ey n ot take i t .

'

9 Then th e quest ion could .

be decided on ce and fo r a l l . As long as Cromwel l rema inedsouth of Stirl ing in vasion of Englan d w as impossib le . If hecrossed th e Forth Lesl ie wou ld have an opport un i ty of

march ing to h is doom .

This v i ew is born e ou t by th e fact that Cromwel l sen t for ‘

Harrison,w h o w as comman ding in Northumberlan d

,and on

th e 2 3r d July they had a con feren ce at L in l i thgow. Th e resu l tw as that Harr ison w as ordered to bring up Colon el Rich ’shorse from Not t inghamshire to un i te with h is ow n in N or

th um ber l and and Cumberlan d,

so that Harrison w ou ld be i n a capac i ty to engage, or impede the march of

the Scots if they a ttempt tha t w ay.

Cr omwel l ’s plan w as,therefore

,to leave th e w ay to Englan d

open for the Scots i f they chose to t ake i t , and i f so by marching after them with h is ow n force

,place them between

Harrison and himself,-an d so surroun d or destroy them when

they h ad got fa r enough in to Englan d .

On the 24th July Cromwel l crossed th e Forth , marched on .

through F i fe ,and took Per th . A week later

,on August 1 st

,

h e heard that Lesl ie h ad fa l len in to th e t rap set for h im an d

marched south . Leaving Mon k wi th a sma l l force to hol dP er th ,

'

Cr om w el l started southwards in pursu i t of Lesl ie. He

sen t Lamber t in -advan ce with 30 0 0 m en to hang on th e Scots"

rear, in struct ing h im to impede and h arass th e enemy as muchas possib le. He ordered Harrison to con cen trate h is force,m arch down the east coast un t i l h e cou ld strike across to th e

west,an d get between th e Scots and Lon don . Har r ison a

rose to the occasion . Wr it ing to the Yorkshire Committee, .

h e sa idThe enemy ’s hOpe is tha t Engl ishmen w il l be so m ad as to join .

them .

"

A r my I n tel l ig en cer , ci ted by Ga rd iner , I I . , 2 9 1 .

CIVIL W AR , 1 651 . 21 9'

r

If there h ad ever been any grou n ds for such h ope i t h adbeen frustrated by th e act ion of t h e Governm en t , in t he sprin gand early summer

,in imprison ing al l those w h o were l ikely to

b e th e leaders in a Royal ist r ising .

On the 3 r st July , that part of the Scotch army that h adagreed to fo l low Charles marched from Stirl ing to th e south.

It w as by n o mean s th e who le st rength of th e Scots,as some

w ere unwil l ing to un dertak e th e English march . Argyle and

Loudoun decl in ed to come , Leven and Lord Crawford wereleft behin d to en l ist recru i ts, and , i f i t were possi ble, to rouseth e n orth . W i th these defect ion s

,th e Scots

’

army could n ot

have exceeded m en . They h ad wi th them 1 6 lea thergun s. Lauderda le and Hamil ton marched south

,b u t Hamil ton

w as most doub tful as to th e resul t . Wri t ing in an a lmost.

pr 0ph et ic ton e, he sa idI cann ot tel l w hether ou r hopes or fears a re grea test , bu t w e have one

stou t argumen t , despa ir.”

On th e 9th August th e first Engl ish town (Carl isle) w as

reached an d occupied,and then Pen r i th . Act ing on h is

orders, Lambert fol lowed up c losely an d cu t off manystraggling Scots on th e march through Cumberlan d an d

Lan cash ire. Very few recru its were received , such as came

in were badly armed,Charles h ad n ei ther arms or mon ey

wherewith to buy them to give th e recru i ts. Th e Roya l istleaders w h o migh t have raised some substan t ia l n umber of

recru its were in prison . I n th e absen ce of leaders there w as

n oth ing to remove th e n at ura l aversion fel t aga in st th e Scots.

Harrison carried ou t h is orders. Havin g got far en ough :

south h e st ruck across th e coun t ry to th e w est,an d w as n ow

able to attack th e Scots in fron t w hi le Lamber t at tackedl

thei r rear. Hearing th at Cromwel l w as pushing on,Lambert

marched by th e Scots’ flan k,jo in ed h is forces with Harrison ’

s,

and th e tw o n ow considered themselves st rong en ough to makea stan d to check th e advan ce.

Parl iamen t , meanwh i le,w as making every preparat ion in i ts

power to receive th e Scots. Coven t ry w as fixed on as th e

place where th e forces were to ren dezvous and assemble,and

i t w as hoped to co l lect a con si derable n umber there.

On the 1 5th August th e Coun c i l of State wrote to M i l i t iaCommission ers for Worcestershire

W e have been in formed by Mr. Lechm ere, one of your n umber, of the

good posture of tha t Coun ty in th is con j un c ture, and of your grea t di l igen ceto provide for the common safety and your ow n . M any other p la ces havea lso shew n good forw ardness. Had a l l don e so i t w ou ld have been a grea tdiscouragemen t to further a t tempts w hen the en emy saw a l l m en so unan i

“ m ously resol ved aga in st them . W e approve of w ha t you have done inpursuan ce of our former instruct ion s, and doubt not you have received ou r

direct ion s sin ce sen t . W e sha l l not need anything further to exci te you to»

pu t them 1nto execut ion . W e hope tha t the business w i l l have a speedy

‘

220 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

end , and that G od w i l l set t le peace on th is Commonw ea l th , bu t desireyou ,

n evertheless, to u se your u tmost care and d i l igen ce mean t ime in the execut ion of your trust .

Th e un i ted forces of Harr ison and Lambert, rein forced bysome 30 0 0 mil i t ia from Staff ordshire and Cheshire

,amoun t ing

in th e whole to some 30 0 0 foot and 90 0 0 horse, on the 1 3th of

August took up a posi t ion at th e bridge at Warrington,over

t h e Mersey,where i t divides th e Coun t ies of Lan cashire and

Chesh ire,an d prepared to resist i ts passage by t h e Scots. On

reachin g th e bridge th e Scots a t on ce at tacked,and a sharp

figh t en sued between t hei r advan ce guard an d Harr ison ’s

army . When Lambert foun d the Scots were in con siderablefor ce . h e fel l back ; h is ret rea t being qu icken ed by pressurefrom th e Scots’ at tack . Lamber t

,thus rap idly reti r in g

,

en abled th e Scots to say with t ru th that they h ad forced th ebridge

,n otw i thstan ding th e resistan ce o f th e combin ed forces

o f Harrison an d Lambert . This figh t at Warrington w as th e

fi rst and on ly success th e Scots achieved . Having carr ied th ebridge th e Scots were un able to set t le w hat course to take .

The bo ldest,a dash on Lon don

,wou ld probably have been th e

best . I n th e East of En glan d th e Scots h ad n ever beenquartered . Nothing w as kn own aga in st t h em

,th e coun try

h ad n ot been thei r feedin g groun d l ike Worcestershire and

Herefordshire. W h i telock*says that

a fter passing Warrington the Scots began to p l under extremely, an d manyof t hem w ere w eak .

”

It w as hopeless to expect tha t , in th e Coun t ies where th e

Scots h ad been quartered,an d where thei r p l un dering habits

w ere wel l kn own,any great en thusiasm would be fel t for them.

Charles w as i n dire n eed of supplies and recru its. A moreeffectua l w ay of n ot get t ing them could hardly h ave beendevised than to march to th e very Coun t ies w hich th e

Scotch army,a few years before, h ad p i l laged so effec tua l ly.

This w as,however

,th e cou rse decided u pon . I t w as n ot don e

w ithou t some differen ce of op in ion ; Hamilton urged Char les‘

t o m arch at on ce on Lon don . B u t h is views were overborn eby those w h o expected rein forcemen ts wou ld come in

,

especia l ly from Wa les,an d w h o u rged that they should make

for some place where they cou ld be joined by those r e in forcerm en ts. This idea

,a somewhat simi lar on e to that which h ad

proved so successfu l to Charles I . in 1 643, l ed the Scots to

m ake Worcester the po in t on'

w h ich to march,especia l ly as

'

they were to ld that there they would receive very substan t ia lrein forcemen ts. So W orcester w as fixed upon .

On th e 1 7th August th e Sco ts were jo in ed by th e Earl ofDerby wi th a sma l l r ein for cem en t

'

of some 2 50 foo t and 60

Pag e 477.

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2 22 CIV I L W AR, 1 651 .

the army tha t opposed h im , un der the comman d of Harrison and Lambert ,that , by the ir ow n con fession ,

t hey w ere forced to r un as fa r as U t toxeter,in

4 ‘ Sta ffordsh ire, leav ing the K ing a fa ir a nd un in terrupted march to London ,4 ‘ from w hen ce, in a l l probabi l i ty , he cannot now be far distan t ."

Another letter,dated Paris

,of th e l ath September, from

Hen ry Ben n et t to th e Duke of Ormon de,says

Though there be in a l l l ikel ihood grave pa ins taken to keep us from the“ kn ow ledge of good new s in England , yet from these very pa in s w e find the

K ing ’

s affa irs are in a good condition , how ever, having beaten ou t the" rebels garrison to receive h is ; i f H is Maj esty prospers proport iona tely to4 ‘

w ha t he h as don e th is la st six w eek s, th is crow n w i l l certa in ly need a con

j un c t ion w ith h im , much more than he does n ow w i th them .

”

T

On th e 4th September Ormon de wrote from Caen to Sir E .

Nicho lasW e have n oth in g ou t of E nglan d b u t f r om t he rebels or from very pas~

sion a te friends. Th e first , I th ink , begin to find i t necessary to resume the“ foundat ion o f their sta te, ly ing, and t he la t ter I doub t no r give u s good w ishesfo r good even t s. I could n ot ho l d pace w i th them in the bel ief tha t brough tthe King n ear London , bu t am con ten t to compoun d betw een them and th e

4 ‘ rebels, p lac in g h im in Worcester a nd upon the M arches of Wa les, en

" ‘ deavou r ing to sea t h imsel f so as to r ecei ve a ssi stan ce, and to be ou t of" “ dan ger o f figh t in g a t the w i l l of h is enemy

,w h i ch i f h e compass w e m ay

hope for such n a tura l advan ces as G od usua l ly g i ves to so grea t a w ork as

tha t I trust he is do ing fo r our K in g a nd u s. I f the prin t say true of th e

rebels’ advan ce tow ards the King , you w i l l hear of a c t ion befo re th is comesto your hands. S ir, though ba tt les a r e I th in k to be avoided , roun d en

coun ters can not w i thou t qu it t ing the cause. G od prosper h im . I

These letters shew h ow l i t t le th e Roya l ist party kn ewt h e rea l sta te of t hings. How th e King wan ted more arms

,

ammun i t ion,in fac t everything that troops require

,an d that

t h e badly equ ipped force,in ferior in n umbers and in every

t hing else,w as abou t to be pi tted aga in st th e fin est in fan try of

t hat day,m en w h o boasted thei r backs h ad n ever been seen by

“

t hei r foes.

On Friday, August 2 2 nd , th e Scots arrived at Worcester ont he n orth si de t h e ci ty . Lamber t h ad garrison ed the placew i th a sma l l body of 50 0 horse, b u t they

,feel ing they were

o utn umbered and that i t w as useless to resist,ret i red to

Gloucester wi thou t a figh t . Whitelock , § however , says :the coun try forces made a ga l lan t resistan ce and bea t ba ck the en emy severa lt i mes. Bu t the tow nsmen

,hav in g la i d dow n their arms, and some shoot ing a t

the Parl i amen t so ld iers ou t of the w indow s, they removed their am m u n i

t ion w h i le 30 m en on ly resi sted the en emy, and then ,having a ctua l ly bea ten

them ba ck , w i thdrew , leav ing the tow n to the enemy and came to G lou cester.”

The garrison being withdrawn,on Saturday

,th e a3r d

August , Charles en tered Worcester . He w as m et by th e

M ayor, ThomasLyson s,an d th e Sheriff

,James Brydges. Th e

M ayor rode before th e King to th e Guild Hal l,carrying th e

c ity sword . Charles w as there procla imed as King of Grea t

H ist . MSS . Com .,Ma r qu is o f O rm onde

'

s Paper s, N . S. I . , 2 0 0 .

1 l b : p . 2 0 4. 1 l b , 9 2 0 6 § p 477

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226 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

to-morrow m orn ing (Monday ) , at five o’c lock

,w hereof you and they ar e n ot

“ to fa i l , a s you tender ou r disp leasure.

Given a t ou r Court a t Worcester,the 24th August, 1 651 .

To the Con stables and tyth ing m en of Sa lw arpe.

An d you a r e to bring w i th you spades, shovels, and pick axes.

Th e Court atWorcester w as probably held in th e h ouse in th eo ld Corn Market

,st i l l stan ding

,where th e King lodged. Th e

Duke of Hamil ton and some of th e Scotch lords were quarteredo n th e Wyldes

,at th e Com m an deryfr th is bran ch of the family

being Roya l ists,as opposed to those of Kempsey an d Droi t

wich, to which th e Lord Chief Baron belonged

,but l i tt le is

k nown where th e o ther offi cers were quartered .

The determin at ion to fort i fy Worcester shews that th e

Scotch h ad resolved to figh t t h e in evi table figh t here. S tepswere accord ingly taken for that purpose . It is n ot qu i tec lear when this in ten t ion w as arrived at

,but i t could n ot have

been later than th e s4th August .Charles issued an other order

,cal l ing ou t th e posse com z

’

trztus

o f th e Coun ty , requiring a l l m en between 1 6 an d 60 to a t ten dhim on P i tchcr oft on Tuesday

,2 6th August

,to a id in th e

defen ce of th e thron e and th e l ibert ies o f th e coun try.

On th e Monday part ies were sen t ou t to seize and breakd own th e bridges over th e Severn at Bewdley an d Upton

,

an d over th e Teme at Powick an d Bransford . A t least,th is

i s so stated in Nicho las Lechm er e’

s diary . He says“ The K in g, w i th a n umerous army , most Scots, some En gl ish , by longun in terrupted marches from S tirl ing , in Scot land , to Worcester, sudden lypossessed h i msel f of the C ity of Worcester

,and in a few days for t ified i t

beyond imagin a t ion . At the same t ime the Scots possessed themsel ves andbreak dow n Upton , Bew dley , Pow i ck , and Bran sfor d br i dges.

”

Tw o th ings must have caused th e Kin g much anxiety .

H is gen erals were quarrel l in g with each other , especial ly Lesl iean d Middleton . Th e Royal force w as a l ready far too sma l l forw h at

‘

i t h ad to do,an d th e genera ls practical ly decl in ing to

co-operate made matters worse. This quarrel h ad seriousr esu lts. If Lesl ie h ad loyal ly supported M iddleton on th e 3rd

Sep tember , at W i ck , th e resul t of th e bat t le might have beend ifferen t ; h ad Lesl ie supported th e Duke of Hamilton in h is

a ttack on th e Parl iamen t cen tre,Worcester would have

been a Roya l ist victory ; as i t w as Lesl ie’s horse took n o partin th e fight . The o ther w as quite as disappoin t ing . Th e

K ing h ad been expecting th e Earl of Derby to bring himstrong rein forcemen ts. Derby h ad remain ed behin d to col lectthem . He h ad actual ly ra ised 1 50 0 m en

,and expected to be

j o ined at W igan by ano ther 50 0 . In stead of th is h e w as m et

Noake, Wo rcester 1 11 Olden T imes, p .

i Th e Comm ander y, now M r . Li t tlebu ry'

s, is the best r em a in ing r el ic of the ba t t le. I t

ha s been m uch a l ter ed, bu t the b r oad ou t line o f th is h ouse , the on ly r em a in ing on e tha t stood

o u tside the ci ty w a lls, bu t inside the Scotch l ines, and w h ich w as the r ecep tacle for the t t oopsa nd the w ounded, a r e very clear .

C I V I L W AR, 1 651 . 227

t here by L i lburne with a strong force, completely defeated ,h is m en routed , scattered , 40 0 of them made prison ers

,an d h e

h imself, w oun ded an d deserted,escaped wi th d iffi cu lty to jo in

t h e King at Worcester an d carry th e n ews of h is u t ter d iscom fi tu r e. This source of supply , therefore, fa i led th e Kin g.

I t did more,i t discouraged a l l th e Royal ist gen try from coming

i n .They saw that t h e en d w as certain ,

and i t w as useless tor uin themselves by j oin ing a predest in ed fa i lure .

Ch arles wen t on wi th h is preparat ion s. On th e 2 5th

A ugust Massey w as sen t to take possession of th e bridge a t

Up ton . Lechm er e,w h o l ived n ear

,at Han ley

,thus states th e

'fact“ Massie, Maj or-Gen era l to the Kin g , w i th abou t 1 30 Scot t ish horse,quartered in my house a t Han ley . He trea ted my peop le c iv i l ly, bu t

“threa ten ed ext irpa t ion to m e an d my poster i ty for having j oined the

Pa r l iamen t .

On Tuesday , 2 6th,th e King a t ten ded on P itch cr oft to

meet h is loya l subj ects of Worcestershire,but very few

o beyed t h e Roya l summon s. I t is sa id that Lord Ta lbo t,

Sir John P ak in g ton ,Sir Wa lter Bloun t

,Sir Ra lph Clare

,Si r

Rowlan d Berkeley, an d Sir John W in ford were amon g thosew h o a tten ded , but this is most doubtful. It can be proveda lmost con cl u sively,

'

th at i f Si r Row lan d Berkeley spoke th e

t ruth h e w as n ot there, an d t he accuracy of th e l ist ist herefore very quest ion able. I t is even less l ikely t hat m en

l ike Lord Ta lbo t , w h o h ad given thei r paro le after th e su r

ren der ofWorcester n ot to serve aga in st th e Parl iamen t,would

del iberately break i t , especia l ly having regard to th e fact thatwith so hopeless, obviously hopeless, a prospect before t hem a

b reach of paro le wou ld b e th e height of a bsurd i ty . Th e l isth as a l l th e appearan ce of being man ufactured after ’

th e

Restorat ion,when everyon e w as desirous of saying wha t they

h ad don e for th e Kin g. Even i f th e l ist is correct,i t must

have been most d isappo in t ing t o t h e Scots, for th e total forcet hat came in w as n ot more than 2 0 0 0 a t th e outsi de

,i l l-armed

,

a n d withou t'

any en thusiasm .

A Roya l man i festo w as issued after th e fiasco of August2 6th

,u rging that m en should come in and suppor t th e Kin g .

I t produced li t t le i f any result . A further proclamat ion w as

issued,offering to sett le rel igion according to th e Coven an t

,to

sat isfy t h e arrears of pay of a l l t h e so ld iers w ho wou ld come

o ver to th e King from Cromw el l ’s army,to assen t to an Act of

Oblivion to a l l w h o would jo in th e Kin g,an d solemn ly prom

i sing that as soon as h e h ad defeated th e rebels,the Scots

shou ld return to thei r ow n coun try— obviously to a l lay t h e

fears of Worcestershire and Herefordshire as to a ren ewa l or‘

Scot t ish plun der ing .

This man i festo produced practical ly n o resul t. It becam e

'

228 C I V I L W AR, 1 651 .

obvious’

to Charles that , as again st a l l th e forces tha t th e P arl iam en t could brin g aga in st h im

,h e wou ld have to rely on th e

Sco ts,and 0 11 th e Scots a lon e ; that th e En glish w ou ld have

n othin g to do wi th them .

Th e Scots an d th e few rein forcemen ts th e King h ad receiveddid n ot

,a l l to ld

,n umber over a for ce w h ol ly inadequate

t o defen d t h e fort ificat ion s of Worcester,st i l l less to en gage an

army in th e field . If th e expedi t ion h ad seemed doomed at

fi rst,that doom w as n ow made certa in .

Charles rea l ised th e u t ter hopelessn ess of h is posi t ion .

A l l i deas of assuming t h e offen sive,o f con t in u ing h is march,

o f leaving Worcester,h ad to be aban don ed . A l l that r ema in ed

t o be don e w as to wa i t to b e at tacked , an d then to make th e

most stubborn defen ce t ha t cou ld possi bly be made . To do

this orders were given to make some en tren chmen ts on th e

Roya l ist r igh t a t W i ck ,in th e fields an d n ear th e bridge at

Powick .

A l though to those w h o kn ew th e facts th e most gloomyview must have been taken ,

th e exi les seemed to thin k thatt h e King ’s prospec ts looked bright. Byron , w rit ing from Pa risto Ormon de , on th e 6th Sep tember

,says

So tha t my hopes of any good to be done tha t w ay being so fa in tforeign help) , I com fort myself w i th the bel ief tha t G od w i l l do th e greatw or k w ithou t any foreign a ssistan ce, hav ing a l r eady made a progress in i t

“ far beyond anyth i ng w e cou ld have hoped for , and by w ha t the pr in ted )

papers tel ls u s th is w eek w e m ay con cl ude that the Kin g w i l l ei ther be pa sthelp , or w i l l n eed n on e , before a ny can come to h im . They speak o f somedisaster befa l len my Lord of Der by in Lan cash i r e, w h i ch I am extremesorry for , bu t some pri va te le t ters w ish u s n ot to bel ieve th e D z

’

m vza l y t h isw eek

,and a ssure u s tha t the K in g ha th to ta l ly defea ted F leetw ood a t Upton

Bridge, near Worcester, who h ad a ter t ia o f Cromw el l ’s army w i th h im . con

si sting of

Meanwh ile, further Parl iamen t forces were col lecting a t

Warwick . Fleetw ood and Desborough were there ; m en werecoming in da i ly. Fleetwood h ad wri t ten to Par l iamen t

The Scotch had left a party in Worcester,a nd h ad tran sported their army

over Severn , in tending to secure the passes, an d inv i te t heir friends to themand refresh a l l their w earied army . Tha t their army is horse a nd

“ foot effec t i ve, an d the foo t so much harassed by o ften and frequen t marches, .

“t ha t they di d importu ne the K ing to take pity on them ,

w ho an sw ered tha tthey shou ld sudden ly have refreshmen t , gave them good w ords, an d to ld

“them w ha t help he expected from h is friends.

On th e 24th August th e Coun ci l of State ordered“ the Parl iamen tary forces in E ssex, Norfo lk , S u ffo lk , a nd Cambridge to

march to Oxford , and there a t ten d orders from the Lord Genera l , w ho w as

supposed to be n ear Worcester. "

On th e a7th th e Coun c i l of Sta te wrote to a l l th e mil it iaau th orit ies as to th e false rumours circu lated by th e en emy ,for th e preven tion of w hich , a l though w e doubt n o t tha t a few days w i l l pu t

H ist . MSS . Rep . , O rm onde Paper s, N .S. I .,2 0 7.

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230 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

h is n ame no longer worked w on ders. He crossed the r iverbetween Tewkesbury an d Gloucester

,m et a par ty o f women

,

w h o sa i d t here h ad been some fighting at Upton,and Massey

h ad been woun ded in th e han d an d legs and h is horse kil ledu n der h im .

Th e repa i rs and addit ion s to the Worcester fort ificat ion sproceeded rapidly. Earthworks were t hrown up ou tside th e

w a l ls ; some of th e more im portan t po in ts,espec ial ly th e c i ty “

gates,were strengthen ed . Th e n or th

,or For egate, w as

blocked up , leaving St. M art in ’s Gate the on ly en tran ce from

or exi t to th e n orth . An elaborate series of earthworks werecon structed across th e Lon don road

,cover ing t h e sou th

si de of th e town,th e on e which Cromw el l w as abou t to at tack .

In side th e w orks,on a hi l l overlooking th e town

,a large

,star-m

shaped fort w as throw n up,ca l led th e For t Roya l . This w as

con n ected by an earthen rampart wi th th e c ity wa l ls, on e en d

of which join ed th e wa l l at a spot n ear where t he o l d Ci ty Gao ln ow stan ds a t th e Blockhouse

,an d the other

,crossing th e

Bath Road and part of th e si te of th e presen t porcela in w orks,

en ded a t th e river below th e Cast le moun d . The fort an d th isrampart were th e ma in defen ces, covering th e Sidbury Gate an dsout h side of th e town . The works do n ot seem to have beenfu l ly fin ished certain ly they were n ot ful ly a rmed . It is mostdoubtfu l

,even i f there h ad been t ime to complete them ,

whether th e King could have foun d gun s for them,an d i f h e

h ad,probably ther e w as n ot su ffi cien t ammun i t ion to eff ec

t ively work th e guns. Th e n ew wo r ks were a lso subject toth is defec t t hey were comman ded by any bat tery thatmight be placed in Perry Wood or on Red Hil l . But for .th is, they domin ated th e south-east of th e ci ty .

Th e Scots’ army w as divided in to tw o parts. The largestw as kept in th e ci ty to m an th e wa l ls an d defen d th e n ew for

t ificat ion s. The o ther w as sen t across th e Severn an d p lacedon th e ton gue of lan d formed by th e rivers Severn an d Teme

t o secure th e right flan k of th e Sco ts. Whether from wan t of

suppl ies,or for some other reason

,these m en were badly

cared for,an d obl iged to camp ou t

,having on ly such shelter

as they cou ld throw u p.

To further strengthen th e defen ces, th e br idge at Powickw as broken down

, tw o arches,the tw o n ext to th e St . John

’

s

ban k,bein g demo l ished . Th e bridge at Bran sford , three miles

h igher up t h e r iver,w as a lso broken down ; here th e arches

destroyed w ere those on th e side”

furthest from Worcester.To this day th e arches have n ev er been rebui lt .Cromwel l ’s fo rce a t Evesham w as in creasing da i ly . As h e

n ow ou t -n umbered th e Scots by nearly tw o to on e, h e w as

able to carry ou t th e secon d part of h is plan ,to cut off th e Scots

from Wa les an d'

th e west . As h as been sa id,Cr om w e

’

l

CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

reached Evesham on th e a7th August . H is first act w as tooccupy th e west ban k of t h e Severn . To do th is, on th e

a8th August a strong division ,both horse an d foot

,under

th e comman d of Lambert,w as ordered to march from Evesham

t o Up ton ,drive Massey from there

,take possession of th e

bridge and occupy t h e town .

Leaving Evesham ,they marched th e 1 3 miles, arrivin g at

Upton in th e even ing they foun d th e bridge broken dow n,

b u t a plank h ad been left across th e ru in edb

arches by w h ichi t w as possible that on e or tw o bo ld an d daring m en

migh t,with some danger an d diffi cu lty, effect a passage an d

surprise th e Scots. Lambert reso lved to t ry. Massey w as

quartered a t Han ley,a t Severn En d

,a hou se of th e Lech

mere'

s,abou t a mile away

,on th e Worcester Road ; h is m en

w ere bi l leted in th e town . Some sligh t earthworks h ad beenthrow n up between th e town an d t h e brook on th e WorcesterRoad , w hich formed a st rong posit ion to resist any advan cem ade a long t h e road .

Lambert saw th at i f th e place w as defen ded i t w ou ld b eimpossib le to carry i t in i ts then state . There w as j ust on e

chan ce : th e Scots migh t keep a bad look-ou t , as n o sen t riesw ere posted , possi b ly they h ad n o idea any en emy w as n ear .To cross th e river w as a service o f diffi cul ty an d danger

,bu t

un less th e r iver w as crossed th e plan la i d down cou ld n ot

proceed . Lambert, therefore, determin ed to take th e r isk .

During th e n igh t h e kept h is m en ou t o f sigh t at Rya l l,

so as to ra ise n o suspicion or a larm . A t daybreak , select in g1 8 picked m en ou t of h is force

,b e ordered them to cross th e

bridge,an d

,as soon as t h ey h ad don e so

,to seek some shel ter

in Upton , so as t o be able to ho ld th e bridge head un t i l theywere rein forced.

On th e 2 9th Aug ust , in th e grey morn ing ligh t,as daw n

w as breaking,th e 1 8 . st arted on thei r mission . Never w ere

t roops given a harder task than Lambert ’s m en w ere n ow

cal led upon to perform . I n dim dayl ight to wa lk in singlefi l e over a lon g

,n arrow plan k

,high above a deep

,rapid r iver

,

wi th the prospect each momen t of bein g fi red upon,w as a

task before which th e bravest might qua i l . I t is n o disgraceto Lambert ’s m en to say they did n ot l ike i t ; yet they didn ot shrin k ; they kn ew that at a l l hazards th e r iver must be'

crossed,an d th at they had to cross i t. When they got on to

t h e plank,an d beg an to march in single fi le

,they cou ld n ot

stan d t h e runn ing w ater below them ; t hei r heads sw am,and

they were in danger of fa l l ing. So they sat down on th e plan k ,

st raddling across i t,scramblin g a long.

They moun ted i t as though i t w as their w ooden Pega sus, and so scrambledacross to the opposi te side.

After some delay a l l reached th e Upton ban k in safety.

232 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

There some h ot work awa i ted them . As they formed up th e

Scots perceived an d at on ce fiercely attacked them. Carrying .

ou t thei r orders Lamber t ’s m en ret rea ted,fi rst in to th e

churchyard , then ,fi nding that the i r n umbers were too few to

en able them to defen d i t w i th success,in to th e church itsel f,

fasten ed th e door , and fi red through th e win dows on th e

Scots. Th e at tack w as fierce . Th e Scots pushed on upto th e church

,b u t

,un able to effect an en tran ce , set fir e

t o th e church , and shot at th e survivors o f t he 1 8 throught h e win dows, trying to thrust them wi th thei r p ikes

,or

cu t them dow n w i t h thei r sw ords. Th e 1 8 hel d ou t

bravely,return ed thei r assa i lan ts’ fi r e , causing them some loss.

Massey,woke by th e soun d of t he fi r ing

,a t on ce set off to h is

m en an d directed th e at tack on th e church . Th e 1 8 were,to

a l l appearan ces,doomed . Over th e bridge , wi th the Scots n ow

on t h e a ler t,n o passage w as possi ble Un der t he fi r e that

wou ld be poured on i t n o one would l ive to wa lk th e plank .

Lamber t w as loth to leave h is m en without an effort to savethem . Th e r iver w as l ow

,th e t ide w as ou t . I t w as sa i d to be

fordable, bu t t hat th e ford w as di ffi cu l t an d dangerous,but

possible. Lambert decided i t should be risked . At th e spotbelow th e bridge

,know n n ow as Fisher’s Row

,where th e ford

w as sa id to be, Lambert ordered h is dragoon s to en ter th e r iver,

g et through a t a l l risks,an d rel ieve th e m en in t h e church .

Th e dragoon s en tered th e r iver ; floun dering about,part ly

fording,part ly swimming

,in som e w ay they go t through .

Forming up on th e Up ton bank,they charged on t h e rear of

th e Scots, w h o were at tack ing t h e church . Surprised at th isun expected and sudden charge

,th e Scots a t fi rst gave w ay, but,

r ecovering from thei r surprise,ra l l ied , and in thei r turn charged

th e d ragoon s, drove them back , kil l ing severa l m en,and many

horses. But Lambert,having foun d that i t w as possib le t o

ford t he r iver,did n o t leave h is m en un supported ; h e sen t

more horse across,so t h e Sco ts rapidly became ou t-n umbered .

Fighting fiercely,they were on ly driven away from th e church

by Lam ber t ’s superior n umbers ; but they were dr i ven back,an d such o f th e 1 8 as rema in ed were rescued.

N ot sa t isfied wi th th e rescue ,Lambert reso lved to complete

h is work . Th e Sco ts ret i red in to thei r en t ren chmen ts ; theywere to b e driven ou t . Lambert o rdered t h e en t ren chmen ts to be stormed . Aga in th e figh t w as sharp . Th e Scots

,

n ow on th e defen sive,fough t wel l

,and h ad t he fight been on

anything l ike equa l terms Lamber t would have fa i led to carryt h e works ; but to th e Sco ts n o rein forcemen ts cou ld come

,

whi le th e assa i lan ts were con stan tly in creasing in n umber.Plan ks h ad been placed over t h e arches, th e t roops cou ldn ow pass easi ly over th e bridge in to Up ton . Massey a l readyh ad h ad a horse shot .

under him,n ow fel l sorely woun ded .

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234 CIVIL WAR, 1 651 .

I n pursuan ce of these orders in th e cou rse of th e n ext day a

Parl iamen tary force some strong w as en camped on th e

west ban k of th e Severn . I ts ou tposts were pushed forward to s

t h e Old Hil ls an d n early to Powick . I ts vedet t es w ere sen tup th e Teme val ley to cu t off a l l at temp ts the Scots migh t “

make to commun i cate with Wa les o r th e west .The defeat at Upton an d th e disablemen t of Massey w as a

‘

great d iscouragemen t to th e Scots They perceived that th en et w as closing roun d them

,an d that hope w as prac t ica l ly

gon e. Massey is reputed to have sa i d,after Upton

,t hat “ h e

wished Charles w as safe in a foreign lan d .

”

Th e m a in body of th e Scots were n ow drawn in to th e .

r ight ban k o f th e Teme ; a detached picket ho ld ing P ow ick u

News w as con t in ual ly bein g received of th e arriva l of moretr0 0 ps to rein force Cromwel l w h o

,con sequen t on th is

,w as .

con stan t ly occupying fresh po in t s, to the prej udice of th e

King. Cromw el l w as jo in ed by t h e mil i t ia from Essex and '

Su ff olk,some 30 0 0 st rong ; even Worcestershire m en

,w h o h ad

refused to r ise for t h e Scots,were n ow r ising for t h e P ar

l iam en t .

Cromw el l h ad thus carr ied ou t th e secon d part of t he planth e Scots w ere cu t off from Wales

,the i r righ t flan k cou ld be

tu rn ed. H e h ad n ow to beg in th e th ird and most d iffi cu ltpar t , to en close th e Scotch army

,efface it

,or destroy i t . To

do t his certa in preparat ion s were n ecessary . These Cromwel ln ow proceeded to make .

I t is a ma tter of in terest , i f i t could be ascerta in ed,to kn ow

w ho w as th e rea l au thor of th e plan of t he Worcester opera ~

t ion s. It is a lways assumed to have been Cromw el l,bu t th is.

is doubtfu l,for i t must have been prepared in Lon don an d th e

in st ruct ion s to carry i t ou t sen t dow n to Cromw el l , as i t is '

clear that th e broad l in es o f th e plan h ad been a l l arrangedbefore Cromwel l arrived a t Evesham . On Augu st

‘

2 7th , the'

day Cromwel l reached tha t p lace,th e Coun ci l of State wrote

to a l l th e mili t ia authori t ies a letter as to dea l ing withpurveyors of fa lse n ews

,in which this passage occurs

Our army being n ow come to a con j un c t ion , and able to divide an d a t tackthe enemy on both sides of the Severn .

”

This w as before Lambert h ad attacked Upton ,and must

have been wr i tten before Cromwel l h ad a rr ived in th e Coun ty ,so th e i dea of sen ding a force across th e r iver w as apparen t lysett led before Cromwel l’s appearan ce .

The Coun c i l o f State wrote to Gen era l B lake“ The Scots’ army is in or abou t Worcester, most of them in the tow n every .

n igh t . The Lord Genera l is before the tow n ea st of the Severn ,a nd

F leetw ood w est . There is a bridge of boa ts preparing above the con fluen ce .

of the Teme and Severn . When ready th is w i l l be a l ine of commun i ca t ionbetw een the tw o arm ies

,and w e sha l l speed i ly force them to figh t , or starve,

or r un i f they can break through the la t ter w i l l be most l ikely. There ar e

CIV I L W AR , 1 651 . 235

“ forces in a l l the passes i f they sl ip aw ay before w e have ful ly invested thetow n . The Coun t ies have risen readi ly aga in st them ,

and few come to them .

and those genera l ly t he scum of the people. They a re in grea t w an t ,

espec ia l ly of ammun i t ion . W e expec t a speedy end , bu t you sha l l know a l l

tha t happens.

”

Th is shew s that th e plan of th e Parl iamen t w as to drive th eScots from th e west of th e Severn in to Worcester. Un ite th e

tw o wings of th e Parl iamen t force,as h ad been don e in th e

former siege by a bridge of boats,Cromwel l exten din g h is righ t

from E lbu ry Hill to Bar bou rn e an d P i tch croft , Fleetwoodoccupying Henwick an d jo in in g Cromwel l ’s force on P i tch cr oft

,

whi le th e bridge o f boats over t h e Severn , n ear Teme’

s mou th,

w ould un ite Lamber t an d Cromw el l,and so complete th e

in vestmen t . If th is could have been carried ou t th e ci tywould have been completely surroun ded

,an d

,as th e let ter

says, th e Scots must have starved or broken through . Thisseems to have been th e origin a l p lan

,b u t th e bat t le, as i t

developed,made materia l a lterat ion s in i t ; in fact

,i ts result

w as n ot part of th e plan la i d down,b u t th e consequen ce

of Cromwel l taking advan tage o f h is opportun it ies. This isfurther born e ou t by an o ther letter from t he Coun ci l of

State to Monk,dated 2 n d September

,th e day before th e

ba tt leThe Scot t ish K ing ’s army w ith the ir K ing is now in Worcester, the LordGenera l w ith h is army on th is side of the ri ver, and L ieu t .

-Genera l F leetw oodw ith another army on the other si de of the river, ready to march from Upton(w h i ch bridge w e have) tow ards the enemy . The Coun t ies in genera l havecome in w i th very grea t cheerfu lness and a lacri ty, and in grea t n umbers, so

“tha t the a ffa irs of the Commonw ea l th here a r e in good condi tion , both as to

“ the n umber of m en and a s to their read in ess a nd a ffec t ion to the w ork inhand , and w e hope to have a very good issue of i t speedi ly .

”

Th e same day th e Coun c i l of State wrote to the Mil i t iaCommission ers in Yorkshire

The ma in w ork w e have n ow in hand is to destroy their army abou tW orcester, w h ich ou r army w a i ts to do . A few days w i l l pu t t hem to a

necessity ei ther to figh t or fly, and the la t ter is most l ikely. The army w i l lu se a l l possib le care to preven t i t , and therefore have ordered forces w i th th egreatest advan tage they can yet because none know w h i ch w ay the Sco tsw i l l take w hen they have en tered upon tha t course, there w i l l be need ofmany forces in severa l p laces.

”

From these let ters and in struction s i t seems fa i r ly clear tha tth e “ gen era l idea ”

w as to surroun d Worcester,shu t in th e

Scots and starve them ou t,whi le such st ragglers as escaped

wou ld be in tercepted and dea lt with .

On th e 2 9th August th e Coun ci l of State wrote to th e LordGen eral

,desi ring him

to sen d a comm ission of mart ia l l aw in to Scot lan d for the tria l of such ash ad a ssisted Charles S tew art , some of w hom w ere then in restra in t , and incase the C i ty of Worcester, or any of i ts in habi tan ts w ho had been inst r u

“ men ta l in betraying of it to Charles S tew art , fa l l in to your hands, youshou ld proceed w i th their tria l a ccording to law .

286 C I V I L W AR, 1 651 .

O n the same day on e JamesW aynw r igh t wrote to h i s frien din Hamburgh

The K ing h as got to Worcester w i th h is army , some say very strong. He

ha th fort ified Worcester, and en tren ched a t Upton ,w ith in eight mi les“

There, some say, he w i l l choose w hether he w i l l figh t . The Lord Genera lis abou t Worcester, I th ink a bou t horse and foot . Some say the

K in g has or a bove. i t m ay prove a w in ter w a r . As they do l ie, w esha l l be pu t soon a t it . The n ext w eek w i l l scarce tel l u s any th ing , beinga l l ou r o ld so l d iers a r e w eary except ou r fresh m en , w h i ch is not to be con

fided in .

”

Mr. W ayn w r igh t h ad n ot th e gift o f prophecy . Whi le h ew as wri t ing Lambert w as taking Up ton ,

and so fa r from th e

Scots h av ing t h e chan ce of se lec t in g th e batt lefield,i t w as

a lready set t led fo r t hem . So far from a win ter w ar,in a week

i t w as a l l over .Having established h imse lf in force 0 11 t he west ban k of th e

S evern,Fleetwood w as ordered to sen d vedettes up th e Teme

v a l ley to cu t off any rein forcemen ts or suppl ies that mightpossib ly be coming to Worcester from Wa les. I t is sa idt hat

a party of Scots had moved u p in to Herefordshire, pu l led dow n tw o bridgesof the Teme, bu t being flan ked by a party of L ieu t .-Genera l F leetw ood

’

s,

supposing they in tended to march aw ay , t heyLambert w as ordered to search th e river as far dow n as

Gloucester for boats,and bring up to Teme

’s mouth a l l h e

cou ld find.

Having made these preparat ion s, Cromwel l left Evesham on

t he a8th August . I t is n ot qu ite certa in where h e passed that.n igh t . Some o f h is tr0 0 ps were quar tered at Pershore

,

b u t Cromwel l kep t th e u pper road,through Pin vin

,and

did n ot cross th e Avon . Whi le fo r th e sake o f the su bse

quen t rew ards an d hon our o f havin g shel tered the King ,i n n umerable person s cla imed that Charles slep t in t hei rhouses before th e batt le of Worcester , n on e cared t o saythey h ad sheltered th e arch t ra itor . Thu s t h e n ames of th e

.houses tha t h ad th e hon our of shel tering Cromw el l ar e n ot

recorded . There is a loca l legen d that h e slep t t h e n ight of

August a8th in th e Old Man or House a t Moor,a vil lage on

th e w ay from Evesham toWorcester . It h as this in i ts favour ,i t is 0 11 Cromwel l ’s direct l in e of march

,and h e m ust have

stayed somewhere in th e n

eighbourhood . On th e next n ight

h e slep t a ft, Mr. S’

,ymon ds at Wh ite Ladies Aston ,

a housebetween Moor and Worcester . Symon ds w as, an d h ad a lwaysbeen

,a stron g Parl iamen tarian

,an d h is house w as on th e l ine

of march .

On th e 3oth Cromwel l came to Spetchley , th e house of M r .

J ust ice Berkeley , three miles from Worcester,where h e is sa i d

t o h ave establ ished h imse l f during th e subsequen t operat ions.

\Vh ite lock, 482 .

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238 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

surprise.That they might kn ow thei r ow n m en in the dark

n ess they agreed that they should wear thei r shirts over thei rbreast and back p ieces. Th e who le busin ess seems to have

'

been ski lfu lly arranged,an d i t deserved to succeed

,but there

w as in th e loya l c ity on e Guise,w h o combin ed th e vocat ion s o f

tai lor an d spy. He,hearin g of th e in ten ded sort ie

,took a fu l l

report to t h e Parl iamen tarian s,wi th t he result that they were

o n th e alert . So,0 11 th e sor tie being made

,instead of th e

Scots surprising th e Parl iamen tarian s they were themselvessurprised by th e vigour of t h e resistan ce. Th e Scots w h o

reached th e outpost were un able to do anything bu t retrea t .They were repu lsed wi th some loss, 1 1 dead bodies bein gfoun d in th e Kempsey Road n ext day. N or did th e sort iethat w as made on Red Hill

“

fare any bet ter . Led by on e M ajo rKnox , they came up fearlessly to th e a ttack . They were m et

by Fa i rfax ’

s regimen t,an d were rather staggered by fin ding

t hese m en ready to receive them . Kn ox , how ever , urgedthem on very bo ldly. I n bringin g them up to th e chargeh e h ad to get over a hedge. He leap t across i t an d lan dedon a stan d of pikes

,an d so lost h is l ife in a vapour .” Seeing

thei r leader fa l len th e Scots gave w ay, an d,though making a

gal lan t st ruggle,were driven back in to thei r l in es with con

sider ab l e loss. Th e fa i lu re of t h e sort ie w as du e to Guise’

s

t reachery. He w as a t on ce arrested an d hung .

This fa i lure discouraged th e Scots. N o further sort ie w as

a ttempted .

Meanwhi le,rein forcemen ts kept comin g in to swel l

C romwel l ’s force. Some were very en thusiast ic ; some pla in lydesi red to be on t h e win n in g side. Of this last were th e

Surrey Mil i t ia,comman ded by Sir Richard On slow, whose

gran dson gives th is accoun t of Sir Richard’s proceedings :“ I t is true S ir Ri chard On slow w as again Colonel of the Surrey Regimen t

“ in t he year 1 651 , and w a s ordered to j oin Cromw el l a t Worcester,bu t h e

had n o good-w i l l tow ards th e service, a nd did n o t come u p to the army t i l la fter the figh t , w h i ch Cromw el l impu ted to h is n ot being hearty in the cause,

an d sa id , i n a passion‘th a t he shou ld be one t ime or another even w i th

tha t fox of Surrey ; though Wh i telock , in h is Memoria l ,’

says he marchedhard to come u p to the en gagemen t . Yet , by a paper in h is ow n handw ri t ing , among the C larendon Papers, i t appears he w as pu t upon the

servi ce to t ry h im and ruin h im , and t ha t he hovered abou t w i th h is

regimen t u n t i l the ba t t le w as over, and tha t Cromw el l sa id a fter, in t h e

House of Common s, i f he h ad come up before the figh t i t w ou ld have beenun certa in w h i ch si de he w ould have taken .

Th e passage in W h itel'

ocketLis

“ The Regimen t of Surrey , under Sir Richard Onslow , and the troops“ under Capta in Wa lt er St . John , marched hard to come up to the engage“‘ men t .

Whatever th e views of the rein forcemen ts m ay have been

X I V. Rep. H ist. MSS. Com .,App. 9, p. 476. f p. 484.

CI V I L WAR, 1 651 . 239

t h e con t in uous arriva l , day by day, of more and more troopsfor th e Parl iamen t

,served to rouse t hei r con fiden ce

,whi le th e

Scots set t led dow n to a dogged despon den cy.

After four days’ hard work Cromwel l’

s bridges w ere fin ished,

ready for t he passage of troops, so h e w as n ow in a posit iont o begin th e thi rd par t o f h is w ork : to dri ve across th e Severnth e r ight wing o f th e Sco ts in to Worcester . Cromwel l didn ot delay. On Sep tember and t he bridges w ere fin ished ; h egave orders the same day that th e a ttack should be made on

t h e n ext,and made on the righ t of th e Scots’ posi t ion . N o

o rders were given for any movemen t elsewhere.

To carry ou t these orders,Fleetwood ordered Lambert an d

Dean e,whose division s were on th e west bank o f th e Severn

,

t o occupy Pow ick,drive the Scots across th e Teme. Deane

w as to carry th e bridge at Powick,Lambert to cross by th e

bridge o f boats a t Teme’

s mou th,an d then

,pressing on t h e

a t tack aga in st t h e Scots, force them ou t of W ick,through St .

J ohn’s,across th e Severn in to Worcester. To keep th e Scots

engaged while this movemen t w as carr ied ou t,th e gun s on

Red Hil l an d Perry Wood were to fi re on th e ci ty,th e l in es

,

and th e Fo r t Roya l .The Scots’ righ t

,which h ad to meet th e attack of

Fleetwood,w as comman ded by Mon tgomery . I t consisted of

Kei th ’

s brigade,w ho held Pow ick Bridge ; P iscot ty

’s High

lan ders, w h o were stat ion ed n ear Teme’s m outh , opposite th e

bridge of boats over th e Teme ; wi th D a l z iel’

s brigade in

r eserve placed in W ickfield,on th e h igh groun d overlooking

th e p laces where Keith an d P iscot ty were stat ion ed,and on

th e spo t where,in 1 642 , Rupert h ad defeated Fien n es.

On th e east of th e Severn t h e Duke of Hamilton w as in

comman d a t th e Fort Roya l,where th e ma in body of the Scots

w as placed . On th e Cast le Moun d Lord Ro thes h ad a stron gdetachmen t

,whi le th e who le of th e SM Hi s

-é,un der Lesl ie, l

’

were draw n up on P itch cr oft,wel l ou t of th e w ay of any

fighting,but in a posi t ion w here they cou ld b e sen t to support

e ither th e r ight or th e cen t re, as might be required .

Lambert an d Dean began their march from Upton early inth e morn ing of th e 3r d to Powick . They w ere supported byGoff and Gibbon s

,but there were various delays ; i t w as

about n oon when they reached Pow ick an d came in touchwi th thES Eb tch outposts

,w h o fel l back from hedge to hedge.

Th e fi rst stan d w as made in th e churchyard. Here a sharpfight took place

,th e Scotch en deavouring to ho ld i t while t h e

rest of thei r detachmen t made thei r w ay to th e bridge. Th e

church tower sti l l shews th e marks of th e b u l lets fi red byDean ’

s sold iers. Dean ’

s superior force caused th e Scotch to

gradua lly ret i re from th e churchyard towards th e bridge u ponKei th ’

s brigade.

240 CIVIL ‘W AR, 1 651 .

Having carried Powick , Dean proceeded to t ry to carry th ebridge. Here th e rea l struggle began . Keith h ad been orderedto ho ld th e bridge to ext remity

,an d h e did so successfu lly

repulsi ng in tu rn th e repeated a t tacks that Dean ’s m en made

aga i n st h im,Dean w as therefo re n ot able to make any w ay.

Lambert w as posted n ear Teme’s mou th . Crossing th e

bridge of boats over the Teme,h e attacked th e Highlan ders

,

w h o were di aw n up in read in ess to receive h im . As Lambert ’3m en came across t h e r iver th e High lan ders drove them back .

Lambert w as n o more successfu l than Dean ; at n ei ther po in tcould th e Parliamen t forces make any w ay.

On th e firin g begin n ing Charles an d h is staff h ad ascendedth e Cathedra l tower to w at ch th e movemen ts of the t roops.

H is offi cers soon saw what w as th e objec t o f Cromwel l ’s moveaga in st t hei r righ t , an d that i t w as of vital importan ce to

preven t the righ t bei ng crushed. Char les,therefore

,rode off

a t speed to Pow i ck to en courage t h e Scots in thei r defen ce.

On arriving a t Pow i ck Bridge h e urged Kei th to hold i t to th elast

,an d received t h e assuran ce that h e w ou ld do so .

F or some un expla in ed reason Charles did n o t go down to

P isco t ty’s Highlan ders

,on whom th e stress of t h e fight h ad

fa l len an d w as to fal l . They w ere th e on ly part o f t h e forceh e d id n ot v isi t . Before ret urn ing to Worcester h e wen tto D al z iel

’s m en on th e high groun d in VVickfield and begged

th em to stan d fi rm an d fight to th e en d .

Lambert ren ewed h is at tacks on th e Highlan ders in grea teran d greater force , t rying to drive them back on to W orcester

,

w h ich,i f h e cou ld do

,Kei th wou ld be forced to ret i re

,as h e

m ust ei ther retreat or b e cu t off ; and i f Dean forced th e

bridge a t Powick th e same resu lt wou ld be brough t abou tas to P iscot ty. B u t al though both at tacks were made in force

,

an d wi th desperate daring , they did n ot succeed ; both Kei than d P iscot ty were able t o hold thei r groun d.

Things were becoming ser ious for Fleetwood . I t h ad n ow

a l l th e appearan ce that t he at tack wou ld fa i l,and that th e

r igh t wing of the Scots cou ld n ot be driven in to Worcester,so

a l l th e plan s to shu t up th e Scots would be useless. Cromw el lperceived that th e crisis of th e fight h ad come. W ithou t some

help Fleetwood wou ld have to retreat,and even wi th help th e

resu l t w as doubtfu l ; for i f Cromwel l too seriously weakenedh is cen t re an d righ t th e Roya l ists might sal ly ou t and drive h is.

m en from Red Hil l . B u t Cromwel l ’s superiori ty in n umbersw as so great , an d th e crisis so serious

,that h e determined to

risk everything an d detached a large force to F leetw ood ’s h elp .

To en sure th e movemen t being properly carried ou t h e l ed'

th e m en himself to at tack P iscot ty’s flank

,ordering Lamber t to

bring up more m en an d ren ew th e attack on th e H ighlan dersin fron t . Cromwel l marched three brigades over th e bridge of

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CIVIL W AR, 1 651 . 243’

boats across the Sever n,formed

'

them up on the w est bank,

ordered th em to br ing their r ight shou lder forward ,and led

them ‘ on to charge the left flank of the H igh landers,Lambert

at tack ing in front . The H ighlanders fought we l l,assau lted by “

an overpow er ing force in front , assa i led by a fresh force onthe ir flank

,they stood fi rm unt i l a t last ou t-numbered and ou t

manoeuvred,they began to give ground . Fleetw ood and Crom

we l l pressed them harder and harder,st i l l the Scots stood and

fought,obey ing the ir orders to fight to extremity. N o re in

forcements e i ther from Dalz ie l or Lesl ie came to them,bu t

fresh troops were con t inua lly advancing to help Lambert andCromwe l l . The we ight of numbers to ld a t last . Fight ing everyinch

,the Scots were gradua l ly dr iven back ; Montgomery fe l l ,

desperately wounded,there was no one to take h is place . The

re treat began to get d isorderly as Lambert pressed the Scot s'

harder and harder. It was soon to become a rou t , asCromwe l lhad foreseen

,P isco t ty,

be ing dr iven back toward s Worcester,

had isolated Ke i th’ s b r igade. Dean ’s repeated at tacks on i t nowh ad the ir reward . Ke i th was taken pr isone r

,h is men

,see ing

or be l ieving they were cu t off and l ikely to be surrounded,

gave way . Dean then carried Powick Br idge , d rove the Scotsback on to the rema ins of P iscot ty

’s H igh landers and D a l z iel ’s

reserves . Th is increased the confus ion . The jo int pressure ofLambert and Dean converted the retrea t from be ing disorderly into a rou t

,wh ich Dalz iel was unab le to check . Th e

Scots fled into S t . John ’ s in great di sorder. Here Da lz ie lt r ied to ra l ly them

,bu t fa i led . W ith Lambert ’s and Dean ’s

t roops a t the ir hee ls they made the best of the ir w ay he lterske l ter into Worcester.So at last

,after a hard struggle

,the th ird part of the work

had been done,the r ight flank of the Scot s was turned and

apparent ly Cromwel l had fin ished h i s day ’s work . To preventany re inforcements coming from Wales

,or any escape of the

Scots there,he a t once ordered Major Me r cer

,with a t roop of

horse,to advance up the west bank of the r iver

,se ize Bewdley

,

and guard the br i dge. Cromwe l l afterward s wrote to Parl iam en t

“ I be l ieve the force tha t lay , through P rovidence, a t Bewdley, were in acond i t ion to in tercep t the fly ing enemy .

B u t Cromwe l l’ s work for the day was not nearly over . Itseems fa irly clear he did no t mean to do any more than he h addone so effectual ly . He had on ly n ow to jo in h i s force a tHenw ick w ith that at B lbu ry H i l l by another br idge of boatsand the Scot s were in a trap . He

,how ever

,was not an x ious

to close i t ; he was no t to have th e opportun ity of do ing so .

When t he stress of the fight was apparent to Charles ’ officers a tWorcester

,they fel t that someth ing shou ld be done to re l ieve

Montgomery,and re lax the pressure tha t was overw helming

244 C IVIL WAR , 1 651 .

h im . The obviou s course was that Lesl ie ’s h orse,the

who le Scotch cavalry,or some part of them

,sh ou ld go to h i s

r el ief. They were d rawn up close to th e br idge a t Worcesterand cou ld have advanced w ithou t difli cu l ty, bu t a lthougho rdered to do so they refused to move . Why

,i t i s difli cu l t to

say . I t m ay have been the resu l t of the quarre l between theScotch Generals . It may have been tha t Lesl ie was r ight .W hen speak ing of h i s h orse he sa id that ,

“ wel l as they lookthey w i l l not fight .” Whatever i t was they rema ined stat ionaryon P itch cr oft

,an d a l lowed Montgomery t o be overwhe lmed

w i th in a mile of them . w ithou t an effort to save h im . Had tha teff ort been made the resu l t of the bat t le wou ld probab ly havebeen difler en t .As Lesl ie wou ld not move

,Charles ’ staff con s idered wha t

e lse cou ld be done. They reso lved , and r ight ly , that ana t tack on the Parl iament cent re

,wh ich Cromwel l had so

ser iously weakened by go ing to Lambert ’ s he lp , wou ld preventany more men be ing sent to support Cromwe l l , and mightr e lax the pressure on Montgomery , wh i le , i f i t succeeded , theParl iament army wou ld be in great danger . It was reso lvedto make the at tack .

Co l lect ing al l h is ava i lab le force,Charles marched ou t of the

c ity,through the Sidbury Gate, u p the London Road , over

t h e new l ines of the P or t Roya l aga inst the Parl iament centreon Red H i ll

,wh i le the Duke of Hamilton led a co lumn of h i s

ow n regiment to the left , u p a lane to Perry Wood . Th e l anewas l ined w ith mu ske teers and a body of horse were in th efi el d a t the end , bu t Hamilton and h i s men ru shed the lane ,d r ove off the h orse

,charged home to the Parl iament guns

i n Perry Wood and captured them . The other co lum na t tack ing Red H i l l was l ikew ise successfu l

,and d rove back

the Parl iament troops,forc ing them to ret ire to the top of the

h il l. There was now a genera l retreat of the Parl iament l ine,

and if the attack cou ld have been pushed home the Parl iamentt roop s wou ld have been routed. Once more

,i f instead

lo f stand ing on P i tch cr o ft do ing noth ing,Lesl ie's horse had

charged , the daw n . Bu t there was no support,the

Parl iament troop s,no t be ing pressed

,began to ra lly

,and

th e Parl iament men,finding they were in great ly super ior

force,stayed the i r retreat . A pause came over the fight ing

ow ing to the Scots not press ing home the ir success . Word wasb rought to Cromwe l l of wha t was tak ing place . He saw thedanger and the necess i ty o f at once avert ing i t. Leaving Flee twood to dea l w ith the r ight w ing

,he ordered the brigades he

l h ad brought over the Severn at once as rapidly as poss ib le tor e-cross. Gal loping back to h i s broken centre

,he r e-formed

h is men,order ing them to stand up to the Scots. H i s

a rr ival stopped any i dea of retreat,inspir ing h is men w i th

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2 46 C IVIL WAR , 1 651 .

to ra lly h is men for a final charge,bu t that mob ne i ther wou ld

ral ly or cou ld be ral l ied . I t was even a more hopeless taskthan that u ndertak en by h is father at N aseby , or h is greatnephew a t Cu lloden . Riding down on the fugi t ives wereCromwel l ’s h or sem en

,. pr essin g in

,stern

,relent less

.smit ing

h ip and th igh,shew ing no mercy to the ch i ldren of Amalek .

The danger had been so grea t that now the chance had comethey were determined to do the Lord ’s work thorough ly andto the end .

Press ing on,they nearly a l tered the whole course of Engl ish

h istory . Charles st i l l t ry ing,vain ly try ing

,to ral ly the Scots

'

to induce them to show a front to the enemy,was at the

entrance to the Commandery , before the Sidbu ry Gate . One ofC romwel l ’s t roopers recogn ised the man of Be l ial

,rode a t h im

,

and wou ld have cu t h im down , had notW i l l iam Bagna l l , aWorcester ci t izen

,so runs the legend

,se ized the br id le of the

leaders of a team of oxen attached to an ammun i t ion waggon,

wh ich had stopped there through one of the whee lers ofthe team be ing k i l led

,and draw ing them across the road em

a b led Charles to s l ip through the narrow space between theentrance to the Commandery

,the ci ty wal ls , and the team ,

a space too narrow for the t rooper to to l low,and so to escape .

Bagnal l always afterwards boasted tha t he had saved the K ing.

Poss ib ly i t was the worst th ing he could have done,for i f

the K ing had died a t the Sidbury Gate,happy in the occa

s ion of h i s death,

” Charles II . wou ld have been the favou r iteh ero of Engl i sh h istory .

I f th is was no t enough to sat isfy Charl es tha t al l wa slost

,when he go t ins ide the ga te a lmost the fi rst s ight

t hat he saw was the remains of h is cavalry flee ing downL i ch Street . Th e Ear l of C leve land

,Sir James Hamilton

,

Co lone l Wogan,Co lone l Carel ess

,Peter B lount

,and other s

had ral l ied these t roopers in the H igh Stree t for anothercharge , bu t were taken in the rear by F l eetw ood

’s men

,

who,h aving carried the br idge

,poured into Worcester up

Broad Stree t,fo l low ing up the beaten fug i t ives from W ick

and St . John’ s. To the i r e terna l d isgrace,th is was done under

the eye s of Lesl ie’s horse,wh i lst they refused to move

,bu t

a t length,see ing that a l l was lost

,they wheeled abou t and

m ade off for Scot land. It was almost poet i c j ust i ce tha t th isforce

,wh i ch tw i ce on that day might have changed the

fortunes of th e batt le,

“

bu t e i ther from coward ice or ca lcu lat ionof chances refused to fight

,were never dest ined to see Scot land .

In one way or another they were k i lled or taken a lmost to aman .

Ch ar les m ade'

for h is quarters in the Corn Marke t. As’

h e

d id so Fleetw ood ’s troopers; coming up the B road S t ree t anddown M ea lch eapen Street , got into the Scots

’ rear an d so cu t

CIVIL WAR, 1 651 . 247v

1”

o ff any chance of escape. The For egate (the north gate) hadbeen bu il t up

,Sidbury (the sou th gate) was in the hands of

Cromwe l l’ s t roopers,the Br idge Gate (the west gate) in those

o f F leetw ood’s,Fr iar’ s Gate (on the east) led into the l ines

where the victor iou s Parl iament troops were celebrat ing the irt r iumph . The on ly possib le ex i t was S t . Mart in ’s Ga te .

Fortunately for Charles it adjo ined h is quarters . W i lmot leda horse to the back door next St . Mart in’ s Gate ; Colone lCorbet t w i th h is troopers came into the house a t the frontdoor of Charles’ quarters

,and he was ab le , bu t on ly j ust able ,

t o sl ip ou t at the back door , mount h is horse , pass throughS t . Mart in’ s Gate , along a lane to Barbou r n e Bridge , whereh e -ga ined the north road a t the po int where i t divides intothe roads to K idderminster and D ro itw ich .

A l l was n ow over . The on ly po int where there remainedany res istance was the Castle Mound, near the Sidbury Gate .

H ere Lord Rothes,Sir W i l l iam Hammond

,and Co lone l

D rummond defended themselves aga inst repeated attacks.Th is they did so long and so brave ly that Cromwel l offeredt hem terms to surrender

,wh ich they accepted .

So ended the Bat t le ofWorcester,and the th ird part of the

t ask Cromwel l had been set to do,a l though possib ly not

fin ished as he had intended it shou ld be . By se iz ing ther ight moment to at tack the Scot s’ centre , he turned wha tpromised to have been a defeat into a victory

,greater than

even the most sangu ine cou ld have expected . It was moret han a victory

,i t was an ann ih i la t ion . The Scot s ’ army no

l onger existed . Ou t of the men of wh ich on thatm orn ing i t had been composed

, 30 0 0 were ly ing dead e ither atW ick or the Sidbury Gate

,1 0 0 0 0 were pri soners

,and the

rema in ing 2 0 0 0 were scat tered fugi t ives , helpless wanderers .As the Counci l of State wrote to the M i l i t ia Commi ss ionerso f the different Count ies :

“ I t i s p robab le that such a s can scatte r homewa rd s w i l l endeavour to do soUse your bes t endeavours to gather them up . ”

The number of wounded was enormous ; of the ofli cer s‘ nearly every on e of no te . Among the officers who were'prisoners were General s Massey

,M iddleton

,Montgomery,

P iscot ty, and Ke ith,Si r A lexander Forbes

,Lord s Kel ly

,

'Car nw ar th,S t. C lare

,Grand ison

,the K ing’s Secretary

(Fanshaw) , six co lonels of horse , th irteen of foot ; n ine l ieu t .co lonel s of horse

,eight of foot ; s ix majors of horse , th irteen of

foot ; e ighty seven capta ins of horse , and seventy-two of foot .Th e o thers of minor rank were too numerou s to ment ion .

Among the t roph ies were t h e banner “wh ich Scot land’ s RoyalS cu tcheon bore

,

” the K ing’

s S.S . co llar,h i s coach and horses

,

a l l h i s art i l lery,1 58 co lours, and the arms, ammun i t ion , and

s tores of the army .

248 CIV IL W AR, 1 651 .

G lorying in the ir shame,to th is day the C ity of Worcester

exh ib i t in the ir Gu i ldhal l a cannon,certa in head

,front

,and"

back p ieces,wh ich they say K ing Char les left them after the

batt le.Th e wounded so ld iers were beyond count . Poss ibly the

number w i l l be best appreciated from the fac t tha t for years afterthe Restorat ion

,whenever appl icat ion was made by a pauper for

re l ief to the Court of Q uarter Sess ions he invar iab ly stated ,a lmost as a common form

,tha t he had been wounded a t Wor

oester . If the par ish registers of th e County are carefu l lysearched entr ies of the bu r ial w i l l be found of many a woundedso ldier who

,after the fight

,h ad wandered there to die . On e

instance may be given . In 1 90 2 , a t H imb leton , a ske leton wasfound in a very shallow grave in the ch urchyard , and w ith i t adecayed leather purse fu l l of “ bawbees

,

” a number of Scotchand a few French farth ings

,obviou sly the rema ins of a Scot

so ld ier who had strayed there after Worcester and died .

The victors were merciless,and did not spare to u se that

sword‘i‘ tha t wa s forged a t Long M arston , tempered a t Na seby, we lded at D rogheda ,ground a t Dunbar , and wa s now po l ished a t Worce ster ,

”

V i ctory a lways brought ou t the worst s ide of the Pur itancharacter . They did no t want to be gu i lty of the s in of Sau lin spar ing the Am al ak ites, and they were no t . The victorscons isted largely of local m il it ia men

,who were fu l l of zea l for

the Lord . Three thou sand mil i t ia had come from E ssex andSuffo lk. These were the men who when the bat t le hungin the ba lance

,had

,in spi te of every diffi cu l ty

,done th e

Lord ’s work and carr ied the For t Roya l. They shewed the irgrat i tude by a free u se of the ir swords. There were othermil it ia r egiments— Chesh ire

,S taff ordsh ire

,Le icestersh ire

,

Warw icksh ire— who had come to ass ist and had ass isted,an d

w h o,when they thereafter boasted they had been a tWorcester ,

were u nw i l l ing to render them selves open to the reproachthat they had u sed the sword in va in and had been slack inthe work . For some t ime the Scot s had been he ld overEngland as a terror

,wh ich she might expect for her s in .

Th e terror had come and shou ld never come aga in . It was adu ty to make Scotch invas ions imposs ib le for the fu ture .

Th is was cons idered to be t rue mercy,and the tender mercies

of the Pur i tans were crue l .There are var iou s accounts of the bat tle wh i ch are of in

ter est,given by those who e i ther took part in i t or were on.

the spot . First are two despatches on the part of the Parl iam en t . The one wr i t ten by Stap leton i s dated Sep tember

3rd , 1 651 , the day of the batt le. l

Woodstock f Wh i te lock , 482

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"

250 CIV IL W AR, 1 651 .

fly ing enemy. I hear they have tak en con s iderab le numbe r of p r i son ers ,and a re very c lo se in the pursu i t . I ndeed , I hear the coun try r ise th upon

“ them everywhe re , and I be l ieve the force s that lay, th rough P roviden ce , a tBewdley, and in Sh ropsh ire and S taffordsh i re , and those w i th Co lon e lLi l l bu r n

,we re in a condi t ion , a s i f th i s had been foreseen , to inte rcep t wha t

shou l d re turn .

“ A more part icu la r accoun t than th i s w i l l be p repared fo r you a s we a reab le . I hea rd they h ad not m any more than 1 0 0 0 hor se in the i r body tha t

“ fled , and I bel ieve we h ave nea r 40 0 0 forces fo l low ing and in terpos ingbe tween them and home . The i r army was about 1 60 00 s trong

,and fough t

our s on Worceste r s ide of Seve rn a lmos t w i th the i r whole , wh i l st we h ad engaged ha l f our a rmy on the o ther s ide bu t w i th part ie s o f the i rs . I ndeed

,i t

wa s a st i ff bu s in ess , ye t I do n o t th ink we have los t 2 0 0 men . You r newra ised fo rces did perfo rm s ingu lar good serv ice

,for wh i ch they deserve a

“ very h igh e st ima t ion a n d a cknow ledgmen t,a s a l so fo r the i r w i l l ingne ss

the reun to . Fo r as much a s the same ha s added so much to th e reputa t ionof you r a ffa i rs

,they are a l l despatched home aga in , wh i ch I hope w i l l be

much to the ea se and sa t i sfa c t ion of the Coun try,wh i ch i s a great fru i t of the

succe sse s . The dimens ion s o f th i s me rcy are above my thought s ; i t i s , fo rough t I know , a crown ing me rcy . Sure ly

,i f i t be not

,such a on e we sha l l

have i f th i s p rovoke tho se tha t are conce rned i n i t to thankfu ln ess, and thePa r l iamen t to do the w i l l of H im who ha th don e H i s w i l l fo r i t and for thenat ion

,and whose good p leasu re i s to e stab l i sh the nat ion and the change of

the Gov e rnmen t by mak ing the peop le so w i l l ing to the defence thereof, andso s ign a l ly to b less the endeavours of you r servan ts in th i s late grea t work .

I am bo l d hum bly to beg tha t a l l thought s may tend to the p romo t ing o fH i s honour

,Who ha th w rough t so grea t sa lvat ion

,and tha t the fa tne ss of

these con t inued merc ie s may no t occa s ion p r id e and wan tonn ess a s former lythe l ike h ath don e to a chosen peop le bu t that the fea r of the Lo rd

,even

“ for H i s merc ies , m ay keep an author i ty and a peop le so p ro spered andb le ssed

,and w i tnessed to

,humb le and fa i th fu l , tha t j u st i ce and r ighteou s

ness , mercy and truth , m ay flow from you a s a thankfu l return to ou rglo r iou s God . Th i s sha l l be the p rayer of

“ S i r ,You r most humb le and obed ien t servan t ,

Worce ster,Sep tember 4th , 1 651 . O . Cromwe l l .”

On the rece ip t of t h is de spatch the Parl iament ordered athanksgiving day

,and tha t the letter of the Genera l shou ld be

read by the min isters in the chu rches . A proclamat ion wasi ssued for apprehending the K ing

,and a reward o f £ 1 0 0 0

promi sed to anyone that did i t . iL Charles i s descr ibed as

A ta l l man,about two ya rds h igh , h i s ha i r a deep brown , near to b lack , and

ha s been cut off s in ce t he de s truction of h i s a rmy a t Worcester , so that 1 t 1s

no t ve ry long

N i cho las Lechm er e,in h i s d iary

,says :

I t ha s p lea sed God to give a tota l ove rth row to th i s Sco tt i sh a rmy. Thebatt le began on the we st of the c i ty in those very fie lds where my bro ther-inlaw

,Co l one l Sandys

,i n 1 642 , fough t w i th Pr ince Rupert and rece ived

wound s whereof he died , bu t wa s ended an d wa s sha rpes t on the east s ide .The morn ing the ba t t le w as fought the Genera l made a br idge over th er iver of Seve rn

,a l i tt le above Teme ’ s mouth

,whereby he pa ssed over h i s

a rmy from s ide to side na s he saw occas ion ; The ba t t le began about ‘ on e of“ the c lock and las ted t i l l n ight . I was p resen t a t i t in pu rsu i t of the v i ctory.The c i ty of Wo rcester wa s taken by storm and a l l the wea l th in i t becamebooty to the sol d ie rs. ”

\Vh i telock , 483. 1 Wh ite lock , 484.

C IVIL W AR , 1 651 . 251

The Counci l of State sent ou t the fol low ing o ffi cia l account“

t o the M i l it ia Commiss ioners of the diff eren t Count ies :I t ha s p lea sed G od to give u s a grea t vic tory aga inst the S cotch a rmy a t

W orcester yes terday. The fight wa s on bo th s ides of the town . I t begana bout 2 p .m . a nd con t inued un t i l they cou ld see no longer to p rosecute i t .The s la in a re est imated at 40 0 0 , but there a re n o t 1 0 0 of ours . The enemywere who l ly routed on both s ide s of th e town , and some of the i r hor se a refled wh ich our horse a re pursu ing , The ir grea t fort i s taken , such a s are

“ left of them are ye t in the town , in to a par t of wh ich some of our fo rceen tered yesterday n i ght . I t i s probab le tha t such a s can sca tter homeward sw i l l endeavour to do so . Use you r bes t endeavours to gath er them up . "

Another account gives a pictu re of Worcester after thebatt le

,i t i s dated oth September .

Th ings a t Worceste r are in grea t con fus ion . Lord s , kn ight s , and gen t le "men were there p lucked out

_

of ho les by the so ld iers . The commonp r isone rs they were dr iv ing in to the Cathed ra l , and wha t w i th the deadbod ies of the men and dead horses of the enemy fi l l ing the stree ts the re wa ssu ch n a st ine ss tha t a man cou ld hardly ab ide in the town . Yet the LordGene ra l h ad h i s head-quarte rs in Wo rce ste r , the wa l ls whereof he ha thordered to be pu l led down to the ground

,and the dykes fi l led up .

”

W i th regard to th is last i tem the Counci l of State ordered,

on Septem ber 1 3th ,that Major Sa lway shou l d

Repor t to the Hou se the Coun c i l ’s op i n ion th a t orders shou l d be forthw i thgiven for the speedy tak ing dow n the wa l ls of“’

or cester and the demo l i t ionof th e grea t fo r t there .”

On Sep tember l oth the Counci l of State wrote to the LordCh ief Baron Wylde :We see by yours the grea t d i l ig en ce of yourse lve s and the res t of theM i l i t ia Commi ss ioners i n tha t County and the sta te of a ffa i r s there , and

4 ‘ tha t you a re about demo l i sh ing the wa l l s of Worceste r and the res t of thework s the re

,wh i ch we de s i re may be speedi ly and effec tu a l ly done , and la i d

so fla t tha t they may no t be in a po s i t ion to be aga in made defen s i ble . We'“ doubt no t tha t the coun t ry w i l l be w i l l ing to come to the wo rk and th a tyou and the rest of the Commi s s ioners w i l l speedi ly and e ffec tua l ly fin i sh i t . ”

N o t ime was lost . On the 2 5th Sep tember the Counci l ofState wrote to the Lord Ch ief Baron and the o ther M i l i t iaCommiss ioners thank ing themFor the Care they had tak en in the a ffa irs of th e Coun ty . and pa rt i cu lar lyfor demo l i sh ing the wa l l s of Worcester . P roceed

,i t adds

,in e ffec tua l ly

comp le t ing th is

The thoroughness of the victory embarrassed the Parl iam ent . The number of pri soners was so large they d id no tk n ow what to do w i th them . O rders had been given d irect lya fter the bat t le for the M iddlesex troops to be placedOn the roads about London to app rehend su ch of the enemy who had been

“ routed and sca ttered a t Worcester , and who m igh t ende avour to en te rLondon .

”

The first d iffi cu lty was where to pu t the pr isoners . Those inWorcester were temporari ly pu t in the Cathedral

,bu t th is was

o bviou sly on ly a makesh ift . O rders wer e i ssued w i th in a fewdays of the batt le to br ing some of them up to London . Colone l

'

252 CIV IL W AR, 1 651 .

B er kstead, who was commanding in London , was ordered ort w

September othto view the a rt i l lery g round in To th i l l F ie ld s and see wha t part of thepr i soners of Worceste r m ight be kep t there

,and wha t charge wou ld be

nece ssa ry for fi tt ing i t .”

The Cou nci l of State wrote to the Commander-in -ch iqf ofthe convoy br inging up pr isoners from Worcester des iring h imto correspond w i t h Co lone l Ber kstead w i th a view to theo rderly b r inging of the pr isoners to London .

Bu t on the way up the guard escort ing the pr isoners wasvery s lender

,

” by reason thereof many had escaped, part icu lar ly Anthony Jack son

,who proclaimed Charles Stuart

K ing of England . He was, however , afterw ards arrested aga in .

There seem s to be some doub t if he was the rea l man w h o

d id th is,as the M i l i t ia Commi ttee for Hereford wrote to

the Counci l of S tate saying they had secu red the m an who ‘

had procla imed the K ing . The Counci l repl ied :We under stand by you rs tha t amongs t the pr i sone rs taken i n you r Coun tys ince the de fea t a t Wo rceste r you have secured one who proc la imed Cha r lesS tuart K ing of England , con c ern ing whom you des i re our di rec t ion . Thema t te r shou ld be thu s examined , and i f you find he d id i t

,otherw i se than

“ through fear o r by con stra in t,he i s to be p roceeded ag a ins t a cco rding to

law .

”

As soon a s the p r isoners were go t r id o f the town wasdisinfected . The C i ty records have th is entry :Pa i d fo r p itch and rosen to perfume the ha l l after the Scots .

From some of the pr isoners bond s and engagements w eretaken

,o thers were de ta ined loca lly and t r ied local ly by

mil itary courts . The Mayor of Worcester (Lysons) and theSher iff (Br idges) were , i t w as sa id

,fi t to be made an example of

j u st ice,and Cromwel l was directed to issue commiss ions to

some offi cers a t Warw ick or Cov entry for the ir t r ial . However

,subsequent orders directed that General Massey

,the

Mayor and Sher iff ofWorcester,and o ther pr i soners then in

Warwi ck Castle,shou ld be conveyed by M ajor Kn ight

'

s troopto London

,wh i ch was done .

The genera l ’s let ter concern ing such of the County,as we l l

of the qual i ty as of the meaner sort,who

,having been engaged

in the former war,did now appear in arms aga inst Parl iament

was ordered to be referred to the Counci l of State . A Comm i t tee was appo intedto con s ide r how the Engl i sh p r i soners, then a t G ower H ou se ,

’ taken a t the“ la te engagemen t a t Wo rces te r , m ight be di sposed of, a s there was no conven ience fo r keep ing them there . ”

The Commi t tee was a lso instructed to dispose of th e

pr isoners who were cap ta ins or under :At Chester

,Shrewsbu ry, S tafford , Ludlow , Worce ste r , or i n any Coun t ies

near the Severn , upon the p ropo s i t ion made to send 1 0 0 0 to Br i sto l , 1n orderto send ing them to New England .”

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254 CIVIL W AR, 1 651 .

I t i s no t clear where the o thers who fe l l were bur ied . Omthe Ham

,a t Powi ck , are two ho l lows in the ground

,wh ich

,

t radi t ion says,are t w o p its into wh ich the dead who fel l at the

batt le were placed .

On e'

bu r ia l i s recorded , that of th e Duke of Hamil ton . Hefe l l wounded

,sho t in the leg, near Perry Wood , wh i le t ry ing

to ral ly h is men when the Parl iament t roops -began to pressthem back . A fter the batt le he was carr ied down to '

theCommandery . H i s b lood was u nt i l recent years shew n on aboard in a room on the ground floor . The K ing ’s su rgeon

, .

who at tended h im,said the leg must be ampu tated . Cromwel l

sent h i s own surgeon,who sa id ampu tat ion was not necessary.

Ano the r Roy a l ist doctor sa id i t was . Wh i le they diff ered as tothe me thod of t reatment to be fo l lowed the Duke died. H i sservant appl ied to the Counci l of S tate for leave to take the bodyto Hamil ton Pa lace

,and place i t there w ith those of th e other

dukes,bu t the Counci l ordered the corp se shou ld be bur ied a t

Worcester,and now here el se ; so i t was bur ied in the Cathedral ,

w ith in the altar ra il s on the north s ide . Dur ing the r estorat ion in 1 862

,when so much was a ltered and no t replaced

,the

a ltar pavement was t aken up and the Duke ’ s body,wrap t in '

lead,was found . Even in death he was no t to rest

,for a

workman ’s pick-axe struck through the lead .

*

Parl iament were e lated,r ight ly e lated

,a t the ir victory . The

servant of the Lord Ch ief Baron Wylde i s sa id to haveb rought the fi rst news of the victory. Fo r th is he rece ived £30 .

Constant ine Hea th,a messenger , condi t ional ly rece ived £30 ,

and L ieu tenan t Aud ley £ 1 0 for bringin g the good news of thetak ing of the town of W orcester

,

“ in case i t be confirmed tomorrow .

” A bonfi re was ordered to be made a t Wh i tehal lG ate for the good news o f the i ou t in g of the enemy nearWorcester . Co lone l Ber kstead wa s ordered to take charge oft he bonfire

,and to shoot off the guns of h is regiment .

Orders were made by Parl iament“ Tha t £ 1 0 0 be given to Cap ta in Edward O rp in , a s a g ra tu i ty from Pa rl iamen t , fo r tak in g a t the figh t a t Worcester the co lours wh i ch he brought w i thh im to the bar.“ Tha t the Coun ci l of S ta te give rea sonab le gra tu i t ies to such person s a sgave in te l l igence to ou r fo rce s of the transac t ion s in Worces ter , espec ia l ly tothe l i tt le m a id men t ioned by M aj or Sa lway in h i s n a rrat ive to the H ou se .”

There does not appear to be any record of w hat i t precisely was th i s l itt le ma id d id

,bu t i t mu st have been

someth ing of cons iderab le importance,as the Counci l of State

o rdered :Tha t £ 1 40 be pa i d to such person s a s gave in te l l ig ence a t Worces ter ,whereof £1 0 0 to the l i tt le ma id , and the o ther £40 to such pe rsons a s Mr.Sa lway and Mr. S cott appo in t .

I sa w the body, and have a p iece of the lead .

CIVIL WAR , 1 651 . 255

Th e rejo ic ings were not confined to London . Th ey seem tohave been very w ide-spread.

A t Bewdley the Mayor gaveto the r ingers a t the 3 churche s a t the n ew s of the good succe ss a t Worceste r£1 1 0

At Beverley the churchwardens of St . Mary ’sPd . th e r inger s on the day of thanksgiv ing fo r the grea t v i ctory ove r theScot s at Worceste r, z os.

A t Le i cester they went further than bel l-r inging :Pa i d W i l l iam Newton fo r 1 4 gen t lemen

’ s d inners , and fo r w in e , strong bee r , ,

and tobacco a t a dinne r the re . upon the day of thank sgiving fo r the grea tv ic tory a t Worcester , £4 1 4 4.

They.

al so pa id for a quart of sack to dr ink w ith Co lone lHaskew when he came from Wo r cester fight .There are s imilar entr ies at Read ing and other places

,wh i ch

make i t clear that there w as genera l r ej o icm g ,no t a t the

defeat of the Roya l ists,but at the defea t of the Sco ts .

One reward given by the Parl iament must have grea t lyexasperated the Roya l ists It w i l l be remembered tha t theScot s ’ sort ie fa i led from the treachery of Gu ise

,a tai lor

,who

informed the Parl iament troops of the intent ion to make thesort ie. The next morn ing Gu ise was hanged A fter the batt lei t was thought r ight to make some provision for M rs . Gu i se

,

so on Thursday,Sep tembe r oth ,

i t was o rdered thatMrs . Gu i se , whose hu sband was executed by the K ing of Sco t s a t Wo rcester

“ fo r giv ing our forces in tel l igen ee of the enemies’ s i gn a l

,shou ld h ave £2 0 0

“ in money and £2 0 0 a year . Th e £2 0 0 a yea r payable out of the e sta teof Thom a s Ho r n ih ol d , a de l inquen t .

"

Unfortunately for Mrs Gu i se , Hor n ih ol d h acl on ly a l i feestate in the property

,so she w as in danger of losing her

annu ity. She therefore , in 1 654, pet it ioned Cromwel l to bea l lowed a sum ou t of the sa le of H or n ihold

'

s wood s in Han leyand Grea t Ma lvern . On th i s pet it ion an order was mad ea llow ing Mrs . Gu ise £50 0 a year from money ar is ing from thesa le of land to be discovered by Capta in N . Happer ley, afterh is quota was pai d , to be pai d in l ieu of a grant made to her

’

in Sep tember,1 651 , of £ 1 0 0 a year , on land s in Ireland , to her

and her ch i ldren , for her hu sband’

s fa ithfu lness to the State,

and in l ieu of a grant by Parl iament of £ 1 0 0 a year from theestates of persons w h o had adhered to the enemy in thebu s iness at Worcester .Mrs . Gu ise seem s to have had further secur ity. Sir John

P ak ing ton ,a de l inquent , was fined . After a t ime the sum

o f £ 1 0 0 0 was accep ted as a fu l l d ischarge for h is fin e.

Mrs.,Gu i se was successfu l in gett ing an order tha t the £ 1 0 0 0

pa id by Sir John P ak ing ton shou ld be appl ied to sat i sfy herdemand s .A t Bar bou r n e bridge Charles h ad to decide what he wou ld;

‘256 CIVIL WAR, 1 651 .

do . He says he was anx iou s to go to London . bu t h e wasd issuaded by h is fr iend s from do ing th is There were a largenumber of fugi t ives

,inc luding most of the Sco tch horse

,who

had refused to fight when wanted,and when no t wanted wou ld

inot leave the K ing . Charles had a d iff i cu l ty in shak ing themoff . They al l wen t on together through Ombersley to Hart lebury . Th ere

,where the S tourbr idge road turns off to the

rr igh t from the K idderminster road, Charles , w i th W i lmot , theDuke of Buck ingham ,

and a few o thers,left the mass o f

fugi t ives to go on to K iddermi n ster , and tu rned dow n throughC h addesley Corbett par i sh , past Hag ley and Pedmore

,to

' S tourbr idge,or as Charles says h imse lf :

“We s l ip t away ou t of the h ig h road that goes to Lan cash i re , and kep t onthe r igh t hand

,le tt ing a l l the bea ten men go a long the fron t road

So we rode th rb

oug h a town short of Wo lverhamp ton , be tw ixt that andWo rce ste r . ”

A t Stourbr idge there was a t roop of Parl iament horse , b u tt hey were n ot keeping any look ou t and Charles was ab le toge t by w ithou t caus ing an alarm . From S tou rbr idge he went-o n to K inver and there got into S taffordsh ire.It was fort unat e tha t he changed h is rou te from the ma in roadto the r ight . Those who went on to K iddermin ster were no tso lucky . Ridin g a t a rapid rate they woke up the town smenas they passed through . According to Baxter ’s account :K iddermins te r be ing but 1 1 m i le s from Worce ster the fly ing army passed ,some of them through the town and some by i t . I wa s new ly gone to bedw hen the no ise of the fly ing ho rse acqua in ted me w i th the overth row ,

and afew of one of C romw e l l ’s t roop s tha t guarded Bewd ley B r idge , hav ingt id ings of i t

,cam e in to our s tree t and s tood in the open ma rke t p lace

,befo re

my doo r,to su spr ise them that passed by . And so when m any hundred s o f

the fly ing a rmy came toge the r,when the 30 t rooper s cr ied ‘ stand and fi red

a t them,they e i the r ha sted away o r cr ied qua r ter, no t know ing in the da rk

the numbe r i t wa s tha t charged . And so a s m any were taken there a s sofew men cou l d lay ho ld on , and t i l l m idn i gh t the bu l le ts fly ing towards mydoor and w indow s

,and the so rrowfu l fugi t i ve s ha sten ing by fo r the ir l i ves

,

d id te l l m e of the ca lami tou snes s of war . ”

The u sual ly accepted vers ion,wh ich ag rees w i th Char les ’

own account,i s that he passed through S tou rbr idge , bu t a pl ace

i s shown at Wo lverley,in the del l below the bank on wh ich

Lea Cast le stand s,as the precise spot over wh i ch Charles

c rossed on h is way to K inver and Boscobe l .*

Wherever the spot w as where Charles left the County i t i sdoubtfu l i f he ever returned to i t . Bu t M r . Fea says

,1” o r

rather conjectures,tha t an inc ident on the jou rney w i th Jan e

Lane from Bent ley to Bri stol , recorded in Charles’ narra t ive o f

h i s escape,took place a t Bromsgrove. Charles says — I From

Bent leywe took our j ourn ey toward s Br i sto l

,reso l v ing to l i e a t a p lace c a l led L ong

N oake, N otes and Q uer ies for Worcester sh ire, 32 5.

1 The F l igh t of the K ing. I Boscobel Tracts, 1 45.

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258 C IVIL W AR, 1 651 .

in terms The Royal Martyr had d ied for the Ch urch of England and D ivine r ight . They wou ld not forfe i t the ir honour o rbreak the ir paro le for a cause h e had refused to accep t in h i sd irest need . Yet th is i s what the ir descendants a t the presen tday are on ly too proud to say the ir a l leged ancestors d id .

One instance wi l l sufli ce to show how family legends o f th i sk ind have grown up . Sir Rowland Berkeley

,of Cother idge

,

was a strong Cava l ier,who certa in ly helped to ho ld Worcester

for Cha r les I .,an d i s sa i d to have at tended the muster on

P i tchcr oft on August 2 6th,and have fought hard on the

grd Sep tember for Charle s II . N o account of the ba tt le i s everconsidered comple te that does not re late the story of h i s twopieba ld horses and the tr i ck he i s al leged to have played onCromwel l ’s so ld iers .

The story was started,poss ib ly invented

,by N ash

,

* and,a s

to ld by h im,i s a s fo l low s :

“ I sha l l men t ion a tr ifl ing an ecdote of the escape of my grandmother ’ s“ father

,who , a fte r the ba t t le wa s lost , me t the K ing and a coun c i l of some of

the leaders , he ld on Ba rbou r ne br idge , when they agreed every one shou ldsh i ft for h im sel f. S i r Row land Berke ley w ith speed ga l loped home toCot ter idge, but , th ink ing h e shou ld be marked by the pecu l iar i ty of a p iedho rse

,he immed iately sen t the h o rse he rode in ba tt le to a farm he had

“ a t some di s tan ce, and pu t another horse o f the same co lou r, fresh , andi n body clothe s

,p re tending h im se lf to be very i l l and unab le to go abroad .

I t wa s n ot long before a de tachmen t came to se i z e h im . On h i s p leadingh i s infirmi ty

,and that i t wa s impo s s ib le fo r h im to be a t Worcester , they

rep l ied he wa s part icu la r ly marked by a p ieba l d horse he r ode . S i r Row landsa id he had i ndeed such a horse

,bu t i f they wou ld go in to h i s stab le and

examine the horse they wou ld be convin ced that the ho r se had n o t been outtha t day

,wh i ch they d id and , be ing sat i sfied , wen t ba ck to W o rce ste r w i th

out the i r p rey,leaving S i r Row land in h i s n ight-cap and s l ippe rs , though he

was afte rwards forced to compound for h i s esta te , pay ing

The story is a pre t ty one, bu t , unfortunately for i ts credit ,the H istor i ca l M anuscr ipts Commiss ioners have pub l ished twolet ters of Sir Rowland Berkeley’s wh i ch shew h ow i t arose

,and

how u t terly false i t is.t The letters are as fo l lows :8th Sep tembe r, 1 651 .

— S i r Row land B erke ley to h i s fa ther-in-law,S i r

“ Thoma s Cave .I thank you fo r sending to inqu ire a s to our condi t ion a t th i s p lace

,wh i ch

has been of la te very t roub lesome and haz a rdou s . The storm ha s fa l lenvery heav i ly on the town of Worce s ter and 4 or 5 mile s a round , to the ru in ofve ry many famil ies . You canno t hea r too had an a ccoun t of the inhab i tan t sof Wo rcester

,a l l hou se s be ing ran sacked from top to bottom ,

the verypersons of men and women n o t excepted . Tha t the bu s iness succeeded soi l l on the K ing of Sco ts ’ s ide i s mu ch a ttr ibuted to th e coward i ce of theScott i sh horse

,who hardly s tood one charge , and to the un read ine ss of the i r

a rmy in genera l . The o ffice rs , no t a ttend ing the i r duty , cou ld not be found“ to br ing up the i r men and to send re l ie f where i t was necessa ry. The P arl iam en t a ry army p l ied the i r bus ines s w i th reserve upon reserve unt i l theyhad routed a l l the Sco tti sh forces on both s ides of the r i ve r an d dr i ven them

“ into the town,and then fel l to sto rming w i thout any reserve . The

'

figh t

began a t Pow i ck Br idge a nd i n W eike [W i ck ] fie lds , the ma in o f i t be tween

l l . Sup . , p . 89. i H ist. M SS. Com . , X. Rep . , App. 6.

CIV IL W AR, 1 651 , 259

“ Pe rry Wood and the town , and a l l those ground s be tween tha t and theD ig lesses [D ig l is] . We hea r that the Duke of H amil ton i s taken , be ingwounded in the body w i th a bu l le t , and a lso S i r James H ami l ton , w ho l ie s

“ wounded a t the C rown . You r k in sman , Lo rd Grandison , i s a pr i soner.Be ing i n grea t wan t he sen t to my w i fe to in form he r of h i s condi tion

,and

she supp l ied h im w i th {5 and some provi s ion s , the town then y ie ld ing none .The number of the s la in i s certa in ly great. On Thursday morn ing the deadbodies lay in the way from Pow i ck br idge to the town , and on the groundon e i ther s ide of i t, and in a lmost eve ry s tree t o f the town . Many l ie k i l ledin the hou se s

,in the Co l lege and Chu rch , on the Green , and in the Clo i sters ,

“ and qu i te through S i dbu ry and about a mile tha t way. When the K ingcha rged in person the sl augh ter w as very great , and the Par l iamen ta ry force

“g ave back , but fresh reserves coming in did the work . The K ing of S cot sfled northward w i th about 40 0 0 horse and H igh landers w i th h im . The Parl iam en t fo l lowed h im w ith a grea ter n umber, and were about th ree hoursbeh ind h im . I sha l l for the p resen t forbear to troub le you w i th the r e la t ionof the chance s wh i ch have be fa l len me in th i s bur ly-bur ly. A s a ma ntha t cav i l led no t on e i ther s ide , I have had ve ry grea t de l i ve rances , in mype rson e specia l ly. l have given the beare rThe second let ter i sl ath Sep tember , 1 651 .

—Cother idg e . Sam e to same .“ I hope that you h ave , before th is , rece i ved a le tter from my w i fe , andano ther from me , by one Co l lege, who p romi sed to be w i th you at S tam fo rdby 1 0 o ’c lock yeste rday. I n those le tte rs you we re in formed of our la tet roub le and presen t qu ie t. I now thank you for your k ind wr i t ing by M aj orSm i th ’s servan t , and for your father ly affec t ion . Your invi tat ion to myse lf

,

“my w ife,and my ch i ldren to come over to you i s most com fortab le

,but I

can not be away from home , a s you w i l l perce i ve anon . I n my la st I on ly“ in t imated to you some d i fficu l t ie s I passed through in the late bus t le ; I w i l lnow acqua in t you more fu l ly of them . On the grd of the mon th , the ve ryday and t ime of the fight , I wa s taken from hence by a majo r w i th a party ofhorse

,who had o rde rs to br ing m e to the K ing. I had rece ived seve ra l

p r i va te messages from Worces te r, wh i le the K ing wa s there , urging me tocom e to h im ,

but reso lv ing no t to meddle I had rema ined a t home. BeforeI came to the town the fight wa s begun a t Pow i ck and I

,be ing d i smi ssed

“ from the m aj or and h is party to awa i t the K ing s le i sure , enqu i red theoccas ion of my being sen t for. l wa s to ld tha t M aj or-Gene ra l . M assey wa smade G overno r of Wo rcester, and tha t there was a commis s ion to certa i ngen t lemen of the Coun ty, whereof I was on e , fo r the a id ing and a ss ist ing ofh im ; wh i ch emp loymen t I n o t l ik ing , wen t p re sen t ly to my ho rse , in tendingto ge t home aga in w i th what speed I cou ld , the batt le be ing th i s t im e ho t

“ on bo th s ide s of the town . By the t ime I came to the br idge the K ing ’ sforces were re trea t ing from W icke [W ick ] , and the Par l iamen t pursu ing , and

“ no man wa s suffered to pa ss I p resen t ly m ade to the Fo reg ate, where Iwa s l ikew i se stopped , and thence to S t. M art in

’s Ga te,and ge t t ing out the re

endeavoured in va in to go in to the W i ch [Dro i tw i ch ] road . I then took thefoo tpath tha t goes to Perry Wood , and made up towa rd s the batt le , wherethere was hot serv ice , and , be ing w i th in mu ske t shot , turned over hedge anddi tch on the left hand and got in toW ich [D ro i tw i ch ] way a t Ba rbour ne Br idge ,n o t mee t ing a man to troub le me , and thence to Ombers ley and so to Ho l tF lee t a s fa st a s I cou ld . H av ing we l l pa ssed t hrough the army, I rode through

“ fie ld s and closes for about a mile, and then , be ing to cross W o rcester Road ,I was taken by a p arty of Scot s , I hav ing ne i ther swo rd nor p i sto l . They wou ldno t le t me pa ss , and a t last began to quarre l a s to whose p r i sone r I shou ld

“ be. At la st they to ld me they wou ld carry me to the i r par ty of about 1 20horse tha t were before . When we came to the pa rty they brought the new sof the forces a t W ick , and finding them i n d iso rder w i th i t I lagged by

“ degrees un t i l I wa s in the rear , and tak ing‘

the oppor tun i ty of a b l ind laneclapped spu r over hedge and ditch and wa s p re sen t ly ou t of s ight. Abou t

260 CIV IL W AR, 1 651 .

9 a t n ight I cam e home , having been five hour s about i t. The nex t m orning , by sunr i se , came a pa rty of the P ar l iamen t ho rse ‘ and took m e fr omhence

,te l l ing me I m u s t go to the genera l , and took my dun co l t w i th them ,

“ but by th e t ime I came to S t. John ’ s I found tha t they had n o o rder s forwha t they d id . At la st they were a l l gone excep t ing h im tha t had the co lt ,and for about ha l f-an-hou r we rode about the fie ld s am ong the dead bodie s ,and l persuaded h im to de l i ver the co lt to my m an aga in , and gave h im a l l

“ the s i lve r I had in my pocke t , about 1 55 . o r 1 65 . S ince then I have beenin formed tha t my n am e ha s been given in

,amongst many others

,for coming

w i th the K ing of Sco ts , and that there a re o rders i ssued fo r inven to ry ing thegoods and stopp ing the ren t s of a l l n amed in the l i st. I f the r e be any

“ j u st i ce left upon ea r th,I hope they can no t touch me . ”

In the face of these two let ters— most interest ing le tters— i ti s somewhat bold to assert that Si r Rowland Berkeley was a tthe P i tch cr oft meet ing

,or did much fight ing for Charles II. at

Worcester,or to be l ieve the legend abou t the horse .

The other ob servat ion i s tha t a l though Worcestersh ire tookso large a part in th e C ivi l War her present at t itude rathertend s to shew that she now not on ly takes no pride in thedeeds that her ch i ldren have done

,

” bu t that,in fac t

,i s

rather ashamed of them than o therwise . N ot on ly has she nomonument to record her part in the C iv i l War

,bu t the

rel ics of that war wh ich rema in to her are treated as i f they'

were of no account. The house in the Corn Marke t at Worcester

,where Charles lodged dur ing h is stay at the t ime of the

bat t le,i s no t kep t in such a cond it ion as befi ts an h istor ic

monument . Modern hands have pract i ca l ly eff aced the FortRoyal . The bu l le t marks on the chu rch at Pow i ck are overgrown w i th creepers. The remains o f Cromwel l ’s br idge overthe Teme were

,w i th in recent years

,pu l led up and sold for

fi rewood. The pi t s on Pow ick Ham, where the sla in arebur ied

,rema in unmarked and unholy. O ther Count ies act

otherwise. In Warw icksh ire,Edgeh i l l has i ts monument .

In Berksh ire,N ew b u ry has i ts ba tt le-fields marked by planta

t ions of t rees to shew the pos it ions of the bel l igerents . InN orthamptonsh ire

,N aseby has i t s obel isk . But the s i te o f

the last,the greatest , the fiercest fight of a ll i s unmarked ,

unhonoured,and unknown . Th is the story of the Engl ish

lady h istor ian (M iss Agnes S tr ick land) , who , having readup the Bat tle of Worcester

,came to study the deta il s of

the fight on the spot,amply p roves. She came to Worcester

,

went to an hotel,and asked for a gu ide to conduc t her over

the bat t le-field . There was some d ifli cu l ty in finding aqual ified person . A t last a loafer in the stab le yard of thehote l offered h is services . A cab was cal led

,the gu ide

d irected the dr iver to go to P i tch cr oft . He conductedM iss Str ick land to a spo t in front of the Grand Stand

,

and to ld her “ th is was the place .

” The lady,consu lt ing her

notes , cou ld no t mak e the spot agree w i th what she had readand learn t as to the bat t le

,and expressed her doubts as to i ts

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1

An a lys i s of the War , 1Arm s u sed

,1 8

Bow s and a rrow s,20

Ca rb ines,1 9

Muske ts,1 9

P ikes,2 0

Arti l lery , 2 0Drakes

,2 0

Fa lcons,2 0

F a lcone ts,2 0

Leather guns . 2 0 , 2 1 9Astley

,Lord

Co l lects an Army 1 75Defea ted a t Donn ington 1 77

BackhousePlot for G loucester ( 1 643

K i l led at Ledbury 1 55B a i rd

,Co lone l

, 1 51

Burns Campden H ouse,1 52 , 1 58

Bart le tt , of Cast lemorton , Plundered ,55

Batt lesPow i ck 42

R ipp le 82

Camp H i l l 85Newen t 1 2 5Redmar ley 1 38

D onn ington 1 77Up ton-on-Severn 2 31

Worcester 2 39Baxter

,R i chard :

At Pow i ck 40 , 43At K i dderminster 2 56

Behr c ommand s Cava l ry a t N ew en t ,1 25

Berkeley,S i r Roland :

Accoun t of the Batt le ofWorcester ,2 59

Bewdley Plot 2 0 0

B i rminghamK ing ’s Coach Plundered a t59

Burn t by Ruper t 84, 87Br idgesBewdley

, 1 0 , 1 3, 1 6, 1 2 3, 1 64, 2 26

B ran sford, 2 26, 2 30

E ck ing ton, 1 3

Evesham , 1 3, 1 29, 1 60

D EX .

Br idge sO ffenham , 9, 1 60

Pershore,1 3, 1 30

Pow ick , 1 3, 41 , 43, 2 26, 2 30 , 240Tewkesbury

,1 3, 1 2 7

Twyford , 9 , 1 3, 1 60

Up ton-ou -Severn , 1 0 , 1 3, 82 , 1 36,

Worcester,1 3, 246

Wyre, 9Of Boat s 2 37

B r i sto lTaken by Ruper t 99Surrendered by Rupert 1 69

Broadway Plot 1 99Brooke

,Lord 29

K i l led a t Lichfiel d,83

Byron,S i r John ( 1 642 )

Re treat from Oxford , 36O ccup ies Worcester, 37

Repu l ses F ienne s ’ attack, 38, 39

Re l ieved by Rupert , 42Retrea ts to Tenbury

, 44Arr ives a t Shrewsbury

, 45

0 .

Camp H i l l,Bat t le at 85

CampdenRoya l i sts ’ garr i son , 1 0 5, 1 0 6

H ouse burn t 1 52 , 1 58

Char les I

1 643. Evesham , 1 0 2

Pershore,1 0 2

Broadway,1 0 3

1 644. Broadway,1 34, 1 36

Evesham , 1 29, 1 34, 1 36

Pershore,1 30

Worcester,1 29, 1 30 , 1 34

Bewdley,1 33

Tewkesbury, 1 361 645. Evesham ,

1 57I nkberrow , 1 58Droi tw i ch

,1 58

Cofton H ackett, 1 58Haw kesley, 1 58

H im ley,1 59

K idderminster, 1 63Bewdley

,1 63

Bromyard,1 63

Sh ip ston-on-S tou r,1 67

Worcester , 1 67B romyard , 1 67Wor ces ter

,1 69

INDEX.

Char les I1 646. Surrender to Scotch , 1 78O rders Surrender of Wor

oes te r Garr i son , 1 79Char le s II .

1 651 . I nvades England , 2 1 9K i dde rmin ster

,2 2 1

Worcester,2 2 2

S tourbr i dge,2 56

Brom sgrove , 2 57At Batt le of W orcester

,240 ,

E scape from C i ty,247

Flight, 247, 2 55

Churches of Worcester Spo i led byE ssex So ld iers , 49

Chester,Surrender of, 1 75

C irencester1 643. Assau l t on Repu lsed , 76

Taken by Rupe rt, 77

Taken by E ssex,1 0 2

C lubmen, 1 49, 1 72

Commi ttee of Sequestra tors, 1 08, 1 0 9,

I 95, 20 5

Commandery a t W orcester, 2 26Commiss ionersArray

,2 3, 25, 2 8, 7 1

A ssessment, 7 1

Exci se , 2 1 1Subs i dy , 71Con tr ibut ion from Coun ty to K ing , 70Corse Lawn , F ight at 1 36

C romwel lNot in Worcestersh ire in firs t C i v i l

War,2 3

1 651 . Arr ives at S tra tford-ou-Avonfrom Scot land , 2 29At Sh ips ton-on-S tour , 2 29At Evesham

,2 29Sends Lambert to Up ton ,

2 31

V i s i t s Up ton,2 33Marches from Evesham to

Worcester, 2 36P reparat ions for Attack ingW orcester

,2 37

D ispos i t ion of Forces atB att le

,2 39Marches T roop s across

Severn , 240Rout s Scots ’ R ight

,243

Recrosses Severn to Ra l lyCen tre

,244

Attack s the Scots, 245

TakesWorcester, 247

D espatch to Par l iam en t , 249

263

Denbigh,Ear l of :

K i l led a t Camp H i l l , 86Bas i l F ie ld ing, second Ea r l, 2 91 644. G ives Comm i ss ion to F ox,

1 20

P roposes to Attack Worcester

, 1 26

Bes iege s Dudley Cast le ,1 30

Defeats W i lmot, 1 31

1 645. Res igns Commi ss ion , 1 53Dro i tw ichMagaz ine of Arms there

, 54.1 644. Char les I . a t , 1 58Occup ied by Scots , 1 64

Dudley,Dud , 2 0 2

1 647. H i s Plot, 20 2

Dudley Ca st le, 1 6

1 643. G arr isoned by Co lon ] Leveson

,65

Bes ieged by Lord Denb igh,

1 3 1

W i lmo t 's Fa i lure to Re l ieveI 32

1 644. Sp ies a t , 1 431 646. Char les O rders Surr ender ,

I 79Art ic les of Surrender

,1 80

E ssex,Lord

1 642 . O ccup ies Worcester, 49

T reatmen t of the C i ty, 49

P lunder of Church , 50F or t ifies Worcester, 52Marches to I nterceptChar les

,

581 643. Re l ieves S iege of G loucester ,

1 0 1O ccup ies Tewkesbury,1 0 2Ma rches across Cotswo lds ,

1 0 2

1 644. Refuses to fo l low Char les ,1 30

1 645. Res igns h i s Commi ss ion , 1 531 646 . D ies , 1 97

Evesham,1 5

Charles I . at , 1 0 2,1 29, 1 34, 1 36,

I S7Governors of :

Sandys , 65Wa sh ington

,65

Legge, 1 59Rou se , 1 62D ineley, 2 0 5

1 644. Br idge broken down, 1 29

Wa l ler a t, 1 301 645. S tormed by Massey, 1 60

264 I NDEX.

F a i rfax1 646. Surrender of Dudley to , 1 80

Su rrender of H art lebury to,

1 82

Surrender of Worcester to,

1 9 1

F ox, Thoma s T inker 30

1 644. Se iz es Edgbas ton,1 20

G arr i son s Haw kesley, 1 20

Ga rr i son s S tourton,1 2 1

Defeated a t S tourbr idge byGerrard

,1 2 1

Carr ies off S i rLytte l ton

,1 2 2

1 645. Rupert takes Haw kesley, 1 581 649. Execut ion of Char les I . , 2 0 7

Thomas

Garr i sonsCampden , 1 7, 1 47,Edgbaston

, 1 7, 1 2 0 , 1 2 1Hart lebury,1 7, 1 1 4, 1 82 , 1 92 , 1 99,

Haw kesley, 1 7, 1 24, 1 58M adresfiel d

,1 7, 1 83, 1 92 , 2 1 1

Rusha l l H a l l , 1 24S toke

,1 7, 1 47

S ton 1 ton,1 7, 1 2 1 , 20 5

S trensham,1 7, 1 1 4, 1 82 , 1 92

Sude ley, 1 7, 76, 1 1 4

Genera l sRoya l i s t

Gerrard,26

Lytte l ton,S i r Thoma s

, 25M aur ice

,24, 80

M ynne, 2 7, 1 2 5Rupert

, 4 1 , 85, 1 1 9Ru sse l l

,Si r W i l l iam

,2 5

Sandys,Samue l

,26

Vavasour,2 6

W i lmot, 1 0 1 , 1 31 , 1 32

P ar l iamen tBrooke

,29

C romwe l l,

2 1 8,

2 2 1,2 29,

2 33, 2 34, 2 37, 2 39» 240 1245. 247, 249Denb igh

,29

E ssex . 33. 37, 38, 49, 60 ,1 30 , 1 53, 1 97

Fox,Thomas , 30 , 1 20 , 1 2 2

Lambert,2 1 9, 2 20 ,

2 3 1 , 2 39,

M assey,2 7, 99, 1 0 3, 1 0 5,

1 0 7, 1 1 6, 1 1 8, 1 2 7, 1 38,1 42 1 1 451 1 491 1 55, 1 59»

S tamfor d , Ear l o f, 54, 61 , 62

Gener a l s—Par l iam en tWa l ler

,S i r W i l l iam

, 77, 7883, 90 , 93» 971 99, 1 29:1 30 , 1 33, 1 34, 1 35, 1 36

DudleyCo lone l Leveson , 1 1 4, 1 31 ,

1 80

Hereford1 642. Taken by Lord S tamford , 54

Evacuated , 61

G loucester1 642 . Occup ied by Par l iamen t

,60

Co lone l E ssex Re t reats to,60

Lord S tamford at , 621 643. Wa l ler 's Figh t before , 78

M assey appo in ted G overnor,

97S iege of, 99Ra i sed by E s sex

,1 0 1

1 644. Plot to Surrender, 1 0 71 645. Scots pas s th rough , 1 691 647. Garr i son changed, 2 0 0

Governors :Bewdley

S i r Thomas Lytte l ton , 35,1 2 2

Evesham :

Sandys , 65Wa sh ing ton

,65

Legge,1 59

Rou se,1 62

D ineley, 20 5G loucester :

M assey , 97Morgan

,1 66S i r W i l l iam Con stab le

, 200

H art lebury :Sandys

,1 82

Turton,2 0 1

M adresfiel d

A s ton,1 83

WorcesterS i r W i l l iam Russe l l

,6 1

Co lone l Sandys, 92

S i r G i lbert Gerrard, 1 2 1

Wa sh ington , 1 80 , 1 9 1

H amil ton,Duke of :

K i l led a t Worcester,245

D i spute a s to h i s Bur ia l,254Ha rt lebury Ca s t le

1 642 . Garr i soned for K ing, 1 1 4F or t ificat ions S treng thened ,1 46

1 646. Surr ende red , 1 821 647. Re-garr i soned for Par l ia

ment , 2 0 1

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266 INDEX ,

Pershore1 642 . Re trea t of F i ennes F orce to,

441 643. Char les I . a t , 1 0 21 644.

Charles I . a t , Br idge Des troyed , 1 29

1 645. Ra i ded by Ma ssey , 1 541 651 . Occup ied by Cromwe l l , 2 36

P itchcroft , Mus ter on , in 1 651 , 2 27Plate M e l ted up for Co inage , 33Plunder ing1 642 . Worcester, by E ssex , 49S trensham

, 56

Cast lemorton , 551 643. Coun ty P rotes t aga inst , 7 1

B irmingham , 86

1 645. C lubmen , 1 49Ba i rd

,1 51

By the Scots , 1 651 651 . After Worcester, 2 53Pow i ck1 642 . Batt le of, 411 651 . Attack on V i l lage , 2 39

Attack on Br idge. 240P r isoners :T rea tmen t of :1 643. C i rehcester , 76

1 645. Murder of, 1 50I ri sh P r i soners

,1 51

Rupert ’s Le tte r on , 1 511 651 . D i sposa l of those a t Wor

cester , 2 52

So l d as S laves , 2 53Wounded

,248

Redmarley, Bat tle of, 1 38Recru i t ing

,Roya l i s t D ifficu l ty in , 1 2 8

RewardsF or s iege of G loucester, 1 0 3To Ma ssey , 1 6 1To Scots in 1 645, 1 65For Batt le ofWorces ter , 2 54A fter Restora t ion , 2 04, 2 57R ipple , Ba t t le of, 82Roads

,Descr ip t ion of

,6

S tate of, 9, 1 0 , 1 1Roya l i st s in Worcestersh i re , 2 5P lots in 1 647

-48, 1 99, 2 0 1

,204,

2 1 1

Ac t ion of,in 1 651 , 2 2 7, 2 57

Rupert1 642 . Commands Cava l ry , 33

Marches to Byron ’s Re l ief, 36

Pow ick, 42

M a rch before Edgeh i l l, 58

Figh t w i th LordW i l loughby,

591 643. Takes C i rencester , 76

S ieges1 645. Evesham , 1 59

Rupert1 643. Bat tle of Camp H i l l

, 85Takes Lichfiel d, 90.

Br isto l , 99Fa i l s to P revent E ssex Re

l ieving G louceste r,1 0 1

At Sher iffs Lench , 1 0 2Ma rch to Newbury , 1 0 3

1 644. C lears Shrop sh i re,1 1 9

At Bewdley, 1 1 9

1 645. Act ion aga in st C lubmen,

Batt le of Ledbury, 1 55Returns to Oxfo' rd , 1 57Destroys Haw kesley, 1 58Attacked by C lubmen

,1 72

Russel l,S i r W i l l iam

,2 5

Governor of Worces ter, 6 1D ifficu l t ies of Pos i t ion , 69H ide 's Case, 69H ouse Plundered

, 56

I n Worcester a t S iege, 1 92Excep ted from Surrender

, 1 93Proceedings aga ins t

,1 97

S .

Sandys,S i r M artyn

, 1 94Surrendered a t H a rt lebury , 1 82Sandys , Samue l , 26, 1 63Surrender a t H art lebury, 1 82Sandys , W i l l iamGovernor ofWorces te r, 92F i res on T rumpeter

, 93Surrender at H a rt lebury, 1 82S avage , of E lmley, Case of, 1 09Scot s1 644. En ter England

,1 1 5

1 645. I ntended M arch to Worcester , 1 63Reach A lcester

,1 63

M arch to Dro i tw i ch, 1 64

Bewdley, 1 64Plunder ing

, 1 65, 1 66

Bes iege H ereford , 1 65Char les ’ Advance

, 1 67S iege Ra i sed

,1 68

M a r ch to G loucester , 1 681 646. Char les Surrenders to

, 1 79M arch to Newcast le-ouTyne

,I 79

1 651 . Advance to Newport, 2 2 1K idderminster, 2 2 1

Worces ter, 2 2 1Defeat at , 247Re treat

, 2 56

P revented Roya l is t R i s ingfor Charles I I .

,2 57

INDEX. 267

S iege s1 644. Dudley , 1 3 1 , 1 80

1 651 . H art lebury , 1 82 Vavassou r,S 1 r l Vi l l iam

,80

Worcester, 1 646 , 1 83 Appo in ted to Comm and in Wor

M adresfield , 1 83 cester sh i re , 97

Sequ‘

est r zt t l on ,10 8, 1 1 0 1 94 A i ds Backhouse Plot

,1 0 7, 1 1 6

5 0

1

1

21

5221238 Superseded , 1 24

Cu i rass iers , 1 8Dragoon s , 1 9H o 1 se , 1 9Muske teers , 1 9Pikemen

,2 0

Sp ies , 1 43Pi tts ’ Case , 1 43Fema le , 1 44Gu i se

,2 38, 2 55S toke ( Roya l i st G a i r ison ) , 1 47

S tren sham 56, 1 92

Sudeley Cas tle,1 7 76, 1 45

T I

Tewkesbury,1 7

1 643. O ccup ied by Massey, 65Taken by Maur i ce , 80Taken by Wa l ler , 8 1Occup ied by Essex , 1 0 2By the Roya l ists , 1 04T aken by Massey, 1 0 5

1 644. O ccup ied for Charle s , 1 1 5Vavassou r Agrees to Surrender

,1 1 6

Cap tured by Ma ssey , 1 2 7Attemp ts to Re-take i t , 1 45

Bewd ley, 1 6, 54, 1 2 3, 1 63

Brom sgrove , 2 57Dro i tw i ch , 54, 1 58

Dudley,1 6 , 1 31

Evesham,1 5, 1 59

K idderminster, 58, 1 73, 2 56

Pershore , 44, 1 29S tourbr idge , 59 , 1 73, 2 56

Up ton , 44, 1 0 4, 2 3 1W orcester , 1 4 , 94,

T r0 0 ps R a i sed for Cha r les in Coun ty,

D i st r ibut ion of, I 1 2

U n iformNo Regu la r , 2 1

O range Sca rf. 2 1

Leaders had the i r Own , 2 1U pton ou-Severn

1 651 . Garri soned by Ma ssey , 2 2 9Attacked by Lambert

,2 31

Pos i t ion Ca rr ied , 2 32Ma ssey “founded

,2 33

Wa l ler , S i r W i l l iam , 78

1 643. At H ighnam , 78

R ipp le , 82Attack s Worcester

, 93Rep ul sed

, 95Roundaway D 0“n , 99 Y

1 644. Fo l lows Char les I . to W’ orcester , 1 30

Des i res to go to Devonsh i re,

1 30

Attemp ts to a i d the S iege ofDudley

,1 32

Returns by Worcester toTew kesbury

,1 35

D efeated a t Crop redy Br idge,

1 36

We l sh,Lord Herbert ’s , Defea ted by

M assey a t Ba rber 's Br idge, 78

W i l loughby , Lord , Fight nea r K ing's

Nor ton, 59

Worcester,1 4

1 642 . Occup ied by Byron , 37Attacked by F iennes

, 39Cap tured by E ssex , 49Abandoned

,60

S i r W . Russe l l Governor,6 1

1 643. Attack on,by Wa l ler

, 92

1 644. V i s ited by Charle s I .,1 30

V i s i ted on h i s Re turn fromBewdley

, 1 341 645. Threatened by the Scots

,1 64

1 646 . Summoned , 1 78S iege of Worces ter

, 1 83Surrender

,1 9 1

1 648. S a le of Leaden S teep le, 20 6

1 651 . Taken by Char les I I . , 2 2 2F o rt ifica t ion s renew ed

,2 2 5

M us ter on Pi tchcroft , 2 2 7Parl iamen t Army before

,2 35,

2 36

Ba t t le of, 240Scot s Dr i ven intoWorcester

,

2 43F ort Roya l S tormed

,245

C i ty Taken , 247Pr i sone rs , 2 51Plundered

,2 5 5

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B EAUT I F ULLY ILLUSTRATED .

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SOM E O F THE CON TEN T S .

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a r w icksh ir e,etc. , etc.

istorie W orcestersh i re.

By W . SALT BRASS INGTON ,

I LLUS TRATED m THE F I N EST s r vu -z o r M O D ERN ART .

A H and some Vo lume,e legan t ly bou nd in c lo th , edg e s uncut , top edge gi l t .

1 0 3 . n e t .

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istorie"

Staffordsh i re.

Bv ROBERT K. DENT AN D JOSEPH H I L IS trongly bound in h and som e c lo th ca se,gi l t , gi l t top , 1 0 3 . ne t .

SOM E O F THE CON TEN TS .

Abbeys and l ’ 1 ior ies in Staffor dsh i r e— A l r ewas a nd i ts M anor ia l Custom s— Lor d Au d leyat the Batt le o f B lor e H eath— Char les I I . at Ben t ley H a l l— l i er esfo rd D a le— The Berm ingh am F am i l y and the F er r a r s F am i l y— D r . J oh nson at B 1 rm in g h am— Cha r les I I . a t Boscobe l-Bu r ton Abbey— Ancien t E ncam pm en ts on Cann ock Chase— Char les I . 1 11 Sta ff or dsh i r eThe C i v i l W a r in Sta ffo r dsh i r e— Ch ar les Co tton and I z aak Wa l ton— V iews in D oveda lea

Q ueen E l iz abeth a nd the Ear l o f Essex— Batt le o f Evesham— Bou lton a nd \Vatt at H andswor th— Lichfi e ld Ca th ed r a l a nd its Bu i l der s— V iews on the R iver M an i fo l d— Leek du r ing theC iv i l —The P r eten der in Staff o r dsh i r e, etc.

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