No. 4. EASTERN ASSOCIATION: THREATENED RISING OF PAPISTS IN NORFOLK. [Vol. i. p. 103.] Two Committee-Letters, both of Oliver's writing; illustrations of his diligent procedure in the birth-time of the Eastern Association. To our noble Friends, Sir John Hobart, Sir Thomas Richardson, Sir John Potts, Sir John Palgrave, 'Sir' John Spelman, Knights and Baronets, and the rest of the Deputy-Lieutenants for the County of Norfolk: Present these. GENTLEMEN, Cambridge, 26th January 1642.' The Parliament and the Lord General have taken into their care the peace and protection of these Eastern parts of the Kingdom; and to that end have sent down hither some part of their Forces,— as likewise a Commission, with certain Instructions to us and others directed; all which do highly concern the peace and safety of your County. Therefore we intreat that some of you would give us a meeting at Mildenhall in Suffolk, on Tuesday the 31st of this instant January. And in the mean time that you would make all possible speed to have in a readiness, against any3 notice shall be given, a considerable force of Horse and Foot to join with us, to keep any Enemy's force from breaking-in upon your yet peaceable Country. For we have certain intelligence that some of Prince Rupert's forces are come as far as Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, and that the Papists in Norfolk are solicited to rise presently upon you. Thus presenting all our neighbourly and loving respects, we rest, of Whelocke on the other fly-leaves): Volume now in the possession of Dr. Lee, Hartwell, Buckinghamshire, who has kindly given me sight of it.-Next year, under this Pass of Oliver's, lower half of the same fly-leaf, there is a Renewal of it, or Copy in almost precisely the same terms, written and signed by the Earl of Manchester (in ink now grown very pale, while Oliver's has changed to strong red-brown), of date 27th February 1643'-4, when his Lordship again for a time (see antea, vol. i. p. 147) had become chief Authority in Cambridge. (Note of 1857.) 1'the' erased. 2 Millnall' he writes. 3 'any' inserted with a caret: both corrections apparently in Cromwell's hand. * Original in Tanner Mss. Ixiv. 116. To. our worthy Friends, Sir John Hobart, Sir Thomas Richardson, Sir John Potts, Sir John Palgrave, Sir John Spelman, Knights and Baronets: Present these. GENTLEMEN, Cambridge, 27th January 1642. The grounds of your Jealousies are real. They concur with our intelligences from Windsor; the sum whereof we give unto you: From a prisoner taken by Sir Samuel Luke (one Mr. Gandy, a Captain of Dragooners) this confession was drawn, That the Papists by direction from Oxford should rise in Norfolk. Whereupon it was desired from thence That Sir Henry Benningfield and Mr. Gandy, their persons should be seized, and that we should do our endeavour to make stay of the Person and Letter which contained this encouragement to them,-he being described by his horse and clothes. But we believe 'he' was past us before we had notice, for our Scouts could not light on him. As for the other consideration of his Majesty's forces being invited into these parts, we have confirmation thereof from all hands;—and there is this reason to doubt it will be so, Because his Majesty is weary of Oxford; there being little in those parts left to sustain his Army,—and surely the fulness of these parts and fitness of them for Horse are too-too good arguments to invite him3 hither. Thus we agree in the grounds of our doubt and fear. The next thought is of Remedy. And in this we account it our hap piness to consult with you of common safety, to be had either by the Association you speak of, or by any other consideration by communication of assistance, according to necessity. Wherein I hope you shall find all readiness and cheerfulness in us, to assist you to break any strength that shall be gathered; or to prevent it, if desired,—having timely notice given from you thereof. The way will be best settled, if you give us a meeting, according to our desire by a Letter particularly prepared before we received yours, and now sent unto you for that purpose together with these. This is all we can say for the present; but that we are, 2 'my' erased. 3 them' erased. All the corrections in Cromwell's hand. 5 may' erased, and 'shall' substituted. 6 and di' (meaning 'directed') erased. 'P.S.' We sent to Sir William Spring to offer him our assistance for the apprehension of Sir H. Benningfield, &c. We have not yet received any answer. We knew not how to address ourselves to you. It's our desire to assist you in that or any other public service.* No. 5. GAINSBOROUGH FIGHT. [Vol. i. p. 126.] HERE are other details concerning Gainsborough Fight; Two Letters upon it that have successively turned up. 1. The first is a Letter two days earlier in date; evidently not written by Cromwell, though signed by him and two chief Lincolnshire Committee-men, as he passes through their City on his way to Huntingdon. Sir Edward Ayscough, or 'Ayscoghe' as he here signs himself,-probably a kinsman of Sir George the Sailor's, possibly the father of the 'Captain Ayscoghe' mentioned here, he and John Broxholme, Esq., both of the Lincolnshire Committee,2 are clearly the writers of the present Letter. "For the Honourable William Lenthall, Esquire, Speaker of the Commons House of Parliament: These. "Lincoln, 29th July 1643 (Six o'clock at night). "NOBLE SIR,-We, having solicited a conjunction of Forces towards the 'raising of the Siege of Gainsborough, did appoint a general rendezvous at "North Scarle to be upon Thursday the 27th of July. To the which place, Sir "John Meldrum with about Three-hundred Horse and Dragoons, and Colonel "Cromwell with about Six or Seven Troops of Horse and about One-hundred "Dragoons, came. With these they marched towards Gainsborough; and meet'ing with a good party of the Enemy about a mile from the Town, beat them "back, but not with any commendations to our Dragoons. We advanced still "towards the Enemy, all along under the Cony-Warren, which is upon a high "Hill above Gainsborough. The Lincoln Troops had the van, two Northampton, "and three small Troops of Nottingham the battle, and Colonel Cromwell the rear; the Enemy in the mean time with his body keeping the top of the Hill. 66 "Some of the Lincoln Troops began to advance up the Hill; which were opposed by a force of the Enemy: but our men repelled them, until all our "whole body was got up the Hill. The Enemy kept his ground; which he chose "for his best advantage, with a Body of Horse of about Three Regiments of 'Horse, and a reserve behind them consisting of General Cavendish his Regi 66 1 'and' erased; '&c.' substituted. * Original, in Cromwell's own hand throughout, in Tanner мss. Ixiv. 129. ment, which was a very full regiment. We presently put our Horse in order; "which we could hardly do by reason of the cony-holes and the difficult ascent up the Hill; the Enemy being within musket-shot of us, and advancing towards us before we could get ourselves into any good order. But with those Troops we could get up, we charged the greater Body of the Enemy; came-up to the "sword's point; and disputed it so a little with them, that our men pressing heavily upon them, they could not bear it, but all their Body ran away, some on the one side of their Reserve, others on the other. Divers of our Troops "pursuing had the chase about six miles. 66 "General Cavendish with his Regiment standing firm all the while, and "facing some of our Troops that did not follow the chase,-Colonel Cromwell, "with his Major Whalley and one or two Troops more, were following the chase, "and were in the rear of that Regiment. When they saw the body stand unbroken, 'they' endeavoured, with much ado, to get into a body those three or "four Troops which were divided. Which when they had done,-perceiving the Enemy to charge two or three of the Lincoln scattered Troops, and to make "them retire by reason of their being many more than they in number; and the rest being elsewhere engaged and following the chase,-Colonel Cromwell with "his three Troops followed them in the rear; brake this Regiment; and forced "their General, with divers of their men, into a quagmire in the bottom of the "Hill. Where one of Colonel Cromwell his men cut General Cavendish on the "head; by reason whereof he fell off his horse; and the Colonel's1 Captain"Lieutenant thrust him into the side, whereof within two hours he died;-the "rest chasing his Regiment quite out of the field, having execution of them, so "that the field was left wholly unto us, not a man appearing. Upon this, divers "of our men went into the Town; carrying-in to my Lord Willoughby some of "the Ammunition we brought for him ;-believing that our work was at an end; saving to take care how to bring further provisions into the Town, to enable it to stand a siege in case my Lord Newcastle should draw-up with his Army to attempt it. "Whilst we were considering of these things, word was brought us That "there was a small remainder of the Enemy's force not yet meddled with, about a mile beyond Gainsborough, with some Foot, and two pieces of Ordnance. We having no Foot, desired to have some out of the Town; which my Lord Wil'loughby granted, and sent us about Six-hundred Foot: with these we advanced "towards the Enemy. When we came thither to the top of the hill, we beat "divers Troops of the Enemy's Horse back: but at the bottom we saw a Regi"ment of Foot; after that another (my Lord Newcastle's own Regiment, consisting of nineteen colours) appearing also, and many Horse ;-which indeed was his Army. Seeing these there so unexpectedly, we advised what to do. "Colonel Cromwell was sent to command the Foot to retire, and to draw-off "the Horse. By the time he came to them, the Enemy was marching up the "hill. The Foot did retire disorderly into the Town, which was not much above a quarter of a mile from them; upon whom the Enemy's Horse did some small "execution. The Horse also did retire in some disorder, about half a mile,— "until they came to the end of a field where a passage was; where, by the endeavour of Colonel Cromwell, 'of' Major Whalley and Captain Ayscoghe, a body was drawn up. With these we faced the Enemy; stayed their pursuit; and 66 'Original has 'his,' and for 'General Cavendish' in the foregoing line, 'him.' " opposed them with about four Troops of Colonel Cromwell's and four Lincoln "Troops; the Enemy's body in the mean time increasing very much from the "Army. But such was the goodness of God, giving courage and valour to our men and officers, that whilst Major Whalley and Captain Ayscoghe, sometimes "the one with four Troops faced the Enemy, sometimes the other, to the exceeding glory of God be it spoken, and the great honour of those two Gentlemen, they with this handful forced the Enemy so, and dared them to their teeth in "at the least eight or nine several removes, the Enemy following at their heels; "and they, though their horses were exceedingly tired, retreating in order, near "carbine-shot of the Enemy, who thus followed them, firing upon them; Colonel "Cromwell gathering-up the main body and facing them behind those two lesser bodies, that, in despite of the Enemy, we brought-off our Horse in this order, "without the loss of two men. "Thus have you a true Relation of this notable service: wherein God is to "have all the glory. And care must be taken speedily to relieve this noble Lord "from his and the State's Enemies, by a speedy force sent unto us,-and that "without any delay; or else he will be lost, and that important Town, and all "those parts; and way made for this Army instantly to advance into the South. "Thus resting upon your care in speeding present Succours hither, we humbly "take our leaves, and remain, "Your humble servants, "EDW. AYSCOGHE. 2. The Second Letter, the Original of which still exists, is of much greater interest; being from Cromwell's own hand, and evidently thrown-off in a quite familiar and even hasty fashion. Written, as would appear, on the march from Lincoln to Huntingdon; no mention precisely where; but probably at the Army's quarters on the evening of their first day's march homewards. In the Original the surname of the 'Sir John' to whom the Letter addresses itself has been, probably by some royalist descendant (of mixed emotions), so industriously crossed out with many strokes of the pen, that not only is it entirely illegible, but the polite possessor of the Autograph cannot undertake to guess for me how many letters may have been in the word. On other grounds I pretty confidently undertake, nevertheless, to read Wray: Sir John Wray of Glentworth, member for Lincolnshire, and on the Committee of that County; at present, I suppose, attending his duty in London. Glentworth House is almost within sight and sound of these transactions; the well-affected Knight of the Shire, for many reasons, may fitly hear a word of them, while we rest from our march. Sir John's Mother, I find by the Dryasdust records2 was a Montague of Boughton; so that 'your noble Kinsman' near the end of this Letter will mean my Lord of Manchester, 'Sergeant-Major of the Association,' a man well qualified to give information. 1 Tanner Mss. Ixii. 194; and, with little or no variation, Baker мss. xxviii. 434. 2 Burke's Extinct Baronetage, & Wray. |