[1644] [several] places, did take about twentie of theim p'soners, and some of theim weire Slayne,1 as the[y] passed alonge by Dodington, By Captyn Churche and Captyn Whitney whoe kepte a garrison in Dodington Hall, wth about fourtie Soldyers for the p'liamt. Prince Rupert On ffryday the xxiiijth of Maye 1644 The Prince wth his Army advanced towards Lancashire, & did quarter In and about Knottesford. And on Saturdaye they advanced to Stockporte where Colonell Duckinfeild and Colonell Maynwaringe laye wth theire forces of horse and foote, beinge not able to wthstand soe potent an Enymy, And the Townesmen alsoe wth all theire horse & foote vpon the advance of theim fled into Lancashire. And on Sondaye ytt was reported that the Prince had entred into Lancashire and weire others were slain as they passed by Duddington, by Capt: Whitney's & Capt: Churche's Men, who kept Garrison there. Upon Friday May 24. they advanct towards Lancashire, & lodged at Knutsford upon Saturday they advanct towards Stockport, where Coll: Mainwaring & Coll: Duckenfeild were with their Companyes but they left the Town & fled into Lancashire. About 3 Dayes after they assaulted Bolton, & with Loss of much 1 Wybunbury Register has the following entries :— 1644 May 24 Thomas Banforth a souldier slaine at dodington was buried." "1644 May 25 Baptized ffrancis daughter of Thomas Pantum, a souldier." “ 1645 April 1 Buried Mary Pantum a souldiers weif.” 2 Col. Duckenfield's men had taken position behind hedge-rows, waiting for Rupert's infantry to come up. Col. Washington was ordered to scour the hedges with his Dragooners; and Rupert rushed on afterwards, drove the Parliamentarians into Stockport, took the town, all the cannon, much ammunition and 800 prisoners. (Mercurius Aulicus, June 8, 1644: quoted in Earwaker's East Cheshire, vol. i., p. 351.) on and had somoned [1644] Barloe [Barlow] More, and Manchester. Colonell On the same ffryday the xxiiijth of Maye 1644 Colonell Mytton retorned from London, & came to Wem: And the same nighte wth some forces yssued furthe and marched to Morton Corbett and tooke Sixe Loads of Iron and slewe tenne of the Kinges ptie., wch laye theire in Garrison. Colonell Hunckes goods taken. Upon Saturdaye the xxvth of Maye 1644 Colonell Mytton, wth good forces from Wem, marched towards Oswestry; & in his marche he tooke eighte Loads of[f] Colonell Hunckes his goodes weh came furthe of Ireland; viz. sixe Cartes, & twoe waggons Loaded wth Tents and Riche goods, garded with foure Trowpes of horse and some ffoote; But they beinge all overcome by Colonell Mytton & his company Blood, & great Cruelty, took it. After that they set upon Leverpool, & took it. So passing through Lancashire in a violent Manner, hee came to York, where hee joyned with the Earle of Newcastle's Forces against the Parliament Army, which had beseiged York, but were quite routed in the Fight; where as the Report is, were slain 6000 Men, all their Carriages taken, & 10000 Arms. July 16. May 24. Coll: Mitton returned from London to Wem, & the same Night issued forth to Morton Corbett, & took 6 Load of Iron, & slew 10 of the Enemy which lay there in Garrison. Upon May 25, hee marcht towards Oswestry, between which Places & Shrewsbury, he took 8 Loads of Coll: Hunks's Goods, which came out of Ireland: viz: 6 Carts & 2 Waggons loaded with Tents, & rich Goods, being guarded with 4 Troops of Horse, & some Foot: but they being all beaten off, the Loads were all brought [1644] weire saufe broughte to Wem, wth smale or noe losse of men, havinge In his Company sixe score horse, & foure hundred foote soldyers. Oswestry taken. The nexte weeke followinge, Colonell Mytton wth some of S Thomas midleton's forces marched towards Oswestry: Boulton and Prince Rupert wth his Army beinge in Lancashire, marched from Barloe More over the fforde neere Eccles, And wthin twoe or three dayes after assaulted Boulton; And wth losse of many on bothe sides, wonne ytt, and vsed much Creweltie by inhuman murthers in the Towne: And then marched to Liverpoole, & tooke that; where they vsed, by murdringe both olde & yonge, more Creweltie then theire was in any place since the begynnynge of the Warres, but att Bar to Wem, with small, or no Loss of Men: Hee had with him only 400 Foot & 120 Horse. The Week following, Hee, with some of Sir Tho: Middleton's Forces, set upon Oswestry, & took it, with the Castle, with the Loss of but 4 Men. Hee had there 400 Prisoners, & 300 Arms. 1 See pamphlets reprinted in Phillips' Civil War in Wales, vol. ii., pp. 171-6. 2 At first the Prince was repulsed; and some of the royalist prisoners were put to death on the walls. Earl Derby renewed the attack, and, no quarter being given, 1600 of the inhabitants of Bolton were mercilessly slain and the town sacked on 28 May 1644. The massacre at Liverpool on June 11th was less terrible, only because the greater part of the garrison had taken ship and sailed away the night before. thomley: And soe marched throwe Lancashire att his [1644] pleasure, comyttinge many evill accons [actions], towards Yorke: and afterwards marchinge throughe Yorkshire came to Yorke, where hee and the Earle of Newcastle, Joynynge theire forces togeither, sett vpon the p'liam* forces, wch then weire theire: But after a greate and bloddy battell [at Marston Moor, July 2, 1644] where many weire slayne, The Kinges ptie. was Rowted, & lost all theire ordnance, & many men, & much Armes, & Ammunycon.1 Colonell Brereton retorned from London. On Midsom' daye 1644 Colonell Brereton retorned from London to Namptwiche. But the weeke before St. Thomas midleton came back alsoe to Namptwiche, where the[y] contynued vntill ffrydaye afterwards: On Thursday the xxvijth of June, the Earle of Denbighe wth one troupe of horse came lykewyse to Namptwiche, quartring the rest of his horse att Whitchurche, & by the way as hee came; And then wth their forces marched all togeither towards Lancashire, & kepte theire Randevous on Saturday vpon Rudheathe: vnto whom came the Lorde Graye & On Thursday June 27. the E: of Denbigh came to Nantwich only with one Troop of Horse, the Rest being quartered at Whitchurch, & the Towns between Nantwich & Whitchurch : & on Friday they all marched together toward Lancashire, & on Red [Rud] Heath kept their Rendevouz; to whom came the 1 By this Parliamentary victory the north of England was lost to Charles. Newcastle fled to Scarborough, and thence sailed for Hamburg. Rupert retired with the wreck of his army into Lancashire and thence to Bristol. Colonell Marrow [1644] S. John Gell, wth greate forces bothe of horse & foote. And from Rudheathe they marched altogeither to Knottesford, beinge in nu'ber aboute twelve thowsand. Then letters came to theim from Colonell Mytton from Oswestry, that Colonell Marrowe, wth foure thousand marched towards him, & intended to beseige him: whereupon the Lorde of Denbighe, S. Thomas Midleton, Colonell George Bouthes Regym2, & Colonell Maynwarynges Regim vpon Sondaye the last of June 1644 marched from the rest of the Company to releeve Colonell Mytton att Oswestry (beinge then engaged): And all the Companyes in Namptwiche, excepting [the militia of] Buckley Hundred & the towne Companyes (wch weire lefte to tende the Towne wth Colonell Brooke and mr Marbury Gou'no") marched towards Whitchurche & Bunbury wth all theire Carryages [i.e. baggage] to meete the reste of the Army: And meetinge all togeither on Monday the first of Julye Lord Grey & Sir John* [Gell], with great Forces both of Horse & Foot, about 12000, & being at Knutsford, Letters came to them from Coll: Mitton, viz: that Coll: Marrow marched upon him, & intended to besiege him. Upon that, the E: of Denbigh, Sir Tho: Middleton, Coll: George Booth's Regiment, & Colonel Mainwaring's, upon Sunday June 30, marcht back to relieve Coll: Mitton, then engaged at Oswestry : & all the Souldiers in Nantwich, (save only they of Bukley Hundred, & the Town Companyes left with Coll: Brook & M'. Marbury,) gathered themselves together, & on Munday July 1. marched towards The surname is omitted in the Cole MS., and in Poole's version of Burghall's Providence Improved. |