Of Sir William Brereton, in Cheshire.

was surprized with his whole Troope; but the Alarum coming to CROMWELL, he advanced, and at ten o'clock at night fell upon the Newarkers, rescued Captaine WRAY'S Troope, and tooke three Troops of theirs, with the slaughter of many of

them.

After this, when he sate-down before the Town, he was so vigilant upon all Sallyes that were made-out, and so successeful, that he tooke many men and Colours at several times; and, with his Horse, watching all occasions, he once defeated a strong Party of the Newarkers, near to Grantham, where the odds of number was so great on their side, that it seemed almost a miraculous Victory. At another time he fell upon a Party of the Earle of Newcastle's Army sent toward Newarke, and quartering betweene that Towne and Grantham; of whom he slew many, tooke an hundred Horse, and forty Prisoners.

Such things as these were the beginnings of CROMWELL, at his first entrance into the Souldiery; those that must be called his deeds, were in the following yeares of this unhappy Warre, and will require a larger and more full expression.

In those other Counties which were named before this Discourse of the Associa tion, the fortune of Warre, during the aforesaid Moneths, had been very various, and daily contestations happened, being for the most part betwixt small Parties, and in besieging, taking, and re-taking of Townes and Forts. In Cheshire Sir WILLIAM BRERETON, (a wise and vigilant man, who, from the beginning of these troubles, had taken charge of that County, serving in Parliament as Knight thereof,) had so well acted his part against the Earle of Darby (made by the King LordLieutenant of that County, as well as of Lancashire) that he was the chiefe instrument of delivering Cheshire out of his hands, and preserving it for the Parliament, though the greater part of the Gentry there adhered to the King: But it pleased God to give many Victories to Sir WILLIAM BRERETON against them.

He obtained, about the beginning of March, a great Victory against those of the King's Party at Middlewich, in Cheshire; which Towne, after a sharp encounter in the fields before it, he finally tooke, with 500 Prisoners, whereof many were Commanders and Gentlemen of great worth; which Victory did much advance the Parliament's Cause in those parts.

He resisted with great successe the Lord CHOLMELY, and Sir THOMAS ASTON, two powerful men, and zealous for the King's Party.

Having settled in some measure, by extraordinary care and wisdome, his owne County for the Parliament, and raised many stout and well-armed men there, he was forward to give assistance to other parts; and advancing into Shropshire against the Lord CAPELL, he surprised a Towne called Dreyton, in which Sir VINCENT CORBET, a Commander of the King's side, was quartered: But Sir WILLIAM BRERETON, with small opposition, entered the Town, and tooke two compleat Troops of Horse, and six Companies of Dragoneers. Sir VINCENT CORBET escaped by flight.

He marched thence along through those Counties, and took some places of great import, as the affaires of both Parties stood at that time.

Sir WILLIAM went-on prosperously, and, within a short time after, tooke Whitchurch, upon the edge of Shropshire, with great store of Armes and Ammunition, and many Prisoners of the Lord CAPEL'S Forces.

But Sir WILLIAM BRERETON, when he joyned Forces with other men, or came-in opportunely to the reliefe, or rescue, of engaged friends, performed divers great and advantageous services to the side he tooke, especially when he joyned in Action with Sir JOHN GELL, of Derbyshire, a constant and successeful Actor for the Parliament; of whom, by himselfe, and together with Sir WILLIAM BRERETON, I shall make a further mention.

The County of Derby, full of Nobility and Gentry, was much swayed, even Derbyshire. from the beginning of these distractions, against the Parliament; for scarce did any Gentleman in all that County, but Sir JOHN GELL, appeare for it at the first. Sir John Gell does He, with his brother and some of his kindred, by the help of those Freeholders good service to the and Yeomen that inclined that way, made a Party to resist those great ones, at County. Parliament in this such a time as must needs renowne his courage and constancy. And it pleased God to make him prosperous in that great and hazardous undertaking, and to carry it so during the whole Warre.

After the Battel at Keynton, he tooke a Commission from the Earle of Essex, and, with great care and cost, he provided Arms, and timely seized upon the Town of Derby; which Town he so well fortified that it proved a sufficient defence against the assaults of potent Enemies, and a refuge, upon all occasions, to the Parliament's friends; it was likewise, no doubt, a great encouragement to many of the neighbouring Counties, to stand upon their guard in the like kinde.

But the Walls of Derby could not immure Sir JOHN GELL, nor hinder him from acting his part abroad. In many Services he joyned himselfe (not without good successe) with Sir WILLIAM BRERETON, and with Colonel CROMWELL, and marched sometimes with the Lord GREY, of Grooby, (before-mentioned, Lord*Lieutenant of those Counties) against Master HASTINGS, and against the Towne of Newarke.

In the Moneth of February he marched with those Forces which he had, under Lord Brooke acts for the conduct of the Lord BROOKE, into Staffordshire, to take-in Lichfield, which the Parliament in Staffordshire, in Fe. was then possessed by a Garrison of the King's side. Having entered the Towne, bruary, 1642-3. they found hot and sharpe resistance from a place of great strength, called the Close, or Cathedral-yard, a place famous in the succeeding Warre, as being often gained and re-gained, with the loss of much blood on either side.

The Siege of Lich- WHILE the Parliament-Army continued at the siege of Lichfield-Close, their field-Close, in Fe-General, the Lord BROOKE, as he looked-out of a window, was unfortunately shot bruary, 1642-8. The Death of Lord Brooke.

into the head, and dyed immediately; a man as much lamented by the Parliament as any that ever fell on that side, and as much honoured for his Piety, Valour, and Fidelity.

And in March, 1642-3, obtains a victory at SaltHeath.

CHAP. V.

The Death of the Lord BROOKE, and of the Earle of Northampton. A short mention of some Actions in divers Counties. The low condition of the Parliament at that time. The siege of Gloucester.

Sir John Gell suc

After his death, Sir JOHN GELL succeeded in that Command, and, about the

ceeds to the com- beginning of March, took the Close, with very little losse of blood, though

mand, and takes the Close

they had their Mines ready prepared to blow-up the Walls of the Close, and had throwne Grenadoes into it; which made the besieged cry-out for Quarter, which they obtained; for the Souldiers thought it not honourable (being in cold blood) to revenge their General's death, by putting them to the Sword. But they tooke a good and rich booty of Money, Bagge, and Baggage, about a thousand Armes, and very considerable Prisoners, the Earle of Chesterfield, with his Sonne, and divers other Gentlemen of Ranke.

The Death of the Earl of Northampton.

About the middle of that March, Sir JOHN GELL, with an Army of fifteene hundred Horse and Foot, advanced from Lichfield toward the Towne of Stafford; where it was his fortune to meet with the Earle of Northampton and his Forces, consisting of about twelve hundred Horse, at a place called Cranock-Green, or Salt-Heath, almost foure miles from Stafford: The Earle gave a brave and furious Charge upon them, and, being stronger in Horse, made Sir JoHN GELL'S Horse to retreat in disorder at this first Charge; in which he took divers of them Prisoners, and surprised two Drakes. After that, he wheeled twice about their Foot, seeking his best advantage where to breake them: But Sir JOHN GELL, and his Commanders, did so well order their Battalia, that the Foot kept unbroken, and made good the field againe together with their Horse, and re-saluted their hot Assailants, fighting Pell-mell for a long time.

At this fierce encounter the Earle of Northampton, himselfe, was slaine in the place, and one Master Lucy and Captaine BAGOT, with many more, about whose number

THE HISTORY OF THE PARLIAMENT OF ENGLAND.

number relations did not agree; a Cornet of the King's also was here slaine, and his Colours taken, having on it a Crowne, and this Inscription, Carolus Rex. Two other Cornets were there taken, of which one was the Prince's; for the King's and the Prince's Troops were both there. They tooke Prisoners one of the Earle of Chesterfield's younger Sons; and Sir JOHN GELL, by the timely coming-in of Sir WILLIAM BRERETON to his assistance, before the fight was ended, obtained a great Victory, and drove his Enemies quite out of the field. Among the rest, Master HASTINGS (as was then reported) having been once taken Prisoner, and rescued, fled-away wounded.

Thus it fell-out, that these two Peeres, the Earle of Northampton, and the Lord BROOKE, who, first of all the Nobility, at the breaking-out of this Civil Distraction, had personally contested in one County, about the Parliament's Ordinance of the Militia and the King's Commission of Array, within a small distance both of place and time, ended their daies by this unhappy Warre. They were both much lamented by their owne Parties, both men of worth and courage, though much different in the manner of their lives and conversations.

211

As Cheshire, (though a County where many Papists inhabited,) was, by the suc cesseful care of Sir WILLIAM BRERETON and other Gentlemen, kept from deserting the Parliament, and able to resist the Earle of Derby, the King's Lieutenant there: So, her sister, Lancashire, (that was more full of Papists and more fiercely Success of the Par assaulted by that Earle, under the same authority, being the place of his chiefe liament party in residence and power,) was able, not only to resist him, but finally beat him out of Lancashire. the Country by the courage and industry of divers Protestant Gentlemen of that Shire; of whom I have named many in the preceedent Book. But it is fit to give a little touch of the chiefe actions.

The Parliament, in the midst of winter, when that County was in the greatest distraction, had sent-down Sir JOHN SEATON, a Scottish Knight, (an experienced and stout Commander,) as Major-General of the Forces in that Shire, that he might direct the unskilful valour of that people; though many of those Gentlemen had done great services before, as appeared at Manchester, and some other places.

One of his exploits was at Preston: Sir JOHN SEATON, having settled himselfe Sir John Seaton, a Parliament-officer, at Manchester, marched from thence, about the beginning of February, toward takes Preston. Preston, with Major-General SPARROW, Colonel HOLLAND, Captain BOOTH, Serjeant-Major BIRCH, Master NOWELL of Mearkley, and some others, with about ten Companies and almost two thousand Clubmen, to take-in Preston, a Town well-fortified, and very stoutly defended. But it was so furiously assaulted (Captaine BOOTH, in person, first scaling the Walls) by the Parliament-Forces, that, after two houres of extreme hot fighting, the Parliament-Forces were Masters of it: The Town was taken with small losse on the assailant side, which was wonderful; not one Officer, and not above seven or eight Common Souldiers. On the other side many fell; the Mayor of the Town, ADAM MORTE, with his Sonne; and Sir GILBERT HOUGHTON's Brother, a Captaine of Horse; with divers others of quality; Sir GILBERT, himselfe, fled to WIGHAM. They tooke two

2 E 2

hundred

They also take Lancaster, and the castle near it;

And Wiggon.

Leicestershire.

Hampshire.

Wales.

The Parliament

Party is in a low condition, in July, 1643.

hundred Prisoners, whereof many were Gentlemen of good ranke in the Country: They tooke three Pieces of Ordnance, many Muskets, and other Armes, with two or three Colours. The taking of this Town was of great consequence, both to ward the maintenance of the Parliament-Forces, and also to stop the passage from Newcastle to Chester and Shrewsbury.

Shortly after, Serjeant-Major BIRCH was sent from Preston to Lancaster-Towne; who, without any great opposition, (for he came suddenly and unexpected) soone entered the Towne with his whole Company; and, being entered, the Townesmen assisted him very freely to winne the Castle there; which he tooke into his pos session for the Parliament.

Wiggon also, in Lancashire, was taken-in, with great store of Armes and Prisoners, by Sir JOHN SEATON, with those Gentlemen that followed him, together with the Townesmen of Manchester, and other Clubmen of the Country, whom they had gotten together.

The Earle of Derby desisted not from his endeavours to reduce that Country; but marched with a considerable strength to take-in Whaley; which he had almost accomplished, but was, notwithstanding, repelled from thence by the Forces of the Country.

The same Earle had likewise possessed himselfe of Warrington, a considerable Towne in Lancashire; and left a Garrison in it; but, at the beginning of June, that Towne was regained by the Forces of Manchester, with eight Pieces of Ord. nance, and five or six hundred Prisoners: by which all Lancashire seemed to be reduced to the obedience of the Parliament, scarce any place of considerable strength being left in the power of the Earle of Derby.

The Lord GRAY, of Grooby, had been long possessed of Leicester, as the chiefe-quarter where he resided; and, besides his actions at other parts about that place, with various fortunes had opposed the Forces of Master HASTINGS, who kept a Garrison at Ashby de la zouch, and acted with great fervour and constancy for the King's Cause.

Hampshire had been much distressed by both Parties; but the King's Garrison of Winchester, and that of Basing-Ilouse, (the dwelling-place of Marquesse Winchester,) were there predominant, and, at their pleasure, forced Contributions from the adjacent Country. Wales was almost wholly at the King's disposal, except very few places, which, with much difficulty, preserved themselves for the Parliament; and some Gentlemen, who, with much hazard, continued their fidelity to that side, such as Colonel GLYNN, Colonel MITTEN, and LAUGHERNE, with other private Gentlemen. But, indeed, the Parliament was then in a low ebbe; and before the end of that July, 1643, they had no Forces at all to keep the Field; their maine Armies (as is before touched) being quite ruined, and no hope in appearance left, but to preserve a-while those Forts and Townes which they then possessed; nor could they long hope to preserve them, unlesse the fortune of the field should change.

Thus seemed the Parliament to be quite sunke beyond any hope of recovery, and was so believed by many men. The King was possessed of all the Westerne

Counties,