"Thus being over-bold to be troublesome to your Honour; desiring to know your Honour's resolves, we rest, "Your Honour's humble servants, Gunpowder cannot be spared on light occasion; and 'levying of competent sums' have had their difficulties before now: here is the handier method: (c.) To the Mayor and Aldermen of Haverfordwest. Whereas upon view and consideration with Mr. Roger Lort, Mr. Samson Lort, and the Mayor and Aldermen of Haverfordwest, it is thought fit, for the preserving of the peace of this County, that the Castle of Haverfordwest should be speedily demolished: These are to authorise you to call unto your assistance, in the performance of this exercise (?), the Inhabitants of the Hundreds of Dungleddy, Dewisland, Kemis, Roose and Kilgerran; who are hereby required to give you assistance. Given under our hands this 14th of July 1648. OLIVER CROMWELL [' and the two Lorts in a corner of the Paper'].* No. 11. LETTER TO THE DERBY-HOUSE COMMITTEE AFTER PRESTON BATTLE. [Vol. i. p. 298.] SIMULTANEOUSLY with the Letter in the Text to the York Committee to help in pursuit of Duke Hamilton, Oliver writes home for fresh Supplies. To the Right Honourable the Committee of Lords and Commons at Derby House: These. Haste, haste. MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, Wigan, 23d August 1648. I did not (being straitened with time) send you an Account of the great blessing of God upon your Army:-I trust it is satisfactory to your Lordships that the House had it so fully presented to them. * Printed in Welshman Newspaper (Carmarthen, 29th Dec. 1848). My Lords, it cannot be imagined that so great a business as this could be without some Loss;-although I 'confess' very little compared with the weightiness of the Engagement; there being on our part not an Hundred Slain, yet many Wounded. And to our little it is a real weakening, for indeed we are but a handful. I submit to your Lordships, whether you will think fit or no To recruit our Loss; we having but Five poor Regiments of foot, and our horse so exceedingly battered as I never saw them in all my life. It is not to be doubted but your Enemy's designs are deep: this Blow will make them very angry: the principles they went on were such as should a little awaken Englishmen; for I have heard it from very good hands of their own party, that the Duke made this the argument to his Army, That the Lands of the Country and— [illegible the next line or two, from ruin of the paper; the words lost mean clearly, "That the Scots were to share our lands among them, and come to inhabit the conquered country:" a very high figure of rumour indeed!]-which accordingly is done in part, there being a Transplantation of many women and children and of whole families in Westmoreland and Cumberland, as I am credibly informed [for the moment!]—Much more might be said; but I forbear. I offer it to your Lordships that Money may be 'sent' to pay the foot and horse to some equality. Some of those that are here seventy days before I marched from Windsor into Wales have not had any pay; and amongst the horse, my own Regiment and some others are much behind. I wish your Lordships may manage it for the best advantage, and not be wanting to yourselves in what is necessary: which is the end of my offering these things to you. My Lords, Money is not for Contingencies so as were to be wished; we have very many things to do which might be better done if we had wherewithal. Our Foot want Clothes, Shoes and Stockings; these ways and weather have shattered them all to pieces: that which was the great blow to our Horse was (beside the weather and incessant marches) our March ten miles to fight with the Enemy, and a Fight continuing four hours in as dirty a place as ever I saw horse stand in; and, upon the matter, the continuance of this Fight two days more together in our following the Enemy, and lying close by him in the mire-[moths again and mildew until at length we broke him at a near ..... a great party of our horse having . . . . . miles towards Lancaster; who came up. to us, and were with us in all the Action].—These things I thought fit to intimate, not knowing what is fit to ask, because I know not how your Affairs stand, nor what you can supply. I have sent Major-General Lambert, upon the day I received the Enclosed, with above Two-Thousand horse and dragoons and about FourteenThousand foot in prosecution of the Duke and the Nobility of Scotland with him; who will, I doubt not, have the blessing of God with him in the business. But indeed his horse are exceeding weak and weary.-I have sent to Yorkshire and to my Lord Grey to alarm all parts to a prosecution: and if they be not wanting to the work, I see not how many can escape. I am marched myself back to Preston;-and so on towards Monro or otherwise, as God shall direct. As things fall out, I shall represent them to you; and rest, My Lords and Gentlemen, Your most humble 'servant,' OLIVER CROMWELL.* No. 12. LETTER TO THE DERBY-HOUSE COMMITTEE IN 1648. [Vol. i. p. 318.] RECAPITULATING what is already known in the Text; finds its place here. To the Right Honourable the Committee of Lords and Commons at Derby MY LORDS AND GENTLEMEN, House. Norham, 20th Sept. 1648. I did, from Alnwick, write to Sir William Armyn1 an account of our condition; and recommended to him divers particular considerations about your affairs here in the North,—with a desire of particular things to be done by your Lordships' appointment, in order to the carrying-on of your affairs. I send you here a copy of the Summons that was sent to Berwick2 when I was come as far as Alnwick; as also of a Letter written to the Committee of Estates of Scotland :-I mean those who we did presume were convened as Estates, and were the men that managed the business of the War. But there being, as I learned since, none such; the Earl of Roxburgh and some others having deserted, so that they are not able to make a Committee;—I believe the said Letter is suppressed, and retained in the hands of Colonel Bright and Mr. William Rowe. For whom we 'had' obtained a safe Convoy to go to the Estates 4 * Tanner Mss. lvii. (1.) 229. Original signed inside and out by Cromwell: much injured by mildew and moths. 1 Original Member for Grantham; one of the Committee, and from of old busy in those International concerns. 2 Letter LXX. (vol. i. p. 307.) 3 Letter LXXII. (vol. i. p. 310.) 4 Not 'suppressed,' though it cannot be received except unofficially (vol. i. p. 811). of that Kingdom with our said Letter; the Governor of Berwick's Answer to our Summons leading us thereunto. By advantage whereof we did instruct them to give all assurances to the Marquis of Argyle and the Honest Party in Scotland,-who we heard were gathered together in a considerable Body about Edinburgh, to make opposition to the Earl of Lanark, Monro, and their Armies,―of our good affection to them. Wherewith they went the 16th of this month. Upon the 17th of this month Sir Andrew Ker and Major Strahan, with divers other Scots Gentlemen, brought me this enclosed Letter, signed by the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, as your Lordships will see. They also showed me their Instructions, and a Paper containing the matter of their Treaty with Lanark and Monro; as also an Expostulation upon Lanark's breach with them,-in falling upon Argyle and his men, contrary to agreement, wherein the Marquis hardly escaped, they having hold of him, but Seven-hundred of his men were killed and taken.' These Papers I also send here enclosed to your Lordships. So soon as those Gentlemen came to me, I called a Council of War; the result whereof was the Letter directed to the Lord Chancellor ;2 a Copy whereof your Lordships have here enclosed. Which I delivered to Sir Andrew Ker and Major Strahan; with which they returned upon the 18th, being the next day. Upon private discourse with these Gentlemen, I do find the condition of their Affairs and their Army to be thus: The Earl of Lanark, the Earl of Crawford and Lindsay, Monro, and their Army, hearing of our advance, and understanding the condition and endeavours of their Adversaries,— marched with all speed to get possession of Stirling-Bridge; that so they might have three parts in four of Scotland at their backs, to raise men, and to enable themselves to carry on their designs. They were about 5,000 Foot, and 2,500 Horse. The Earl of Leven, who is chosen General; the Marquis of Argyle, with the Honest Lords and Gentlemen, David Lesley being the Lieutenant-General: 'these,' having about 7,000 Foot, but very weak in Horse,-lie about six miles this side the Enemy. I hear that their Infantry consists of men who come to them out of conscience; and are generally of the Godly People of that Nation, which they express by their piety and devotion in their quarters; and indeed I hear they are a very godly and honest body of men. I think it is not unknown to your Lordships what directions I have received from you for the prosecution of our late Victory. Whereof I shall be bold to remember a clause of your Letter; which was, "That I "should prosecute the remaining Party in the North, and not leave any 2 Letter LXXIII. (vol. i. p. 312.) 1 Bishop Guthry's Memoirs. "of them, wheresoever they go, to be a beginning of a new Army; nor cease to pursue the Victory till I finish and fully complete it with the "rendition of those Towns of Berwick and Carlisle, which most unjustly, "and against all obligations, and the Treaties then in force, they surprised and garrisoned against us." In order whereunto, I marched to the Borders of Scotland: where I found the whole Country so harassed and impoverished by Monro and the Forces with him, that the Country was no way able to bear us on the English side; but we must necessarily have ruined both your Army and the Subjects of this Kingdom, who would not have had bread for a day if we had continued among them. In prosecution of your Orders, and in answer to the necessities of your friends in Scotland, and their desires; and considering the necessity of marching into Scotland, to prevent the Governor of Berwick from putting of provisions into his Garrisons on the Scots side, whereof he is at present in some want, as we are informed,—I marched a good part of the Army over Tweed yesterday about noon, the residue being to come after as conveniently as we may. Thus have I given your Lordships an account of our present condition and engagement. And having done so, I must discharge my duty in remembering to your Lordships the Desires formerly expressed in my Letters to Sir William Armyn and Sir John Evelyn, for supplies; and in particular for that of Shipping to be upon these Coasts, who may furnish us with Ammunition or other necessaries wheresoever God shall lead us; there being extreme difficulty to supply us by land, without great and strong convoys, which will weary-out and destroy our Horse, and cannot well come to us if the Tweed be up, without going very far about. Having laid these things before you, I rest, Your Lordships' most humble servant, OLIVER CROMWELL. P.S. Whilst we are here, I wish there be no neglect of the Business in Cumberland and Westmoreland. I have sent Orders both into Lancashire and to the Horse before Pontefract. I should be glad your Lordships would second them, and those other considerations expressed in my Desires to Sir William Armyn thereabouts.* * Old Pamphlet: in Parliamentary History, xvii. 481. |