8 Sep 1643 (Fri) || And now Reader, I must give thee a sad relation which (if you either love the King or His enemie) will certainly much affect thee; which (in a word) is that on Monday last Prince Maurice took possession of the City of Exeter for His Majesty. For Biddeford, Appleford, and Barnstaple being all delivered up to the Kings Forces, the rebellious City of Exeter was the chiefe place stood out in the West; Prince Maurice therefore being desirous to make a short worke of the War in those parts gave a very hot assault upon the City upon Sunday last, & did not onely shake the Wals in severall places, but by shooting Granadoes into the Towne, had fired a good part of the Suburbs: the Soudiers and others in the Towne, seeing the greatnesse of their danger, desired a Parley, in which the Prince offered them such conditions as had beene given before to Bristol; which being rejected by the Rebells (who would needes stand it out a little longer upon point of honour) His Majesties Forces pursued the assault so eagerly the next day after, that they made themselves masters of the great Sconce or Bulwark, and turned the Ordnance thereof on the Towne it selfe. Which being perceived by the Rebels, and finding that there was no hope of life and safety, but in the seasonablenesse of their submission, they humbly craved to be admitted unto those conditions which before they rejected, and (above their deservings) did obtaine the same, According to which conditions the Towne and Castle were delivered to the Prince his Highnesse with all the Ordnance, Armes, and Ammunition which was left therein, the city absolutely left to the gracious disposall of His Majesty, the Commanders and Officers of the Rebelss dismissed in safety with their Swords by their sides, and the commons Souldiers with Cudgels in their hands (which with a little Printing will perhaps grow to be Swords next weeke) all they suffered to take away [were] such goods as were properly and truly theirs. And so this proud City which had so long bid defiance to their native and gracious Soveraigne was at last reduced into the power of His Sacred Majesty, and that noble and valiant Gentleman Sir John Berkley who had deserved so much in the whole course of this service was declared Governour thereof. It was observed, that when the Officers and Souldiers issued out of the Towne, the Earle of Stamford was found missing, and no word as yet what became of the man. We say not this, that we thinke he was slaine in defence of that factious City, but that his Conscience did so check him, both for his causelesse taking up of Armes against His Soveraigne and his perverse pursuance of it (which made his Majesty except him in so many of his Proclamations and Declarations) that he durst not trust himselfe unto this agreement, but privately slipt out of the Towne in some poore disguise. And so the noble, valiant, chaste Earl of Stamford, full of vertue and honour, crept out of Exceter after he had begged his life, who not two dayes agoe told the Prince, that not want of courage or sufficient meanes for his subsistence in the Citie, but an earnest desire to come and die in His Majesties favour had made him doe what he did. || John Berkenhead/Peter Heylyn – Mercurius Aulicus (R)
The relieving of Glocester is an action so full of honour, that the losse of Excester (after fifteen weekes siege, being manfully defended that time, by the Earle of Stamford) is not so considerable, as the losse of our reputation, if Glocester had not beene relieved:¹ The Governour, Colonell Massey, had but two barrells of powder left, when my Lord Generall entered Glocester, but now he is furnished with plenty of ammunition and victualls: if the Cavaliers had beene so valiant, as Master Aulicus boasts them to be, they would have adventured the whole body of their Army to have prevented the relieving of that Towne, but the issue is, the King is fled to Worcester, the Lord Generall is marched after him, it is pitty the enemy will not stand by it, and abide the brunt of a Battell, then there were some hopes of an end to be put to these miseries. || Robert White & George Bishop – Mercurius Britanicus (P)
——
¹The Earl of Essex had arrived near Gloucester on 5th September, and occupied the city on the 8th.
town surrenders
Ingler corrects Dorchester report
In Dorset, ECW editor's comment on August 19 at 1:33 am19 Aug 1643 (Sat) || Whereas a temerarious¹ Relation was inserted into the last weekes Informations, about the late yeilding of Dorchester,² because it was desitute of its Souldiers 600. of them being with the Earle of Warwicke, and that Sir Walter Erle should have 1200. more of them against Corfe Castle, and that therefore the Town was forced to yeild because it had not above two or 300. souldiers to defend it, and that Sir Walter Erle should write so to the Parliament, which Relation being erroneous, and not rightly bottomed, I have thought fit to retract, that the truth may be vindicated, and that no prejudice may reflect upon those whom it may concerne. Wherefore I affirme (having now been rightly informed) that Sir Walter Erle wrote not so to the Parliament as was related, that the Earle of Warwicke had but 200 of their souldiers, whom he sent back againe; that Sir Walter Erle had but about 200. foot besides his own Troope of horse against Corfe Castle, and that when Dorchester was yeilded, there were about six or 700. Souldiers in the Town, who perhaps might have defended it for a time, because there was not so great a number as 5. or 6000. that came against them. This being the truth, the dissonancy between verity & error I hope is cleered, concluding with the Moralist, Humanum est errare, sed beluinum in errore perseverare. || William Ingler – Certaine Informations (P)
——
¹ Reckless; rash
² See report on 11 August
Share this: