Reprinted from History No. 6 (1992) pages 9-12

GLOUCESTERSHIRE by Russell Howes

At the end of the civil war parliament imposed fines on the John Dutton of Sherborne was one of the two members of defeated royalists. The business was handled by two committees parliament for Gloucestershire. He went to , the king's of parliament, the committee for compounding and the committee headquarters, and sat in the so-called parliament there. He was for the advance of money. Each left copious records, in which the fined at one tenth, £3,434.4s., but had to pay a further £1,782 for part taken in the war by local people can be traced. At first par- additional particulars, that is presumably because of undervalu- liament sequestered the estates of royalists (the king did the same ation, and another £952 17s. ld. for property inherited from his to his opponents); then parliament permitted royalists to compound brother Sir Ralph Dutton. In order to pay he had to sell land. by paying a single sum or fine. The amount was assessed at be- ln the parish church of Stow-on-the-Wold a tablet to John tween one tenth and one third of the value of the property, ac- Chamberlain recalls that he was faithful to his prince. He was fined cording to the degree of delinquency. If an estate were discovered at one sixth, £316, and then a much larger sum, £1,180, for to have been under-valued, more had to be paid. In each county omissions. Any one who discovered undisclosed income could a local committee gathered information. The committee for the claim one fifth of the composition; Joseph Collett spent eighteen advance of money originally requested loans from supporters of months and £140 prosecuting Chamberlain. parliament; at the end of the war it demanded payments from George Brydges, Lord Chandos, had published the king's royalists who did not pay their compositions. These were assessed commission of array calling up troops. He was fined at one third, at the rate of one twentieth of the value of their real property, and £12,440, and at one tenth £4,976. The total was abated by £1,000 one fifth of their personal. when he agreed to provide £100 a year for a minister at Haresfield; 9 another £1,000 was respited till the House of Commons knew his LESSER MEN damages by the slighting of . The difficulties of royalists are illustrated by Thomas Rogers of King's Stanley. When he was under sequestration the county committee helped him by allowing him to be tenant on his own estate. His fine was only £130, but even though he sold land he

-. 1 1 "~;.}“ ..'. could not pay, and became a prisoner for debt first in castle, and then in the upper bench. When he came out he sold more land, and eventually paid the whole fine. The events of the civil war, and the actions of individual '7.'.$~"‘* royalists, are illustrated by the findings of the two committees. In February 1642 Prince Rupert captured . John Coxwell of Ablington was a trooper at the taking of the town, and wounded a man there. John Prettyman of Driffield voluntarily assisted the king's forces. William Chapman of Tetbury was called 'a grand malignant’; he rode in the king's army and when Cirencester was a royalist garrison he plundered men's goods. Thomas Remington of South Cemey drank healths to the confusion of parliament! --"*~rvI=1:v Many local royalists were with the king at the . Lord Chandos had a troop of horse there; in it rode John Edwards of Shurdington, armed with sword, poleaxe and pistols. Another troop was led by Lord Herbert. When parliament

‘II’ attempted to charge Lord Herbert's son Henry (the future Duke of Beaufort) with riding aimed at the siege, when the king reviewed the troop in which he rode, it was replied that he was only 13 at the time. Although William Dowell was accused of being in aims against parliament at the siege of Gloucester, witnesses said that he had gone into the about a wife; the committee for sequestrations, by comparing times and circumstances, were convinced that this was true, and discharged the sequestration‘. It 45* was alleged that Richard Colchester of Westbury was at the siege; ‘ ‘Q his family replied that he had a son, a lieutenant, in Gloucester at 5:5:=_¢ the siege, and that the father tried to save his life; however while the siege was still in progress the father died near Burford of ‘the new disease’. Another father who lost a son at the siege was John John Dutton, ofSherborne, Esquire, M.P. Born 1594 . Died 14th January, Freeman of Bushley near ; his son John was killed by 1657. (From the original portrait by Dobson, at Sherborne House). a shot from a musket, and buried in the churchyard of Hempsted, where his tomb can be seen; the elder Freeman's widow and his surviving son had to pay £380. John Keyt of Ebrington served with Sir Robert Tracy of Toddington was fined at one sixth, £1,500, his sons at the siege; perhaps one of the sons was Hastings Keyt, and for omissions a further £500. He sold the manor of Fairford who subsequently perished in the fight at Stow, and was buried in order to pay. From this money parliament paid the citizens of before the chancel steps in Stow church. Gloucester £590. 18s. for clothing Sir 's army. Sir of Tuffley marched with the king's army to Humphrey Tracy of Stanway was originally fined £2,250, but it Gloucester; in his autobiography he admitted that he was anxious was reduced to £1,500. This money was used to pay the guard of horse which attended parliament. £4,000 owed by parliament to _. Q M___,_, H H _,_:,£m _.__ ~ --v the city of Gloucester was to be paid from money owed to Sir '1 "'.:"'“-Y... "'--* " -‘:'._,'T..'..-.1 G "1"" an '" 5” . - - --1,: '.t“"g&"k:£,""""f':"i*"‘1ltv-. .. v, ‘, ““‘*-_ * _ _- -:5-='Y’-1""i~»;‘ ~ _."" . “'13. "" Humphrey by Sir Henry Poole of Sapperton. ..» .-"- -- " J-1 . i. in-is __,_~ I .1 g 7%;. ;_ Q‘ -4' 1., ‘V .w.-.- .:.’._-’ . __- . '3. _._‘_ 1;, ,"' _ '} Kg: ;;$'; (23 _' ._ 9'_ . it _ Z , _-.¢_) ',',/.c A leading royalist in the south of the county was Sir Richard F . -. X “' : /" _. -' 5,9. ’¥"" _ -I i. . :1- Ducie of Tortworth. He was in when it surrendered, but '1 *. .. , 3_ §:.*;;.s.%—.:§peel‘3<;.¢;<<,*,i};.-Y’*'?}°i§-*v,.rd};-,~._. ' * ' _ . ._ _.. claimed that he had never bome arms. However parliament heard

a business of arranging compositions for royalists, and offered his I ., ' services to Ducie, and to meet him in the Crown at Newport. Ducie ‘Q j_I. W. ai;‘~."‘§' J -_., _. =_l .- ‘ "“ . . , ' ii -w ' <.,- 5 was reluctant to pay anything, and the committee of Gloucester so t .¢;a§;:.i,..,,;~..¥».§~'v’;»x$$ - <=?a~'}.e ,;: . 1 ; threatened to send soldiers to him, who, being enraged for want ' i _. ,3!» ii? fh . -. . of pay, would be harsh collectors. The committee used some ' e ~=~.~ § '0 ii;-' ‘ money squeezed from Ducie to pay the troop of Major Oliver . »4‘ it>";". fyku. .¢".~ie.E . Hit Cromwell; he was a cousin of the famous Cromwell, and served 3 it it in Gloucester‘. Parliament put Ducie in prison, where he peti- tioned to compound, and a fine was imposed of £3,346 14s. 8d. .. <1 "’ fr

A more tractable man was John Smyth of North Nibley, the _ _ _. I! ,,,. O _ _ .. . ' . steward of Lord Berkeley. He too went to Oxford, and thence to fig: 21".: ; -vi '5 - ‘ll?kip 1fir‘i; .- .,_,,_.J Bristol. His fine was at the high rate of one third but as he was not "3. a wealthy man it came to only £600. This he paid in two instal- 'In‘;S-* 3- 5"is:;. ments, preserving the receipts among his papersz. He was later § - 2 - '7--1, assessed £30 for his fifth part, but he argued that he had provided --mp wan -1-...- : ‘-»~=&=""v~'_.....-..-.-. It g Q 1’, 1; -|~"'?|? ., -pplnvq two horses with arms and ten foot arms at Cirencester; because of ¢4-er-far“A_g . " Ifilnln. .,..... a i w ‘ ...LAr‘LI‘ ...~ ,. . . , ... _ "53->:‘“1,k_ea»-1-»<.,.,.a$'-1...._. Q:32¢gag---;{‘;*__.‘$g,__..4__-_ . I38 _, ‘ i ,. this, and because he had given free quarter to parliamentary troops, " - - " ’ J --»~.~ -2 -not #3;ii..__.‘..1.___“_J‘ gK,in*‘:.=-1?‘;§"§=\.H*~"""--1.¢qt§_§£5¢""§“~'i;,1 W“-4 _| "ii':2._-I:_"_w‘_.M‘_.A-e13;\-1, ‘§a";“i.’-'-"rs'**‘~q;~‘§?’§'-Z=*.;as»....'-~19?-4,-5.. 3*’3+;:§‘..ia.»-3'"~..->~=<-.=J /1"in'4''"Vita3“*'-"1;-i.._". '71'it‘=3'%¢+'-*._'-''- .,..,, ' - . ii“?‘fir\aéwéfffj§p_',_.:$;ji_._‘ 4’ .. “'__'F‘;".";§-1-'-Z"..._-=;.=!__§,.-,,__:“._'\‘_W‘\.,rt,_ya‘__ .I‘‘--_-»\q;‘§,}"'v“'i-;_i,3“_€‘?$,:Q....___.‘wk__._H“‘.3. ''1;''‘A"I“"!,-R‘'r=I.‘- . . - ‘k\-'_.::_:»29“‘%5:%¢§.\~fig_‘._“%“.,,,'Fp*'1_,_._‘-\.‘;.‘__..-T“3\H.‘ _ H: . ‘ \ . £1e-‘Q;11*asit.. -1 A ' ‘ It‘ I’.- it?'*"-Fr";:¥‘¢%‘=‘ii~t"@=-.?.;‘*,:i1-';.’f=-53?’.;>it. -ivt=1-»-=af?>::- .-' . ,- -uu-\-a-an-an- .. . . his claim was allowed. John Smyth also wrote to the committee I‘“1;""i<.§‘*-"~°.>*"-;;.T>"~?7.~.i.;-..*§"'?1i...5 '""'-=@"t'*.’I¢.-‘-"""'1'»-vi!‘-71;;-i.. ' ,, " 'r~ --.~¢""..‘l"‘.\"“"""",,.,.,~ mew‘irfisre'$‘*'i'i"“-=---1~=..::-~.-'iii"1v ‘_e='3?‘.. {iii- 6av W ...... _,,...... ,,_ _,, "‘." _ ' ~. ‘Ln "- H -. ' . ' “ ‘It "' ' » --1-'2 :2 it/"aéa.~A-ea-=§*~*.=~.-:.:= {Ea_,I r/' ' , ...... ' .,______' MM'sill4a;aa..Wi.ad:§4ll'll\l'¥lai§~.1._;.. _ -,- '1;-*.--H _ . _' _ " _ ,,,-, 0 I‘ - -..."'%II'~nnvq|’.' ‘M "n of Gloucester seeking a reduction in taxes for his neighbours, a. , *i§-..i=~§_1",§i"x-K».... ix.~T}3;*"?'£g'§_f;"'!??.- ... - ';,""":t1nm.:»--»~ ~ : M‘-T "A -‘III-' \§*”" n\.1' i ' \ ‘ I O - v A-08" I -...... 4""f‘-" 4 r in I """"""‘" ..-.... i --.- '"\. *;'i..,' * "‘ ~ *iA=IIlnn...... ~...- --*"""' ‘~.,;',¢1 1' .- us...,,_- ...... _'_:."‘,,_ ,_ - ... »l¢- -~~.-.-- ”"""'_~""!L..w-~-~ 5 ‘l";\ .."35 ~. -.-,~-. . - . _ _ T . fi....,....,.:-§, _fl because they had given free quarter. William Sheppard wrote back »- 1 - z. 7°‘ 1» . .. N . -vi,“ ‘J? -...... at W v' . , _-,,‘\'-'~, - M T_ M» vi:-1"»-»~.Q»-Iwv aw.A“"’::r,.1 :4‘-an , *‘“"‘. ‘ "In.'0 2:‘r ~Iv~~w-~ Ifi ... .,,... . ,‘.,,. x, ‘i- W '\'_;Iwn-mt, T _‘,,¢nv' fa,‘ " " - i...";;...:',,“ " " -‘ ' .. ' 2114- \Af\fi-..» ‘van --... - If‘r\'¢~l\III4...#-.=.-_-:_...... -..--.-.-....._...... _w-.-.- ,..w,,t..,.,.__,,_,,,,.,. , an4 1 ""~l\n;,-.,,, N.“ -mm».“"' "‘ -" """. qr‘ -i 1-D.5‘ ‘ -~--“V -- r\ .. grudgingly offering a reduction of £10, and a further £10, if the ~ .-a...'-- -F' -_---~------_------..--...... -- . -o an¢- -I -» 1 ... - " . . , __'.;;",~"r..'!!1'-:-~g1-_:-'-::e'¢-~--~------~---.-.-...-~--- ~—--. UB1".1--1::--v-~ W" parish contributed £5 to repairing and to the - - ’"-" “' 1-...~ 0 ' ,. ...._ - - Am-...W... :.»-.--q-- -_- .....t...... ;;'.'*-. . . I‘-'*5""“-..... '*-T**, '. W ' M '"""""*"""'* -- 1..-" W?.§7u»-mm‘ rm new public library there3. Richard Atkyns. 10 to secure his estate; his fine of £500 was reduced to £140. A same year as the siege. Another on Walker's list commemorated royalist clergyman, Richard Bridges of Cromhall, was said to be by a monument was Thomas Price; his tablet in St. John's church very active at the siege; he rode to Gloucester with the king's party, recorded his services to Charles I the glorious martyr, for whom and prayed heartily that they might take it. Each side had its spies. he was often wounded and once left for dead. The county com- Thomas Savage of Weston, Warwickshire, was an intelligencer mittee complained of John Theyer of Cooper's Hill that he was a for the king, and gave tidings to the besiegers of the march of the man of so turbulent a spirit, and kept such company about him, Earl of Essex to relieve the city. that they knew not how to deal with him; as he was on Walker's list he was presumably in Gloucester before the siege. John A FIFTH COLUMN? Wagstaffe escaped any fine, and was one of the new members There were royalists within Gloucester. The king's secretary imposed on Gloucester city council after the restoration. at war, Sir Edward Walker, had a list of over one hundred names The presence of royalists within the city prompted attempts to of 'such Inhabitants within ye Citty of Gloucr as are reputed to be get Gloucester to surrender. William Try of Hardwicke, a life guard loyall & dutifull subjects unto his Matye' (the list is in the Brit- to the king, tried to persuade parliamentary officers to betray ish Librarys). Some of these people were later fined. Sir Henry Gloucester. William Bell of Sandhurst came to the Noithgate with Anderson had a house in College Green, but took no part in local a demand for surrender. The garrison retumed a defiant answer, politics; his fine of £3, 170 was reduced, following petitions, to which was celebrated by a verse, including the words £1,730. George Leigh of Wotton was captain of a troop of horse. All know full well William Capel, a former mayor, exchanged letters with John That every Bell Smyth; Capel was anxious to be paid some money, and wrote that Is uselesse till't be hangedl. he would stand the loss if the messenger were attacked by the way. The committee for the advance of money learnt later that many A receipt shows that the messenger got through“. Dr. John officers of the king's party were quartered on Bell, and they English, a prebendary of the cathedral, and also curate of Chel- compelled him to go with the message; Bell's tombstone is at the teitham, told his story on a monument in parish church doorway of Sandhurst church. OTHER ROYALISTS IN THE COUNTY Os A CIJARSE Sires: AGAINST‘ "run East" Wain. The troops left by the king in Gloucestershire were put under Tm. s.-in Mi-..vioaiAi.i. or-‘ JOHN Esciisii, Dim. -run IN !.)ii-isiire. to JANE iiis M061‘ DEAR! the command of Sir William Vavasour. William Essington of St. \‘~'ii'ii, l).\Ut}lII'I‘-.R ro iiii-; Hosiiununs Ei.izA- Swithin's parish and Morton had been made a prisoner of war by BFTH l..1tn\' Siii~'iii's, B.\iio:~ii.-zsz DE LA Visr Co- Colonel Massey, governor of Gloucester, but he broke prison and HIT. SOL’ FIIUJN i FROM $5110” HR ‘KAI DIVOICED escaped to Vavasour at Tewkesbury. Although Lord Chandos went nir i8 Wt-.211:-;s cross l.\fl'RISO}iMI£N‘l", WHICH off to London, Sudeley castle remained a garrison for the king; mos-s AFTER CAUSED i-isii DEATH on Aiicusr 8, 1643. To i\IAiir I-HS sicoiin DAUGHTER, wiio Thomas Yamton of Winchcombe kept the court of the guard, and nucuxsso Oct‘. :5 roi.i.owisc. exercised soldiers there. Berkeley castle was at different times held Sic cacisiir i.i'oi:ss, at nissotvi cvrizss, for the king. Colonel Thomas Veale was in command there, and Pius cosjux, AC MCI-'.5'l"L’S PA! ass. I. E. was eventually fined at one sixth £1,243. Thomas, one of the sons Qri miiino .wsi>ii-unis, :1‘ Cri=.i.i:.\i A5PlI.\N.l, of John Smyth of North Nibley, served under him. Another of l.~.ossii~'e1~ii"zii Cl.A1\I.\‘l" Veale's captains was Thomas Hicks of Cromhall. Much later, on Boss jzsii, I-LS ro mrs jzsus. the eve of the restoration, Colonel Massey, now working for the Sis MEUS, 0 jizsi-, sis jssus (Ciinisrii) Mzo|.i'.\t ! king, sheltered in the house . SWLET Sn-iora or M.\i~i|iisi>, I-i-—-| -- Tm-; SAVIOUR or MILE AND ivi|;.|;, of Veale's son, another Si=ia.isis oiuvir, Thomas, at Symond's Hall. Sic {EXPIRAEIS IXORAVIT, Ladies played their part in ‘ RF.Sl"lRANi PERORABIT, the king's cause; Elizabeth Joiinisiss Ei~|ci.isii,S.u~=cr.=i='.vi-;iii1 AT]! irroiosi.-s, Oiiiir AKNO Ciiiiisri. Anus. Lady Leigh of Longborough sent horses to her son Captain George Inscription in Cheltenham parish church by Dr. John Leigh, entertained the English to his wife Jane. king's officers and soldiers, received goods taken from to his wife Jane; from her, he said, ‘he was divorced by 18 weekes parliament's friends at the close imprisonment, which soone after caused her death‘ in the siege of Gloucester, and threatened to hang a serv- /‘E ant for refusing to ride in the king's service.

' .3 ll-. ‘.' The king's chief strength in Gloucestershire ' or"A. ‘£%&*-fir was the force led by Sir _~= .----V , -- - John Wintour of Lydney. he-.4-.|,‘i.:‘,I' '— At one time he left his wife . jfi-l. in command; he wrote to -i.-._.~ i-" ~ "" ' ' I: _- . “J. Q-"1 _ _'7 -IL J Prince Rupert, beseeching Sir . From a picture by him not t0 forget a p001‘ Van Dyck, at Tehidy, . lady, with her children and . '11,,‘ '.’.,£& - family, at his house at Lydney“. After the war his estates were confiscated, and awarded to Colonel Massey. Wintour was l|= ‘ ‘ i proposed for perpetual banishment, but he ended up a prisoner in -'1-..LL‘.'-\‘.--' the Tower of London. Several local men served under him. John_ F t“'*"*"'"-"-if‘-.... T Millard of Cowley, Richard Aram of Newent and others were said to have been with Wintour at Lydney House. Edward Clarke and FF... his son of Newent gave intelligence from Gloucester garrison to Sir John Wintour, and fumished his men daily with provisions. An “Y"'~.*__ important man in the Forest of Dean was Benedict Hall. He had \_'.__‘wLg‘4 44 been in Lord Herbert's troop at the siege of Gloucester. He kept »i-. a garrison of 40 or 50 in his house at Highmeadow. His servants Francis Smith and John Colcombe compelled several parliament Thomas Price. soldiers to serve the king, and one of these was captured and 11 hanged by Massey. After the war another of his servants John Penn 4 Public Record Office SP 20/ 1, f. 276v, January 17 1644/45 shot at a parliament soldier with a fowling piece. 5 British Library Harley Manuscripts 6804, f. 69. To be in a garrison of the king was taken as evidence of de- 6 Gloucester City Library, Smyth of Nibley Papers, volume 10 linquency. Several Gloucestershire men went, like John Dutton, ff. 16, 18 and 19. to Oxford. Dutton's colleague in parliament, Henry Brett, sat in 7 T. D. Fosbrooke, An Original History of the City of the assembly there. Sir Edward Bathurst of Lechlade seems to have Gloucester, p. 42. been a prisoner in Gloucester, for a ransom of £80 from him was 8 British Library Additional Manuscripts 18981, f. 309. recorded in the accounts of Thomas Blayney, the treasurer of 9 Public Record Office, SP 28 129/5, August 8 1643. Gloucester garrisong; he was said to have paid £160 at Oxford for '0 Gloucestershire Record Office D 36 F4. his baronetcy. " British Library Additional Manuscripts 34012.

TURNING OF THE TIDE King Charles I surrendered to parliament, but in 1648 there was a rising by English and Scots in his favour. Thomas Green of was a captain in this insurrection. Sir Humphrey Tracy was in arms in Kent. A letter was sent to Elizabeth Colchester by Thomas Colchester her brother-in-law, threatening to reveal that her son Duncombe had been in arms against parliament”. The belligerent clergyman Richard Bridges said in the pulpit that he hoped God would make parliament bow to the Scots. Charles II endeavoured to win backhis throne in 1651, again with Scottish help, but was defeated at Worcester. Anne Poole, a widow of Cirencester, was accused of having aided the army of the King of Scots with money, provisions and intelligence, and harboured royalists at the time of the Worcester fight. It is remarkable how many royalists told the committees that they had served the king only because forced to do so. John Dutton said that, as his house at Sherbome was only 18 miles from Ox- ford, he had been obliged to comply with the king's party. The proximity of Bristol was given by Sir Maurice Berkeley of Stoke Gifford as his reason for siding with the king. When Rupert and Maurice took Cirencester, they quartered at the house of Sir William Master, and forced him, as he said, to sign warrants for contributions. Sir Edward Bathurst said that he signed warrants for the king, constrained by the neamess of the king's garrisons. William Poole of Sapperton said that he and his father were forced to comply with the king's party while they prevailed in the county. The threats and potency of the enemy constrained Sir Humphrey Tracy to yield to them. William Jones of Naas protested that his name had been inserted in a commission for the king without his consent by Sir John Wintour. The same excuse was given by Thomas Morgan of Hurst in the Forest of Dean, who asserted that he had been plundered by the king's party. The royalists of Gloucestershire did not give up hope during the commonwealth. When the govemment in 1655 ordered lists of suspects to be drawn up in each county, Major General Disbrowe listed over 200 people in Gloucestershire“. Of the 55 or so royalists named in this article eight were on Disbrowe's list. Whereas the committee for compounding and the committee for the advance of money inevitably dealt with men of property, the major genera1's list included royalists of humble occupation; for example, the 14 Suspects at Berkeley included five labourers, two carpenters and two joiners. In the Forest of Dean and west of the Sevem there were only 11 suspects, all of them gentlemen, even though this had been Sir John Wintour's area. In north east Gloucestershire were 28 suspects, 16 of them gentlemen. The greatest numbers in the Stroud area were eight at Horsley and six at Minchinhampton, and they included broadweavers and cordwainers. The 18 suspects at Cirencester ranged from Sir William Master to Samuel Stitch a labourer. The greatest con- centrations of royalist suspects were in south west Gloucestershire: 14 at Berkeley, ten at Wickwar, nine at Cromhall, the parish of Richard Bridges, and 14 at Thornbury; most of them were in humble occupations.

REFERENCES Most of the information in this article comes from the Calendar of the Committee for Compounding and the Calendar of the Committee for the Advance of Money. Other sources, indicated by numbers in the text, are as fol1ows:- ‘ Gloucestershire Record Office D 340a. 2 Gloucester City Library, Smyth of Nibley Manuscripts, volume 14. 312 British Library Additional l\-Eanuscripts 33588, f. 60.