HOUGHAM

Hougham is situated 8 miles NNW of Grantham and is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. Lord Brundenell enclosed the manor in the 1590’s. Enclosure reduced the number of ploughs and crop output for example at Laceby near Cleethorpes the number of ploughs was reduced from 27 to 3 and corn output consequently fell by 1800 quarters. In the 1630’s large numbers of French and Belgian refugees settled in which caused local wage rates to fall. In 1631 Gervase Markham said Lincolnshire cattle were esteemed above all other for labour and draught. He also noted that the sheep were extremely coarse. Sheep rearing was so profitable that larger amounts of land were enclosed and arable land turned into pasture with ensuing depopulation. At Horncastle 471 acres were enclosed which caused the eviction of 41 people. Prices rose more rapidly than wages so real incomes declined. Rents doubled during this period forcing those tenants who could not pay off their land and land prices went up. Even during the worse years of the Civil War there were enclosure riots in the county. Women often took a prominent part in consequence of a popular belief that women were lawless and not subject to the laws of the realm as men are.

Like the villagers of Carlby the people of Hougham had to take the Protestation Oath which they did on the 20th February 1642.

Below is a list of the villagers who signed the Protestation:

William Avery John Habdy Christopher Peerse John Barrows Richard Habdy Robert Peerse Anthony Benskin Richard Hambrook William Peerse William Benskin John Hawkins Henry Pepper Mathew Boyman Valentine Harvey John Pepper John Burden John Homwood Thomas Pepper Thomas Burges Robert Homewood William Pilcher Thomas Coker Thomas Hogbean William Ralyer John Dery John Hogben Finnis Shrewsbury Thomas Dixon Henry Hudson John Syins John Fagg John Joyner Henry Tayler Thomas Fagg Thomas Kite John Tayler William Fagg George Knot Thomas Tayler Thomas Fines Micheal Lissenden John Vallier Thomas Finery John Mersh Edward Watson Robert Friskett Peter Mersh William White John Geeford Thomas Morris Anthony Wraite Edward Habdy Mathew Oyn Daniel Wraith

The Oath was witnessed by the Vicar Henry Harrington and by the Churchwardens Valentine Harvey and Thomas Pepper.

The subsistence wage was between £11-14 per annum. Agricultural workers earned 8-10d per day. Women earned 4d per day. Skilled workers like Masons and Carpenters earned 1 shilling per day. Wages in the district of Holland were higher than in Kesteven. Tea and Coffee were introduced into England after the Civil War. A chicken cost 2 shillings. A firkin of butter cost 15 shillings. Beer was 1d per quart. Oranges cost 1 shilling each. Sugar cost 9d per lb. A loaf of bread cost 1d. A side of beef cost 20 shillings. A sheep cost 7/6d. Tobacco was a great morale booster for the troops during the war even though the excise duty was 6/10d in the pound. Soldiers mixed the tobacco with rhubarb leaves which they scented. One man was caught smoking in the streets of Stamford and fined 1 shilling. The local population married late - men at 26 and women at 23. The diet of a labourer consisted of bread cheese lard soup beer and garden greens though at special times like Christmas the farmer would provide his worker with boiled beef bacon puddings apple pie hot cakes and ale. Husbandmen preferred barley and rye brown bread to white bread. There were rises in the acreage grown of oats and barley and stock rearing developed. Lincolnshire in common with other counties had a problem with vagrants. Unemployment decreased during the Civil War but after 1646 poverty in Lincolnshire rose to 35%. Colonel Edward King at the Quarter Sessions in 1646 said that unemployment had to a great extent been alleviated by the war but now truly I may say in that little time I have lived in the county I have seen sturdy beggars and rogues marching twenty-four at a time more like a foot company than beggars. MAP OF HOUGHAM 1614

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE MANOR HOUSE

The house is an ancient building which in the 17th century courts were held for the Loveden Wapentake. The walls are 4 foot thick. To the North was a strong gatehouse. The only entrance to the house was a bridge over a moat. The house was refaced in 1620 but the outside of the building was rebuilt in Georgian times. The dwelling was the hunting lodge of the Brudenell family. Oyster shells and millstones have been found in the grounds. The present main facade is to the North windows in the East gable end. There are also remains of a much earlier date notably a completely mysterious huge respond in the room at the South East corner. It is a triple respond doubtless 13th Century and probably earlier. The floor has been raised. Originally it was about 7 foot high and about 5 foot 6 ins in diameter of cathedral size. Above the capital it is corbelled out three times and in the wall there is another corbel. In the wall opposite is a small oblong window and the room is of small size. Further East from this South East corner runs a wall and in this wall are traces of three large perpendicular windows of the former private chapel. The site is that of the de Bussey mansion for which an oratory was licensed in 1405. There is in existence a 15th century manuscript called the Bussey Psalter containing 168 leaves of vellum which was the service book for the private chapel and contained the orbits of the family between 1400-69. The outline of the moat can be seen today though it has largely been filled in. A massive Norman corbel was dredged up from the moat and is now in the Lincoln Museum. Thomas Brundenell a Catholic and a supporter of the King suffered badly in the war. His house at Deene was damaged and in 1652 he applied to Cromwell for compensation for the damage done to the Manor House his other property it being almost totally ruined by being made a garrison. The walls to the house were slighted so that it could never be used again as a fortified residence.

Robert Meres DD(Ca) the Rector of Hougham lent 3 horses to the Royalist Northern Army for 3 months from the 20th July 1642. Other gentry lent horses but who were they?

The following is a list of subscribers:

Sir John Monson 12 Sir Edward Hussey 6 Sir George Heneage 6 Sir William Thorold 6 Sir Charles Bolle 6 John Bolle 5 Sir Francis Fane 4 Sir Peregrine Bertie 4 Sir Gervase Scroop 4 William Dalison 4 Ralph Eure 4 Dr John Farmery 4 Sir Charles Dalison 4 Sir Robert Markham 4 Dr Anthony Topham 4 Sir William Pelham 3 Sir Daniel de Ligne 3 Sir Robert Thorold 3 Adrian May 3 Sir William Cony 3 Dr Hamlett Marshall 3 John South 3 Sir Charles Hussey 2 Sir Gervase Neville 2 Thomas Harrington 2 Chris Beresford (L) 2 Sir John Oldfield 2 Anthony Butler 2 Sir John Burrell 2 Chris Beresford (F) 2 Sir Robert Tredway 2 William Saltmarsh 2 Stephen Anderson 2 Thomas Ogle 2 William Tirwhitt 2 Dr Morgan Winne 2 Dr Thomas Hurst 2 William Welby 2 William Disney 2 Robert Bolle 1 Thomas Rands 1 John Columbell 1 John Stutt 1 N Smith 1 Edward Tournay 1 Edmund Ellis 1 Arthur Redhead 1 George Walker 1 Hustwait Wright 1 William Stone 1 William Langton 1 Anthony Meres 1 Thomas Read 1 George Bradley 1 Sir William Quadring 1 Sir Edward Heron 1 Thomas Monson 1 Dr Robert Sanderson 1 Robert Haslewood 1 Adam Cranwell 1 Stephen Primatt 1 Charles Harrington 1 Henry Pigg 1 Davy Williamson 1 John Chappell 1 Edward Middlemore 1 Francis Welby 1 Henry Fynes 1 Robert Metham 1 Richard Parke 1 Richard Fancourts 1 Montague Cholmley 1

(L) = Chris Beresford of Leadenham. (F) = Chris Beresford of Fulbeck.

THE TAKING AND RETAKING OF HOUGHAM MANOR HOUSE

Why was Rossiter late getting to Naseby on the 14th June 1645? This book answers the question with a detailed account of the action that delayed him. Before we look at the conflict I would like to print what the newspapers said at the time so that the reader can compare their account with what actually happened.

The Moderate Intelligencer Friday 13th June 1645: This day we heard that Colonel Rossiter had recovered some of his souldiers taken by Newarke men and taken more of theirs. The manner thus: They of Newarke understanding of Colonel Rossiter being cald off for to go to Sir Thomas Farfax set upon a strong house that lies between Newarke Grantham and Lincolne and having killed the sentines surprised the house which they having taken they bound all the souldiers in it with cordes and laid them within command of the house intending they perish there which Colonel Rossiter understanding of being not then gone drew out a partee of horse who comming to the house dismounted and adventured to the walls and untied our men: they shot so fast that they wounded some killed one: this being done our men fell upon the house stormed it took all them prisoners and if they had served them a little worse then they ours for example fake it had been good: They in Newarke understanding of this sent out a partee to rescue theirs but ours beat them took about 50 of them prisoners and having settled the house returned: among these divers officers were taken and many gentlemen which we shall do well to hold fast and if we exchange them to do it upon equall termes.

A Perfect Diurnall of some passages in Parliament from Monday the 16th June till Monday the 23rd 1645: We had this day a more particular relation of the regaining of Hougham garison neare Grantham in Lincolnshire which garison by neglect of the guard was taken by a party of the Newarkers on Tuesday the 10th instant and the same day regained by Col. Rossiter our prisoners released and of the enemies taken prisoners Major Broughton - Major to Sir Richard Willis Governour of Newarke Captaine Tharrold Captaine Johnson Lieutenant Strickland 1 Cornet 55 Gentlemen Volunteers and Souldiers and about 60 horse

On the 9th June Rossiter was having his evening meal at the Angel Inn in Grantham when a dusty messenger arrived from Sir who was at Newport Pagnall. The dispatch ordered the Colonel to go to him at all speed in view of the imminent engagement with the King. Rossiter was faced with a dilemma his regiment was scattered in a number of outposts from Claypole to Belton so it would take time for him to get them all assembled. He gave his Captain-Lieutenant Charles Norwood orders for a rendezvous tomorrow at Grantham. Sir Richard Willis the Governor of Newark knew of the summons from Sir Thomas Fairfax but concluded that Rossiter had already left Lincolnshire. Hougham was a very important pass over the River Witham and Sir Richard decided to take the manor house with its Parliamentary garrison. What was the composition of the garrison? A report from Sir Samuel Luke to the Earl of Essex dated the 13th June 1645 established the composition of the garrison at 140 foot and some horse. The small Royalist force was commanded by Major Broughton. It left Newark at dusk bypassing the Parliamentary pickets at Claypole and Dry Doddington. At 6am on the 10th June the force was before Hougham. They had reached the village undetected. A detachment under Captain Thorold went forward up the drive to the Northern gatehouse. The sentinels must have been half asleep because they were quickly overpowered and killed and did not have time to raise the alarm. Major Broughton led his men over the bridge to the house and was surprised to find that the inner gate had been left ajar. They captured the house and its out-buildings without loss. The prisoners had their hands and feet bound with cords and were put by the bridge for transportation to Newark. I know from the report that Rossiter was presently advertised of its capture but I have no firm evidence of when or how. What I say next is pure conjecture. Hougham was garrisoned by a small detachment of Rossiter’s regiment of horse and as we saw earlier riders were sent out to all his outposts with orders to bring them back to Grantham. I surmise that either the rider was warned of its capture by villagers or he went up to the gatehouse and was fired upon by the sentries. Hence he beat an hasty retreat back to Grantham to raise the alarm. The Nottinghamshire historian A.C.Wood says that Rossiter was before the house by midday. The timing is a bit tight but he could be right though I am more inclined to say early afternoon. Rossiter gathered what forces had been assembled and left Grantham on the old Lincoln Road. The course of the road at this time went over the bridge on Belton Lane paralleling the River Witham up to the village of Belton. At Syston he would have left the Lincoln Road and turned off to a roadway which in 1645 connected Syston with the road to Marston and Hougham. The roadway is clearly shown on old maps though it is not in existence today. The present section of the A607 from Manthorpe Road to just beyond Belton village was constructed in 1810. On reaching Hougham the Parliamentary troops stormed the gatehouse but the Royalists had wisely retreated into the fortified manor house. The Colonel released his men at the foot of the bridge without loss and sent them back to Grantham. He retired out of musket range.

Rossiter decided not to attack the house with his troops but sent an order to Colonel Grey to march to him with 200 foot from Grantham. Why did he do this when he had nearly a full regiment of horse with him? The Royalists were only 60 strong whereas he had about 500 troopers. The answer I believe rests in the weapons of the time. The Royalists had captured the garrison’s arms including muskets which were very effective at a range of about 100 paces and Rossiter knew he would have had to expose his troops to their concentrated fire. His troopers only had a sword and a pair of pistols like most Parliamentary cavalry though by this time some officers did have carbines. Carbines were little used in the and the Earl of Manchester’s army had none. As we shall see later Rossiter and his officers did not have carbines though as early as 1642 some local troops did have them. The Colonel knew if he attacked the house his casualties would probably be heavy and he needed all his men for the coming battle with the King so he asked for Colonel Grey’s company of musketeers. Grey did not arrive in Hougham until the early evening of the 11th June. Rossiter decided not to attack the house with his combined force until first light next morning. Why did it take Colonel Grey so long to come from Grantham which is only about 8 miles away? I cannot explain the delay. I know there was a detachment of foot stationed at Great Gonerby and at Spittlegate to protect the Great North Road. Maybe this was part of his company. Early next morning Rossiter dismounted 40 of his troopers under the command of Captain Norwood to storm the house across the bridge whilst Colonel Grey deployed his company to storm on the other three sides. Grey acknowledged in his report that he encountred with no small difficultie at the first a large wet mote at least fortie foot over extreame muddie and in no place lesse deep then the waste through which of necessitie I must lead my men and beyond it a rampier of ten foot high. The attack took half an hour after a very smart dispute. Grey lost 5 men and 20 wounded including two of his Ensignes. He himself was twice beaten down from the top of the ramparts by Royalists who used a stone and the butt end of a musket. His injuries were minor - a bruised head. Rossiter lost 12 horses and 1 trooper by facing too neere the workes which he did almost within pistoll shot the more to encourage my foot. This confirms what I said earlier about Rossiter’s regiment not having carbines with their longer range. Below is a list of Royalist prisoners taken:

Major Broughton Captain William Thorold Captain John Johnson Lieutenant Strickland - who some say is a Major One Cornet 55 Gentlemen Volunteers and Soldiers

And about 50 or 60 horses some whereof were worth 20 or 30 pounds a piece

Grey puts the number of prisoners taken as sixtie five for their qualitie I referre you to Colonel Hatcher and Colonel Rossiter his list sent to The Committee of Both Kingdomes. The official number of prisoners was put at 60 so was Grey wrong or mistaken? I think he included the servants of Lord Brundenell who were in the house when it was taken because they took up arms during the conflict - remember the Lord of the manor was a Royalist. The reports in the PERFECT DIURNALL and THE MODERATE INTELLIGENCER were inaccurate as to the date of the retaking of the Manor House but they do give a fairly true account of the action with the exception of the supposed rescue party. Sir Richard Willis did not know of the recapture of the house until a few days later and by then it was too late to do anything - he was too busy accommodating hundreds of Royalist horse after the defeat at Naseby. The Royalists did not intend that they perish there the prisoners were to be taken to Newark to be exchanged for Royalist prisoners captured by Parliamentary forces. Both newspapers were published in London which was under Parliamentary control. If Rossiter had retaken the house on the same day he would have had ample time to get to Naseby by the 14th June. No! I am prepared to believe Grey’s reporting of events.

They do say that the first casualty in any war is the truth.

There is an interesting passage in The Letter Books of Sir Samuel Luke 1644-45 edited by H G Tibbutt in 1963: Three lines of wise news would have been one hundred times more acceptable than your three pence worth of diurnalls. A SHORT BIOGRAPHY OF COLONEL SIR EDWARD ROSSITER

Edward was born at Somerby near Brigg on the 1st January1618 the second son of Richard Rossiter and Elizabeth Bouchier. He was educated at Kirton and Beverley Grammar School. In 1636 he went to Sidney Sussex College Cambridge. At the start of the Civil War in 1642 he was a Captain of Dragoons in the Earl of Lincoln’s Regiment under the command of Lord Willoughby of Parham as Parliamentary Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire. Parliament appointed him Major to the Lincolnshire horse regiment in 1644. This regiment was raised by Parliament for special service in Lincolnshire and posts adjacent due to the activities of the nearby royalist garrisons of Newark and Belvoir. He was appointed Colonel in the by Sir Thomas FAIRFAX on the 21st January 1645. In May 1645 he took control of all Parliamentary forces in the county. His regimental chaplain was Robert Ram of Spalding who in 1644 published the Soldiers Catechism the bible of the Parliamentary Army. His regiment fought at Naseby in Cromwell’s Division. After Naseby Edward returned to Newark where he remained until 1647 fighting in the siege of Newark from 6th March to the 8th May 1646. On the 25th June 1646 he married Jane Samwell the daughter of Sir Richard Samwell and Mary Verney. Commissioner for Scandalous Ministers in Lincolnshire. The Army dismissed him in 1647 for supporting the Parliamentary Levellers in their dispute with the army but he was soon reinstated and was victorious at Willoughby Field in July 1648. In 1654 he was a Member of Parliament for the county. He was excluded from Richard Cromwell’s Parliament as a suspected Royalist. He had in fact been designated leader of the intended rising in Lincolnshire. On the 23rd February 1660 he was appointed a Member of the newly formed Council of State and was instrumental in promoting the restoration of Charles the Second. Charles knighted him at Canterbury on the 27th May 1660. Despite an information in 1662 that he was involved in a ‘great design...for restoring the Commonwealth’ he was commissioned to raise troops of horse to meet the threat of a Dutch invasion in 1667. In the same year he was appointed a Captain in Prince Rupert's horse. Colonel Sir Edward Rossiter died of mouth cancer on the 9 January 1669. His will was proved in London but he was not buried at Somerby until the 30th January 1670. The site of his grave has been lost and only a mural tablet set up by Edward Weston in 1758 now records his association with Somerby. Arabella died on the 30th August 1670 and is buried in Somerby.