CHAPTER XIII.
SHOWING HOW THE KING HAD FORTIFIED THE CITY.
The fortifications of Worcester having now been completely repaired andconsiderably extended by Charles, it may be necessary to take anothersurvey of them.[5]
On the south, the city was provided with a doubleenceinte--Sidbury-gate and the Commandery being completely enclosed bythe newly raised lines. On the south-east, the outer fence extendedfrom Fort Royal almost to Friars'-gate. On the other side, the newline of fortifications ran towards the Severn, covering the Moat, andthe strong old wall behind it--a boundary wall built by a prior of theConvent of St. Mary early in the thirteenth century--and forming anouter defence to the Castle Mound, with which it was connected. TheCastle Hill, as we have already had occasion to remark, was stronglyfortified, and had become almost as formidable as Fort Royal itself,with which it was now linked by the new line of fortifications. Thesenew fortifications were necessarily not very strong, but they answeredtheir purpose. In the fields opposite Friar's-gate, and facing PerryWood, stood an old blockhouse, which had more than once fallen intothe hands of the former besiegers of the city. Dismantled by ColonelJames, the Blockhouse had now been put into repair, and was garrisonedand provided with ammunition, its commander being Colonel Blague, onwhose courage and fidelity Charles could perfectly rely. The districtin which the old fortress stood is still known as the "BlockhouseFields." Right and left of St. Martin's-gate, which looked towardsKing's Hill, as the acclivity was naturally enough designated afterCharles's encampment upon it, a new bastion had been constructed. Twomore bastions strengthened the northern ramparts, and at the north-westangle of the walls, not far from St. Clement's Church, removed in latertimes, stood a strong fort, the guns of which commanded the bridge. Thetower in the centre of the bridge was well armed and well manned, aswas the fort at the western extremity of the bridge. Proceeding alongTybridge-street to Cripplegate, the scene of many a former conflictin the days of Sir John Biron and Governor Washington, and of wildWill Hodgkins's mad exploits, we come to St. John's, where GeneralDalyells's brigade was quartered--all the approaches to this out-workbeing as strongly barricaded, as when the dangerous suburb formed aLeaguer for the Parliamentarians in 1646.
From the foregoing hasty survey, it will be seen that the city was nowin a thorough state of defence, and was especially strong on the southand south-east. Owing to the active zeal and forethought of the mayorand the sheriff, it was abundantly provisioned and well stored withforage.
On the enemy's approach, as a precautionary measure, it was resolvedby the council of war to burn all the suburbs on the north and east--adetermination that inspired great terror, since Foregate-streetcontained a large number of inhabitants, and Lawrence-lane, leadingfrom Friars'-gate to the Blockhouse was also a populous district.
Fort Royal now mounted some large ordnance, and was regarded byits defenders as impregnable. Including the fortifications, itcontained upwards of fifteen hundred men, among whom were the mostskilful engineers in the royal army. Fort Royal was commanded by SirAlexander Forbes, an officer of great experience and resolution, anddistinguished as the first knight made by Charles in Scotland. TheDuke of Hamilton's head-quarters were at the Commandery--a hospitalfounded in the eleventh century by Bishop Wulstan, the saintly prelatewho commenced the present cathedral. Two centuries later, the Masterof the Hospital assumed the title of Preceptor, or Commander, whencethe designation of the structure. The Commandery is one of the mostpicturesque old edifices in Worcester. Of its beautiful refectory,roofed with Irish oak, in which the king dined with the duke on the daybefore the battle, we shall have to speak hereafter.
The command of the fort on the Castle Mound had been intrusted to theEarl of Rothes, Sir William Hamilton, and Colonel Drummond, who hadunder them two brigades of Scottish infantry, with some artillery.Colonel Lesley's regiment of cavalry was encamped on the slopes ofKing's Hill. But the main body of the army, including the newly-raisedtroops, had now been moved to the western side of the river, where thecamp extended for some miles towards Malvern. Pitscottie was stationedat Wick, midway between St. John's and Powick, near a cherry orchard,in which, nine years previously, the ambuscade was successfully laidfor Lord Say. Montgomery and Keith were at Powick. Scattered troopswere encamped on the left bank of the Severn almost as far as Upton,where General Massey, as we know, was posted to defend the pass.
Such was the disposition of the royal forces--when it was foundthat Cromwell was pushing his outposts round the city on the southand south-east, and that the main body of the Parliamentary armywas between Stoulton and White Lady Aston, which latter place theLord-General himself had made his head-quarters.
Charles was not much disquieted by the intelligence. His spirit rosewith the difficulties he had to encounter, and his cheerfulness andgaiety inspired confidence in all with whom he conversed. But he hadnot overcome his suspicions of Lesley, and these suspicions werealmost confirmed by the conduct of the Scottish leader, who persistedin maintaining his post on King's Hill, whence secret communicationwith the enemy might most easily be held.
Jane Lane still remained in Worcester. Charles entreated her to quitthe city before hostilities commenced, but she refused.
"I shall not go unless your majesty commands," she said. "Then I mustperforce obey. But I beseech you to let me remain. I may be of someuse; and my brother will take care of me."
Naturally, there was much speculation amongst the Royalist leadersas to where the attack would begin, some mentioning one place, someanother; but Jane ventured to remark to the king that the first blowwould be struck at Upton-on-Severn. She had ridden thither with herbrother and Sir Clement Fisher, and while they were examining thebroken bridge with General Massey, her quick eye detected a smallreconnoitring party of the enemy in an orchard on the opposite sideof the river. The Parliamentarians were quickly put to flight by afew musket-shots from Massey's dragoons, but Jane declared they wouldreturn, and in much greater force. And she was right.
Boscobel; or, the royal oak: A tale of the year 1651 Page 16