Your true friend,
Mary Howard
[Post script] The report here is that the armies have met, but no certainty who is killed, but I believe my Lord of Essex has the worse because I hear no crying of good news.33
And so began the English Civil War. The first battle, at Edgehill, described in uncertain terms by Mary Howard, had resulted in a stalemate between the Royalist forces of King Charles I and Parliament’s Army, led by the Earl of Essex, Sir Robert Devereux. Royalist forces on their way to London to support the King found their path intercepted by Essex’s army at Edgehill, an escarpment in Warwickshire. The battle raged for three hours, with heavy losses on both sides – 1,000 dead and nearly 3,000 wounded. The Parliamentary forces finally withdrew to a garrison in Warwick. King Charles decided to take his remaining army slowly to London, via Oxford, Aylesbury and Reading, probably to recruit men and secure supplies, on his way to what he saw as his glorious advance to re-take London, but Essex’s forces beat them to the capital. Both sides effectively lost the battle, achieving nothing, and London remained in the hands of Parliament.
THE GHOSTS OF EDGEHILL
The following year, reports reached King Charles of ghosts haunting the Edgehill battlefield.34 He was so intrigued by the numerous eyewitness accounts that he sent two reliable representatives, who had fought with him at Edgehill, to investigate – and they too witnessed the battle re-enacted in ghostly form before their eyes. In subsequent years, even during the Civil War, many visited Edgehill to watch the ghosts do battle, though the ghostly soldiers seem to have faded over the centuries. Even now, however, visitors do sometimes hear the sounds of the fighting and the cries of the wounded and dying at the site, the spectral echo of the last moments of the men so pointlessly slain at Edgehill.
* * *
King Charles, unable to enter London, established his new headquarters at Oxford, with his own separate Parliament, for the duration of the Civil War. George Cutteford’s old friend, the Earl of Dorset, joined the King there, first continuing his role as Lord Chamberlain to the Queen, then in 1644 taking on the role of Lord Chamberlain to the King himself. As Lord Chamberlain, Dorset was responsible for the business of the royal household, and acted as King Charles I’s spokesman in Oxford in the King’s absence. This was a role that would play an important part in George Cutteford’s future.
Mary Howard would not be heard from again until 1644.35 Her whereabouts remained unknown, and personal communications between London and other parts of the country became fraught with problems. If she wrote to Cutteford again, still in Devon, the letters might never have reached him. The country was divided on all levels, by geography, by battle-lines, by religion and politics; families were separated, loyalties torn apart and the land stripped of resources to feed and supply the tens of thousands of men marshalled into the opposing armies.
However, there must have been some communications between Lady Howard and the Cuttefords. In 1642, she agreed to supply funds for George’s eldest son to receive a commission in Drake‘s regiment.36 At the commencement of the war, Sir William Russell, Earl of Bedford – and Mary’s cousin – was appointed by Parliament to be Lord Lieutenant of Devon, responsible for the recruitment of Devon men into Parliament’s armies. One of the first regiments was formed by Sir Francis Drake, a nephew of the famous sea captain, who still lived in Tavistock. This young Sir Francis gathered together a team of cavalrymen, which would be known as the Plymouth Horse, fighting in most of the major battles of the south-west region. It is very likely that George Cutteford the younger, and possibly his brother John, were amongst them.
Drake’s Plymouth Horse are mentioned in descriptions of the Battle of Sourton Down, which took place in April 1643, just south west of Okehampton. Having unsuccessfully battled against the Royalist forces in Cornwall, at Launceston, the Parliamentary forces, under Major General Chudleigh, fell back into Devon, drawing the Royalist forces after them. As the King’s men approached Okehampton, Chudleigh led a small cavalry force into a surprise attack on the Royalists at Sourton Down. At the same time, Captain Drake37 charged his cavalry against the advance guard of Royalist dragoons, who panicked and fell back against their own troops behind them. After some fierce fighting, the Parliamentary army was eventually repelled, but were then reinforced by 1,000 men from Okehampton, attacking the Royalists who had taken up defensive positions along ancient earthworks on the moor.
As the skirmishing continued into the night, a violent storm drenched the combatants, causing further terror and confusion, and the Royalists pulled out, leaving behind weapons, gunpowder and important letters between the King and the leaders of the Royalist forces. After their King’s success in Cornwall, this disordered retreat was an embarrassment for the Royalists. Drake’s Plymouth Horse proved to be a significant asset for Parliament throughout the war.
Still fighting in Ireland, Sir Richard was proving more successful than his King, though bad weather was a constant adversary. In late January 1643, Grenville’s forces – 1,000 infantry and 200 cavalry – were sent to supply Athlone in the heart of Ireland. While there, Sir Richard’s men killed many civilians, and, in violation of a treaty, raided the lands of the rebel leader Sir James Dillon.
Returning with 600 soldiers from the English garrison at Athlone, many of whom were sick, starving or wounded and who died on the journey, Sir Richard was determined to make his way directly to Trim. Unfortunately this meant travelling via a pass near Rathconnell, over a deep trench with marshes on either side. The pass, Grenville discovered, was held by an Irish force of about 4,000 men.
Grenville sent an advance guard, a ‘forlorn hope’ of musketeers, to attempt the pass, but they failed, despite reinforcements. According to Grenville himself38, he then made a brave and stirring speech to the remaining men, telling them to take the pass or die. The men battled on for two hours, both sides suffering casualties, only to be interrupted by a severe hailstorm. Suddenly, a rain-soaked swamp separated Grenville’s forces from the enemy and the disputed pass. Two officers eventually managed to find a passage through the marsh with a troop of horse, and slowly Grenville’s army reached the crossing, still under fire from rebel musketeers. When their ammunition ran out, the rebels hurled stones at the English troops, but their forces were finally dispersed by the sheer ferocity of Grenville’s men, who massacred the retreating rebel forces for miles around; 250 Irish rebels were killed, not a large percentage of the initial force, but still large in contrast to Grenville’s reported losses of just three men.
Grenville took prisoner eleven rebels, and four days later he and his troops paraded them through Dublin. One contemporary observer commented on the ragged and sick condition of Grenville’s victorious men. Parliament in London declared Grenville’s actions at Rathconnell to be one of the greatest victories in Ireland since the wars began.39 At last Grenville was a hero – at least to the English.
Battling in England and desperate for heroic, effective leaders for his armies, King Charles invited his nephews from Europe, Princes Rupert and Maurice, to take charge of much of his campaign. News of Sir Richard Grenville’s heroic deeds in Ireland would have delighted King Charles – Sir Richard was just the kind of leader the King urgently needed.
Funds for the wars in Ireland were dwindling. In April 1643, there were riots in Dublin as unpaid English soldiers plundered the local populace. King Charles I could no longer raise funds through Parliament, and instead decided to negotiate a truce in Ireland, so he could concentrate on his battles in England. The negotiations would be held at Trim, leaving Sir Richard bitter and angry – he was very unhappy with the new policy, and was subsequently ordered by the King to return to England.
King Charles was elated to have Sir Richard, the national hero, return to join his battles against Parliament. In late August 1643, Sir Richard made his way home across the Irish Sea, but Parliament were ready for the return of this famous Royalist. They met him on the docks in Liverpool and immediately put Grenvil
le and his friends under arrest for his allegiance to the King.
But Sir Richard would surprise them all. This national hero, brought back to England by the King himself, publicly declared he had returned to fight against the King. Instead, Sir Richard chose to fight for Parliament.
Notes
11 Miller, 1979, p. 38.
2 Radford, 1890, p. 84.
3 Radford, 1890.
4 Radford, 1890, p. 87.
5 Radford, 1890, p. 86.
6 Cutteford’s surviving papers are currently held at West Sussex Record Office, in the manuscripts from Sackville College, Ref: Add Ms 18008. Mary Howard’s letters are sadly no longer amongst them, so I rely on Mrs Radford’s 1890 article for the Devonshire Association, where many of Mary Howard’s letters are reproduced.
7 See Miller, 1979, p. 187n.
8 Tinniswood, 2007.
99 The letter from Tom Robinson was not attached to Mary Howard’s letters, when Mrs Radford was reading them in 1890. It was very likely deliberately destroyed by George Cutteford.
10 Radford, 1890, p. 87.
1111 Radford, 1890, pp. 87 and 88.
12 Radford, 1890, p. 88.
13 Miller, 1979, p. 149.
14 In 1908, Roger Granville published a biography of Sir Richard Grenville, entitled The King’s General in the West, which, like Miller, 1979, describes the actions of Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Robinson, and his loyalty to Sir Richard Grenville.
15 Radford, 1890, p. 89.
16 Radford, 1890, p. 89.
17 Miller, 1979, p. 40.
18 Miller, 1979, p. 40.
19 L1508M/Family/Testamentary Papers/3, 1639. Held at Devon Record Office.
20 Some records indicate Sir William Courtenary was only two years old at the time of his father’s death in 1638; some say he was four. However, Sir William was about sixteen when Sir Richard had him arrested in 1644, so he must have been born in 1628/29.
21 D1508M/E/Accounts/V/29, held at Devon Record Office, is the account book of Lady Elizabeth Ameredith, guardian of Sir William Courtenay.
22 Radford, 1890, p. 90.
23 Miller, 1979, p. 41.
24 Radford, 1890, p. 90.
25 D1508M/Moger/393. A writ of 1640, declaring Mary Howard an outlaw, held at Devon Record Office.
26 Radford, 1890, p. 90.
27 Miller, 1979, p. 42.
28 Miller, 1979. Also see http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/military/confederate-war.htm. The people of Ireland appear to have been constantly in the midst at war during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, mostly fighting the invading English. Tinniswood, 2007, also gives an excellent account of the battles in Ireland.
29 Miller, 1979, p. 61.
30 Miller, 1979, p. 44.
31 The history of Maynooth Castle, at http://www.kildare.ie/heritage/historic-sites/maynooth-castle.asp describes the Maynooth Pardon.
32 Miller, 1979, p. 61.
33 Radford, 1890, p. 92.
34 For one description of the ghosts of Edgehill, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_Hill,_Warwickshire
35 Radford, 1890.
3636 Radford, 1890, p. 101.
37 This Captain Drake may have been Thomas Drake, brother to Sir Francis Drake, both nephews to the legendary privateer, Sir Francis Drake. The brothers Thomas and Francis both fought for Parliament, for the Plymouth garrison and were involved in battles in the South West. From Radford, 1890, p. 101, it is difficult to identify for which Drake George Cutteford the younger was fighting.
38 Miller, 1979, p. 56.
39 Miller, 1979, p. 57.
Chapter Eight
Triumph of a Traitor
Sir Richard and his colleagues on returning from Ireland had intended to land in Royalist-held Chester, but the ship containing all their goods was captured and taken to Parliament’s Liverpool garrison. Not wanting to lose his belongings, and in particular his money, Grenville arrived in Liverpool to ensure his goods were not plundered by Parliament’s Roundhead soldiers. Once there, despite Grenville’s protests, he and his friends were arrested and transported to London under guard.
Oliver Cromwell.
Parliament had every reason to be suspicious of Sir Richard. His elder brother, Sir Bevil Grenville, had been the brave and dedicated heart of the King’s army in Devon and Cornwall, afforded steadfast loyalty by his men, and accolades for his bravery. Leading his Cornish pikemen to great victory at the Battle of Lansdown in July 1643, Sir Bevil had been fatally wounded. Parliament and King Charles I would no doubt have thought that Sir Richard had returned in August 1643 out of familial love to replace his late brother in the King’s forces, fighting for the glory of the King. But Sir Richard Grenville was of another breed entirely.
With funds in short supply, the King had not been able to afford to pay Sir Richard and many other officers for their services in Ireland, for some time. Parliament, however, had made a grandiose offer to reimburse all those returning from Ireland, if they joined the Parliamentary cause. To Sir Richard, the money was an excellent incentive. So when Grenville was summoned to the House of Commons, under arrest, he declared, much to everyone’s astonishment and the delight of the Parliamentary leaders, he would never serve against Parliament, and chose to serve against the Queen in defence of the Protestant religion.
According to a contemporary diarist, Walter Yonge1, Richard Grenville also said he would never serve against the King, but this ambiguity appears to have been lost on his audience, who immediately reimbursed him the monies owing from his services in Ireland, and offered him an appointment as Lieutenant-General of Horse, under Sir William Waller, fighting for Parliament.
Enchanted with their gallant soldier, there was also talk of appointing Sir Richard Grenville as the Governor of Plymouth, which was then one of the few remaining and most important Parliamentary garrisons in the south west, though besieged by the King’s forces. As a Grenville, an ancient and local family, Parliament’s officials felt he was sure to recruit more of the population of Cornwall and Devon to the Parliamentary cause. In anticipation, Sir Richard spent a great deal of their money on his attire and other equipage – his taste for fine shirts had certainly not abated.2 Some people at the time questioned whether this was an appropriate use of Parliament’s dwindling resources.
Arriving to take up his post in the army of Sir William Waller, however, his enthusiasm seems to have waned. His new associates were Puritans and independent preachers who denounced swearing, drinking, womanising and raucous behaviour of any sort, and demanded that all adhered to the Sabbath and attended church services regularly, often more than once a day. In short, his new-found allies had taken all the fun out of warfare. Richard was not to suffer it for long.
Not realising Grenville’s change of heart, Sir William Waller, having the highest regard for Grenville’s abilities as an officer, took him into his complete confidence. Waller had been a great admirer of Sir Bevil Grenville, despite their opposing political views, and Waller expected Sir Richard similarly to be a man of honour. Waller could not have been more wrong.
Sir William confided in Richard all his military plans – their first objective was to take Basing House in Hampshire. The Royalist commander at Basing House had offered to give up the garrison, and Sir Richard was to take his cavalry there for a ‘surprise attack’ in preparation for Waller’s arrival. Sir Richard duly set out from London on 2 March 1644, with a rather opulent train of coaches and horses, soldiers and servants, and £600 from Parliament for further recruitment on the way. His procession travelled under a magnificent banner; a map of England and Wales on a crimson background, with the words ‘England Bleeding’ in golden letters across the top. The Puritans of London cheered him on, enjoying the spectacle, with Sir Richard acknowledging their support with a wave and a fixed smile. Mary Howard may even have been among the crowd.
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Rallying at Bagshot, Sir Richard then made an astonishing declaration – he told all his men that he was in fact a Royalist, and was changing sides; taking most of his entourage – and all of the money – he headed for Oxford to meet the King.
The King was overjoyed to receive his prodigal soldier, and even more pleased to hear of Parliament’s plans to attack Basing House. The traitorous officer in charge at Basing House was arrested, and the Royalist garrison was saved.
Parliament was left enraged and embarrassed. Sir Richard wrote a letter to the Speaker of the House of Commons, trying to explain his change of heart, but his insulting descriptions of the nature and composition of their Puritan forces merely infuriated Parliament. In response, the leaders of Parliament had two gibbets erected, at the Palace Yard in Westminster and at the Royal Exchange, with the proclamation:
Whereas Sir Richard Grenville hath of late presented his service unto the Parliament and hath been entertained by the Parliament as Colonel of a regiment of horse; and whereas the said Grenville, contrary to his promise, engagement and honour as a soldier hath basely, unworthily and faithlessly deserted the said service and feloniously carried away the money paid unto him for the said service – these are to proclaim the said Grenville traitor, rogue, villain and skellum not only incapable of military employment but of all acquaintance and conversation with men of honesty and honour.3
The Devil Comes to Dartmoor Page 12