1~9 Sr. Richard Biron was come to be governor of Newark. A house of my lord Chaworth's in the vale was fortified, and some horse putt . into it, and another house of the Earle of Chesterfield's, both of them within a few miles of Nottingham.' Ashby de la Zouch, within eight miles of Nottingham, on the other side, was kept by Mr. Hastings. On the fon·est side ?f the country, the Earle of Newcastle's house had a garrison in it, and another castle of his, within a mile, was garrison'd. Sr. Rog~r Cooper's house, at Thurgaton, was alsoe kept; so that Nottingham, thus beleaguer'd with enemies, seem'd very unlikely to be able either to resist the enemie or support itsclfe.' Therefore the gentlemen, upon the newes of my lord Newcastle's intended approach that way, sent up Mr. John Hutchinson to acquaint the parliament with their condition, who so negotiated their businesse that he procur'd an order for Col!. Cromwell, Col!. Hubbard, my lord Grey, and Sr. John Gell, to unite their forces, and rendezvous at Nottingham, to prevent the queene from ioining with the king, and to guard those parts against the cavaliers. Accordingly, in the Whitsun holidays 1643, they all came, and the younger Hotham alsoe brought some more rude troopes out of Yorkshire, and ioin'd himsclfe to them. The forces now united at Nottingham were about five or six thousand, my lord Grey being their commander in chiefe. Upon the urgency of the gentlemen at Not. tingham, he drew them out against Wiverton-house in the vale, but upon a groundlesse apprehension quitted it, when they might in all probabillity have taken it, and retreated to Nottingham, where, two or three days after, the enemie's horse faced them, but they wot1ld not be prevailed with to goe out, though ' they were not inferior to them. Young Hotham, at that time, carried on a private treaty • VViverton-house and Shelford manor. b In a letter to the l•ing, the queen writes from Newark that a all the force the H parliament had ia those parts was only one thous3nd men in Nottingham
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