174 was call'd away from Broxtowe, and all the rest of the horse was sent away into Leicestershire, except a few left for scouts, and a~ soone as they were gone my lord Newcastle's forces came and quarter'd allmost at the towne side, and in all the neere townes, and Hastings tooke this oppertunity to make a garrison att Willden fen·ie.' By the mercy of God the enemie was restrein'd from comming up to the towne, though it lay soe open that they might have come in at their pleasure, and they not only miserably wasted and plunder'd the country all about, but one of them told a malignant, where he quarter'd, that that was their designe in comming to those parts to devoure the couQtry. The regiments that were quarter'd the neerest to Nottingham were Sr. Marmadukc Langdale's and Collonell Dacre's, who had bene a familiar acquaintance of Lieftenant-collonell Hutchinson's when he was in the north, and they loved each other as well as if they had bene brothers. Coll. Dacre sent a trumpett to desire Lieftenant-collonell Hu tchinson to send him a safe convoy, that he might come and see him, which he acquainted the committee withal!, and would have refus'd, but that the committee, thinking some good use might be made of it, perswaded him to suffer him to come; accordingly he sent him . a tickett under his hand, promising him to come and goe safely; so upon Thursday morning he came, with about eight more, to the top r VVillden Ferry was said before to be in the possession of the king:s forces; but whether that was an anachronism, or that the thing now meant was an increase of th~ fortifications, and the placing a larger number of men there, it is clear that the garrison of th is place did after this period become a greater annoyance to the parliament) and Lord Grey of Groby, who commanded in chief the associated forces of Leicester, Nottingham, &c. attacked and took it, assisted, as Whitelock says, p. gG, by Sir John Gell, who contrived to get the thanks of the parliament for his se rvi ces herein, and for taking in \Vinkfield manor and She]ford manor; although some time after we find him besieging Winkfi.cld manor in conjunction with I .. ord Denbigh, and that Shelford 1nanor was not taken till more than two jrears after by Colonel Hutchinson, acting ·under the command of Poynt?...
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