THE CIVIL WAR IN HEREFORD
BY PAUL ROLLINSON
Background of the City
 Herefordshire
in the seventeenth century was a very backward and inhospitable county,
with very few roads and little communication with the rest of England. There
was little industry, and the living was made mainly from the soil. The inhabitants
were very poor even by 17th century standards. When being assessed for ship-money
in 1636, the Sheriff, Roger Vaughn pleaded "for so small a circuit of ground
as this shire contains, there are not in this Kingdom a greater number of
poor people".
Roads as few as there were, were very basic and an opening where two carriages
could pass rarely occurred. Indeed, journeys were often made in ditches
or narrow forest lanes. Bridges also were scarce, only two crossed the
Wye in the whole county, so crossings and communication were made by ferries
or fords. These fords, of which there were at least 20 between Hereford
and Monmouth, were also very hazardous because of the rapid rise and fall
of the river. The Scottish army marching to siege Hereford in 1645 complained
that they "found the waies on this side of the Severn exceedingly strait
and hard to passe".
Because of this isolation, poverty and lack of education, the inhabitants
were afraid and sometimes even hostile towards strangers or change, whether
the change is for the better or not. (Just as today!).
As for the city itself, there is no mention of the state of the castle
in military operations of this period. Although, during the reign of Henry
VIII Leland noted that the castle to "have been one of the fairest, largest
and strongest castles in England". Unfortunately, there are no remains
of it left today.
The condition of the city walls however, is well documented and appears
to have been in a sound state. Lord Clarendon wrote of Hereford as "a
town very well affected, and reasonably well fortified, having a strong
wall about it" and Nehemiah Wharton said that the "town was environed
with a strong wall.........with five gates". Sir Henry Slingsby described
it "This city of Hereford is cituate'd not much unlike to Yorke, and in
some parts resembles it very much; for it hath a round tower mount'd upon
a hill, like to Cliffords tower, and ye mills near it, with some little
works about, having ye river Wye running close by, but ye walls tho' they
be high yet are not mount'd upon a rampeir as Yorke walls are".
The county was overwhelmingly in favour of the King, of which the Scudamores,
Sir William Croft, Sir Walter Pye, the Coningsbys, Wallop Brabazon and
Henry Lingen were the prominent characters. Many others came out in favour
of the King but they are too many to list here. Needless to say, the balance
of power and wealth was altogether for the Royalist cause.
As everywhere else there were exceptions, these came in the form of Sir
Richard Hopton, Sir John Kyrle and Sir Edward Powell. These men though
were getting old and so took little part in the conflict. It is interesting
to note that there was a division in Hoptons family, for his eldest son
was a Colonel for the King, another son was a Major for Parliament. Sir
Robert Harley was the leading light for Parliaments cause in Herefordshire.
He was a very keen M.P. and worked hard to defend puritanism, he was intelligent
and very religious, but he also had a keen eye for the arts, Harley Street
in London is in fact named after him.
Earl of Stamford
September 1642 saw the first real events of
the Civil War, when the Earl of Essex ordered the Earl of Stamford to march
on Hereford with about 1.000 men. Colonel Robert Kyrle, a relative of Sir
John Kyrle, Edward Massey and Sir Robert Harley with his eldest son were
among them, they were met en-route by Sir Richard Hopton. It appears though,
that Hopton was more anxious about preserving his property at Canon Frome
than joining in the dispute. The motto in gold letters on Stamford's azure
banner read:-
FOR RELIGION. KING AND COUNTRY. Ma Puissance
On the 30th of September 1642 Stamford took the city with little or no resistance, and it seems the army was expected as Brabazon, Coningsby, (Croft, Lingen and other active Royalists were conspicuous in there absence upon his arrival. It must be said though in Crofts defence, that he was with the King later the next month at Edgehill.
Although no force was needed to take the city, their presence was treated withsome local hostility. In a later letter to Parliament, Stamford wrote "The county, as well as this vile city are so base and malignant that although the rougish army of the Welsh papists and other vagabonds that were beaten in the first battle in Warwickshire do plunder, kill, murder and destroy men and women, take away all their goods and cattle, yet such is their hatred to our condition that they would rather be so used than be rescued by us". Nehemiah Wharton wrote that the people of Hereford to be "totally ignorant in the waies of God, and much addicted to drunkeness and other vices, principally unto swearing, so that the children that have scarce learned to speake doe universally sweare stoutlye".
(nothing changes).
The resentment of the people of Hereford would also have been provoked by the conduct of Stamfords soldiers, they plundered remorselessly and threatened that they would keep them so short "that they would eat the very flesh from their arms". They did however leave the cathedral intact.
Not only did Stamford have trouble with the people of Hereford but Lord Herbert was very active in Wales and the West. In Herberts ranks was a Colonel called Sir Richard Lawdey who wrote this letter with an offer to Constance Ferrar a sergeant Major in Stamfords army it reads:-
Sir,
My good opinion of you makes me believe that your necessity rather than your will, hath made you one in this rebellion. My affection to you finds a way to bring you out of both: which may thus be done: We shall suddenly approach Hereford with such forces as will (God willing) soon reduce the rebels in it to the Kings mercy. If you, in the meantime, will contrive now to advantage us in this design, his Excellency hath commanded me to offer you five hundred pounds in money, and to assure both yourself and your assistants not only of your pardons, but that you shall be preferred to better charges in his Majesties Army than you have. Sir, bethink yourself betimes, and return your answer by bearer, that I may confidently stile myself,
Sir,
your most hearty friend to serve you
R. LAWDY.
The state of Stamfords army by this time was poor, they were underfed and the hostility towards them by the locals must have been demoralising, but the reply to Lawdey's letter by Ferrar on the 1st December 1642 was one of scorn it read:-
Sir, I received a letter that bears your name, inviting me to such an act of baseness as (these must tell you), I hold in highest disdain; for never yet did my necessity (or ever shall) put me one tittle off my fidelity, or inforce me to violate my honour, which, notwithstanding the offer you make from his Excellency. I shall still endeavour (as hitherto I have done) entirely to preserve. As for his Majesty's pardon, I conceive not myself to stand in need of it, my service and employment being only for the preservation of the true Protestant religion, the safety of his Majesty's person, the defence of the laws of the land, the liberty of the subject, and privilege of Parliament, whereunto, I am persuaded, all true Englishmen are conscientiously obliged. For your undoubted power to reduce the rebels in Hereford (as you term them), doubt not Sir, when you come, you shall receive the entertainmnt of a soldier.
CONSTANCE FERRAR.
Just two days after the date on the letter, on the 3rd Dec 1642, Stamford withdrew from Hereford to Gloucester. His situation in Hereford had become intolerable, any movement west to Pembroke was impossible, as Herberts army lay between the two towns. Worcester had already been evacuated, so Gloucester was the only option let open to him.
Lawdeys detachment of Herberts army entered almost immediately, with the usual reprisals and pillaging. Sir Richard Cave was left in charge, and the former authorities returned to seek revenge. Sir Richard Hoptons homee at Canon Frome was ransacked then garrisoned. William Price, the Mayor, was imprisoned and even threatened with hanging.
Sir William Waller
The city stayed in the hands of the Royalists until April 1643, when Sir William Waller approached from Gloucester with Massey, and between 2,500 & 3.000 troops. Confirmation of the date of his arrival, to the city can be found in the register of St. Peters church, one record states, "Edward Jones, ye sonne of Edward Jones and Elizabeth his wife, was borne ye 23rd April 1643, and baptised on ye same month which day care to ye city of Hereford Sir William Waller".
Feint attacks were made on two gates, but the main assault was on Widemarsh gate. Massey himself is reported to have discharged the first shot which killed an officer and several citizens. Shortly after this action a parley was called. Cave at first rejected Wallers demands with this reply "He who held this town, held it by commission from the King. If Sir William Waller could produce a better commission from the King, it should be delivered to him; otherwise he who had it by authority from the King would preserve it for the King". The parley lasted the whole day, but the city had little choice but to give in to Wallers demands. Hereford at that time was still not equipped to withstand the far superior numbers of Wallers army, or capable of surviving a long siege
From a muster roll of around 800 soldiers, very few were taken prisoner, as most had made their escape during the parley. Several distinguished persons were taken however, among them were Cave, Lord Scudamore, his son James, Coningsby (the Sheriff) and Colonel Herbert Price the Governor. Sir Richard Cave was court martialed later in Oxford, one of the charges being, that he gave up the city dishonourably. He was though, acquitted of this and other charges brought against him.
Waller, like Stamford before him, encountered local resentment, and like Stamford, found no reason to stay long. So on the 18th May, after less than a month in the city, he and his army left for Gloucester. It took only two days for the Royalists to take complete control again.
The Clubmen Uprising
Barnabas Scudamore became the Governor of Hereford
in Sept 1644, and then Sheriff of the county in December of the same year,
and so in effect he had taken complete control. Born in 1609 he was the
youngest brother of the first Viscount Scudamore, John, who served as the
Kings ambassador in Paris in the late 1630's.
Many of the citizens in Hereford, as in other parts of the country, were becoming more and more resentful of the military control they were under, whether Parliament or Royalist. In the spring of 1645, when Scudarrore attempted to raise levies and seize fodder, the Clubmen, as these countryfolk became known, openly resisted. Some 16,000 of these Clubmen appeared before the city on 19th March, reinforced by others from Worcester and Radnor, many it seems were well armed and well horsed.
Massey tried to sieze on this opportunity, and enlist the Clubmen for himself, so he set off ahead of 500 soldiers and 150 foot to Ledbury. On meeting some of their leaders he was told that, though they had no grievance with him, they could not join him as they believed that they were "able to keep the forces of both parties from exacting contribution and quarter in their county".
Scudamore became concerned about Massey's intervention, and so conceded to some of the Clubmens demands. Massey though, realising he could not tempt them, retired to Ross. Not all of the Clubmen were pacified with Scudamore's concessions however, and around 2.000 were still gathered at Ledbury when Prince Rupert appeared. Rupert, on the 29th March, detached his horse and 1000 men against them, most of the Clubmen fled, but around 200 remained and some gave fire on Ruperts men, but they were soon disarmed and arrested. At least three of the leaders were hanged, and Scudamore's promises of concessions went unfulfilled. One account alleged that Ruperts troops (Scudamore was with him at this time) "plundered everie parish and howse poor as well as others leavinge neyther clothes or provision".
The Great Siege
During Barnabas Scudamore's time in control
he strengthened the city, well enough in fact to withstand a siege, something
which had previously been lacking, as Stamford and Waller easily found out.
The suburbs were cleared, and even the trees and hedges were uprooted, anything
in fact which might give cover to an enemy. One local woman. Joyce Jefferies,
was forced to sell three houses and some timber, she received £17/15s/Op
for her trouble. Sir Henry Slingsby, who had been in Hereford earlier in
the war, returned with the Royalst army that raised the siege, and sought
out his previous lodgings. On finding them, he wrote that he "found it pull'd
down & ye gentlewoman yit had liv'd in it dead upon grief to see ye ruins
of her house". As well as houses two churches were destroyed, St. Owens
and St. Martins. St. Owens was never re-built but St. Martins was re-erected
as late as 1845. (The S.A.S. are now buried in St. Martins churchyard).
On the 18th June 1645,shortly after his defeat at Naseby, the King arrived in Hereford. His object was to raise troops, but he had very little success, and so on the 1st July he left for South Wales. Close on his heels was the Scottish army, under the Earl of Leven. On the 22nd July Canon Frome was taken by the Scots, with most of the garrison being put to the sword. About 70 were slain, including the Governor, Colonel John Barnold, who was buried on the 25th at Ashperton. Sir Robert Barley's son, Edward. was left in charge of the new garrison.
Hereford by this time was defended by 1,500 soldiers, and on the 31st July 1645, the Scottish army, 14.000 strong, appeared before the city. Almost immediately the Scots began to 'dig in'. A section of their earthworks, known locally as 'Scotch Row Ditch' is still visible today, also visible is a cannon ball still lodged in the city wall.
Conditions for the Scots were hampered by the departure of David Leslie with the cavalry, this not only weakened their army, it also made getting provisions much more difficult. They were also dealt a cruel blow when Major-General Crawford was shot and killed by a musket ball. Crawford a professional soldier who had distinguished himself in Germany and Marston Moor, met his end, so tradition has it, at the hands of a bakers boy. Enraged by this they battered the city severely and made a breach in the wall. The defenders though, rebuilt it by breaking down an arch of the bridge and using the stone. This is clearly seen today with the bridge having dissimilar arches.
Several times the Scots attempted mines but Scudamore was able to foil them, on one occasion, under the protection of musket fire, small boys ran out with faggots and torches and managed to suffocate some Scottish miners. On another occasion a mine was sabotaged by the opening of the town ditch which flooded it. In a letter to Lord Digby, Scudamore wrote "The recreation we had in the midst of our besieging, was to turn loose upon the enemies works by night dogs, cats, and outworn horses, having lighted matches tied about them; whereby we put the enemy in such distraction that sometimes they charged one another". He also mentions that the women and children played a vital and heroic role in the defence of the town.
'The siege lasted a month, and on the day of a final and probable successful assault, news that the King was approaching reached the Scots. Even though they had considerably more numbers than the King, they had no cavalry, and Leven thought it unwise for his infantry alone to await a strong body of horse. That night the Scottish army withdrew from Hereford. In Scudamore's wards the King "drawing a little neerer to us, like the sunne to the meridian, this Scottish mist beganne to disperse, and the next morning vanished out of sight".
Charles, to the great rejoicing of the people of Hereford, entered the town on the 4th Sept. Scudamore was knighted and the towns coat of arms given a motto INVICTAE FIDELITATIS PRAEMIUM- the reward of invincible loyalty. According to Scudamore the defenders lost only 21, while the Scots lost 2000 men, the Scots on the other hand said they lost only 600. The relief of Hereford was to be the last success Charles was to have in the War.
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