In the Memoirs (page 127), the Earl of Kingston, Colonel Pierrepont's father, is stated "for a few months to have stood neuter, and would not declare himselfe of either party." In the MS.:—
"At the beginning Mr Hutchinson was very earnest with him [Colonel Pierrepont] to engage his father, knowing that at that time he might have raised a great part of the Country, but the Colonel still assured him that his father was reall1 for the Parliament, and from time to time, when Mr Hutchinson was doubtfull of the Earle, the Colonel bid him never feare it, for his father had encouraged him in this way, and had offer'd him £2000 to further him in it. And from time to time, he still assured Mr Hutchinson, and bid him be confident his father was exceeding well affected to the Parliament, and did daily encourage him in the same way, and this the Colonel constantly affirmed till his father was in armes on the other side."
The reasons which prompted the appointment of Colonel Hutchinson as Governor are given in full in the MS. In the Memoirs, the passing over of Colonel Pierrepont is only briefly referred to, Colonel Pierrepont subscribing,2 says Mrs. Hutchinson (page 133), to the Governor's appointment "with a secret discontent in his heart, not for any ill opinion or ill affection he had to Mr Hutchinson's person, but that he resented it as a greate affront, that he himselfe was past by." The MS. puts it differently :—
"The Committee and Sir John Meldrum then considering it was fitt to have the Castle in the most trusty hand they had among them, and in the charge of him who had had the most considerable estate for it in the Countrie, at that time judged Lieutenant Colonel Hutchinson to be the man most fitt for it, there being some reasons why Colonel Pierrepont was not then thought fitt for it, his father then not knowne to be dead, and some carriage of his being so liable to suspicion that they thought it not fitt to trust him with it, and all the commanders of horse were to goe out of the towne. Captaine Lommax that was in the Castle though esteemed a very honest man yet Sir John Melldrum sayd his estate in the Countrie was not responsible for it. Lft Coll Hutchinson was exceeding unwilling to receive it into his charge till Sir John Melldrum and the Committee told him that he being the man they had thought fittest for that trust, if it miscarried through his refusal they would complaine of him for deniing it. At the time, Colonel Pierrepont who had ever with all his might opposed the fortification of the Castle, wan something forward to have been Governor of it, but perceiving which way the rest bent, urged it upon Lieutenant Colonel Hutchinson, who forseeing the clamour that would afterwards follow, was very unwilling to receive it, yet upon all these importunities accepted it at length."
In the Memoirs will be found (page 140) the speech that Colonel Pierrepont addressed to his men when the question of their enlisting into the Castle was under discussion. In the MS. is this new statement:—
"But such was the double heart of the man that though in the publick hall he had so declared his opinion to his companie yet to divers people in the towne, he cast out speeches against it, and some he told . . . that no extremitie should force him in the castle, that he would either die upon the works, or when he had stood out for so long as he was able to defend them, if he were then forced to it, he would flie to some other garrison."
The reference to Captain Lomax in the following paragraph of the MS. is also new (page 133, Memoirs):—
"Upon the 29th of June 1643, Mr Hutchinson received his commission, and the [blank] of July received it [the Castle] from Captain Lonimax into his charge, but offer'd Captain Lommax that if he would still remaine in the Castle, he should be glad of him as an assistant, that he should have quarter for himselfe and his wife, that what benefit he had formerly made of prisoners he should still enjoy, but Captain Lommax was rather desirous to march out of the towne with the forces."
In the Memoirs (page 168), it is stated that the Governor was importuned to accept a commission to be Colonel from Fairfax. In the MS. there is no reference, as in the Memoirs, to the Colonel's scruples at passing by Colonel Pierrepont for the office, or to Fairfax having learned, as stated in the Memoirs, that Pierrepont was determined to deliver the town up to the King. The MS. reads :—
"When the Governor heard of all these things, he accepted from my Lord Fairfax, a commission for to be a Colonel,3 and to rayse a regiment of 1200 for which he had also a warrant to presse, where upon he presently beate up his drummers, and recruited his companies and began to rayse more."
The Memoirs state (page 172) that at the reading of this commission, Colonel Thornhagh showed "much discontent and was melancholy after it." The MS. says: "At the reading of his order and commission in the Committee Chamber, P.C. 21 seemed very much discontented, and the commission being upon the table, he took it up and when he read it, and found it soe, flung it downe again in a little discontent."
It is a point of importance that in the Memoirs there is no reference to the power to press, which according to the MS. was given in this warrant to the Colonel. It is rather remarkable that in the MS. there is a later reference to pressing, which Mrs. Hutchinson has also seen fit to omit from the Memoirs:—
"The Committee in the absence of the Governor had pressed some men which by special warrant were appointed to be pressed for the completing of his regiment."
These references make it clear that not all who fought on the Roundhead side in this war were willing soldiers.
The Memoirs tell us (page 178) that there were disputes between the Governor and the officers of the garrison as to his powers over the horse. From the MS. we learn that the chief grumbler was Captain White:—
"C.L. 19 had not been at home when the Governor's commission came, and he very much disputed the command of the horse, utterly denying that the Governors of the Parliament garrisons had any such power."
It is worth noting that when the first commission was given to the Governor, the commanders of the horse, according to the MS. but not the Memoirs, "were all to goe out of the towne." This question of the Governor's powers was a very thorny one right up to the end of his command.
In his Annals, Bailey asserted that the whole trend of Mrs. Hutchinson's narrative was to enlarge upon the part played by the Colonel in local affairs at the expense of his contemporaries. There are portions of the MS., which, of course, was unknown to Bailey, that give proof of this. In the Memoirs, Mrs. Hutchinson wrote (page 195), referring to the raising of the siege of Newark by Prince Rupert, that "the Governor of Nottingham kept out spies upon the enemie's motions." The MS. reads that "Sir John Gell and the Committee of Nottingham kept out spies upon all the enemies movements." The Memoirs say (page 191) that the Colonel released the prisoners taken at the Trent Bridge. The MS. says:— "The Governor immediately writt to Mr. Millington the relation of the businesse and desired a Commission for the executing of martiall lawe and to know of my Lord Generall whether these men that were taken in this disguise should be executed as spies, or released as souldiers," and it is clear from this that the Colonel was acting on instructions and not on his own initiative in releasing all the prisoners but one. In the Memoirs (page 162) the Colonel is described as attending "the greate church," and "after sermon, from the steeple tooke a view of the fort at the bridges, no one perceiving his designe, but his engineer who was with him." The MS. says that he "took occasion to goe to St. Marie's Church to heare the sermon, and after sermon went up to the steeple with some of the committee."
The Colonel's enemies also suffered at Mrs. Hutchinson's hands. In the Memoirs (page 242) she tells us that, after the taking of Thurgarton Priory, "Sir Roger Cooper was in great dreade to be put into the Governor's hands4 ... yett he received such a civill treatment from him that he seemed to be much mooved and melted with it." This is not in the MS. as it ought to have been as the earlier story.
Another peculiarity of Mrs. Hutchinson, to which Bailey called attention, was placing upon other persons the responsibility for the failure of the Colonel's plans. Several instances of this occur in the Memoirs, and there is a new passage in the MS. of a similar character, preceding the account of the attack by the Newarkers on Trent Bridge (page 190).
"Tuesday the Councell of Warre sate . . . but there being other business . . . another Councell of Warre was appointed the next day. But before they mett intelligence was brought the Governor that some 15 commanders with packe of mony, pistolls, and bitts for horses were to passe to Newark, being come from Oxford, and that they lay at [blank in MS.] with only one troope of horse, and that Wiverton and Shelford men were to meete and convoy them. Whereupon he marched that night with all the horse and dragoones he could make in the garrison to have interrupted them, and stood in a body in the place appoynted for them to passe, and sent a messenger to know whether they were there or noe, who brought him word they were to come by that night, but till it was day forgot to tell the Governor where he was appoynted to meet the intelligencer who should tell them which way they went, and when he told it so doubtfully betweene two places that the Governor going to one missed the man who was gone to the other, and in the meantime some of the cheifest commanders, with 3 of the best packs, passed by another way. But the Governor was certeinely informed after the same hour that nine captaines with fifty horse, which came from Ashby to convoy them, could not goe back that night, because the waters were out, and that some of the packs were left behind. Whereupon he acquainted the captaine and the committee with his intelligencer, who thereupon were all mighty forward and earnest that the horse should goe out againe that night to surprise them in their quarters. The Governor sent out his men to get dragoone horses and prepared himselfe ready to goe, but when the horse was just drawne forth into the markctt place, and the Governor taking horse to goe out, Captain White came up and sayd the horse were exceeding weake and not able for the service, and the men weary, whereupon the designe was then frustrate."
The reference in the Memoirs (page 197) to the troubles with the committee is amplified in the MS.:—
"My Lord Generall, the Earle of Essex, sent a letter at the beginning of this businesse to the Comtee to send what forcc they could against Newark which Salusbury shriving in the Comittee Chamber 'looke you,' sayd he, 'this, I believe, in contrary to the expectations of some. You see who the sending out of forces belongs to.'"
"March the 1st,—Mr. Hooper and Mr. Horne came to the Committee to acquaint them that there wanted bread and cheese for the souldiers. There were present at this demand Mr. Pigott and Alderman James. The Stewards desired that the Treasurer might be called, who when he came and was acquainted with the businesse sayd he knew before that there was none in the garrison, but all command was taken out of the Committee's hands and now nothing was done. When the Committee sent out warrants there neither wanted mony nor provisions, but since the Governor tooke upon him to command all horse, everything was neglected. Mr. Pigot began to speake in the Governor's behalfe, and then Salusbury told him a long story, much detracting from the Governor, as if he assumed more power and command than belonged to him, but sayd he, 'You saw a letter lately and believe contrary to his expectation.' Then Mr. Pigot bid him draw his warrants in the usuall manner, and he would undertake when they were sent to the Governor, he would signe them. Soe for the present Salusbury gave the steward 5 markes to buy provision till Munday, and sayd that the Governor made nothing of them but sellers. Yet he had no power to doe the least thing without them, and for his part he had rather be a Committee man than a Governor."
"During the siege att Newark there being some informations against Mr. Horne, the under steward, the Committee discharged him from his office and put in Mr. Storer, who being unwilling to be under another had the whole charge committed to him."
Much new light is thrown in the MS. on the case of the Cannoneers, which Bailey considered was "a disreputable piece of religious persecution." According to the Memoirs (page 200), the Governor had been forced against his will to make the Cannoneers prisoners by the ministers of the town, aided by "certaine loose mallignant priests." Plumtree behaved most insolently in demanding their release, which was at first refused and afterwards granted by the Governor, under orders from Fairfax, "to the satisfaction of his own conscience," says the Memoirs. In the MS. many new details are given:—
"The cannoneers. Some of the cannoneers being turned separatists, there was greate distaste taken at it in the garrison, whereupon the Governor sent for the Mr. Gunner, Mr. Collins, and one that was employed in the workes call'd Anthony Smith, and having had some dispute with them severally, Smith promised not to seduce nor congregate in the garrison, and Collins sayd he would doe what possible he could to satisfie his conscience, and in the meane time desired only leave for himselfe and his chamber fellowes to be private in their chambers on the Sabboth day, engaging that none else should be with them. But some few Sabboths after, there hapening one Garland, a minister of these opinions, to be in towne, he preached at Mr. Collins his chamber. Many woemen of the towne went thither to heare him, which being told the Governor, he the next Sabboth surprised them at unawares in sermon time, and finding some more than he gave allowance for, committed Collins and Smith. When the force went to Newark, Captaine White desired leave that Smith might goe allong with him, and the Governor condescended to it, and when there was such present expectation of the enemie after our losse at Newark, the Governor, not willing to exasperate those that were of such speciall use to him, was entreated to release Mr. Collins, and thereupon he sett him at liberty."
The MS., as the earlier, and consequently the more complete version of the story, throws up the Colonel's conduct in a more unfavourable light than the Memoirs. It makes clear that if the first complaints came from the ministers, the Colonel himself was very active against the Cannoneers, and Smith and Collins were released simply because their services were wanted against the enemy.
(1) Mrs. Hutchinson frequently uses this word in the Memoirs, and the original editor gives its derivation (page 173). In the Memoirs the corresponding passage was "his father's affections were firme to the Parliament."
(2) In the British Museum MS. is the following copy of the Order, in Mrs. Hutchinson's handwriting :— "29th June 1643 "It is desired & appoynted by Sir John Melldrum Knight, Commander in Chiefe & soe it is voted & resolved upon the question, this day by the Committee of Parliament now resident in Nottingham that Lft Col John Hutchinson shall be Governor of the Castle of Nottingham, & forthwith receive the same into his charge & shall hold & enjoy all such power, priviledges, & command as belong to the Office, till it shall be otherwise ordered by the High Court of Parliament or this Committee.
John Melldrum
Fran. Pierrepont
Huntingdon Plumptre
George Hutchinson
Joseph Widmerpole
Chas. White
John James
Th. Salisbury."
(4) The original commission, dated 3rd October, 1643, is now in the possession of Mr. Henry Hill, of Nottingham.
Professor Firth gives an extract from the MS. which makes it clear why Sir Roger Cooper was not anxious to meet the Governor, whom he had challenged to a duel.