30 



June 22nd, 1640. -"From the leaguer before Gutheridge Castle, letters 

 advertise us that the enemy within are very resolute, if not desperate. A 

 summons was sent in June 13th with abundance of fair and pressing arguments, 

 but the return was a flat denial and confident expectation of relief before 

 they needed it, which occasioned Col. Birch never to parley more, and be there- 

 upon sent them in six granadoes and tore down a piece of one of their tower?. 

 They seem yet feavles ig of their ammunition which we hear to be not' 



much ; and yet they made a sally out and killed us seven and hurt ten, and wo 

 have hurt as o s. Their hearts are stable and their walls strong 



and high— nothing but extremity will force them." 



Then come3 the following interesting letter of Colonel Birch to the 



Speaker of the House of Commons : — 



"Sir — Since my coming before this castle I have used all means tending 

 to the speedy reduction thereof, and am approached upon all sides so near 

 that they annoy me with throwing of stones. I find the thing in itself very 

 strong, and the defendants (being excepted persons and papists) very desperate. 

 They have made many sallies, insomuch that they have lost at several tinges 

 100 horses, and now have not above 5 remaining. They have not killed me 

 above 21 men in all, and never took one prisonsr, though at clivers times we 

 have been at hand blows. And I find that my batteries, mortar pieces, and 

 mining, being the three ways we now put in execution, having cast a mortar 

 piece here which carries a shell of 2001bs. weight ; I shall spend more powder than 

 is here to be had, and for want of which I shall not bo ablo to go on, if not 

 supplied. My humble request, therefore, to the Parliament is for 80 barrels 

 of powder for the service of this place and county, the magazine at Hereford 

 being very small, with which assistance I question not to give you a timely 

 account of this castle, and to approve myself 



Your humble servant, 



"From Gutheridge, June 18th, 1G1G." Jo.\ T H Birch." 



June 25th. — " One of the cavaliers called out to our pioneers at work 

 in the mines, and said they cared not for being blown up ; they could, from the 

 sky, laugh at the flourishing of the Roundheads." 



July 6th. — "Col. Birch goes on well against Gutheridge Castle and is liko 

 to carry it suddenly." 



July 15th. — "The enemy is very obstinate. "We have supplies of shells 

 for our granadoes from the Forest of Dean. Our ordnance are small and have 

 done but little execution as yet. Our mines go on well ; they are now very 

 quiet within, yet will not yield." 



July ISth. — " We are in very good forwardness with our mine, and hope 

 very shortly to see the effect of ic. Our guns have made a breach in the upper 

 part of the wall, and the granadoes have done them much spoil in the castle ; 

 yet they take no more notice of it than if no enemy were before it, acting little 

 against us; only now and then firing off their muskets." 



