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man’s house and habitation, by name Mr. William Purfrey, 
of Caldecot, in Warwickshire, a worthy member of the 
House of Commons, and a gentleman of a fair estate, who 
lived in a very strong and a well built house of stone, 
upon which intelligence given to this Prince of Plunderers, 
he with about five hundred of his forces, upon a Sunday 
morning, a little before prayer-time (a fit day and time of 
day for such profane theives and robbers to act their 
wicked designs of thefts and rapines), came to Caldecot 
aforesaid, and beset this gentleman’s house, with an intent 
plunder and pillage it, himselfe being absent from home, 
and there being within onely the mistresse of the house, 
one or two daughters, one Mr. George Abbott (her son-in-law, 
a very resolute and stout young gentleman), three serving- 
men, and three maid servants. The Prince being come to 
the house, sends unto them to open the gates, and to deliver 
up the house unto him; the gentleman and all within with 
him being very courageous and cheerful, and having good 
store of muskets, powder, and shot, in the house, refused so 
to doe, but stood upon their guard, resolving, by God’s 
assistance, to fight it out rather than to yield themselves to 
the perfideous cruelty of him and his accursed cavaliers, and 
thereupon the young gentleman tooke forth a dozen muskets 
and taught the women how to charge the muskets whiles he 
and the other men discharged them. Prince Rupert, thus 
affronted, gives command to his cavaliers to set upon the 
house, and to break open the outmost gates to come into the 
yard or court ; but as his captains and souldiers entered in, 
the said Mr. Abbott and his men shot so quick and thick at 
them, and shewed themselves (by God’s assistance) such 
notable marksmen, that at the very first onset they slew one 
Captain Mayford, and Captain Shute, and after that one 
Captain Steward, and ere they had done, about 15 more of 
their souldiers, whereof some were other officers in armes— 
the men within still shooting at them without intermission, 
and the women, who had aptly learn’t their art, did their 
work and acted their parts most nimbly and cheerefully ; 
and when their bullets began to fail, they fell to melting all 
their household pewter, and having bullet moulds in the 
house, speedely made more, and notably supplied that want 
faster than they could be spent, and thus the businesse was 
so plyed, and with such dexterity by them in all their 
appointed ways, God wonderfully enabling them, that Prince 
Rupert was very sorely put to it, and having seene so many 
of his men slaine, and seeing he could not so easily enter the 
