13 
ham on the 23rd, after the skirmish at Long Itchington. 
Then took place the formal raising of the Royal Standard. 
Having collected there what forces he could, he commenced 
his march westward, on the 13th of September he went: to 
Derby, there he stayed three nights; on the 16th to 
Uttoxter, on the 17th to Stafford, there he stayed two nights; 
on the 19th he went to Wellington, and on the 20th to 
Shrewsbury, here he remained with his forces, increased by 
the gentry who espoused his cause, for three weeks, during 
which period he went to Chester, where he appears to have 
stayed four days. A more complete account of the move- 
ments of the Parliamentary forces is given in some letters, 
preserved in the State paper office, written by one Nicholas 
Wharton, who appears to have been a sergeant in some foot 
regiment, to his then late master, Mr. George Willingham, a 
merchant at the Golden Anchor, in St. Swithin’s Lane. The 
date of the first of these letters is the 16th of August, 1642, 
of the last, Octoher the 7th, 1642. What became of the 
writer after the inditing of that letter is unknown. These 
letters are somewhat lengthy. I shall therefore give little 
more than excerpts relating to occurrences in this county. 
In a letter dated Coventry; August 26th, 1642, he says :— 
“Monday morning (August 19) we marched into Warwick- 
shere with about three thousand foote and four hundred 
horse, until we came to Southam. This is a very malignant 
towne, both minister and people. We pillaged the minister, 
and took from him a drum and severall armes. This night 
our soildiers, wearied out, quartered themselves about the 
town for foode and lodginge, but before we could eate or 
drinke an alarm cryed ‘ Arme, arme, for the enemy is com- 
menge, and in halfe an hower all our soildiers, though 
dispersed, were cannybals in armes, ready to encounter the 
enemy. Our horse were quartered about the country, but 
the enemy came not. We barrecaded the towne, and at 
every passage placed our ordinance, and watched it all night, 
our soildiers contented to lye upon hard stones. In the 
morninge early our enemise, consistinge of about eight 
hundred horse, and three hundred foote, with ordinance, led 
by the Earle of Northampton, the Lord of Carnarvan, and 
the Lord Compton, and Captain Legge, and other, intended 
to set upon us before wee could gather our companies together, 
but being ready all night, early in the morning wee went to 
meet them with a few troopes of horse and six field peeces, 
and being on fier to get at them we marched thorow the 
corne and got the hill of them, whereupon they played upon 
