310 Chippenham, and the Neighbourhood, 



submission of the gallant little garrison of Lacock, and to salute 

 their noble captain as he marched out of the fortress he had held 

 so long. This, the last garrison held for the King in Wilts, 

 yielded on September 26th, 1645 : and forthwith an order of 

 Parliament was issued for a public thanksgiving for the great 

 successes recently attending the Parliament's army, in the taking 

 of Lacock House, and the town and castle of the Devizes. 



Notwithstanding the absolute desperation of the King's cause, 

 the sheriff still hovered about Devizes with a few kindred spirits, 

 watching to strike a frantic blow ; and the closing act of the 

 tragical drama in which he played so conspicuous a part, was as 

 daring a conception, as it was a splendid success. At the head of a 

 thousand horse, bursting out of Oxford in January, 1646, he 

 swept the county from north to south, plundered Salisbury, 

 Warminster, Marlborough and other towns, carried off the 

 governor of Devizes and other persons of note, and during the 

 whole expedition sustained very little loss. 



In June, the same j'ear, Oxford yielded to Fairfax ; the King's 

 person was in the hands of his foes. Of cavaliers in the immediate 

 neighbourhood of Chippenham, who suffered penalty for their 

 loyalty, Sir C. Seymour and his father were fined £2725 ; John 

 Scrope of Castle Combe, £6000 ; Sir J. Long, £810 ; H. Hawkins 

 of Hardenhuish, £38 15s. Sir James Long afterwards made 

 himself so far acceptable to the dominant faction, that he received 

 the gracious permission of the Lord Protector to wear his sword 

 in his presence, and in the exercise of this privilege, he gave some 

 offence to the more inflexible cavaliers. 



The name of Henry Bull, constable of the hundred, and bailiff 

 of the Borougb of Chippenham, is appended to a certificate testi- 

 fjnng on behalf of Charles Seymour, Esq., "now on trial as a 

 delinquent before the Sequestrators, that he never did sit but one 

 day on the King's commission, that he did very much good to 

 persons grievously fined, and while he lived at Allington, near 

 Chippenham, behaved himself very nobl}'^, friendly and lovingly 

 amongst us, and others." 



The Register {Liber Annalis ChippenhamiiB continens nomina hap- 



