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till about 600 of them were there slain on the prnnnd, and at least a thousand of 

 them were taken prisoners so that very few escaped to carry news of the 

 mountaines of her Countrymen's valour. " 



Many other extracts might be given to the same effect, and the Historian 

 of the period— Rushworth— gives as will be seen below, an account in all respects 

 similar to the foregoing, in volume 2, page 263 : — 



"About the same time the Lord Herbert, son to the Marquess of Worcester, 

 with a considerable army of Welchmen, lay near Gloster and almost blocked up 

 that City. 



"Waller with his forces advanced to Cirencester, and made show as if he 

 would fall upon that town. But the design was for Gloucester, of which he gave 

 the men in Gloucester notice, who supply him with flat-bottomed boats, wherewith 

 he suddenly transported his forces over the river Severn beyond Gloucester, and 

 fell upon the reare of the Lord Herbert's Welch forces ; whom at the same time a 

 party out of Gloucester charged on the front, whereby there were about 500 of the 

 Welch slain upon the place and 1000 taken prisoners." 



Rushworth, part iii, vol. ii., cxi. 



The outline of a field work may still be clearly traced on Ludnam's Hill, 

 near to Mr. Parry's church, and two cannon balls found on or near the spot, and 

 still in Mr. Parry's possession, together with the relics discovered at the Cross 

 Hands, when the road was diverted, sufficiently identify the site of the battle 

 referred to by Samuel Colwall, and the trenchments which he described on the 

 Newent road, near the three mile stone, are obviously those thrown up to command 

 that road, as recorded in the Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis, page 34. 



The events of the 24th March, 1G43, are thus sufficiently established, by 

 Local Traditions ; by Historical evidence ; by Existing and recently discovered 

 Relics of the Fight. 



It is true that the tragic scene which has been supposed by some to have 

 given its name to the Bridge is not amongst the historical details we yet possess, 

 but an unbroken tradition, and the relics tell the same tale, and are supported by 

 legitimate inference drawn from such facts as may be considered to be established. 



It is also true that the name of Rudford nowhere occurs in the records, 

 but Saxton's map, the only one which could have been in use, does not place 

 Rudford and Highnam in such juxtaposition as to require that it should be 

 mentioned. 



Waller tells us himself in his letter that he crossed the Severn at Framelet 

 Ferry, and forthwith to Huntley, and so to Highnam. Now he could only have 

 approached Highnam from "Framelet" byway of Huntley for the purpose of 

 getting round and behind the Welsh army, which was thus taken in a trap— for 

 with Massey in front, the Severn on the one side, and the Leadon on the other, 

 it was only necessary to possess the Ross and Newent roads, and there was "no 

 ways to escape them." To effect this object Waller had only to march part of his 

 force from Huntley through Tibberton to the Newent road, about three miles. 

 But the old road, which is still used as a farm road, would bring him straight to 

 the little hillock, now much reduced m height (having been first cut down by the 



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