25 



It may be convenient here to read Sir William Waller's 

 official letter to both Houses of Parliament. 

 "My Lords and Gent. 

 " Wo hoar it is not wel taken, that you hoard not of the taking of the 

 Welsh at Highnam, nor of the losso of Malmsbmy. Upon om- coming to 

 Gloucester, we immediately sent; it seems many of our letters miscary; 

 for Malmsbury we committed it to Sir Edward Hungerford : we left him 

 not without commanders, he had two Sergeant Majors, able men, and the 

 Companies of his own regiment, and a Company of dragoones, with 

 ammunition and two hundi-ed muskets, to put into the Countrymen's hands, 

 that offered themselves very freely: We conceived that Sir Edward 

 Httngerford's power in the country, with that strength, would easily have 

 defended that place. But for reasons best known to himselfe, he quitted it. 

 It was not for us to have stood long there, nor for the advancement of your 

 service nor for us to garrison towns, unless it is intended we shall leave 

 the ficM. From Malmsbury, marching day and night we came to Framelet 

 ferry, and having our boates from Gloucester roadie, we passed our army 

 over Severne, and forthwith to Huntley, and so to Highnam, where, before 

 the enemie had any notice, we feU upon then- backes, and in a short time, 

 without the losse of above two, they rendered up the place upon quarter, 

 where he had one thousand foure hundred and forty foure common prisoners 

 weU armed, commanders and gentlemen about one hundi-ed and fifty, many 

 of the chief e of Wales and Herefordshire." 



As this letter makes no allusion to such a loss on the part 

 either of the Parliamentry, or of the Eoyal Forces, as would 

 account for the number of bodies found at Barber's Bridge, and, 

 as the local tradition seemed to connect these bodies so very 

 directly with the battle at Highnam, information was sought 

 from other merely than local sources, and chiefly from pamphlets 

 and newspapers of the period, of which a large collection exists 

 ■ in the British Museum. It was the more important to refer to 

 these as even Sir William Waller's report, as printed in the 

 Journals of ParUament, cannot be fully relied upon. 



In " 3Iercurius Aidicus, or Court Journal" of 20th April, 1643, 

 from which further quotation will be given, the following 

 passage occurs : 



" It was advertised from London that a letter from Sir William Waller 

 (wherein he makes great mention of his victories, but none of his losses) 

 was by the House ordered to be put in piint, but with such alterations and 

 omissions as Sir Thomas Barkington shoiild think most expedient to 

 advance the cause." 



