Sir Charles Lucas 211 



ment, and the Lincolnshire horse, in all about 1400, to quarter 

 thereabouts for securing that fortification, which is like to be a 

 work of time, and so to procrastinate Sir Charles Lucas his coming 

 into these parts (whom we hoped to have been sent by your Majesty 

 for our immediate assistance) to the apparent hazard of this garrison 

 and these two counties' (Rush worth, III, ii, 305). From Don- 

 caster, on February 2, 1644, Lucas wrote to Rupert a very interest- 

 ing letter, thanking him for his recommendation to Lord Newcastle 

 (Warburton, ii, 370). He joined Newcastle in the north some 

 time before March 6th, and distinguished himself in the skirmish 

 at Hilton on March 25th (Rushworth, III, ii, 615-6). When the 

 Marquis was obliged to shut himself up in York, Lucas in command 

 of the horse was sent to quarter in Nottinghamshire and the Mid- 

 land counties, and to take part in any attempts at the relief of the 

 besieged. He accordingly joined Rupert in his march to York, 

 and was one of the commanders of the left wing of the Prince's 

 horse at Marston, in which defeat he was taken prisoner, although 

 his division successfully routed that of Sir Thomas Fairfax, which 

 was its immediate opponent. Rupert as soon as possible negotiated 

 the exchange of Sir Charles, which probably took place in the 

 winter of 1644-5 ( see letter in Warburton's Prince Rupert, iii, 38). 

 He was certainly released before March 1645, for in a letter of 

 March 5 Digby discusses the question of his appointment to the 

 government of Berkeley Castle (Warburton, iii, 66). 



In July 1645 Lucas writes to Rupert from Berkeley complaining 

 of the inadequacy of the garrison, and the disaffection of his soldiers, 

 and of the people of the neighbouring country {Hist. MSS. Rep. 

 ix, pt. ii, p. 437). Berkeley Castle was stormed by Colonel Rains- 

 borough on September 25, 1645 (Sprigge, Anglia Rediviva, p. 136, 

 ed. 1854). According to Sprigge it had endured nine days' siege, 

 but the capture of the church and outworks, and the planting of 

 cannon thereupon, forced the Governor to sound a parley and 

 treat. ' The castle was surrendered upon these articles : the 

 soldiers to march out without arms ; the Governor, Sir Charles 

 Lucas, with three horses and arms and not above ^50 in money ; 

 every field officer with two horses, and but £$ in money ; foot 

 captains with swords but no horse ; the soldiers with not above 

 55. apiece.' In the castle were taken provisions for six months. 

 Lucas had answered to the first summons ' that he would eat horse 

 flesh before he would yield, and man's flesh when that was done ', 

 and returned an equally peremptory answer to the second summons. 

 The garrison marched out about 500 strong, but probably the dis- 

 affection before mentioned by Lucas still existed and contributed 

 to the surrender, and it is not likely that it had been increased in 

 numbers since he complained of its inadequacy to Rupert in July. 



