A HISTORY OF NOTTINGHAMSHIRE 



in the forest of Shrywood ' that he was inclined to gather all the forces he 

 could at Nottingham on the following Sunday. 1 Four days later he reported 

 that the scouts whom he had sent out to Newark had taken a messenger 

 from the enemy, who declared that his only object in bearing the missive 

 was to escape from Newark.* The news that the rebels of Lincolnshire had 

 retired on the duke of Suffolk's arrival quieted the king's fears, and thinking 

 that the Yorkshire rebels would be as quickly subdued he wrote to Shrews- 

 bury to advance upon them ' with my lords of Rutland and Huntingdon and 

 all the forces of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire,' and when all things 

 were appeased in Lincolnshire and Holderness to dissolve the whole army 

 and come home, sending the ordnance to Nottingham Castle. 3 However, 

 the strength and the disciplined advance of the rebels showed that stronger 

 measures were necessary, and later in the month the king wrote to the duke 

 of Norfolk, who had been sent to crush the insurrection, suggesting that 

 considering the diversity between these and the Lincolnshire rebels they 

 should first be tempered by means of a letter, and if this would not serve, 

 then by force. Meanwhile special care was to be taken to fortify the bridges 

 of Nottingham and Newark and all other passages so that the rebels should 

 have ' nowhere any passage out of Yorkshire.' 4 Wriothesley reported this 

 command to Cromwell, remarking that Norfolk only had 2,000 men with 

 him, ' which he thought enough,' the lord marquis had no more, and with 

 ' the Gloucestershire men ' the force would only number 5,ooo. 6 The king 

 evidently realized how weak the forces were, and how important it was to 

 keep the passages over the Trent and Don safe. Thus he wrote to Suffolk, 

 stationed at Lincoln, concerning the fortifying of the passages. Shrewsbury 

 was near Doncaster," and had sent 1,200 men and six pieces to Doncaster and 

 Rushington Bridge to keep the passages. In case Shrewsbury should be 

 pressed by the rebels, or should be forced to attack them and be worsted, the 

 passages over the Trent must be kept, and Suffolk on receiving notice from 

 Norfolk of any such chance was to leave a sufficient force at Lincoln, but 

 was himself to repair to ' such places as shall be thought fit for the keeping 

 of the passages.' 7 A similar letter went to Norfolk, ordering him to with- 

 draw with Shrewsbury to the passages of Nottingham and Newark, if the 

 rebels seemed too strong, or any of Shrewbury's company should be ill- 

 disposed, and fortify the same ' until we can repair to you with our royal 

 army, having even more regard to the defence of us and of your natural 

 country than to any dishonour that might be spoken of such retirement, for 

 we assure you we would not expose our cousins of Norfolk or Shrewsbury 



1 L. and P. Hen. fill, xi, 223. John Babyngton wrote to Cromwell that he and his cousin Hersy were 

 doing their best in the county for the king's service. (Ibid. p. 245.) Sir John Markham wrote in answer to 

 Cromwell's inquiry as to ' what men he could have within the forest of Sherwood by his office of chief justice 

 of the same, no man offended,' that he thought he might have twenty of the retinue of the town of Notting- 

 ham and four who filled offices granted by the king's patent. He also stated that he had given orders to the 

 tenants of the suppressed monasteries in Nottingham to retain themselves to no man, but be ready to serve the 

 king in Cromwell's retinue. (Ibid. p. 222). 



' Ibid, xi, 254. Ibid. 



Ibid, xi, 315. 'Ibid, xi, 329. 



' It was by this speedy march over the Yorkshire border to Doncaster that Shrewsbury saved Nottingham- 

 shire from being overrun by the rebels. 



L. and P. Hen. Pill, xi, 339. In another letter dated 14 Nov. 1536, in which the king granted 

 pardon to the Lincolnshire rebels, he begged Suffolk remember his former letter touching the fortification of 

 Newark and the passages there and the withdrawing of victual.' Ibid, p. 427. 



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