A HISTORY OF SURREY 



fines and sequestrations. The petition refers to one of a similar purport 

 from Blechingley. A strong feeling was excited against the continuance 

 of the state of things which made an army a necessity. 



In May, 1648, there were wars and rumours of wars all over the 

 country. South Wales had risen against the army under old Parliamen- 

 tary officers. Kent was all but in arms. There were riots everywhere. 

 A Scotch army was coming some day to aid the new Royalist party. 

 London and the remains of the House of Lords were evidently anxious 

 for a speedy arrangement with the king. The House of Commons was 

 itself not very steady, and any reverse to the army might cause a Presby- 

 terian majority to appear in it ready for a compromise by which the 

 sects would be thrown over. In this state of things on May 8, 1648, 

 there was a meeting of the inhabitants of Surrey at Dorking to prepare 

 a petition to the Parliament. Having drawn up, printed and circulated 

 a petition, they met on Putney Heath on May 16, several hundreds 

 strong, gentlemen, yeomen, and of course a disorderly tail of idle fol- 

 lowers, preparatory to marching in procession to Westminster. 



The petition ran briefly as follows : ' That the King may be re- 

 stored to his due Honour and just Rights, according to the oaths of 

 Supremacy and Allegiance, and that he may be forthwith established in 

 his Throne according to the Splendour of his Ancestors. 



' That he may presently come to Westminster with Honour and 

 Safety, to treat personally for composing of Differences. 



' That the free-born Subjects of England may be governed by the 

 known Laws and Statutes. 



1 That the War beginning may be prevented. 



' That the Ordinance for preventing Free Quarter may be duly 

 executed, and speed made in disbanding all Armies, having their Arrears 

 due paid to them.' l 



The petition was presented to both Houses. The Lords answered 

 that they were considering the settlement of the kingdom and doubted 

 not but to satisfy all. The House of Lords was unduly sanguine of suc- 

 cess in an impossible task. The Commons were in no hurry to acknow- 

 ledge the petition at all. The method of the presentation was not 

 calculated to make matters easier, and a catastrophe ensued when the 

 Surrey men were waiting for the answer of the Commons. The peti- 

 tioners, several hundreds strong, had come by permission of the corpora- 

 tion across London Bridge in procession through the City. Their hats 

 were dressed with green and white ribands ; they had trumpets, pipes 

 and fiddles playing, and shouted ' God and King Charles,' ' Hey for 

 King Charles.' Such an assembly was not likely to lack accessions of 

 idle and mischievous persons as it passed through the City and down the 

 Strand. As they reached Charing Cross a shower began to fall, and 

 many of the company sought shelter in the alehouses. They had prob- 

 ably not done the day's journey from Putney without refreshment 

 already, and Whitelocke describes them delicately as ' being gotten 



1 Whitelocke's Memorials give the summary. 

 414 



