POLITICAL HISTORY 



reoccupied Reigate. Aimless and uncertain throughout, Holland tried 

 to return to Reigate on the 7th, having heard that Gibbons had not 

 remained there the night before. Learning the truth he turned about 

 to march to Kingston whence he came. What motives directed him it 

 is impossible to say. His last hope really was to get into Sussex and 

 join the Royalists there already stirring and to raise more. He could 

 not now expect to find help from London. Two hours after he had 

 started Livesey was in pursuit. He left a garrison of twenty men in 

 Reigate Castle, showing that it was not wholly indefensible. Livesey 

 had now five troops of his own regiment, two which had come with 

 him out of Kent, three which had joined under Audeley, and three troops 

 of Rich's horse under Gibbons. These pursued in haste, three foot com- 

 panies of Livesey's men coming up after them. Eight troops of horse 

 nearly equalled Holland's members if he still had 600 men. 1 The Royal- 

 ists being some horse and some foot retreated slowly, and despite their two 

 hours' start were overtaken near Ewell. Here a few shots were fired. 

 Close by at Nonsuch there was a smarter skirmish. At last the Royalist 

 horse turned about where the road rises over what was Kingston Com- 

 mon, about a mile south-east of where Surbiton station is now. The 

 infantry pushed on towards Kingston and Holland himself with them. 

 The combat that followed is almost Homeric in incidents, and shows 

 that there was good metal in Holland's force wasted by his incompe- 

 tence. Certain troopers came out of either force and engaged in single 

 combat, ' playing valiantly.' Then Rich's cavalry charged and the 

 Royalists fell back fighting towards Kingston, covering the retreat of 

 their foot. Lord Francis Villiers, younger brother to the Duke of 

 Buckingham, was fighting in their rear. His horse was killed, but he 

 stood against an elm on the east side of the road, says Aubrey, to whom 

 was pointed out the site of the tree felled in 1680. There he kept 

 several troopers at bay, till one came behind and reaching round the 

 tree struck off his steel cap and wounded him in the head, when he was 

 slain. Clarendon laments his youth and beauty, and a general com- 

 miseration seems to have been expressed for his fate. The report in 

 London was that he was a wounded prisoner, and orders were sent for 

 his careful treatment. But he was dead, says Audeley, ' and good pillage 

 found in his pocket.' In the outskirts of Kingston the Royalist infantry 

 turned about and checked the pursuing cavalry. These drew off and 

 waited till their infantry should arrive, intending to attack next day. 

 In the night Holland's force dispersed.* Many went to London and 

 escaped notice. The leaders with a few horse fled northwards. Scrope's 

 regiment of cavalry, detached by Fairfax from the Colchester leaguer, 

 came across them at St. Neots in Huntingdonshire about July 10, 



1 The numbers in a troop varied at different times. At this time Rich's three troops ought to 

 have been about 300 men. The troops of militia varied more widely than those of the regular army, 

 but the additional five troops would probably bring the total to about 600 men. 



1 For the whole account see ' A True Relation,' etc., by Major Lewes Awdeley, Kings Pamphlets, 

 375, 30. Clarendon's account is nonsense. 



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