A HISTORY OF SUSSEX 



and they further possessed the important stronghold of Arundel castle, 

 although Chichester, like the Cinque Port towns and the borough of 

 Lewes, was in the hands of the Puritan party, being under the leader- 

 ship of William Cawley, a wealthy brewer. On 15 November 1642 

 William Cawley, Edward Higgons and Henry Chittey, who were in 

 command of the trained bands, obtained ordnance from Portsmouth 

 and fortified Chichester against the king's forces. The Royalist faction, 

 however, were on the alert and at once seized the guns. That night Sir 

 John Morley and other gentry offered to help to maintain order in the 

 city, and on this pretence assembled in such strength as to compel the 

 mayor to surrender the keys. The parliamentary leaders retired hastily 

 to Portsmouth, and next day the sheriff. Sir Edward Ford, marched into 

 Chichester with the trained bands and a hundred horse. Accompanied 

 by Sir William Ford, Sir William Morley, Sir Edward Bishop, Thomas 

 Leeds, member of parliament for Steyning, and now captain of horse for 

 Arundel rape. Sir Thomas Bowyer, Bishop Henry King's brother and 

 son, and many others, they seized the county magazine with ten barrels 

 of powder from Portsmouth, and searched the houses of the adverse 

 party for arms. The sheriff then, in order to put the local trained 

 bands out of action, summoned them to Chichester on pretence of 

 defending it from an attack by Prince Rupert, and when they came 

 disarmed and detained them. As soon as news of this blow came to 

 Portsmouth the governor sent Captains Swanley and Winford with a 

 small force to retake the city, but the wind and tide failing they could 

 not get beyond Thorney Island, and finding the garrison too strong, 

 retired.' 



Early in December Sir William Waller, having captured the 

 Royalist castle of Farnham and the city of Winchester, prepared to 

 attack Chichester. A party of cavalry under Lord Grandison endeav- 

 oured to assist the latter city, but being caught by Waller's troops near 

 Winchester were obliged to surrender,^ Another Royalist force under 

 the Earl ofThanet suffered a complete defeat at Hayward's Heath while 

 marching against Lewes,^ which town Captain Ambrose Trayton had 

 received orders to secure for the Parliament.* Making a sudden dash for 

 Arundel Waller surprised the garrison under Sir Richard Leachford 

 and Captain Goulding, blew in the gate of the castle, and captured it 

 with all its stores for the loss of one man.^ Waller then marched 

 against Chichester and, repelling a sally of the garrison, planted his 

 cannon on the high ground of the Broyle, afterwards bringing them 

 close to the north gate, while a galling fire was kept up on the defenders 

 from all sides, especially from the church of St. Pancras on the east. 

 After eight days' siege the city surrendered on 29 December on the 

 promise of ' quarter with honourable usage.' * The loss of Chichester 

 was due partly to lack of ammunition, but more to the disaffection of 



> Portland MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), i. 72. = Corvpn MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), ii. 327. 



3 Godwin, The Civil War in Hampshire (2nd cd.) p. 53. • Ibid. p. 51. 



B Suss. Arch. Coll. v. 41-2. a Ibid. pp. 44-6. 



522 



