A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



joined by eighty of his foot, who had surprised a detachment of dragoons and captured their horses ; 

 unfortunately, through the cowardice of the ofiBcer commanding the rear, the greater part of the 

 foot had turned back into Bradford, where they surrendered next day." Within two hours of Sir 

 Thomas's arrival a start was made for Hull. At Selby there was a sharp skirmish, in which Sir 

 Thomas Fairfax was severely woimded by a shot in the wrist, but in the end Hull was safely 

 reached. 



With the exception of a few isolated posts, such as Wressell Castle, Hull was the only place 

 in the county that still held out for the Parliament, and Newcastle led his army into Lincolnshire, 

 satisfied that Yorkshire would give no more trouble. But the Fairfaxes were not the men to lie idle, 

 and their personal popularity made them the rallying point for all who were devoted to the Puritan 

 cause.'^ Sir Thomas soon moved out with the horse to Beverley, and in August drove the Royalists 

 out of Stamford Bridge, and so alarmed the garrison of York that they sent for Newcastle, who 

 about this date had been raised to the rank of marquess.'' He returned at once, driving Sir Thomas 

 out of Beverley, and on 2 September began the siege of Hull. The season was wet, and Fairfax, by 

 cutting the river banks, had flooded a great part of the low ground, so that in many of their works 

 the Royalists were ankle-deep in mud and water, and those without seemed liker to rot than those 

 within to starve.** The besieged, having command of the river, could keep up communications 

 with Lincolnshire, and on 26 September they were visited by Cromwell and Lord Willoughby, who 

 took back with them Sir Thomas Fairfax and his cavalry. At the end of September the Royalists 

 made several vigorous but unsuccessful attempts to capture various outworks, but the arrival of Sir 

 John Meldrum with 500 foot on 5 October put the besieged in a position to assume the offensive, 

 and after repelling a particularly vigorous attack, conducted by Captain Strickland, on 9 October, 

 the Parliamentary forces sallied in strength on the nth. A thousand men under Colonels Lambert 

 and Rainsborough, with Sir John Meldrum in chief command, drove the Royalists out of their 

 works and seized their guns, but were then driven back in confusion by a resolute charge of the 

 enemy's pikemen. Lord Fairfax, shutting the gates against them, rallied his men, and they advanced 

 once more, this time to complete victory. The Royalist works were carried, their ordnance 

 captured and turned against them, and so severe a blow inflicted that the siege was raised." 



For three months Yorkshire was left in comparative peace, but in January 1644 news arrived 

 that the Scottish army had crossed the borders and were making for the town of Newcastle. The 

 marquess at once hurried northwards, leaving Colonel John Bellasis in command at York. Hardly 

 had he gone when Sir Thomas Fairfax, by his brilliant victory at Nantwich on 28 January, was in 

 a position to send troops to recover the clothing towns of the West Riding. Colonel Bellasis, being 

 reinforced by Sir Charles Lucas, on his way north with a large body of horse, attempted to counter 

 this move by an attack on Bradford, but met with a sharp reverse at the hands of Colonel Lambert." 

 The West Riding had now definitely returned to its old allegiance to the Parliament, and Lord 

 Fairfax was so secure in the East that he sent out Sir William Constable with the horse, who, 

 ' making their carrocols upon the wolds,' recovered Whitby and troubled the district round Pickering. 

 Sir Charles Lucas rode out to look for him, but being unable to discover his whereabouts, quartered 

 at Coldham. That night the Royalists obtained the information required, for Sir William suddenly 

 swooped down on their quarters, cut up the regiments of Sir Walter Vavasour, Sir John Keys, and 

 Thomas Slingsby, and carried off a number of prisoners.*' Not long after this Colonel Bellasis 

 intercepted a letter from Sir Thomas Fairfax to his father, expressing his intention of joining forces 

 with him and marching to the assistance of the Scots, who had made no progress in the north. 

 Bellasis attempted to prevent this by occupying Selby with 3,000 men ; but the junction was success- 

 fully effected, and on 1 1 April the united Parliamentary forces attacked Selby. The foot under Sir 

 John Meldrum forced the barricades, and Sir Thomas Fairfax entering the town with the horse 

 completed the defeat of the Royalists. Colonel Bellasis himself and 80 oflScers and 1,600 men 

 were taken prisoners.** The immediate result was to bring the Marquess of Newcastle south at 

 full speed to secure York. On his heels came the Scottish army under Lord Leven ; marching 

 through Northallerton and Boroughbridge the Scots were met at Wetherby on 18 April by Sir 

 Thomas Fairfex, and at Doncaster next day by Lord Fairfax. The united Parliamentary forces 

 were now about 1 6,000 foot and 4,000 horse,** sufficient to besiege the city on two sides, the Scots 

 lying on the south and west at Bishopthorpe and Middlethorpe, and Fairfax's army on the south and 

 east, and the circle was soon completed on the north by the arrival of 9,000 men under the Earl of 



" Torkt. Arch. Journ. viii, 215. " Slingsby, Diary, 99. 



" His patent vyas dated 27 October, but he was referred to as marquess on the 14th of that month 

 {Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. i, 1 3 8), and apparently received his title about the time of his return to 

 Yorksliire. Life 0/ Netccast/e (ed. Firth), 58. " Life of Newcastle, 59. 



" Hist. MSS. Cam. Rep. xiii, App. i, 138 ; Markham, op. cit. 1 1 5-19. •* Slingsby, Diary, 103. 



" Ibid. 103-4. " Ibid. 105-6 ; Markham, op. cit. 137. 



" Tirki. Arch. Journ. viii, 220. 



424 



