A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



Royalist victories, which were signalled between Pontefract and Sandal by means of bracon fires, 

 their surrender was only a matter of time. At last, on 21 July, the castle and all its munitions were 

 given up and the brave defenders marched out to join their friends at Newark." So important was 

 this success considered that the House of Commons ordered a thanksgiving therefor on the Sunday 

 after the receipt of the news.^ Within a week of the fall of Pontefract, Scarborough surrendered to 

 Sir Mathew Boynton," who was at once appointed governor. The governorship of Pontefract had 

 been given to Sir Thomas Fairfax, but as he was too busy elsewhere with his command of the new 

 army the office had to be exercised by deputy.** Bolton, Skipton, and Sandal still held out, and in 

 the middle of August the Parliamentary horse, both at Skipton and at Doncaster, were in a state of 

 mutiny owing to the failure of the authorities to provide their pay." At Doncaster they even placed 

 General Poyntz under arrest and threatened to plunder York if a month's pay were not forthcoming. 

 The king took advantage of this state of afiairs to offer a pardon to all persons in Yorkshire who 

 would return to their allegiance,^ and the Royalists designed to march on Doncaster and so towards 

 Ripon, where there were no Parliamentary garrisons.'^ But the Parliamentary eclipse was of short 

 duration ; on 2 October Sandal Castle surrendered,'* and a fortnight later, on 1 5 October, Lord 

 Digby, the king^ secretary, with 1,500 Royalist horse, was completely defeated at Sherburn, his 

 coach, containing much compromising correspondence, being captured.^ So many prisoners were 

 brought into York after this battle that some fears were expressed for the safety of the city." On 

 5 November Colonel Scrope yielded the castle of Bolton to Colonel Lascelles," and the surrender of 

 Skipton Castle on 22 December left the Parliament supreme in Yorkshire. 



During 1646 and 1647 the county had peace, except for the plundering and the misbehaviour 

 of the Scottish troops quartered round Tickhill and elsewhere.'^ They were said to cost the county 

 something like ^^ 90,000 a month," and the presence in their ranks of ' reformadoes,' men who had 

 formerly served in the Royalist armies and were still Royalist in sympathies though drawing pay in 

 the service of the Parliament, increased the tendency to disorder and outrage.'* On 16 March 1648 

 the old Lord Fairfax died at Denton, and his son Sir Thomas succeeded to the title. About this 

 time the Royalists renewed the struggle in the north, encouraged by Charles's negotiations with the 

 Scots. Colonel John Morris, a brilliant young officer who had served under the Earl of Strafford, 

 had joined the Parliamentary army out of pique, and had been passed over, owing to the licence of 

 his life, at the remodelling of the army, had for some time been plotting to seize Pontefract Castle 

 for the king." With this end in view he had contrived to become very intimate with Captain 

 Cotterell, the strict and unpopular governor of the castle, who at last came to put complete confidence 

 in him. Meanwhile Morris had enrolled a body of old and trusty cavaliers in and around Pontefract 

 to seize the castle when the time came. A first attempt was made in the middle of May 1648 ; but, 

 owing to the corporal who should have been on guard at the part of the walls which was to be 

 scaled having got drunk, another sentinel was on duty, and he at once gave the alarm. The 

 Royalists rode off, leaving their ladders planted against the walls. Captain Cotterell decided that 

 his soldiers who had been quartered in the town should in future lodge in the castle ; for their 

 accommodation beds had to be provided, and orders were given for these to be brought on 3 June. 

 On that day Morris and Captain William Paulden with nine confederates, all disguised as countrymen, 

 came to the gates of the castle with the beds, and on being admitted sent part of the guard off to get 

 drink ; the rest of the guard they drove into a large underground dungeon. The drawbridge was 

 swung up and Captain William Paulden going to the governor's room found him lying down ; he 

 defended himself gallantly, but was overpowered. Then Captain Thomas Paulden brought in about 

 thirty horse to help hold the place, and in a few days the Royalists from all round flocked to 

 Pontefract, so that the garrison numbered 500 men. There was good store of ammunition in the 

 castle, and provisions were rapidly brought in, one particular raid to Knottingley resulting in the 

 capture of 300 head of cattle. So rapidly did the cavaliers come in that by the end of June they 

 had assumed the offensive and had sent out a large party to plunder the Isle of Axholme and the 

 neighbourhood of Lincoln. On their way back these forces were caught, on 5 July, by Colonel 

 Rossiter at Willoughby Field and completely defeated, Sir Philip Monkton, who was in command, 

 being taken, with about 60 officers and gentlemen and nearly 500 troopers. When first the castle 

 was seized the Parliament endeavoured to bribe Morris to surrender it, offering him j^ 2,000,*" but 



" Drake, Siege of Pontefract Castle, ut sup. 82. >• Cal S.P. Dom. 1645-7, P- ^7- 



" Drake, loc. cit. « Ibid. " /fwA MSS. 0«. iJ«>. xiii, App. i, 240, 252-4. 



"C^/.S./'.Z).«». i645-7,p. 74. "Ibid. p. 71. . Ff , +, i V 

 " Drake, Siege of Pontefract Castle (Surt. See), 83. 

 " Cal. S.P. Dom. 1645-7, PP- 203, 216-17. 



" Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. i, 294. « Ibid. 304. 



" Ibid. 338, 340, 357, 367. " Ibid. 365. "» Ibid. 357-8, 365. 

 ' For the account of the surprise and third siege of Pontefract Castle see Surt. Soc. Publ. no. Xl pp. 8a-I 16. 



" Cal. S.P. Dom. 1646-9, p. 118. ^t/'f^ 1- 



428 



