POLITICAL HISTORY 



now they dispatched 5,000 troops under Sir Edward Rhodes and Sir "^"7 Cholmley to besiege the 

 place. The Royalists however, still managed to retain not only the castle but also the ho"se called 

 New Hall, and when, after the defeat of the Scottish army under Hamilton at Preston on I7 A^J^ 

 Cromwell called off the greater part of the containing forces to pursue the Scots, "-he ^^ff" 

 garrison proved a thorn in the side of the local Parliamentarians. Cholmley s '^o"'^"=^ °;. ""•= '""f. 

 proving so unsuccessful. Colonel Rainsborough was ordered to take command about the ena or 

 October, but Cholmley reftised to be superseded and Rainsborough remamed for the time at 

 Doncaster. In the defeat at Preston Sir Marmaduke Langdale, who had commanded the il,ngl.sh 

 contingent, viras captured and brought to Nottingham, and it was runrioured that he was to oe 

 executed. The Pontefract cavaliers determined to effect his rescue and hit upon the darmg plan ot 

 seizing Rainsborough and exchanging him for Langdale. At midnight on 27 October Captain 

 WilliSn Paulden with twenty-two men, well mounted, slipped out of the castle, and early next 

 morning reached Mexborough, 4 miles from Doncaster. Here they halted, sendmg a spy into he 

 town. Early in the morning of 29 October they entered Doncaster m four ^'^'^'ons, surprising the 

 unsuspecting guards ; four of the cavaliers rode on to Rainsborough 's lodgings, where they pretended 

 that they had brought a letter from Cromwell. They were taken up to his bedroom and at once 

 informed him that he was their prisoner. On coming into the street he saw how few his captors 

 were, and calling on his lieutenant, who had been disarmed, began to struggle and managed to get 

 one of his enemies' swords. In the conftision that ensued Rainsborough was killed, and the cavaliers 

 rode oflF to Pontefract unharmed but unsuccessful in their main intention. As a matter of fact 

 Langdale had escaped the previous night, so that their failure did not affect him, but the fury with 

 which the attempt inspired the Parliament, and in particular Cromwell, ultimately cost Morris his 

 life. Cholmley was now in disgrace and the siege operations were conducted by Cromwell himself, 

 who on 9 November summoned the castle and, when Morris refused to yield, drove the Royalists 

 out of New Hall, completed the lines of circumvallation and ordered up more troops and artillery. 



Meanwhile Colonel Matthew Boynton, Governor of Scarborough, discontented at being kept 

 without money, had declared for the king in August, and Scarborough, as well as Pontefract, was 

 undergoing a siege. Scarborough surrendered to Colonel Bethel on 19 December, but Pontefract 

 remained unreduced, and when King Charles was beheaded on 30 January 1649 the garrison 

 proclaimed King Charles 11 and struck coin, minted firom plate, in his name. At last, on 3 March, 

 the garrison condescended to make overtures for surrender, but General Lambert, much against his 

 will, had to inform them that six persons were excepted from mercy, and sooner than abandon any 

 of their number they vowed all to die together. At last, on 1 7 March, the names of the six persons 

 excepted were given, being Morris, the governor, two oflScers concerned in Rainsborough's death, 

 and three who had betrayed the castle ; Lambert further agreed that they might escape if they 

 could, and that if they got 5 miles from the castle they should be free. A sally was made in 

 which Morris and Blackburne got safely through the enemy's lines, one of the others was killed and 

 the other three were forced back into the castle where they were hidden by being walled up in a 

 secret chamber and so escaped discovery when the castle was surrendered on 22 March. Morris 

 and Blackburne were arrested ten days after their escape, in Lancashire, condemned to death at the 

 York Assizes in August, and executed on 23 August, after an attempt at escape in which Morris 

 could have succeeded if he had not refused to abandon his companion, who fell and broke his leg. 

 Before they suffered, the castle which they had so gallantly defended had ceased to exist. Orders 

 had also been given in July 1649 for the demolition of Scarborough Castle,*^ but they were not 

 carried out, and were repeated in May 165 1,** only to be referred back again next month.'" 



The capture of Pontefract marked the end of the Civil War in Yorkshire, though it naturally 

 took time for the county to settle down. There were riots at York during the summer and 

 autiunn of 1649 by soldiers whose pay was overdue.** During 1650 Scottish afiairs gave cause 

 for anxiety, and on 20 September orders were given to raise a full regiment of 1,200 militia in the 

 county ; *' this business hung fire and does not seem to have been completed till a year later.*" 

 An alarm that Middleham Castle was to be seized was raised as late as 1655,*' but the plot, if plot 

 there was, came to nothing and the land had rest until the death of Cromwell in 1658. 



Soon after the death of Oliver Cromwell the royalist reaction began to make itself openly 

 felt in Yorkshire as in other districts. Lord Fairfax, the most prominent personage in the county, 

 was known to be favourable to the restoration of the monarchy, and seems to have been cognizant 

 of Sir George Booth's conspiracy in 1659 ^"<^ ^o ^^ve been in conmiunication with General 

 Monk.*8 



On 3 January 1660 Fairfax went to Marston Moor with some levies to meet, by invitation 



" Cal. S.P. Dom. 1649-50, p. 230. " Ibid. 1651, p. 188. 



" Ibid. 145. " Ibid. 1649-50, pp. 237, 299. 



" Ibid. 1650, p. 348. " Ibid. 165 1, pp. 88, 354. 



•' Ibid. 1655, p. 181. " Drake, Eboracum (publ. Lond. 1736), 173. 



429 



