WEST DERBY HUNDRED 



LIVERPOOL 



proceeded to make very effective use of their capture. 

 Lieut.-Col. Venables was appointed governor,"' with 

 martial powers overriding the town council. On his 

 recall, early in 1 644, he was succeeded, as a result of 

 a petition from the burgesses, by Colonel John 

 Moore,"* who remained in command until the town 

 fell before Rupert. The German engineer Rosworm 

 was brought from Manchester to reconstruct the forti- 

 fications,'" which were, however, not very skilfully 

 laid out. A ditch 36 ft. wide and 9 ft. deep was cut 

 from the river,"* north of the Old Hall, to the Pool. 

 Behind it ran a high earthen rampart, which was 

 broken by gates where it was crossed by Oldhall Street, 

 Tithebarn Street, and Dale Street, each gate being 

 protected by cannon. Earthworks with batteries 

 guarded the line of the Pool, and a strong battery of 

 eight guns was placed at the angle of the Pool, below 

 the castle. In addition, a number of guns were 

 placed on the castle. A regular garrison, consisting 

 of a regiment of foot and a troop of horse,"' was kept 

 in the town ; but in addition military service was 

 required of the burgesses, for whose use 100 muskets, 

 100 bandoliers, and 100 rests were delivered to the 

 mayor and aldermen,"' a fine of is. being imposed on 

 any burgess who failed to turn out for duty ' at the 

 beating of the drum.' "' During the period of military 

 occupation the authority of the governor overrode that 

 of the town council. He was present at its meetings,'™ 

 and most of his officers were admitted to the freedom. 

 John Moore seems to have been far from successful as 

 a governor. Adam Martindale, who served as his 

 chaplain,'*' gives a terrible picture of the governor's 

 entourage, though he praises '" the ' religious officers of 

 the company ' with whom he ' enjoyed sweet commu- 

 nion,' as they met ' every night at one another's 

 quarters, by turnes, to read scriptures, to confer of good 

 things, and to pray together.' 



The functions which Liverpool had to perform 

 were threefold. On land, the garrison had to hold 

 a Royalist district in check, and to take part in the 

 siege of Lathom House. In addition it had to keep 

 in touch with the Parliamentarian forces in Cheshire, 

 and be prepared to deal with movements of the Royal- 

 ist garrison of Chester. On the sea the function of 

 Liverpool was still more important. It was the ' only 

 haven ' "*' of the Parliamentarians on the west coast, 

 and it therefore became the base of naval movements 

 intended to prevent communication between Ormond, 

 in Ireland, and the English Royalists."' For this pur- 

 pose part of the fleet was stationed here as early as 

 June 1 643,'" and five months later this force amounted 

 to six men-of-war,'" and Colonel Moore, Governor of 

 Liverpool, became Vice-Admiral for Lancashire and 

 Westmorland."* It was under the command of one 

 Captain Danks or Dansk,'" and though the prevalent 

 north-west winds sometimes shut him into the Mersey, 

 he was able very seriously to harass the Royalists, inter- 

 cepting supplies "' upon which the Irish Royalists were 



dependent, and preventing the transport of troops. 

 Royalist vessels from Bristol, indeed, disputed with the 

 Liverpool ships the command of the Irish Sea,'*' but 

 not very effectively ; the Puritan sailors of Bristol were 

 half-hearted in the service, and one Bristol ship laden 

 with arms and supplies for Chester deserted and sailed 

 into the Mersey.'"" Ormond felt the position to be 

 so serious for himself that he wrote to the Royalist 

 forces in Cheshire,'" ' earnestly recommending ' them 

 to attack Liverpool ' as soon as they possibly can,' and 

 urging that ' no service to my apprehension can at 

 once so much advantage this place (Dublin) and 

 Chester, and make them so useful to each other.' The 

 same urgent advice was given by Archbishop Williams,"" 

 in command at Conway. The capture of Liverpool 

 was one of the immediate objectives of Byron's force of 

 3,000 Irish, which landed in Cheshire in November 

 1643, and on its arrival supplies were sent in to 

 Liverpool,'" and forces called up to its aid."* The 

 defeat of Byron in January 1 644 left the Liverpool 

 garrison free to press the siege of Lathom '" in con- 

 junction with Assheton's forces from Bolton. But the 

 straits of Lathom formed an additional reason for a 

 vigorous blow from the Royalist side. Lord Derby 

 was urgent '"* upon Prince Rupert to relieve Lathom. 

 and to seize Liverpool, 'which your highness took 

 notice of in the map the last evening I was with you, 

 for there is not at this time fifty men in the garrison.' 

 Urged by these motives, the capture of Liverpool 

 was one of the tasks which Rupert set himself on his 

 northward march, in May and June, to the relief of 

 Newcastle in York. His approach caused Moore to 

 retreat hastily to Liverpool, while the garrison was 

 reinforced by 400 men sent from Manchester ; '" the 

 ships in the Mersey were drawn up in the port to 

 assist in repelling the attack ; "* women, children, and 

 suspects were removed from the town,'" and all who 

 remained ' were resolute to defend ' the place. 



It was on 9 June that Rupert, fresh from a brilliant 

 success over the Parliamentarians, came down over the 

 hill which overlooked and commanded the little town. 

 ' A mere crow's nest,' he is said to have called it, 

 ' which a parcel of boys might take.' '°° But two 

 furious assaults of the kind which had carried all 

 before them at Bolton were alike unsuccessful,*"' the 

 loss to the besieging force being stated at 1,500. 

 Rupert had then to throw up earthworks *"' and bring 

 up his artillery, which during several days' cannonade 

 cost ' a hundred barrels of munition, which,' says a 

 correspondent of Lord Ormond, ' makes Prince Rupert 

 march ill-provided.' "' At length a night attack was 

 led by Caryll, brother of Lord Molyneux,"* whose 

 local knowledge brought the surprise party through the 

 fields on the north to the outhouses of the Old Hall, 

 the family mansion of the governor of the town, 

 which they reached at three o'clock in the morning. 

 They found the ramparts deserted by the regular 

 garrison, which had been drawn off by Colonel 



W8 Hist. MSS. Com. Ref.x, App. iv, 66. 

 W4 Ibid. 



W ' Rosworm's good service,' &c. in Or- 

 merod, loc. cit. Z29. 



W* Seacorae, Hist, of the House 0/ Stanley. 

 W7 Martindale, Autobiog. (Chet. Soc. iv), 



W» Picton, Z-TO. Munic. Rec. 1, 138. 

 WSIbid. 139. 880 Ibid. 



881 Martindale, Autobiog. 36-7. 



882 Ibid. 37-8. 



88to Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. i, 



157. 888 ibid. ijj. 



884 Ibid. 713. 885 Ibid. 157. 



888 Ibid. I, App. iv, 67. 



887 Carte, Life of Ormond, iii, 190. 



888 Hist.MSS. Com. Rep. xiii, App. 1,133. 



889 Ibid. 153. 



890 Ormerod, op. cit. 154. 



891 Carte, Life of Ormond, iii, 229. 

 893 Ibid. 212. 



898 Hist. MSS. Com. Rep. x, App. iv, 68. 



21 



894 Ibid. 



89' Ormerod, op. cit. 162, 173, 185. 



896 Warburton, Rupert, 364. 



897 Merc. Brit, in Ormerod, op. cit. X99. 



898 Seacome, House of Stanley, 117. 



899 Ibid. 

 488 Ibid. 



481 Ormerod, op. cit. 199. 



482 Stacome, loc. cit, 



488 Ormond MSS. ii, 319. 



484 Moore Rental (ed. W. F. Irvine), 16. 



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