300 



Chippenham, and the Neighbourhood, 



within ; and the forces of the assailants, now massed together in I 

 the meadows to the number of 3000 or 4000, were increasing I 

 without. Suddenly Stephens, at the head of his troop, burst out 1 

 of the great archway, accompanied by files of musqueteers, who by I 

 continuous volleys strove to drive back the besiegers, while others 

 attempted to remove the barrier, so as to leave a passage for the 

 horse. But the obstructions in their way proved too formidable — 

 the whole sally was a disastrous failure — many fell dead on the 

 ramparts, and the rest were compelled to take shelter again behind 

 the walls. A second attempt was made to release the beleaguered 

 party under Capt. Scarborough with 130 firelocks; this whole 

 party was captured : a third relieving force arrived from Malmes- 

 bury, but on reaching Chippenham, and seeing what an over- 

 whelming force the cavaliers had brought to bear on the devoted 

 mansion, they fired a few shots on the outlying detachments, and 

 withdrew. The weather, however, (Feb. 1645) became extremely 

 cold and tempestuous, and the heavy storm for two days drove off 

 the countrymen who were assisting in the works : it was hoped 

 that in the confusion and darkness of night, the horse might break 

 through, but the leaguer was so strictly maintained, Stephens saw 

 that further resistance was fruitless, and he surrendered only on 

 condition that their lives should be spared. Some of the prisoners 

 of note were sent to Devizes ; the house of Rowden itself was rifled 

 and fired; Lacock became a royalist garrison, and so continued to the 

 end of the war. The mansion of Rowden, as described by Aubrey, 

 was a " large, well built, gothic house, square, with a court within, 

 a fair hall, very well furnished with armour, and a moat about it." 1 

 King Charles was moving to and fro in the county in 1644. 

 He was probably in Chippenham in November. Canon Jackson 

 has discovered that Cromwell on one of his rapid marches passed 



1 Many of the burnt stones of the old house may be seen built into the walls 

 of the garden of the present farm; part of the moat remains, and the site of 

 the foundations is easily traceable ; and some of the buildings must have been 

 left habitable, from an entry to this effect in the Church Register, eight years 

 after it was destroyed — " A. son of Mr. Herbert was born in some part of 

 Rowden House, on Nov. 25, 1653, and died about two hours after the birth 

 thereof." 



