Now! Then! The Royalists take Bradford after the Second Siege, but are warned off massacring the inhabitants by a ghost

Excerpt

But oh! what a night and morning was that in which Bradford was taken! what weeping, and wringing of hands! none expecting to live any longer than till the enemies came into the town, the Earl of Newcastle having charged his men to kill all, man, woman, and child, in the town, and to give them all Bradford quarter [dismemberment], for the brave Earl of Newport’s sake. However, God so ordered it, that before the town was taken, the Earl gave a different order, (viz.) that quarter should be given to all the townsmen. It was generally reported that something came on the Lord’s Day night, and pulled the clothes off his bed several times, and cried out with a lamentable voice, “pity poor Bradford!” that then he sent out his orders that neither man, woman, nor child, should be killed in the town; and that then the apparition which had so disturbed him, left him, and went away; but this I assert not as a certain truth; but this is true, that they slew very few in the town. Some desperate fellows wounded several persons, that died of their wounds afterwards; but I think not more than half a score were slain; and that was a wonder, considering what hatred and rage they came with against us.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:

ER: East Riding
GM: Greater Manchester
NR: North Riding
NY: North Yorkshire
SY: South Yorkshire
WR: West Riding
WY: West Yorkshire

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David Clarkson appears in Cudworth’s history of the Sharps (Cudworth 1889).

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Original

But oh! what a night and morning was that in which Bradford was taken! what weeping, and wringing of hands! none expecting to live any longer than till the enemies came into the town, the Earl of Newcastle having charged his men to kill all, man, woman, and child, in the town, and to give them all Bradford quarter [dismemberment], for the brave Earl of Newport’s sake. However, God so ordered it, that before the town was taken, the Earl gave a different order, (viz.) that quarter [safe conduct] should be given to all the townsmen.

It was generally reported that something came on the Lord’s Day night, and pulled the clothes off his bed several times, and cried out with a lamentable voice, “pity poor Bradford!” that then he sent out his orders that neither man, woman, nor child, should be killed in the town; and that then the apparition which had so disturbed him, left him, and went away; but this I assert not as a certain truth; but this is true, that they slew very few in the town. Some desperate fellows wounded several persons, that died of their wounds afterwards; but I think not more than half a score were slain; and that was a wonder, considering what hatred and rage they came with against us. But we were all beholden to God, who tied their hands, and saved our lives.

My master being gone, I sought for my mother, and having found her, she, and I, and my sister, walked in the street, not knowing what to do, or which way to take. And as we walked up the street, we met a young gentleman (called David Clarkson) leading a horse. My mother asked him where he had been with that horse. Says he, “I made an essay to go with my brother Sharp, and the army, who broke through the enemies leaguer; but the charge was so hot I came back again, and now I know not what to do.” Then I answered, and said, “pray mother, give me leave to go with David, for I think I can lead him a safe way;” for being born in that town, I knew all the bye-ways about it.

David also desired her to let me go with him, so she begged a blessing on me, and sent me away, not knowing where we could be safe. So away we went, and I led him to a place called the Sill-bridge, where a foot company was standing; yet I think they did not see us, so we ran on the right hand of them, and then waded over the water, and hearing a party of horse come down the lane, towards the town, we laid us down in the side of the corn, and they perceived us not. It being about day-break, we staid here as long as we durst for being discovered, it beginning to be light. Well, we got up, and went in the shade of the hedge, and then looking about us, and hoping to be past the danger of the leaguer, we took to the high way, intending to go to a little town called Clayton; and having waded over the water, we met with two men that were troopers, and who had left their horses in the town, and hoped to get away on foot, and now they and we walked together, and hoped we had escaped all danger, and all on a sudden a man on horseback from towards the beacon had espied us and came riding towards us, and we, like poor affrighted sheep, seeing him come fast towards us, with a drawn sword in his hand, we foolishly kept together, and thought to save ourselves by running. Had we scattered from one another, he had but got one of us. We all got into a field; he crossed the field and came to us, and as it pleased God, being running by the hedge side, I espied a thick holly tree, and thought perhaps I might hide myself in this tree, and escape, so I crept into it, and pulled the boughs about me, and presently I heard them cry out for quarter. He wounded one of them, and took them all prisoners, and said, “there were four of you, where is the other?” but they knew not, for I being the last and least of them, was not missed; so he never looked after me more; but I have often thought since how easily we might have knocked him down, had we but had courage; but alas! we had none.

Having passed this day, skulking in the hedges, when it was dark I betook myself to travelling towards Coln, the place to which I thought my good master was gone, and there I found him, and glad we were to see each other. He enquired of me (because I stayed in Bradford longer than he did) what was done, and what I knew I told him; and in the conclusion he asked me if I knew the way, and durst go back again to Bradford and see if I could find my dame, and bring him word where she was, and how she did, and what was done in the town; “yes Master,” said I, “if you please to send me, I am ready and willing to go.” So in the morning he sent me away, and to Bradford I came, and found some few people left, but most of them scattered and fled away. I lodged in a cellar that night, but oh! what a change was made in the town in three days time! nothing was left to eat or drink, or lodge upon, the streets being full of chaff, and feathers, and meal, the enemies having emptied all the town of what was worth carrying away, and were now sat down and encamped near Bowling-Hall, and there kept a fair and sold the things that would sell.

In the morning I crept out of the poor cellar where I lay, and walked in the street to enquire after my dame; at last I heard that she and my mother were both well, and gone the day before to Halifax.

The women were gathering meal in the streets; for when the soldiers found any thing that was better than meal, they emptied the sacks, and put that which was better into them, so that there was good store of meal thrown out, both in the houses and streets. But here I stayed not, but went after my dame to Halifax, and there I found her, and delivered my message from my master, and gave her some gold that he sent her, and what information I could: so she sent me back to my master, and desiring him to direct her what to do, and desired me to come back again to her. So away I went, and gave my master an account of all I could.

“Well,” said he, “dare thou go back again to thy dame?” “ Yes, Sir,” said I, “if you please to send me.” “Go, then,” said he, “and tell thy dame to go back home; and go thou with her, and go to the camp, and buy a cow, to give you some milk, and get the grass mowed, and help to get the hay; and perhaps the enemy will be called away shortly, and you may be quiet.” He also gave me money to buy other necessaries. Upon this I returned to my dame, and away we went to Horton, to my master’s own house, and I went and bought a cow in the forenoon, and brought her home; but before night other soldiers came, and took her away from us, and carried her back to the camp.

Another day she sent me to buy another cow, and so they did likewise by that. Then she sent me to my master again, to let him know what we had done, and to ask his counsel further. He was then much troubled, and desired me to go back, and tell my dame that he was wholly at a loss to know what to advise her to do, but must leave her to find out her own way, and act accordingly: and for himself, he was now determined to remove to Manchester; and if he could find out Sir Thomas Fairfax, he would fall in with him, and go with the army, for he could not stay in that place as he was; and “as for thee, Joseph,” says he, “I would have thee to go and stay with thy dame, till I come home, and then I promise to teach thee thy trade; but if thou hadst rather be set free, I leave thee to thy liberty, and to make thy own choice, and I will be satisfied, for I know not what will become of me.” “Well, then, Sir,” said I, “I chuse to be at liberty, and shall seek for another master.” ” It shall be so,” said he, “only go home, and tell thy dame what I say, and what thou and I have concluded upon.” “Yes Sir,” said I, “that I purpose to do.” So I took my leave of him, and turned to my dame, who did sadly resent the tidings that I brought her; and in a short time afterwards I took my leave of her, and enquired for another master, and got one at Sowerby, in Halifax vicarage, where I lived very comfortably all the time of my apprenticeship.

1625 words.

Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

3 July 1643: The Royalists take Bradford after the Second Siege, but are warned off massacring the inhabitants by a ghost

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