Yorkshire Almanac 2026

Unedited excerpt

If an excerpt is used in the book, it will be shorter, edited and, where applicable, translated.

A LETTER FROM The Right Honourable FERDINANDO Lord FAIRFAX, TO HIS EXCELLENCY ROBERT Earle of ESSEX.

Relating his late prosperous successe against the popish Army in the North, his expelling them from their Workes, and forcing them to raise their siege from before the Towne of Hull.

Also certifying, how the Enemy have fled to Beverley, and were forced to leave divers pieces of Ordnance, much Powder and Ammunition behind them.

Being upon the same day wherein the Earle of Manchester obtained the victory neere Horn-castle in Lincolnshire.

Printed by his Excellencies speciall direction.

LONDON, Printed for Iohn Wright, in the Old-baily, Octob. 18. 1643.

A LETTER FROM THE RIGHT HONOURABLE, FERDINANDO LORD FAIRFAX, TO HIS EXCELLENCY, ROBERT EARLE OF ESSEX.
May it please your Excellency,

Since the last Account, I gave your Excellency a few daies since, of our condition at Hull, on the fifth of this instant Sir John Meldram, that gallant Gentleman is happily arrived here, with foure hundred men from the Earle of Manchester, and two hundred and fifty men are since come come from Sir William Constable, but Sir William himselfe is not yet here. Some little service, I thanke God, we did on Monday morning last, what time the Enemy assaulted one of our outworkes, but was beaten backe with the losse of eleven or twelve men, and some Officers, without the losse of any of mine. Yesterday, being the eleventh of this instant, I thought fit to draw forth what strength I could well make, in a salley, to drive the Enemy from a new Worke that in the night hee had encroacht very neere us, on the West side of the Towne, and it pleased God to give a blessing to the attempt. My men I devided into two bodies, under the command of Colonell Lambart, and Colonell Rainborow, Captaine of the Lyon, who brought some Sea-men for our assistants, and all under the command in chiefe for that service of Sir John Meldram, whose valour and discretion with the other two Colonels throughout the whole action, I cannot mention without high commendation. About nine of the clocke by an assault two severall waies, the service begun; for, the truth is, we could not take that early advantage that I desired for such an interprise: in a short time we gained one of their workes, and assaulted them in another; and it was not long ere we were unhappily forc’t to retreat, and the enemy recovered all againe. But through the goodnesse of God my men were soone rallyed, their spirits recovered, and they suddenly reposses of the last worke, beate them out of all the rest in that part, and got possession of one of their great Brasse demy Cannon. The Enemy thus fled, and the ground ours, we drew that great Gunne out of danger of their reprisall: About two houres after our possession of those workes, the enemy had drawne downe a full body of reserves of Horse, and Foot, from all their Quarters, their numbers we know not, but about 36 Colours some of our men could tell; with these they opposed our tired men, and that in truth with excellent resolution, but it pleased God after two houres sharpe encounter, or thereabouts, they left the Field; since that we have drawne into the Town their great Demi-Cannon, one Demi-Culverin, one Sacre, three Drakes, and one case of small Pieces, some Armes, and a Carriage of great Bullet, besides some Powder, which was made use of against them. This last night I finde they have drawne of the rest of their Ordnance from their other Workes, and so are like to be at some farther distance from us, though I am informed, they intend to keepe a Garrison at Beverley, and to raise some Works somewhat more remote from us, to keepe us from being so active as they believe we would be, when they cannot make us so passive as they would have us. However, my Lord, we heartily and thankfully acknowledge the powerfull & wise hand of our God in all this, desire he should have the glory of all, and to send his providence still, as occasion shall be further offered; the event whereof your Excellency shall assuredly have an account of, with the first opportunity, by

My Lord,

Your Excellencies most humble servant. FER. FAIRFAX

Kingston super Hull, •• O•t••. 1643.

Octob. 17. 1643.

IT is his Excellencies pleasure this Letter be forthwith printed.

John Baldwin, Secretary to his Excellence.

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

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.

Comment

Comment

Via, which has a nice map.

Something to say? Get in touch

Tags

Tags are assigned inclusively on the basis of an entry’s original text and any comment. You may find this confusing if you only read an entry excerpt.

• Artillery (3) W/G ·
• Bullet (3) W/G ·
• Cannon (5) W/G ·
• Cavalier (18) W/G ·
• Charles I (1600-49) (24), King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 until his execution during the Civil War W/G ·
• Cromwell, Oliver (1599-1658) (7), Huntingdon-born general and head of state W/G ·
• Culverin (1) W/G ·
• Demi-cannon (1), A kind of large gun formerly used, of about 6½ inches bore W/G ·
• Demi-culverin (2) W/G ·
• Fairfax, Ferdinando (1584-1648) (5), 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, politician and Civil War commander for Parliament, father of Thomas Fairfax W/G ·
• Gunpowder (8) W/G ·
• John Lambert (general) (1) W/G ·
• John Meldrum (1) W/G ·
• 📌Kingston upon Hull (74) W/G ·
• List of medieval and early modern gunpowder artillery (1) W/G ·
• Montagu, Edward (1602-71) (3), 2nd Earl of Manchester, important Parliamentary commander in the First English Civil War and for a time Cromwell's superior W/G ·
• Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex (1) W/G ·
• Roundhead (21) W/G ·
• Saker (cannon) (1) W/G ·
• Siege of Hull (1643) (1) W/G ·
• Sir Hugh Cholmeley, 1st Baronet (2) W/G ·
• William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (5) W/G ·
• Drake (1), small sort of cannon - analogy with fire-breathing dragon W/G ·

All tags.

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

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.

Comment

Comment

Via, which has a nice map.

Something to say? Get in touch

Similar

23 January 1643: Thomas Fairfax, the Rider of the White Horse, captures Leeds from the Beast with the help of Psalm 68

2 July 1644: Henry Slingsby of the Royalist York garrison recounts Prince Rupert’s defeat at Marston Moor today, which ends Charles I’s hopes in the north

23 January 1642: Entering Hull to claim it for parliament from Charles I, young John Hotham receives divine warning of his and his father’s acephalous fate

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

23 April 1642: Having promised parliament to safeguard for it Hull’s crucial arsenal, John Hotham tells it how today he shut the gates of Hull to Charles I

16 June 1644: On Trinity Sunday, Parliament and the Scots breach York’s walls and destroy monastic records with a mine next to St Mary’s Tower

3 June 1648: Disguised as a furniture remover, John Morris takes Pontefract castle for the Stuarts (and for himself)

28 October 1648: A letter claims that Pontefract Castle under John Morris, its Royalist governor, has become a den of apolitical brigands

1 November 1643: Sam Priestley of Soyland (22) saves a Royalist enemy from drowning in Hebden Water at the Battle of Heptonstall, and himself dies later of pneumonia

4 May 1643: The Royalists take Rotherham and begin a search for the preacher John Shawe

Order the book:

Subscribe to the free daily email:

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.

Comment

Comment

In his memoirs his and Robert Gee’s hiding place seems to have shifted to the steeple of the church (Shawe 1824).

Something to say? Get in touch