Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

Let me for the same end acquaint you, the inhabitants of Bradfield, with … the marvellous delivery of a minister of Christ’s gospel, born in your parish, wherein you may still see God’s hand; learn to trust and praise him more: ’tis this, When the Earl of Newcastle besieged Rotherham in May 1643, at last, the town wanting powder (which was taken at Gainsborough, as it was bringing to them) and some houses being on fire by the enemy’s granadoes, the town was forced to entertain a parley with the Earl, who after some shameful repulse and loss assured them under his hand, that upon laying down their arms, they should have their estates, lives and liberties safe; but as soon as he entered, fined, imprisoned, plundered many, and as it seems had a special intent to ruin the minister of that place aforesaid; yet, first, that minister went through the midst of the town (then so thronged) undiscerned by any. Secondly, he hid himself in a vault of a house not inhabited (after he heard of the enemies base unfaithfulness and cruelty) which house the enemy (pulling down the works about the town) came into, and kept as their main guard night and day, and lay close by him (which thing he neither did nor could suspect beforehand). Thirdly, the enemy proclaimed him traitor by a crier throughout the town, yea, and all others traitors also, who knowing of him, brought him not in to them within 24 hours; in the aforesaid house the soldiers seeking him most diligently, thrust their swords betwixt the boards frequently, yet neither found, nor hurt him. Fourthly, at last they looked up to a vault above their heads (which lay visibly open to view, by the space of three yards and more, where himself and his man lay indeed) and swore that he was there, whereupon they instantly ran up their stairs (which they kept), broke open the door (entering to the vault, which they saw, and where he was), found it locked, and the key in the door on the inside, sought him five several times, the great windows all open round about, he and his man lying on their sides, could have taken hold on them, yet never found either of them (no cause but that Jer. 36. 26). Fifthly, he having lain there on the stones most part of three days and nights, viz. from Thursday May 4 1643 (when the town was taken) till Saturday evening May 6, could not stir, scarce cough or spet, lest he should be heard, and no friend, meat, drink or relief could come at him (the enemy keeping the town, that house and stairs to the vault), he resolved that night, rather then starve, to go down and yield himself to their cruel mercies (for he might hear them swear his death with many dammees); presently, that very afternoon they went away (he cannot to this day learn any reason why), for they came thither again the next day, and stayed there constantly long after, as if they had meant (as indeed the good and wise God did) to give him just a fit time and space to get safe away, for neither before nor after could he get away thence, nor longer stay here. Sixthly, when he was come down the stairs from the vault, though the enemy he found removed, yet were the doors locked; but the enemy had caused a carpenter to pull up two boards of the floor to seek for him in a hollow place underneath, and left them un-nailed down again; through which space (as if they had meant to have made him away forth) he got out. Seventhly, when he came forth by that hollow aforesaid, he came through the midst of the town again to his house undiscerned; and as he was stepping into the hall (not knowing now who lived there or in any other house) there were seven cavaliers billeted (having formerly plundered him sufficiently), amongst whom he was just stepping, had not a friend of his pulled him by the shoulders into another room next the hall. Eighthly, yet durst he not tarry there, but got to a vault in another house, and lay upon an earthen floor the remainder of three weeks in the midst among them, yet never got cold, nor was the least sick, no not so much as usually before. Ninthly, after this he got safe to Manchester, and after some cumbers, is safely returned to his native country.

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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

Comment

Comment

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

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Original

Let me for the same end acquaint you, the inhabitants of Bradfield, with … the marvellous delivery of a minister of Christ’s gospel, born in your parish, wherein you may still see God’s hand; learn to trust and praise him more: ’tis this, When the Earl of Newcastle besieged Rotherham in May 1643, at last, the town wanting powder (which was taken at Gainsborough, as it was bringing to them) and some houses being on fire by the enemy’s granadoes, the town was forced to entertain a parley with the Earl, who after some shameful repulse and loss assured them under his hand, that upon laying down their arms, they should have their estates, lives and liberties safe; but as soon as he entered, fined, imprisoned, plundered many, and as it seems had a special intent to ruin the minister of that place aforesaid; yet, first, that minister went through the midst of the town (then so thronged) undiscerned by any. Secondly, he hid himself in a vault of a house not inhabited (after he heard of the enemies base unfaithfulness and cruelty) which house the enemy (pulling down the works about the town) came into, and kept as their main guard night and day, and lay close by him (which thing he neither did nor could suspect beforehand). Thirdly, the enemy proclaimed him traitor by a crier throughout the town, yea, and all others traitors also, who knowing of him, brought him not in to them within 24 hours; in the aforesaid house the soldiers seeking him most diligently, thrust their swords betwixt the boards frequently, yet neither found, nor hurt him. Fourthly, at last they looked up to a vault above their heads (which lay visibly open to view, by the space of three yards and more, where himself and his man lay indeed) and swore that he was there, whereupon they instantly ran up their stairs (which they kept), broke open the door (entering to the vault, which they saw, and where he was), found it locked, and the key in the door on the inside, sought him five several times, the great windows all open round about, he and his man lying on their sides, could have taken hold on them, yet never found either of them (no cause but that Jer. 36. 26). Fifthly, he having lain there on the stones most part of three days and nights, viz. from Thursday May 4 1643 (when the town was taken) till Saturday evening May 6, could not stir, scarce cough or spet, lest he should be heard, and no friend, meat, drink or relief could come at him (the enemy keeping the town, that house and stairs to the vault), he resolved that night, rather then starve, to go down and yield himself to their cruel mercies (for he might hear them swear his death with many dammees); presently, that very afternoon they went away (he cannot to this day learn any reason why), for they came thither again the next day, and stayed there constantly long after, as if they had meant (as indeed the good and wise God did) to give him just a fit time and space to get safe away, for neither before nor after could he get away thence, nor longer stay here. Sixthly, when he was come down the stairs from the vault, though the enemy he found removed, yet were the doors locked; but the enemy had caused a carpenter to pull up two boards of the floor to seek for him in a hollow place underneath, and left them un-nailed down again; through which space (as if they had meant to have made him away forth) he got out. Seventhly, when he came forth by that hollow aforesaid, he came through the midst of the town again to his house undiscerned; and as he was stepping into the hall (not knowing now who lived there or in any other house) there were seven cavaliers billeted (having formerly plundered him sufficiently), amongst whom he was just stepping, had not a friend of his pulled him by the shoulders into another room next the hall. Eighthly, yet durst he not tarry there, but got to a vault in another house, and lay upon an earthen floor the remainder of three weeks in the midst among them, yet never got cold, nor was the least sick, no not so much as usually before. Ninthly, after this he got safe to Manchester, and after some cumbers, is safely returned to his native country.

758 words.

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.

• Book of Jeremiah (3) ·
• Bradfield, South Yorkshire (2) ·
• Cavalier (17) ·
• English Civil War (1642-1651) (27), a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of religious freedom ·
• First English Civil War (18), August 1642-June 1646 ·
• Gainsborough, Lincolnshire (6) ·
• Miracle (4) ·
• Rotherham (21) ·
• Roundhead (20) ·
• Shawe, John (1608-72) (2), also Shaw, mainly Rotherham-based Puritan minister influential in the north of England during the Interregnum ·
• William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle (4) ·

All tags.

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