Page:VCH Surrey 1.djvu/486

A HISTORY OF SURREY report magnified into a sharp fight. A contemporary broadside 1 narrates how the Cavaliers advanced through Surrey, and though the professional soldiers were looking anxious, the valiant trainbands overthrew Rupert on the i ith, between Oatlands and Kingston, with the loss of 300 horse to the Royalists. No one else knows anything of the battle, for such it is in the account. It is precise in the date, Friday, November 1 1 ; but beyond doubt on the 1 1 th Rupert had withdrawn far from Kingston and was preparing for his attack on Brentford. It is very possible that he let some cavalry make a feint towards Kingston on that day, to deceive the Parliamentarians as to his point of attack, and that an affair of out- posts between them and the troops at Kingston was magnified into a battle. After the day at Turnham Green Charles marched into Kings- ton, whence Ramsay had marched out, and took up his abode for a short time at Oatlands. But he could not safely maintain himself so near his enemies' strength, and on November 18 withdrew to Oxford for the winter. Sir John Denham, left at Farnham as badly provided as Wither had been, proved as unfortunate as his brother poet and of less resource. Sir William Waller appeared before the walls, and though he had no artillery on December i blew in the gates with a petard, on which Denham surrendered. Waller cleared the frontiers of Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire of Royalist posts that winter, and took Chichester. Thence on December 29 he sent orders for blowing up the wall of the shell-keep on the mound at Farnham. The habitable castle was never- theless kept as a Parliamentarian post for the next two years, and Waller himself often had his headquarters there. On February 14, 1643, a Parliamentary ordinance raised 500 dragoons, mounted infantry, in Surrey, under the command of Nicholas Stoughton. The South-Eastern Association was formed of Kent, Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, for the support of the Parliament, and Sir William Waller took command of the troops belonging to it, both of the train- bands and troops raised for permanent service. The sequestration of the land of delinquents provided some of the necessary support, 2 and a Board of sequestrators was nominated for Surrey, including such active Parlia- mentarians as Sir Richard Onslow, Sir Ambrose Browne, Sir John Evelyn, Sir Richard Parkhurst, Nicholas Stoughton, Mr. Goodwyn member for Haslemere, George Evelyn member for Reigate ; but also George Evelyn of Wotton and others, who cannot be considered certainly as on that side. On April 14 the Commons ordered that commissioners who refused to act should themselves be treated as delinquents, an order which shows that there were some refusals. 3 Delinquents were all who 1 Kings Pamphlets, 83, 10. The reference is incorrect in Manning and Bray and in Brayley. The account is incorrect in the latter, and the original account is itself a manifest exaggeration. It inci- dentally says that Rupert lost 240 men attacking Windsor. 2 Journals of the Commons, March 7, 1643. 3 The whole list is Sir Richard Onslow, Sir William Elliot, Sir Robert Parkhurst, knights ; Nicholas Stoughton, George Evelyn (of Wotton), Henry Weston (of Ockham), Arthur Onslow, esquires ; Sir Ambrose Browne, bart. ; Sir Antony Vincent, knight and bart. ; Sir John Dingley, Sir Matthew Brand, knights ; Edward Sanders, Robert Holman, Robert Houghton, George Evelin (sic), Francis Drake, Thomas Sands, George Myn, William Muschamp, esquires ; Sir John Holland, Sir 410