Talk:Prince Rupert's Burning love of England, discovered in Birmingham's Flames
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Prince Rupert's Burning Love to England discovered in Birmingham's Flames.
- London, May, 1643. King's Collect. 105, No. 8.
- Warburton, Eliot, Memoirs of Prince Rupert, and the cavaliers: Including their private correspondence, now first published from the original MSS, vol. 2, London: R. Bentley, p. 151–154.
The town of Birmingham perceiving that for their faithful allegiance to the King and Parliament, they had derived the hatred of Popish and profane malignants upon themselves; and that since the noble Lord Brook's death, those parts of the country began to be much infested with divers troops of robbers and plunderers, resolved to arm themselves as well as they could, for the defence of themselves and estates. The week before Easter, information came that Prince Rupert, with twelve or fifteen hundred men, with four drakes and two sakers, was upon his march at Stratford and Henley in Arden, ten miles from Birmingham, pillaging the country. It was hoped he might pass by them: but afterwards, perceiving his design was on Staffordshire, the minister of the town entreated the captains and chiefs of the town not to think of such an impossible defence, they having scarce six score musketeers, but to secure their lives by marching out, though their goods be hazarded. The captains and chiefs were ready to embrace this resolution, but the middle and inferior sort of people would by no means consent; so they all resolved to stand upon their guard. On Easter Monday, Prince Rupert's forces approached the town, betwixt two and three of the afternoon, and presently assaulted it, only one hundred musketeers opposing, and they divided into several ends of the town; yet these, for a good while, kept the enemy off their works till they fired two or three thatched houses, and their horse broke into the fields, re-entered the back sides of the town through lake and meadow; which obliged our townsmen to retreat back into the town and charge them as they came up, but were presently forced to scatter and fly for their lives. The Cavaliers rode through the streets like so many furies or bedlams, Lord Denbigh in the front, singing as he rode ; they shot at every door and window where they could espy any looking out; they hacked, hewed, or pistolled all they met with, blaspheming, cursing, and damning themselves most hideously. They pursued after a troop of horse, under the command of Captain Greaves, who, after a little flight, wheeled about and most stoutly charged them. The captain received five wounds, but Lord Denbigh was knocked off his horse and left for dead, with his pockets rifled; the rest of his horse were chased till they came nigh their own colours, which was most excellent service, for meanwhile most of the town's foot escaped away; after which, Captain Greaves retreated to Lichfield. The Cavalier horse rode desperately round the town, leaping hedges and ditches to catch the townsmen. All the considerable men escaped out of their snare; some forty were taken prisoners, whereof scarce twenty belonged to the town; all inferior men, chiefly their own favourers, who were released for trifling sums of money, as being unworthy to be kept. Having thus possessed themselves of the town, they ran into every house cursing and damning, threatening and terrifying the poor women, setting naked swords and pistols to their breasts. They fell to plundering, as well malignants as others, picking purses and pockets, searching in holes and corners, tiles of houses, wells, pools, vaults, gardens, for money or goods; took much money to protect people's houses, and then betrayed them, and set them on fire. It is conceived they had 3000l. in money from the town.[text missing in this version] They outraged the women, broke windows, spoiled the goods they could not take away, leaving little to some but bare walls, some nothing but clothes on their backs, and some stripped to their very shirts and left naked. That night few of these ruffians went to bed, but spent it in revelling, robbing, and tyrannizing over poor affrighted women and prisoners, drinking healths upon their knees, yea, drinking healths to Prince Rupert's dog.
Nor did their rage cease here; but when, on next day, they were to march forth of the town, they used every possible diligence to set fire in all the streets, and lest any should save whatever goods they had left, stood with drawn swords about the burning houses, endeavouring to kill every one that appeared endeavouring to quench the flames. The houses burned were about eighty-seven, besides multitudes of barns, stables, and other out-buildings. People unfurnished and fallen into extreme distress by this fire, three hundred and forty and upwards. They have made Birmingham a woeful spectacle to behold, a thoroughfare for thieves and plunderers. It is thought 20,000l. cannot repair these losses.
A piece of artillery carrying from 4- to 6-lb. shot: it was so called from Draco. They called other species of guns "Basilisks," from the serpent of that ilk (this was a 48-pounder, and called a "warning piece" in Vicars's account of the capture of Bristol); there were "culverins" (18-pounders, and "demis," 9-pounders), from Coloevres (another sort of serpent); "falcons," 6-lb. ; and "falconets," 3-, 2-, and 1-lb.; "peteraroes/' for throwing stones, &c. [1]</ref>