Orders of the day, Volume 32, Issue 7, Feb/March 2001

Letter from Nehemiah Wharton, a sergeant in the Army of Parliament, to his former employer, “the Worthy and his much honoured ffrend mr George Willingham, Marchant at the golden Anchor in St Swithins, London”. It illustrates vividly the life of the soldiers as they crossed the country, their cheerful vandalism and pillaging, their enjoyment of a ‘worthy sermon’ - and their hatred of their officer.

Alisbury, August the 16th 1642

Worthy Sir,

On Monday August the 8th we marched to Acton; but beinge the Sixth Company, we were belated, and many of our soldiers were constrained to lodge in beds whose feathers were above a yarde longe.

Tuesday, early in the morninge, several of our soldiers inhabitinge the out parts of the towne sallied out unto the house of one Penruddock, a papist, and being basely affronted by him and his dogge, entred his house and pillaged him to the purpose. This day also the souldiers got into the church, defaced the auntient and sacred glased picturs, and burned the holy railes.

Wensday: Mr Love gave us a famous sermon this day; also the souldiers brought the holy railes from Chiswick and burned them in our towne. At Chissick they also intended to pillage the Lord of Portland’s house and also Mr Duck’s, but by our commanders they were prevented. This day our soldiers generally manifested their dislike of our Lieutenant Colonell, who is a Godamme blade and doubtlesse hatche in hell, and we all desire that ether the Parliament would depose hime, or God convert him, or the Devill fetch him away quick. This day, towards even, our regiment marched to Uxbridge, but I was left behinde to bring up thirty men with ammunition the next morning.

Thursday I marched toward Uxbridge; and at Hillingdon, one mile from Uxbridge, the railes beinge gone, we got the surplesse to make us handechercher and one of our soildiers ware it to Uxbridge. This day the railes of Uxbridge, formerly removed, was, with the service boock, burned. This even Mr Hardinge gave us a worthy sermon.

Friday, I, with three other commaunders, were sent with one hundred musquetteres to bring the ammunition to Amersham in Buckinghamshire, which is the sweetest country that ever I saw, and as is the countrey so also is the people, but wantinge roome for the regiment comminge after us we were constrained to marche four miles further unto Greate Missenden, where we had noble entertainment from the whole towne, but especially from Sr Brian Ireson and the minister of the towne.

Satturday morninge, our companies overtoke us and we marched together unto Alisbury, and after we had marched a longe mile, for so they are all in this countrey, wee came to Wendover, where we refreshed ourselves, burnt the railes, and, accidentally, one of Captaine Francis his men, forgettinge he was charged with a bullet, shot a maide through the head and she immediately died. From hence wee marched very sadlye two miles, where Colonel Hamden, accompanied with many gentlemen well horsed, met us and with great joy saluted and welcomed us and conducted us unto Alsbury, where we have a regiment of foote and severall troopes of horse to ioyne with us. In this towne our welcome is such that wee want nothinge but a good Lieutenant Colonell.

Sabath day, August the 15, in this towne a pulpit was built in the market place, where wee heard two worthy sermons. This eveninge our ungodly Lieftenant Colonel, upon an ungrounded whimsey, commaunded two of our captaines, namely Captaine Francis and Captaine Beacon, with their companies, to march out of the towne but they went not. Every day our soildiers by stealth doe visit papists' houses and constraine from them both meate and money. They give them whole greate loves and chesses, which they triumphantly carry away upon the points of their swords.

I humbly intreate you, as you desire the successe of our just and honourable cause, that you would indeavor to roote out our Leiftenant Colonell; for if we march further under his commaund, we feare upon suffitient grounds wee are all but dead men.

Monday August the 16th, Colonel Hamden marched out of Alisbury, with four hundred musqueters and about an hundred horse towards Wattleton, in Oxfordshire, where the Commission of Aray was this day to be settled; but they, hearinge of the approach of our troopes, fled and our horse persued them so close that Sr John Cursam was taken, and the Lord of Bartie was constrained to take hynte hom, sometime the Lord of Carnarvan's, where our companies have at this present beset him. And thus much for the present.

Touchinge Leiftenant Colonell Biddeman forementioned, I once more humbly beseech you and not I alone, but many others, both commaunders, officers, and common souldiers - that you would endeavor to rout him. There are severall other circumstances which I want time to expresse, for the office assigned mee is very troublesome and continually takes up my whole time; and therefore for the present let these satisfie.

To conclude, I presentt you and mistris with my humble service, and doe give you humble and hartie thankes for all your former and late favors; and do entreate you to remember my humble service to Mr Molloyne and wife; my service also to Elizabeth, Anne, John, and Sammuell, which I often think upon, and also my love to all my fellow servants. In extreme hast, I rest,

Your poore, auntient, humble, and affectionat servant to commaund,

Nehemiah Wharton