House of Lords Journal Volume 9: 30 June 1647

DIE Mercurii, 30 Junii.

Domini præsentes fuerunt:

Comes Manchester, Speaker.

Letters from the Commissioners with the King and with the Army, and from Sir T. Fairfax.

A Letter from the Lord Mountagu, was read. (Here enter it.)

A Letter from Sir Tho. Fairefax, was read. (Here enter it.)

A Letter from the Earl of Nottingham, was read. (Here enter it.)

Another Letter from the Earl of Nottingham and the Lord Wharton, was read, with a Paper inclosed from his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairefax and the Council of War. (Here enter them.)

Preachers at the Fast thanked.

Ordered, That Thanks be given to Doctor Smith and Doctor Rainbow, for their Pains in their Sermons preached this Day before their Lordships; and desired to print their Sermons.

Letter from the Commissioners with the King, that they cannot prevent the Resort of excepted Persons to Him, till Sir T. Fairfax sends Orders.

"For the Right Honourable the Earl of Manchester, Speaker of the House of Peers pro Tempore. These.

"My Lord,

"We received this Day your Letter of the 28th of this Instant, with the Votes inclosed, whereby the Duke of Richmond, Doctor Sheldon, Doctor Hamond, and others in like Condition with them, are to be removed from about the King; for which Purpose, you have required the Guards here to obey us, and directed Sir Thomas Fairefax to give them Orders therein. Before, we had not any Power at all to command Colonel Whaley or the Regiment under him; neither could we assume an Authority which you had not given us: And therefore we hope that this Resort to the King will not in any Wise be imputed to us. Upon the Receipt of those new Orders from you, we have imparted them to Colonel Whalley, whose Answer to us is, "That when we receive the General's Orders herein, which, according to the Votes, he conceives he is to expect, he shall be very ready to observe the Directions we shall give him; but as yet, having not heard from his Excellency, he cannot give us further Satisfaction; but shall forthwith send to the General, and acquaint him therewith, being very ready, according to the Orders he shall receive from his Excellency, to perform his Duty to the Parliament." In the mean Time we are not in Capacity to discharge your Commands, and hope you will not expect that which is not in the Power of

Hatfeild, 29 Junii, 1647.

"Your Lordship's
Most humble Servant,
Edw. Mountagu."

Letter from Sir T. Fairfax, concerning the Messenger from the Scots Commissioners being stopped.

"For the Right Honourable the Earl of Manchester, Speaker of the House of Peers pro Tempore.

"My Lord,

"I can assure your Lordship, I am altogether ignorant of the seizing of the Packet between Huntington and Stilton, which was going for Scotland from the Scotts Commissioners; neither was it ever brought to the Head Quarter, that I could hear of. If I had known of any such Thing, I should not have let it pass without making the Actor in so foul a Business an Example. I shall be very careful (as much as in me lies) that none of the Army under my Command shall offer any Interruption to the Intercourse of Packets between the Kingdom of Scotland and their Commissioners at London; and should be very loth to be an Occasion of a Breach of the good Correspondency betwixt the Two Nations. About a Week since, there happened a Business at Ware, which perhaps is the Thing intended in your Letter: There came One to the Guard, who, being examined, said first, "He was to go to Scotland:" Being desired to produce his Pass, it was only from Major General Webb, to go to Royston. Then being demanded whither he was to go; he said, "To Newmarkett, to Mr. Maxwell."Lieutenant Colonel Tubbs, being then upon the Guard, finding him in several Stories, sent him with Two Troopers to the Head Quarter at St. Albans, with a Bundle of Papers sealed up in a Blank Paper, without any Direction at all; neither had he any Pass from the Commissioners of Scotland. But he no sooner came to the Head Quarter, but he was permitted to go to Newmarkett accordingly, with the Bundle of Papers he had with him. I thought fit to mention this Particular, lest there should be a Misconstruction had thereof. This being all I have to trouble your Lordship with, I remain

Uxbridge, June 29, 1647.

"Your Lordship's
Most humble Servant,
T. Fairefax."

Letter from the Commissioners with the Army, that they have desired the Removal of it further from London.

"For the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Manchester, Speaker of the House of Peers pro Tempore. These.

"May it please your Lordship,

"We have received yours, dated Yesterday, with the Votes of both Houses inclosed, That no Officers or Soldiers should leave the Army without the General's Licence, and of the Houses owning the Army, and providing for it; and have this Morning communicated them to the General; and took that Occasion to move the General, That the Business of the Treaty may be put into a Way, and the Head Quarter to be removed at a farther Distance from London; both which the General told us should be taken into speedy Consideration, and that he would give us an Account of the Resolutions with all Conveniency. I am,

Uxbridge, 29 June, 1647. about 11 of the Clock.

"My Lords,
Your humble and faithful Servant,
C. Nottingham."

Letter from them, with the following

"For the especial Service of the Parliament.

For the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Manchester, Speaker of the House of Peers.

"These. Haste, Haste.

"May it please your Lordship,

"On the Way to this Town from Uxbridge, this Afternoon, about Six of the Clock, we received this inclosed Paper, by a Messenger from the General; which we thought ourselves in Duty obliged to send unto your Lordship, and rest

Wickham, 29th June, 1647.

"Your Lordship's
Humble and faithful Servants,
C. Nottinghan. P. Wharton."

Paper from Sir T. Fairfax and Council of War, that the Army shall remove to Wickham.

"My Lords and Gentlemen,

"By the Votes you were pleased to communicate to me this Morning, I find the Parliament hath taken into their Consideration those Propositions of the Army, which necessarily craved some Satisfaction before the Withdrawing of it; and that their Progress already made (though but in Part) meets with such a Compliance in my Council of War, that it begets in them a general Confidence of the Houses speedy and full Answer to the remaining Propositions; and therefore, to testify the Readiness of this Army to observe the Commands of Parliament, they have resolved to move the Army to a farther Distance, and the Head Quarters to be this Night Wickham; believing that this Forwardness on their Part to satisfy both Parliament and City will (fn. 1) not retard, but hasten rather the Resolutions of the Houses, with a full Satisfaction to the Particulars not yet answered, and also acquit this Army of many Jealousies and unjust Aspersions cast upon it.

"By the Appointment of his Excellency Sir Thomas Fairefax and the Council of War.

Uxbridge, June 29, 1647.

"Jo. Rushworth.

"For the Right Honourable the Lords and Commons Commissioners of Parliament residing in the Army.

"Examined by Geo. Pyke."

Adjourn.

Adjourn till 10 To-morrow.