User:TheBestEditorInEngland/Capture of Chichester

This page is about the Capture of Chichester in November 1642. For the Siege of Chichester the following month, see Siege of Chichester.

Capture of Chichester
Part of the First English Civil War
Chichester in 1610 — 32 years before its capture
Date 15–16 November 1642 Location Chichester, West Sussex Result Royalist victory Chichester and its magazine seized by the Royalists Parliamentarian leaders forced to flee to Portsmouth
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
Edward Ford John Morley	William Cawley Henry Chittey Edward Higgons
Chichester class=notpageimage| The location of Chichester within West Sussex

The Capture of Chichester (/ˈtʃɪtʃɪstər/) was the Royalist capture of the Parliamentarian city of Chichester in Sussex that took place between 15-16 November 1642 during the first year of the First English Civil War.

Background

The Siege of Portsmouth and Chichester's sympathies divided

Colonel George Goring — the fair-weather Royalist and leader of the defending Royalists during the Siege of Portsmouth

The Governor of Portsmouth, Colonel George Goring

Many actions at the start of the war were taken in the interest to secure pre-existing military and militia organisation and infrastructure, like castles, forts, ports, armouries, arsenals, iron foundries, naval assets, county magazines, etc, whilst the King issued Commissions of Array and Parliament issued Militia Ordnances, to the leaders of the Trained Bands and theref. The county magazines which contained the arms and powder of the Trained Bands were especially coveted by both sides. On 19 August 1642, Christopher Lewknor, the Recorder of Chichester (officially styled as "the man appointed by his Majesty to take in money and plate on his behalfe."), Sir William Goring, Sir Thomas Bowyer, Sir William Morley, and others, demanded that the Chichester magazine be used for the service of the King. This was refused by Captain Henry Chittey, a Captain of the local Chichester Trained Band, who placed a strong guard over it. Those who demanded possession of the magazine were promptly summoned "to attend the service of the House, and to explain themselves : Captain Chittey to retain charge of the magazine." On 24 August 1642 Chichester, whilst led by William Cawley, a rich brewer and well respected man who was both one of the MPs for Midhurst and for Chichester, and the founder of the Chichester Almshouse, declared openly for Parliament. However, the Royalists of the city continued to intrigue for the King whilst the clergy of Chichester Cathedral actively used their "power of the pulpit" on their behalf. The Royalists even raised a body of light horse which was drilled daily in the Cathedral close. At this point, the Royalists and Parliamentarians were drilling their men just a stones throw away from each other. Concurrently on 24 August, Chichester was reported to be "in a good state of defence, and resolved to maintain the Protestant religion, but some ill-affected persons had plotted to betray the town, and some ministers had made seditious sermons, saying that the irreverent clergie had preached down the bishops, and the reverend tradesmen had preached down the clergie." Although no violent action between the two sides occurred in Chichester at this time, the relations between its inhabitants, depending on their sympathies, will surely have been incredibly strained.

Prelude

Even though Chichester had declared for Parliament, efforts by Royalists to seize control of the city for the King continued and as a consequence further divided its inhabitants. In July, Robert Exton, the Mayor of Chichester, who was too loyal to the Kings cause to please the prevailing Parliamentarians in the city, published the Royal Commission of Array which called upon all able-bodied men to take up arms for the King. With the Array having been declared illegal by Parliament, Exton was summoned by Parliament to give an account of the matter to explain himself, after which he fled Chichester to York to join the King. Later on 28 July, James Gresham wrote from Chichester to Sir Poynings More, his brother-in-law: "The Mayor was sent for up to Parliament about proclayming the proclamation my lord mayor is questioned for, and I heare hee hath mistaken his way and is gone to Yorke.". The successor of Exton as Mayor of Chichester, William Bartholomew, along with William Cawley, Edward Higgons, and Henry Chittey, sought about shoring up Chichester's defences in order to withstand a possible Royalist siege. After having obtained permission from Parliament to fortify the city, on 2 November seven guns and ten barrels of powder were precured from Portsmouth issued by its Governor, Sir William Lewis, to help strengthen Chichester's defences. Portsmouth's Parliamentarian garrison had a yearly pay of £5030, and the £1000 collected by the Royalists of Chichester originally in aid of Goring which but later confiscated by Parliament would have been seen as a welcome aid to this sum in return. Licence was also obtained to introduce 200 men of the Sussex Trained Bands for defence of Chichester against a Royalist attack. On November 7, in an attempt to detach the county from the grip of its Parliamentary leaders and sway popular support instead for the King, Charles I issued a proclamation in Reading offering "his Majesty's grace, favour, and pardon to the inhabitants of his county of Sussex, with the exception of Herbert Morley, Esq., and Henry Chittey, citizen of Chichester." This amnesty had no visible effect in converting any Parliamentarian sympathies.

The capture

Chichester Guildhall in Priory Park in 2011 — the "Town Hall" where Chittey tried to reconcile the opposing factions in the city on the night of 15 November 1642 while Sir John Morley's men seized the city guns

Chichester Cross in 2009 — the market cross at the very centre of Chichester where the Mayor was forced to proclaim the proclamation of pardon

William Cawley — the Parliamentarian leader of Chichester before being forced to escape to Portsmouth after the Royalists captured the city

The Roman walls of Chichester in 2011 — the walls where Chittey's men were overwhelmed by Royalists on the night of 15 November and where the guns from Portsmouth were captured

Contemporary account

An excellent account survives of the events as they unfolded and was written by William Cawley to the Speaker of the House, William Lenthall. It is inserted below word for word with the contemporary spelling and grammar:

[Edward Higgons, William Cawley, and Henry Chittey, to William Lenthall — Speaker of the House]:

Portsmouth, 21 November, 1642.

On Tuesday last, being the 15th of this month, we called all the inhabitants of the City of Chichester together there, to let them understand wherefore we had fortified the city, which was to defend ourselves from being plundered by the King's army, and to know if they would all join with us to secure one another from being destroyed by them. There was a general assent in it, not one contradicting, but with several vows and protestations resolved to live and die in it. Upon which agreement we went out of the town hall where the meeting was. When we came into the street we perceived some swords drawn at the north gate of the city — where one of the guns we had from Portsmouth was placed — which swords were drawn against the gunner. We endeavoured to pacify the rage of the people, but we could not, but they then overthrew the gun off from its carriage and possessed themselves of him, and from thence they went to the other parts of the city where the other guns were placed and possessed themselves of them also. When this was done the chiefest gentlemen in and about the city gave countenance to those that did this.

After this the same night came Sir John Morley, Mr. Robert Anderson, Mr. William Wray, and Mr. Francis Shallett to the Mayor and demanded of him that Sir John Morley and twenty other gentlemen of the town might watch that night. The Mayor was unwilling to consent unto it, but they pretending it was for the settling of the town in quiet and to allay the fury of the common people, upon this it was agreed that there should watch twenty of the gentlemen and twenty of the citizens, and that Sir John Morley should have the command of the gentlemen and Mr. Higgons of the citizens, and that the keys of the city should be delivered to the Mayor. But when it came to the setting of the watch, there were at least thirty of the gentlemen and near fifty of the meaner sort of people gathered together, and Mr. Higgons demanding of Sir John Morley that there might be but twenty gentlemen watch and that the others should depart to their several homes. Sir John answered that it was not safe for him to speak and wished him to be quiet and denied that any should be discharged. He then gained the city keys into his hands and would not deliver them, but said they should be kept for the King.

Upon the first combustion in the town there was a messenger dispatched to the High Sheriff to acquaint him how the state of the city stood, and to desire him to come thither and he should have free entrance. Upon this the Sheriff made warrants to the several Trained Bands that they should appear within half a mile of the city and aid him to go into it the next morning at 9 o'clock, at which time the Sheriff accompanied with a hundred horse met the Trained Bands and so marched into the city, where when he came he commanded the Mayor to proclaim the proclamation of pardon to all the county except Herbert Morley, Esq., and Henry Chittey, citizen. The Mayor refusing they forced him to go to the Cross, and then the sheriff commanded the Proclamation to be proclaimed. After that was done he made search in diverse and well-affected persons' houses for arms and all they found they seized and took away, and put the Commission of Array in execution, and displaced Captain Chittey and in his place put Sir John Morley. Then Nicholas Wolfe took the charge of Captain Oglander's band and so settled the Commission of Array. To the countenance and attend the Sheriff in this action there was Sir William Forde, Sir William Morley, who hath sent the Sheriff four horses completely furnished for war, Sir John Morley, Sir Edward Bishopp, Thomas Leedes, one of your House, who is Captain of the horse for Arundel Rape — Sir Thomas Bowyer hath sent a horse — Robert Anderson a lawyer, Nicholas Wolfe a Justice of the Peace, Francis Shallett, William May, Thomas Gunter, who was [in command of] a troop in Portsmouth with Colonel Goring, John Apsley, William Rishton, two of Mr. Robert Heath's sons, Francis Pury, George Gunter, Philip King the Bishop's brother, and John King the Bishop's son, and Edward Osborne with divers others. They have seized the magazine which was for the county as likewise ten barrels of powder we had from Portsmouth by order from the Parliament.

Upon Wednesday we came to Portsmouth and addressed ourselves to the Governor and the Committee making them acquainted in what condition we were, and how the guns and powder which we had from the Governor were wrested from us. The Governor being very sensible of the affront to the parliament and to himself, and apprehending that if there were some expedition used in the business it would be very feasible to regain the guns and powder, so that it were done before the Sheriff could call in the country, and to that purpose he despatched Captain Swanley and Captain Winnford with seamen and landsmen upon the Thursday to effect that service, but it pleased God so to turn the wind that they could not gain the harbour that night. The next day they gained the harbour, but before they could come near the place they intended to land the tide fell, so that they could get no further that night than an island called Thorney. When Captain Swanley found how contrary the wind had been to him he dispatched away his lieutenant with a trumpeter to demand the guns and powder of the Mayor, or any others that had the charge of them at Chichester. When the lieutenant came there demanding where they Mayor was it was answered he was not to be spoken with, and they told him he must go to the governor of the city, by which name the Sheriff was styled. He delivered his message: the answer was that he had a command from the King to detain the guns and powder to his use, and until he had a command from the King to deliver them he would keep them. With this answer the lieutenant returned to Captain Swanley, informing him likewise how the city was up in arms, and that he conceived there were eight hundred or a thousand soldiers in the city. Upon this Captain Swanley and Captain Winnford took into consideration whether it were fit for them being not above two hundred strong to venture into the city or no. In the close they resolved the Governor of Portsmouth should be made acquainted with the proceedings, as likewise to inform him what they heard the strength of the city was, which was they they had near a hundred horse and a thousand foot. The Governor being informed of these passages and knowing of what consequence Portsmouth is to the Kingdom, and what a weakening it would be to the town if he should lose either landsmen or seamen, therefore gave directions that the captains and their men should return back to Portsmouth.

The Sheriff, having intelligence that there was some forces coming against himself from Portsmouth, made his warrants to all the country near the city, and commanded all men instantly repair to Chichester upon pain of death or of being plundered, pretending Prince Rupert was coming and that if he were not resisted they were all undone. Upon this trick he gained the country to come into the city, where when he had them he locked the gates and set a strong guard at them so that they could not retire to their own houses, but were forced to abide in the city. The countrymen express that they have no hearts to the service, but they are kept in with hopes that there will be forces come from the King and it is given out the city shall be made a garrison. We hear there are both foot and horse come from the King into the city, but we have no certain information of the truth thereof. Divers houses are threatened to be plundered within and without the city; the Sheriff, being abetted by the gentlemen before named, is extreme violent in the Commission of Array. They have taken and imprisoned some men, and have cast irons upon one and thrust him into the dungeon. They set two pistols to the Mayor's breast, and offered him to take an oath, but what the contents of the oath is we know not. We desire you to acquaint the House of all that has befallen us, and that Parliament will take into consideration what this may grow to.

Postscript. Captain Chittey and Edward Higgons were forced to fly to Portsmouth without any money, and the Sheriff will not suffer any goods to be brought out. They desire that for the present they may have some moneys out of the Contribution Money.

Subsequent events

Chichester in 1595 — 47 years before its capture

References

"Chichester during Civil War 1642-1646 – Flow chart and references". The Chichester Society. Retrieved 30 October 2020.

"Digital Trail 6 – Chichester during the Civil War 1642-1646". The Chichester Society. Retrieved 30 October 2020.

Godwin, George Nelson (1904). The Civil War in Hampshire (1642-45) and the Story of Basing House. Southampton;London: Southampton, H.M. Gilbert and Son;London, J. and E. Bumpus. ISBN 9780344086410.

Thomas-Stanford, Charles (1910). Sussex in the great Civil War and the interregnum, 1642-1660. London: London, Chiswick Press. ISBN 9781333679750.

"Archive for the 'Sussex' Category". Reporting the English Civil War. Retrieved 27 January 2021.

Category:1642 in England Category:17th century in Sussex Category:Chichester Category:First English Civil War Category:History of West Sussex Category:Military history of Sussex Category:Sieges of the English Civil Wars