Records of the Kirk of Scotland / containing the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assemblies from 1638 downwards, as authenticated by the clerks of assembly.

by Church of Scotland. General Assembly

Eftir the enymie haid takin the Laird of Reidhall prissoner, he thaireftir pat him to liberty, commending much his valour and activitie for holding out so stoutlie aganes him that hous of Reidhall.

It wer langsum and tedious to writt all circumstances of these thinges that passed betuix the twa airmeis; for the Englisches removed from Collingtoun, Reidhall, and Niddrie, to Mussilburgh; thaireftir to Hadingtoun and Dumbar, resolving to haif past into England. Bot the Scottis airmy following, inclosit thame at Dumbar, resolving to haif cuttit thame of, as doutles easelie thai mycht haif done; bot our Scottis airmy being devydit and still in purgatioun, removing such as did not pleis the leaderis of this Kingdome for the tyme, the Englisches taking advantage of this divisioun and purging, quhilk lastit mony dayes, and haiffing with thame in thair company many Scottismen quha favored thair courses, and haid resavit thair gold, they prevailled over the Scottis, as heireftir sall be declared: for it is certane thair wes great corruptioun and divisioun and much gold gevin for intelligence to the enymie....

The Englische airmy entered in a parlee with the Scottis airmy both at Corstorphyn and Dumbar, and did offer great and lairge offeris gif we sould suffer him to returne to England without farder molestatioun. Bot our airmy refuisand, he, upone a Monday the secound day of September, anno 1650, pat himself in ordour, and that nicht being a drakie nycht, full of wind and weit, quhairin our Scottis airmy wer cairles and secure, and expecting no assalt be ressoun of the frequent parlees and offeris maid by the Englische, he tymouslie, upone the morne thaireftir, be brek of day, being Tysday the third of September, 1650, invaidit our airmy, all of thame being at rest, and thair horses, and slew of our airmy about—— thowsand men, tuik and apprehendit many thowsand prissoneris, hurt and woundit many thowsands, scatterit all the rest of our airmy, quha for feir fled to Edinburgh and uther pairtes of the countrey.

The Scottis airmy being thus routit and put to flight, the Inglisches war resolvit to content thameselffis with the victorie, and to returne to England. Bot the Generall Cromwell being informed that Edinburgh and Leith wer left desolat, and the inhabitantes thairof fled, and that nather the airmy nor the cuntrie and kingdome war to defend it, the Englische Generall held a counsell of warr at Dumbar, and being thus informed of the hard conditioun of these twa tounes, he with his forces come into Edinburgh and Leith upone the Settirday eftir the feght at Dumbar, being the sevint day of September, planted his garisouns thairintill, and commandit and reullit at his pleasure; these tounes being all of thame weill fortifeyed and provydit to thair handis.

To speik or writt of the opiniounes of many twiching the tinsell of this battell, it wer tedious, for the opiniouns of sum persones wer, that in the Scottis airmy thair wer mony independantis and sectareis, quho haid too much relatioun and correspondence with Generall Cromwell; sum utheris wer in the opinioun that the Englische gold did corrupt many. These wer the opiniounes of many, bot certane it wes that, befoir this airmy wes routtit, thair wes much bussiness maid anent the purging of the Scottis airmy of malignantis be the space of many dayis; evin than quhen the Englische airmy mycht haif bene easelie routtit, and quhen thair souldieris fled in to the Scottis for feir, and quhen honorable conditiounes and lairge offeris wer maid to the Scottis airmy to suffer thame to depairt and to leave the Kingdome; yea, evin the nycht befoir the feght, our Scottis leaderis wer in purging the Scottis airmy, as gif thair had bene no danger. For at this tyme the Scottis airmy thocht that the Englische airmy wer thair prissoneris, be ressoun of the double number of the Scottis above the Englisches, and that the Inglisches wer than in capitulatioun with the Scottis to give thame lairge moneyis and uther conditiounes to suffer thame depairt this Kingdome....

Oh, what can be sufficientlie writtin of these thinges; for thir trubles daylie increst, be ressoun of the divisiounes of this Kingdome quhilk daylie increst: Sum of the commanderis dispysing honest men, quhome thai termed Malignantis; these Malignantis (as they call thame) being willing to ryse for defence of the natioun, bot wer rejected: Utheris, in the west pairtes of this Kingdome, drawing togidder, and takand up a great pairtie of men, be way of associatioun and refuising to joyne in the publict service. And quhen the Scottis airmy mycht haif easelie routtit the Inglisches, and sindry notable occasiounes offered to invaid thame, yit the commanderis of the airmy still delayit, till it pleased God to delyver thame all in the handis of thair enymies.

Thus the Englisches haifing obtenit the victorie, and haifing fortifeyed both Edinburgh and Leith, and placeing garisones thairintill, the Generall and Commanderis of the Englische airmy gaif out this Proclamatioun following:—

“Quhairas it hath pleased God, by his gracious providence and guidnes, to put the citie of Edinburgh and town of Leith under my power, and although I haif put furth several Proclamatiounes since my cumming into this countrie to the lyke effect with this present; yit for farder satisfactioun to all these quhome it may concerne, I do heirby agane publische and declair, that all inhabitantes of the cuntrie, not now being, or continuing in airmes, sall have full and frie leave and libertie, to cum to the airmy, and to the citie and toun afoirsaid, with thair cattell, corne, horses, and uther commoditeis and guidis quhatsoevir; and sall haif thair frie and oppin mercattis for the same, and salbe protected in thair persones and guidis, in thair cuming and returning, as is afoirsaid, from ony injurie or violence of the souldiarie under my command, as also salbe protected in thair respective houssis, and the citizens and inhabitantes of the said citie and toun sall and herby lykewyse haif frie libertie to vend and sell thair waires and commoditeis, and sall be protected from the plunder and violence of the souldieris. And I do heirby requyre all officeris and souldieris of the airmy under my command to tak dew notice heirof, and to yeild obedience heirto as thai will answer to the contrarie at thair outmost perrel. Gevin under my hand at Edinburgh, the sevint day of September 1650.

“O. Cromwell.

“To be proclaimed at Edinburgh and Leith be sound of trumpet and beat of drum.”