“Loving Father and Mother,—
“My duty remembered unto you, and my love to my brother Peter and my sister. These are to certify you that I am in health, but am very sorry that I have such an occasion as this to write to you of. But I pray you be not dismayed nor discouraged, for I trust that that God that hath preserved me from my child-hood, and brought me into these troubles, will in his good time deliver me from them again. For when I went into a place into Wales, called Carnarvon, with a small barque laden with corn, intending to go for Dublin, which [where] it was my fortune to stay some six weeks for a wind; in the interim there came some great men from Oxford, and pressed the barque for the King’s service to carry them to Dublin, and said if I did deny they would throw my corn overboard; and they being of that power forced the barque to go out with them. There was the Lord Herbert, and the Lord John Somerset, the Lord Herbert’s brother, and many knights and colonels and captains, all being strangers to me. But as it seemed, and so it fell out, God was not pleased to grant them a passage, for we left Carnarvon upon the 25th day of March, being our Ladyday, with a very fair wind, although north-east, and as fair a day as possibly could be. But when we came over the bar of Carnarvon the wind began to calm, and to come to the south and south-east. And when we had not sailed past three or four leagues, but the wind came to the south-west, and began to blow very hard about two or three of the clock in the next morning, so that we could not possibly get the Holyhead; and it increased more and more still, insomuch that when we came to the Skerries the storm grew to that [remorselessness?] that the barque had much ado to recover for being swallowed up in those great waves. But when we had passed the Skerries the wind grew greater and greater, and with much ado we recovered the shore with the [ship], but could not possibly gain any harbour, but were driven to the main sea. And seeing the danger we were now in, the passengers threw over some of my corn and cheese, so we lay on the sea Tuesday and Wednesday; and on Thursday we could not gain any land but in the North of England, at a place called Pillen; there we came to anchor on Thursday about five of the clock in the afternoon. But Lord Herbert would not go on shore, nor suffer any that was in the barque to land before him. But on the Friday the storm increased more and more, insomuch that no man did expect life, but every man prepared himself for death. But God (out of his great mercy) was pleased to spare our lives for that time most miraculously; for about ten of the clock in the morning, about one hour before full sea, the barque not being able to ride, we were forced to cast our main-mast overboard, and presently after cut both her cables, and committed ourselves to God’s mercy. But it pleased God we run on a part of the sand called Cockram Sand, near to Pillen, but she struck many times before she came near any shore; but at the last we recovered shore, but had neither anchor nor cable to hold her, so she did [lie] all a-dry, and as soon as she did ebb a-dry all the great men went away that were papists, and are got to some garrison under the king’s command. But one Mr. Nutterfield and his wife, and one Mr. Argent and his daughter, and one Mr. Collour and his wife, and myself, went to Pillen with some few men more, to comfort ourselves with the fire and to refresh ourselves. And the next morning being Saturday, Mr. Collour and one Mr. Hambleton and myself hired horses from Pillen to go to the governor of that place to make him acquainted with our landing. His name is Colonel George Doddinge, and when we came to him and told him our cause, he said he could not do any less than commit us to Lancaster, where now I am, at a very good place, one Capt. Rippendshoupe’s. The Colonel was pleased to remove me out of the Castle to his house, a very good place, where I am well used; but it has pleased the Colonel to seize on all my corn, and to take it from me, so that I cannot tell what course to take; for all our names are sent up to the Parliament, and the Colonel cannot release any till he receives an answer, how we must be disposed of. The best course that you can take to have me released will be to make some friends to Sir Wm. Brereton and Colonel More, and to procure their answer to Colonel Doddinge, and to inform him where I lived, and that I never took up any arms on either side, but have lived in Ireland this ten years. And so I hope that will be answer to procure my enlargement, for here I am a stranger, and am not known by anybody, so I desire this truly may be certified, and by the hands of Sir Wm. Brereton and Colonel More; and I hope that will give satisfaction. I desire my brother Peter to use his best endeavour herein for my liberty, and to come to see me. The Colonel hath granted Mr. Collour and me the favour [and me sic] to send to his friends, being at Namptwich, and the same messing [messenger?] to come down from thence to you with my letter for fear [if] ours were sent before [they] should miscarry, so we sent letters by the Colonel’s directions to Namptwich from hence on Wednesday, being the first of April; my letters were inclosed in Mr. Collour’s letters, and he desired his father-in-law, Lieut.-Col. Jones, Sir Wm. Brereton, Lieut. Coa, that as soon as his letters came to his hands, to send my letters down to you. But for fear these should miscarry, we have sent the bearer to you with this letter. I had all my money taken from me, therefore I pray you to make shift to procure me four or five pounds, for I have not a penny but what I do borrow. I pray you to send a shirt and two or three bands, for I have none left me. I hope my brother Peter will not fail to come and to bring these things along with him, that I have written for; so desiring you to remember my love to all our friends, especially to Mr. Glegg and Mrs. Gregg, to Capt. Edw. and Capt. John Glegg, and to Capt. Robert, and to Mr. Wm. and Mrs. Elizabeth and Miss Jones, and all the rest; so desiring a happy meeting, I rest,
“Your loving and obedient son, till death,
“Jo. Bythell.
“Lancaster, 6 April, 1645.
“I pray you give the bearer hereof, Mary Goadfine, 2s and 6d, and make much of her. But let her make what haste she can back again to me.”
We have next:—[M]
“A list of their names that were aboard the ‘Peter,’ bound for Dublin and distressed by storms, and cast upon the coast of Lancashire, and [who] afterwards escaped to Skipton Castle.”
(The name of the Prisoners taken at Lancaster, 1st April, 1645.)
The Earl of Glamorgan, the Lord Herbert.