“One evening, during the hottest period of the cannonade, there came a musket ball in at the window of the withdrawing room, where my Lord used to entertain his friends with his pleasant discourses after dinners and suppers, which, glancing upon a little marble pillar of the window, from thence hit the Marquis upon the side of his head, and fell down flattened upon the table, which breaking the pillar in pieces, it made such a noise in the room, that his daughter-in-law, the Countess of Glamorgan, who stood in the same window, ran away as if the house had been falling down upon her head, crying out, ‘O Lord! O Lord!’ But at length, finding herself more afraid than hurt, she returned back again, no less excusing her—as she was pleased to call it—rudeness to her father, than acknowledging her fears to all the company. To whom the Marquis said, ‘Daughter, you had reason to run away, when your father was knocked on the head.’ Then pausing some little while, and turning the flattened bullet round with his finger, he further said, ‘Gentlemen, those who had a mind to flatter me, were wont to tell me that I had a good head in my younger days; but, if I don’t flatter myself, I think I have a good head-piece in my old age, or else it would not have been musket proof.’”
It shows how closely Raglan Castle was besieged, when on the 26th of May, about 11 o’clock at night, some of the Parliamentary soldiers could be drinking at a public house, but a little distance from the Castle, having alighted from their horses, and sent a scout to reconnoitre: who bringing them favourable news, they refreshed themselves at their ease. Meanwhile, having been observed, 60 or 80 horse were sent from Raglan to surprise them, and they succeeded in seizing three or four of their horses; but some of the Roundheads escaped in a cornfield, while most of their companions quickly mounted; some riding off were lost in the darkness, while the remainder, in a skirmish of half an hour, took two prisoners and rescued their lost horses. Many fruitless skirmishes appear to have been thus made; often as many as 150 horsemen rushing forth, only to return with the report of bootless labour.[83]
On the part of the besiegers, Captain Hooper was employed to conduct the mining approaches, which were pushed forward with great vigour.
The garrison of Raglan (estimated when in full force at 800 strong, in horse and foot) made several desperate sallies on Colonel Morgan’s forces: their bold commander often personally encountering the hostile party with marked gallantry, losing on one occasion a colour; and a cornet his life. While on the Royalist side a major and a captain were slain, besides many wounded. But when General Fairfax, sending reinforcement from Oxford, had raised Colonel Morgan’s regiment of 1500 to 3500 men, such sallies became less frequent.[92] The General, who had been at Bath to recruit his health, hastening to Raglan, put life into the siege by his presence, and, on the 7th of August, he sent in his summons to the Castle; in consequence of which, numerous messages passed between the Marquis and the General, the Marquis reminding him in one of his replies how well he was known “in Henry, Earl of Huntingdon’s time, unto your [the General’s] noble grandfather at York;” at the same time inviting some propositions to be made; specially requiring on his own behalf to have any acts of his first approved by the King, through whom, moreover, he was “above £20,000 out of purse.” The conditions offered, required, among others, that the Marquis should submit to the mercy of the Parliament; while those affecting the garrison and inmates of the Castle were honourable to all parties. In consequence of these negotiations, the Marquis, on the 13th of August, sent out a drum, desiring leave for his Commissioners to meet the next day, to arrange articles of peace; which being approved, the drum was returned with safe-conduct for the Commissioners’ coming forth, and orders given for five hours cessation of arms.
The Marquis must have been fully alive to the jeopardy in which he was placed, after ten weeks of close siege, hemmed in on every side, stores fast diminishing, the cannon ball of the enemy knocking down turret and tower, and demolishing the weaker portions of his castle, never originally intended to withstand more than the ravages of time, with the exception of a very limited portion, the Citadel itself. The main work of the enemy’s approaches, too, was then within 60 yards of the garrison’s works, and a breach already made in the eastern wall, near the library or closet tower; besides which, four mortar pieces had been advantageously planted, capable of carrying grenado shells of 12 inches diameter; also two mortar pieces in another position, capable of delivering similar shells. Captain Hooper, the engineer, expressed his expectation to be in a few days within ten yards of the castle, with trenches, which he was constructing very exact and secure; from these he purposed making galleries, mines, and numerous batteries. The General himself, not only took great interest in these military works, visiting them daily, but at that very time had designed a new approach.
On the 15th of August, final terms were to be concluded; for which purpose the meeting of the Commissioners was appointed to take place at Keventilla House, the residence of Mr. Oates, about a mile and a half from Raglan.[84]
The terms of peace being concluded on the 17th of August, the Castle was to be surrendered to Sir Thomas Fairfax for the use of the Parliament, the articles of the treaty, among others, stipulating:—That all the officers, soldiers, and gentlemen of the garrison, should march out with horses and arms, colours flying, drums beating, trumpets sounding, matches lighted at both ends, bullets in their mouths; and every soldier with twelve charges of powder and ball; with permission to select any place within 10 miles of the Castle, for the purpose of delivering up their arms to the General in command; after which the soldiers were to be disbanded and set at liberty; and safe-conduct and protection given to all the gentlemen and others who had sought refuge within the walls of Raglan Castle.
Wednesday, the 19th of August, 1646, in conformity with the treaty, the Castle was taken possession of by General Fairfax. The Marquis of Worcester, bordering on 70 years of age, infirm and careworn as he was, accosted Fairfax in a pleasant, jocose mood; yet it must have been but a melancholy cortege by which he was attended, on abandoning that roof which was soon to be destined to irreclaimable ruin. It must have appeared to the bystanders more like a military funeral procession than any other conceivable spectacle, in which, however, the glistening of arms and armour, the rustling of banners, the blast of trumpets, and the roll of drums must have been felt by all alike, as though more in mockery than evincing any cause of exultation.
The Marquis was accompanied by his son, the Lord Charles Somerset, governor of the Castle; the Countess of Glamorgan; Lady Jones and Sir Philip Jones; Dr. Thomas Bayly, the chaplain, who had also acted as one of the Commissioners from the Castle; Commissary Guilliam; together with 4 colonels, 82 captains, 16 lieutenants, 6 cornets, 4 ensigns, 4 quarter-masters, and 52 esquires and gentlemen; including also his Lordship’s numerous visitors, household, and retainers.
The General, having thus secured the last stronghold that had withstood the power of the Parliamentary army, went to Chepstow to take part the same night in a splendid entertainment, returning thence the following day to recruit himself at Bath.