The Designes of the Rebels in Kent, at their Randezvouz the day before the storming of Maidstone, as they were found in a person of qualities pocket, who was taken Prisoner, and this day sent up to the House of Commons.
IT was voted and agreed upon by the Kentish Councel of Warre, and the Gentlemen belonging to that Army, that the Earle of Norwich should be Generall and Commander in Chiefe, Esquire Hailes voted Lieutenant Generall, and Sir William Compton Major Generall, the plotted Designe touching the proceedings of their Army, is continued as these particulars doth specifie.
Commanders in Chiefe to be divided into Brigades, Regiments, and Companies, and to have necessary Commanders & Officers over them.
All other Officers, Quartermasters, Scoutmasters, Mustermasters, [Page 2]Ingeniers, &c. Pioneers, and their Commanders, and necessary provisions of Shovels, Spades, Mattocks, Wheelebarrow, Edgerooles, &c. to make defences against Horse, and Brest works for Musketiers, &c.
Quaere. D [...]kes and Fieldpeeces to fortifie the Blockhouse at Gravesend.
And what course shall be taken that we may be supplyed out of Essex when need is.
And to indeavour supplyes out of Sussex.
Quaere. Whether not necessarie to fortifie Rochester with a Line and Forts.
To take away all Armes from the adverse partie, and to secure the persons of such as are most powerfull, and dangerous.
If the enemy be stronger then we, then to have a course for recruit beyond Medway.
To fortifie Bridges, and to break down those Bridges which are not fit to be fortified, and to stop up the Fords.
Quaere. Also to fortifie Tunbridge Castle, and the Bridge there: And to chuse a select Councel of Warre, not of verie many, to avoid confusion in debates, and to prevent discoverie of secrets.
Another Councel or Committee to heare and disparch ordinary things that the Councel of Warre be not troubled with over much besinesse.
Quaere. How to order all Affaires when we go up with our Petition, and to secure Maidsto [...]e, &c. When we are gone, to take speciall Order for Intelligence.
To appoint an Officer or Commissary to deliver out Armes, who must not deliver till he is well informed to whom, and to take notice of their names.
The Tr [...]ined Bands of Maidstone have lent to Auxiliaries 80. Arms, who desire to have them again, and that the Auxiliaries be otherwise furnished.
To appoint Colonells, Captains, and Officers over all the Trained Bands, and to consider touching Volunteers, and Auxiliaries.
By this you may perceive they had a farther intent then to petition; this machivilian plot hath bin a contriving this many months, and there hath been a Collection of old Souldiers out of Holland, and all those that have been ingaged in the Kings Service here in England, hath been privately invited to come into Kent, and then to put all things in a flame, they have had as reall an intent to maintain the known Lawes of the Land, and the Protestant Religion, as thousands who formerly declared for His Majesty, as for instance, on Sunday last, there was shot at Mile end one Major Hughton, a Gretian, a known Jesuie, that hath been sent over hither by the Pope, to foment mischiefe in this Kingdom, ever since these unhappy d [...]fferences hath been, a very fi [...] instrument to fight in the behalfe of the Kentish and Essex mens Petition, to have the Covenant performed. There came on Munday last, a Letter from the Gentlemen of Essex, brought up by Mr. Rich, one of my Lord of Warwicks Sonnes, a Member of the honourable House of Commons, humbly desiring an Ordinance for Indempnity, so fully and largely as was profered to the Rebels of Kent, more, there wa [...] [...] Postscript to that letter. from Essex, that there may be an Ordinance of indemonity for the remainder of those forces of Kent, which [Page 4]came from Greenwich on Sunday morning last, to Bowe-bridge, to have joyned with the Essex men: which Ordinance is granted to the Gentlemen of Essex, and carried down per Mr. Grimston, Mr. Rich, and other Members of the House of Commons, belonging to that Countie: Upon which grant, they have enlarged the Committee men they imprisoned at Chelmsford, and submitted to the Ordinance of Parliament, disbanded their forces, and laid down their Armes.
An exact Relation concerning the Passages in Kent, since His Excellency my Lord Fairfax, marched over Medway River,
AFter my Lord Generall had stormed Maidstone, and slain near 300 men, for prisoners, horse and armes, you shall have a more full account presently, he marched from Maidstone to Rochester on Saturday in the afternoon, where he found the Rebels fled, and the people very full of discontent, by which means they discovered 1000 armes which was hid privately in that town: the women reviled, with curses in their mouthes, against Goring, Hayles, and Compton, [Page 5]who had engaged their husbands, and now betraid them, cursing them for bringing in a company of strange Officers and souldiers, that were not known to the Country, swearing they were not a quarter of them Gentlemen and countrymen of that County, but were strangers, privately invited out of other countries, to make their county a seat of war, this was the lowd out cry of all the common people in Rochester. They did report of a most vilde prosane wretch, a Knight who hath been a great man for the King ever since these troubles began, his name is, Sir Gamaliel Dudley, who swore, because the Citizens came no faster in to their army, he would come up to London to commit all the sins he could, to draw Gods judgements and plagues upon the City and citizens, both men, women and children.
There were a great many loftie, desperate, and discontented minded spirits, amongst them at Maidstone, that were taken prisoners in the Town, as for instance, a yong fellow, who was sometimes a servant and Clark to one Best of Kent, his stomack was so great because he was taken prisoner, that he hanged himself with a Bell rope, in the Church where the prisoners were in Maidstone.
My Lord Gentrall is in very good health, and went [Page 6]yesterday to Chattham being invited to dine with the Commanders of the N [...]vy a shipboard.
There is taken three times as many Prisoners and Horse, as was by the first true [...]i [...]ence computed, they carry themselves so si [...]ently that as yet we do not so fully understand their qualities as we shall hereafter, we have 1500. Prisoners in hold, besides great numbers my Lord Gen. hath discharged and sent to their own homs, which were seduced Countreymen; for all those wee passe by.
We have taken in all 1400. horse, 4000. Arms, and 1500. Prisoners as I named before, a great many of he Horse are exceeding good ones, Sir Iohn Many was slain, but not discovered so to be until Sunday last, he charged in that Troope which his Excellency killed and tooke most of them prisoners, when he made the onset on Maidstone. The Troope was said to be Squire Hales, own Troope, advanced by his one particular.
The Gen. own Regiment of Horse, with Col. Harrisons Regiment of horse, with a proportionall number of foot, are come in to the assistance of Major Gen. Lambert, so that they are in all 600. and they are able to take the field, and we doubt not but that we shall have very suddenly a good account of their proceedings against Langdale and Musgrave.
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