AMongst all our factious English Nobi­lity none has declared himselfe of a more perverse malignant disposition to the proceedings of the Honourable the High Court of Parliament, then Iames Lord Strange, by the decease of his father now Earle of Derby, decla­ring himselfe utterly against their just endeavours for the Common-wealth, not only by striving to put the Commission of Array in execution in the Counties of Chester and Lancaster; but also by beleaguring the good Towne of Manchester, because they refused to be assistant to his mischievous purposes, and continued resolute to defend their Liberties, and obey the Ordinances of Parliament, but being shamefully repulsed thence with the losse of some hundred of his Cavaliers. He has often attempted the loy­alty of those Manchestrians, which he could no wayes vi­olate, and so has ever since laboured all the Gentry and Yeomanry in those Counties to his part, which was no hard matter for him to doe, by reason of his power in those parts, most of them being his Tenants; Besides, on the other side of Dee he has large Revenues in Darby-shire and Denbigh­shire in North-Wales, where he likewise used all means pos­sible [Page 4]by his Agents to leavy men, taking up money of all the able men of his acquaintance to pay his souldiers, which [...] is cre [...]y reported of Welsh men and others compleated the number of it least seven thousand, of which five thousand five hundred were Foot, and the rest Horse, with which For­ces he would faine have had another fling at Manchester, the disgrace he received before in that Towne sticking in his stomacke, and in the hearts of his Cavaliers; but upon matu­rer advise and wiser deliberations, being certified of the pre­parations made in that Towne for their defence, he wav'd his revenge and thought it fitter to passe, if it were possible, into these Southerne parts, and unite his Army to the body of His Majesties Army, Fortune seeming to smile upon his in­tentions, being that His Excellence the Earle of Essex was retired from those parts with his Forces towards the City of London, so that he verily imagined none would impeach his passage; to the City of Chester therefore about the midst of this present Moneth he drew forth all his Regiments, and billiting them thereabouts some two dayes, he marched from thence towards Shrewsbury, and so by way of Newport through the County of Salop towards Warwicke-shire, plun­dring and destroying the Countries, his souldiers robbing and spoyling all the Inhabitants thereabouts, as well Malignants of their owne faction as those that were true sonnes to their Mother the Common-wealth.

Upon Thursday last entring into Warwicke-shire, where the well affected Trained Bands of that County, with some of the Parliament Forces left there to secure the Countrey, prepared themselves to give him a welcome into those parts, and to give him battell, rather then to permit their lands and possessions, their wives and children to become a prey to those devouring Harpies.

On Fryday Morning therefore in a well composed Body they advanced to the edge of the County as far as Brami­cham, being some foure thousand men, foure hundred of which were Horse.

The Earle being then quartered some three miles off, un­derstanding of the approach of these Regiments, by the ad­vice of his Cavaliers those pernitious Councellours march'd with all speed toward them, who were nothing affraid of his numbers: about twelve of clocke they were in view one of another in the broad high-way about one mile on this side Brumicham; our men having two peeces of Cannon they had from Warwicke Castle, planted them privately be­hind a thicke quick-set hedge, placing some two hundred Musquetiers in ambush, that lay close without noyse by the said peeces; the Earle had plac'd his horsemen in the front of his forces, being most part Cavaliers, who vow'd with all desperatenesse to revenge the disgrace they had received at Manchester, on those Round-heads, and so gallopping in apace, they were staid by our horse-men, who demeaned themselves very resolutely, charging into their troops, and with their Carabines and Petronels, tumbling divers of them from their horses never to rise againe, till the Earle him­selfe with his owne troope comming in, they did so overlay our horse-men with their numbers, they had much adoe to keepe their ranks, some of them falling their Coun­tries sacrifice; but our foot not unmindfull to performe their duties, sent a lusty volley of shot into the thickest of those malignants, which made them at a stand: our Musquetiers charging and discharging, with much discretion and dexte­rity, the Cavaliers were not so hasty as at first, but wheeling about gave licence to the leaders of their foot, to bring them on, which they did, in as broad a body as the narrownesse of the place would permit; so that now they were at it with much violence, sometime our foot-men, and sometimes theirs getting ground, their horse & ours upon all occasions second­ing their foot. It was not discernable to which side the bet­ter of the battell inclin'd, our forces, cause smallest in num­ber (though the better experienc'd and more couragious) ap­pearing to the Enemy to be halfe vanquished; but there was no such matter, though many of them fell, the rest were not [Page 6]disheartened, rather excited to revenge their fellowes losses on those blood-suckers; and so being now come, as it were, to handi-blowes, the valiant Pike-men at the push, shew'd their cunning in martiall discipline, and undaunted resolu­tions, goring their horses, and killing their foot, while the Musquetiers incessantly powred out their flaming bullets.

My Lord of Darby seeing his men fall thus on every side, and that it was impossible for his horse-men (in whom hee reposed his chiefest confidence) to breake through our well ordered squadrons, commanded his reserve to be brought up, which our men performing politiquely, gave ground at least some two hundred paces, so giving opportunity to our am­bush to charge them in the backs. The Cavaliers perceiving them to give ground, swore many lusty oaths, that the Round­heads fled, and so prest on in great multitudes upon them when the two peeces of Cannon, which, as wee related, was planted behind the quick-set hedge, were discharged into the very thickest of them, with the sudden noyse, and more sud­den shot, amazing and overthrowing them by heaps, so that they had now no mind to pursue our men, who having now their purpose, and seeing them in that confusion at that un­expected salute, valiantly came in again upon them with joy­full outcryes, encouraging one another to assur'd victory. The Earle of Darby seeing this disaster, wish'd himselfe further off, but it was in vaine; and therefore to make the best of that bad matter, he heartened on his Cavaliers, telling them, our forces now were at the last cast, and that if they once more did charge them but home, they would quickly be in rout.

The Cavaliers knowing it was but in vaine to turne their backs, desperately fell on againe, and were as valiantly re­ceiv'd, our men standing close, were not to be driven from their stations by all the fury of those divels, but drive backe, force by force, opposing man to man, and horse to horse, our Cannon by this time being charg'd, through the hedge play'd upon their flanks, so that the foot-men of Cheshire and North-Wales [Page 7]began to thinke of flight, when behold with a sudden and fearefull outcry those two hundred Musquetiers appea­red in the lane at their backs, discharging their peeces with good aime, and then falling in with the butt end of their mus­quets and swords, they made a bloody masacre among those malignants, who now would have fled, if they had knowne which way, esteeming those forces that had so on the sud­den, charged them on the rere to be double their numbers: many of them therefore threw away their Armes, and striv'd to leap the hedge on one side of the way; which being low, was propitious to their purpose; some escaping that way, many others cry'd out for quarter, and yeelded themselves: the Earle of Darby with his Cavaliers being in the Van, and hearing this strange hurliburly in his rere, turned faces about, beholding the sudden destruction of his men, which hee was no way able to remedy, was ready to run mad for anger, and so with his Cavaliers betook themselves to open flight, some of them leaping the hedge with their horses, and the rest with the Earle, taking downe the lane, and running over their owne foot as well as our musquetiers, made backe to Brumicham, our men to the very twnes end, and in the towne doing execution on thm; the poore townes-men re­joycing to see those villaines fall, that had so lately used them with all hostility. There fell in the fight and in the flight, six hundred men and upwards, and were full as many taken prisoners. Of our side there was lost some seven score per­sons, our men giving thanks to God the giver of all victo­ries for that conquest stayd at Brumicham that night and the next day, to see if the Earle would rally his forces, and againe give them battaile, but he had enough of that afternoones in­tertainment, and had no minde to any more such welcomes; and therefore as fast as his horse would carry him, hee made away to Shrewesbury, scarce thinking himselfe in safety, till he was within the walls, such an impression of feare had that conflict put into him, from thence, as is reported, hee is stolne down, ashamed to be seen at Westchester, to his Manor [Page 8]of Lathum in Lancashire, to reinforce his beaten Regiments: for our parts, with our prisoners, and some Ensignes that were tooke from the Enemy, we are retired to our houses, re­solving on all occasions, to venter our lives for the Honou­rable, the high Court of Parliament, which Heaven preserve in safety.