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<DATE>2009-09-05</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P><HI>AN</HI> IMPARTIALL NARRATION OF THE MANAGEMENT <HI>OF THE LATE</HI> KENTISH PETITION.</P>
<P><DATE><ADD>July 21</ADD></DATE> <HI>LONDON.</HI> Printed in the Year, 1648.</P>
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<HEAD><FIGURE>
<Q>HONI SOIT QVI MAL lY PENSE</Q>
<FIGDESC>royal blazon or coat of arms</FIGDESC>
</FIGURE></HEAD>
<HEAD><HI>AN</HI> Jmpartial Narration of the Manage|ment of the late <HI>Kenti&s;h Petition.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_ALthough the late <HI>Kenti&s;h</HI> Petition failed in its main aim and intent which was Peace, yet be|cau&s;e it procured &s;trange con&s;equences in re|ference to the whole Kingdome, and there hath been rai&s;ed many and &s;everal reports of the Management of that affaire in the carry|ing on of their ju&s;t Petition (which way of Addre&s;&s;e is undoubtedly the Birthright of the Subjects of Eng|land, and once lo&s;t, mu&s;t be &s;ucceeded with &s;lavery and Tyranny, both hateful to the Engli&s;h nation;) I &s;hall faithfully and impar|tially relate the beginning, progre&s;&s;e, and conclu&s;ion of that af|faire as far as I know, or from credible per&s;ons could learn the particulars thereof.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, that it was the intent of the Countrey to carry up that Petition without Armes, or the lea&s;t war-like appearance, is No|toriou&s;ly known to all that know any thing in that bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and the peaceable entrance of the Petitioners into that action: But that which cau&s;ed them to appear in that war-like po&s;ture, was the Printed Declaration with mo&s;t of the <HI>Deputy-Lieutenants</HI> hands to them commanded to be read in Churches throughout the whole County, calling the petitions Seditious Papers, which tended to the rai&s;ing &s;editions and tumults within the &s;aid Coun|ty,
<PB N="2" REF="3"><!-- PDF PAGE 99 -->and the indeavouring the promoting thereof Seditious practi|&s;es; the lea&s;t of which was mo&s;t contrary to their thoughts, who aym'd at nothing more then to pre&s;erve their and the whole Kingdoms Birth-right, in pre&s;enting their ju&s;t de&s;ires in a mo&s;t peaceable and u&s;ual manner; had not the afore-&s;aid Declarations with other &s;cattered expre&s;&s;ions by &s;ome in Authority, of hang|ing &s;ome in every pari&s;h that dur&s;t adventure to go up with the Petition; And the rai&s;iing of &s;everal Troops of Hor&s;e (which upon good grounds was conceived) to make good tho&s;e decla|rations and expre&s;&s;ions (not again to be exampled by any Com|mittee in the Kingdome) cau&s;ed the extreamly and ju&s;tly agrie|ved and incen&s;ed Petitioners to take up Armes for their own de|fence and pre&s;ervation of them&s;elves from the &s;ad and bloudy example of their next neighbours the <HI>Surrey-men;</HI> &s;o fre&s;hly bleeding in their memories: Thus far for their taking up Arms; Next for the progre&s;&s;e of the Petitioners in pur&s;uance of their Petition; They met together upon <HI>Boxley-Heath</HI> on Tu&s;eday <HI>May</HI> the thirtieth, intending the &s;ame day for <HI>Black-Heath,</HI> and ten Gentlemen with ten Yeomen to have gone from thence with the Petition to the <HI>Parliament,</HI> in the behalf of all the re&s;t: But an Order comming from both Hou&s;es at that in&s;tant to them, that the Hou&s;es would receive none of their Petition, but had referred it and them to the <HI>Lord Generall Fairfax,</HI> who was at that very in&s;tant (&s;trange and unexpected to them) drawn up at <HI>Black-Heath</HI> in a War-like po&s;ture with about four thou&s;and Hor&s;e and Foot with other forces on their March for his recruit; It was thought fit to apply them&s;elves to the <HI>General</HI> for his me|diation to the Hou&s;es that their Petition might be received; which he refu&s;ed to do, and chu&s;ing the contrary to pur&s;ue them as Rebels: And the <HI>Kenti&s;h</HI> Forces not being compleat in their <HI>Field-Officers</HI> and others, and &s;ome other accomodations nece&s;|&s;ary, which in &s;o &s;hort time could not be put into &s;o fitting an equipage as was required for an Army, forced pre&s;ently to fight, concluded forthwith to retreat their unmembred body within the River of <HI>Med-way;</HI> which accordingly they did, for its more &s;afe modelizing, and their &s;tanding on their ju&s;t defence: But the <HI>General</HI> finding them in green Councel, and knowing his own advantage in timely pur&s;uing them, before they were regu|lated,
<PB N="3" REF="3"><!-- PDF PAGE 99 -->neglects no time but follows them to <HI>Maid&s;tone, Alsford, Tra&s;um,</HI> and <HI>Farley-bridge,</HI> the chief pa&s;&s;es of tho&s;e parts; which being kept by too &s;mall Parties, for the encountring with the <HI>Generals</HI> old Soldiers: On Thur&s;day night following, he fell to &s;torming of <HI>Maid&s;tone,</HI> which was &s;o wel maintain'd by part of a Regiment of <HI>Trained-bands</HI> (who made it good) that diver&s;e times they repul&s;ed the Enemy out of the Town to their great lo&s;&s;e; and di&s;puted it with them at lea&s;t &s;ix hours, ex&s;pecting re|lief from <HI>General Goring,</HI> who had newly received that Title from the Gentlemen then at <HI>Roche&s;ter,</HI> where the main body of the <HI>Kenti&s;h</HI> Army then lay; but <HI>General Goring</HI> either conceiving it too late, or having &s;ome other de&s;igne which was conceived of more moment (I know not) marching the next day the other way to <HI>Black-Heath,</HI> and from thence cro&s;&s;ing the water into <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> and &s;ending no relief to tho&s;e poor men, (which by their enemies own confe&s;&s;ion did &s;o gallantly con&s;idering their num|ber and condition) they were forced at la&s;t, being over-powr'd with Hor&s;e and Foot all at one time, to &s;ubmit them&s;elves pri&s;o|ners, and &s;urrender the Town to the mercy of the Enemy; which in all likelihood had been made good and defended from all the power and &s;trength of the Adver&s;e party, had but one fourth part of the body then at <HI>Roche&s;ter</HI> marched to their relief: And after all this dia&s;ter, had but the whole body advanced down to the Town, they had in all probability recovered it, redeemed their Pri&s;oners, and made good that place again&s;t any vi&s;ible power of the enemies; by rea&s;on of which advancing of their new <HI>General</HI> the contrary way, the <HI>Kenti&s;h</HI> Gentry and Soldiers were &s;o di&s;contented that they might not March to the re&s;cue of their friends, (and not knowing the <HI>Generals</HI> de&s;igne for &s;uch actions of his) as that diver&s;e of them on a &s;uddain di&s;per&s;ed eve|ry way to &s;hift for them&s;elves, crying out they were betrayed; &s;o that the <HI>General</HI> carryed not over into <HI>E&s;&s;ex</HI> above fifteen hun|dred of all their forces; the re&s;t &s;cattered, except twelve hundred Hor&s;e and Foot, who retreated to <HI>Canterbury</HI> to make good that place, the three Ca&s;tles of <HI>Sandown, Deal,</HI> and <HI>Weymor;</HI> and the Town of <HI>Sandwich,</HI> but for want of men, Ammunition; and Provi&s;ion to make good all, leaving the three Ca&s;tles well man'd and provided, <HI>Sandwich</HI> be&s;ides the wanting of Fortfications
<PB N="4" REF="4"><!-- PDF PAGE 100 -->and provi&s;ions, being very aver&s;e to a concurrence with the County, in re&s;pect of a great part of the Town within, by rea&s;on of the faction of the people, which was much increa&s;ed by the &s;etting up of an impo&s;tor and counterfeit Prince; &s;o that many families mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity have been expul&s;ed the Town, or &s;e|cured; and would have required longer time, and the greate&s;t part of the Forces then in Armes, before it could be made teneable; and <HI>Canterbury</HI> being then the &s;eat of the whole Acti|on, which mu&s;t have been left with all the Countrey thereabout by this enterprize to the mercy and &s;poil of the Enemy) they were forced to make one body of all their numbers within <HI>Canterbury,</HI> there re&s;olving to try their fortunes; to which place the <HI>Generall</HI> made with all his &s;trength he had in that County, which was about four thou&s;and Hor&s;e and Foot viz. <HI>Colonell Ri|ches,</HI> and <HI>Colonell Hew&s;ons</HI> Regiments of Hor&s;e and Foot &s;ent to relieve <HI>Dover-Ca&s;tle,</HI> and after that, he had Command to make good the Ea&s;t &s;ide of the Town; and then <HI>Comi&s;&s;ary Ireton's</HI> Regi|ment of Hor&s;e, and &s;ome other broken Regiments of Hor&s;e, with <HI>Colonell Bax&s;ters</HI> Regiment of Foot, and part of other bro|ken Regiments of Foot, (which in all made up the afore&s;aid numbers of the <HI>General's</HI> Forces) be&s;ide &s;ome Additionall Forces the <HI>Deputy-Lieutenants</HI> of the County had by this time got to|gether and were in their daily increa&s;e; all which were de&s;igned for the reducing of <HI>Canterbury,</HI> and were within two hours March of the &s;ame on the We&s;t &s;ide: And therefore to &s;peak a little in Vindication of tho&s;e Gentlemen who there Acted, be|cau&s;e I have heard &s;everall &amp; &s;ome fal&s;e reports of their procee|dings; as that they &s;urrendred the Town to fifteen hundred, when three thou&s;and were in it; which is very fal&s;e; for their Enemies numbers it is mo&s;t certain, them&s;elves confe&s;&s;ing it; into their numbers mu&s;t be reckoned women and children to make up the &s;um of three thou&s;and, for they had not above thirteen hundred fighting men when the Enemy came nigh, and they continually le&s;&s;ening by the running away of the Soldiers; and many that &s;tayed, began to grow di&s;contented for want of pay, and the Town neither teneable nor provided with victuals; for la&s;t <HI>Chri&s;tmas-Gamboll</HI> had burnt up their gates, and made diver&s;e breaches in their wals which were not yet re-edyfyed; and no
<PB N="5" REF="4"><!-- PDF PAGE 100 -->hopes of relief from their <HI>Generall</HI> my Lord of <HI>Norwich,</HI> (who was at that in&s;tant in <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> and nece&s;&s;itated to provide for him|&s;elf) nor from any others that might timely do it. It is true in|deed, fifteen hundred only of the Enemies Forces entred the Town, the mo&s;t of the Forces after the Articles agreed on, being Commanded &s;everall waies, the greate&s;t part into <HI>E&s;&s;ex,</HI> the re&s;t to <HI>Sandwich,</HI> and to make good their &s;iege again&s;t <HI>Weymor-Ca|&s;tle:</HI> So that all the&s;e things truly con&s;idered, that the Petition being onely for peace, and the rai&s;ing of Armes only for their ju&s;t defence in the delivering thereof; and no thoughts then of a &s;et|led or continued war, till all the Forces Rai&s;ed by the <HI>Kenti&s;h</HI> Gentlemen were thus &s;cattered and di&s;per&s;ed, which was then certainly too late to think upon, in that their Enemies Forces were then &s;o neer them, all relief &s;o far from them, the Town, by rea&s;on of its former defects &s;o untenable, and by rea&s;on of its compa&s;&s;e requiring &s;o many to guard it, and their own Forces &s;o unproportionably few to defend it, their money and provi&s;ion &s;pent, &s;o that upon nece&s;&s;ity they mu&s;t maintain the Soldiers upon plundring the provi&s;ion of the Town; which, was too &s;o &s;cant, as was not able to maintain &s;o many per&s;ons but a very little while, and the Countrey not ready to bring in any more; the rich booty in it be&s;ide, which would have been an incourage|ment to their Soldiary, a di&s;couragement to the other, e&s;pecially the Town Forces; who&s;e whole e&s;tates were mo&s;t in danger: So that the&s;e things thus certainly &s;tanding, in my opinion you will find that tho&s;e Gentlemen who there acted, did as much as po&s;|&s;ibly in them lay for their Countreyes and their own defence as long as there was any hope of life in that action, and &s;tayed it out to the la&s;t when others de&s;erted it, and perhaps hereby in a Condition rather to take then to make, Articles: To which (though much prejudiciall to them&s;elves and their own bene|fit) yet out of the deep &s;ence and feeling of that Rapine and &s;poile which would inevitably have fallen upon Rich and poor without exception by the Army, they were now willing to a|gree that they might (though 'twere through their own lo&s;&s;e) pre&s;erve the Town.</P>
<P>The Yeomanry, and poor Labourers from further plundring
<PB N="6" REF="5"><!-- PDF PAGE 101 -->which mu&s;t of nece&s;&s;ity have en&s;ued, and yet the i&s;&s;ue and con|clu&s;ion of their be&s;t advantages in that Condition they were in within a very &s;hort time in all humane probability mu&s;t have proved &s;ucce&s;le&s;&s;e and fruitle&s;&s;e. And this I am a&s;&s;ured, by the &s;trict enquiry I have made into that affair is the whole truth of it, &s;o as I much wonder to hear &s;uch Calumny rai&s;ed by &s;trangers, and e&s;pecially by &s;ome of their own members, tending to the di&s;|paragement of tho&s;e Gentlemen, and di&s;-uniting the Gentry of the County in affection not to be cemented again, in all likely|hood for any Future action of the like nature.</P>
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