Priamus Davies

“ Never did God keep up the hearts of a poor handful of men or raise them higher than were ours; considering what a bloody potent enemy lay about us and how far all possibility of relief was from us. I speak this only to the praise of God who manifested His great power and our weakness, otherwise these truths would render me ridiculous. The Cavaliers seeing our resolutions to be above their alarms, were at a stand what to do: to enter the breach they had no stomach, they had enough of that at Hopton Castle, began to contrive another way ”

“ They had in the day planted their ordnance upon the breach, and as we were quenching the fire, they played upon us with great and small shot in a most furious manner, yet not a man plain or so much as daunted, so wonderful God held up our spirits. ”

“ Our expectations of relief, the third day being over, began to fail, we yet resolved to defend the breach to the very last man; for their cruelty at Hopton Castle encouraged us to die like men rather than to rely on their mercies; besides we knew not then, but they had given our men at Hopton quarter under hand and seal, for so we were well informed by very many that were there, which was the only reason why we would never admit any parley. Three days more we defended our breach, yet no relief came ”

“ They made forty-two shots, which through God's mercy did little hurt. The noble lady was this day more courageous than ever, bid us now play the men, for the enemy was in good earnest. Among the many policies of war it is not the least to hold intelligence with friends abroad, this her wisdom was great. This night we had secret intelligence through all their courts of guard to our no small advantage and encouragement. ”

“ A commission was sent from both Houses of Parliament that the castle should be kept for the King and Parliament, it being of considerable strength, that the delinquents in the adjacent coimties might be seized upon, that Lieutenant Wright, a very gallant gentleman, one whose religion, resolution, good service and great sufferings speak his fidelity to the kingdom, and to the cause of God, should command in chief in this castle, and raise a regiment for the reducing of this malignant county to the obedience of King and Parliament ”

“ Thus our prosperity, enlargement, and happiness daily increasing and growing up, suddenly and in a moment decayed and withered, wherein we may behold as in a glass the mutability and inconstancy of earthly honours and content and that nothing below heaven is permanent or lasting, but of a decaying nature, and subject to resolution and change. ”

“ The violence and outrages that threatened our women and children, whose lives we preferred before our own, and seeing ourselves without possibility or hopes of relief, or of further defence or longer subsistence, we accepted their conditions and delivered up the castle. ”

“ Upon the 5th the enemy made twenty-three shots more, at last came down a stack of chimneys, at which the Cavaliers gave a great shout and cause they had so to do, that with thirty-seven shots no more execution should be done. We pretermitted nothing that might strengthen our walls, but all of us laboured as they say for life with much cheerfulness. ”

“ The news of relief came to us about this time from Gloucester, through all their courts of guard. Woodhouse now returns with most of the Prince's army; the Red, Green and Blue regiments of his great ordnance, which he speedily planted, and a multitude of pioneers and colliers that began to mine. The multitude being so great, we thought it not safe to adventure out any more. Then they began with their great ordnance to play upon us. The first day they made eighty-seven shots against us with a twenty and twenty-four pound ball ”

“ The night following two others that had pretended and protested very fair run away; after these, some fifteen soldiers of the garrison took pattern and made their escape; so that we were left not above fifty fighting men. These cowardly and base spirits gave such encouragement to the enemy together with a petition of some [ ] gentlemen to Prince Rupert, one of whom hath been murdered by the Cavaliers, in his own house, that they resolved with all their power that that destroyer of petty garrisons could make to come against us. ”

“ An account of the siege of Brampton Castle by Priamus Davies 1643-4. — An account of the sieges of Brampton Castle and the massacre of Hopton Castle, by Captain Priamus Davies, who was an eye witness.
Amongst the several acts of hostility either defensive or offensive since the beginning of these unnatural wars, more of God hath not been seen in so weak means of resistance in any part of the kingdom than in this castle now consumed to ashes together with the town, and that church [in which] was so long held forth the truth of God — by the late famous dispenser of God's truth Mr. ”