Econlib

The Library

Other Sites

 Front Page arrow Titles (by Subject) arrow Lieut.-General Fleetwood to General Monck - The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 4

Return to Title Page for The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 4

Search this Title:

Also in the Library:

Subject Area: Political Theory
Subject Area: History
Topic: The English Revolution

Lieut.-General Fleetwood to General Monck - Sir William Clarke, The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, vol. 4 [1901]

Edition used:

The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, Secretary to the Council of the Army, 1647-1649, and to General Monck and the Commanders of the Army in Scotland, 1651-1660, ed. C.H. Firth (London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1901). 4 vols.

Part of: The Clarke Papers. Selections from the Papers of William Clarke, 4 vols.

About Liberty Fund:

Liberty Fund, Inc. is a private, educational foundation established to encourage the study of the ideal of a society of free and responsible individuals.


Lieut.-General Fleetwood to General Monck

My Lord,

lii. f. 36b.I haveing received an accompt by Captain Loyd of your Lordshipp’s readines to comply with the Agreement of your Commissioners heere, I shall hope through the goodnes of the Lord that this busines of difference which have bin betweene us wilbee soe perfected to our mutuall satisfaction that wee shall both of us have noe other occasion then to returne to that former kindenesse and love which have bin betweene us, wherein bee confident I shall not bee wanting in any thing on my part to manifest my readinesse to expresse that honnoure and service which I have for yow. My Lord, these differences are like to ingage these poore Nations in greate confusions, and therefore certainely the dutye lyes uppon us to settle all differences betweene us. Wee have had some trouble yesterday in London. I shall give you an honnest and faithfull accompt thereof, as alsoe in the businesse of Portsmouth. Yesterday morneing there was a greate tumult raised by the apprentises uppon the pretence, not of the Long Parliament, but from the Parliament in the late Protector’s time, or else a Free Parliament as they call it, mannaged wholly by the Cavaleere Malignant party and those ingaged in Sir George Boothe’s insurrection. Theire cry was not for a Commonwealth, but to bee revenged, as theire owne expressions were, for the death of theire King. Through the goodnesse of the Lord this tumult was wholly suppressed; two or three of them killed and some few wounded; our souldjers received with much patience very greate provocations, because they would not shed bloud; otherwise they might have soone quenched that flame. This is nakedly the truth of that busines. I know yow will have variouse representations concerneing itt, but bee confident this is the truith thereof. That of Portsmouth is in short thus.1 Colonell Whetham did the last weeke send unto mee by a letter from Captain Browne to assure mee that hee would observe noe orders but from my selfe, and that hee would doe nothing in opposition to the army, and his expression was, ‘though your selfe with the army should come to the gates of the Towne, hee would not lett yow in;’ yet, contrary to these Engagements, and the confidence that I putt in him, hee hath deceived his trust, which I hope you will hardly beleeve; neither could I of Collonell Whetham of almost all the men of the army, but uppon Saturday night last hee lett in Sir Arthur Heslerigg and Colonell Morley in opposition to us; though Sir Arthur did alsoe give assurance that hee would not stirre, but live quietly, to the same purpose did Colonell Morley. Such breaches of promise I could not have expected from any man of honoure or honesty, much lesse from such. The Lord, I desire, may convince them of theire sinn, and will, I trust, make it appeare that they have dealt very deceitefully. Wee have already a party before them to block them upp, and are sending more forces after them, soe that at the least I doubt not, through the blessing of the Lord, wee shalbee able to keepe them from doeing any mischiefe otherwise then the reputation of that place to bee against us; onely I feare this will give a fresh incurragement to our Common Enimy, and therefore, my Lord, I beseeche yow lett there bee no longer delayes, but an union with mutuall confidence being soe necessary to prevent further disturbances, doe not deferr to give that satisfaction to your friends which may make us both to receive the goodnesse of the Lord in preventing these unhappy differences, which that wee may have is the desire of

Your affectionate and humble servant,

Charles Fleetwood.

Wallingford
Howse, Decembr. 6th, 1659.

[1 ]After the fall of Richard Cromwell, Col. Nathaniel Whetham was appointed Governor of Portsmouth (May 12), a man who had great influence there, having been also governor during the Commonwealth (Ludlow’s Memoirs, i. 394, ii. 80). Sir Arthur Haselrig, Col. Walton, and Col. Morley, three of the commissioners in whom Parliament, on October 11, 1659, had vested the government of the army, encouraged by the failure of the treaty between Monck and the English army, entered into correspondence with Whetham, who agreed to receive them and to declare for the restoration of the Long Parliament. On Sunday, December 3, Haselrig and his two colleagues came to Portsmouth, were welcomed by Whetham, seized some dissatisfied officers, and made their declaration (see A Letter from Sir Arthur Haselrig in Portsmouth to an Honourable Member of the late Parliament, 1659, 4to). The three sent letters to the Lord Mayor and the Commissioners of the London Militia demanding their support, and entered into an acrimonious correspondence with Fleetwood (The True Copys of several Letters from Portsmouth directed by Sir Arthur Haselrig, etc., to the Lord Fleetwood, 1 59, 4to; cf. Thurloe, vii. 795). Robert Wallop, Nicholas Love, and other influential gentlemen joined them, though Col. Richard Norton refused to do so. Troops were sent down to besiege them; but on December 20 five companies of foot and five troops of horse (the latter belonging to Col. Rich’s regiment) went over to the besieged, and the rest of the besieging force submitted (Public Intelligencer December 19-26). Haselrig and his friends then marched to London with a force consisting of about fifteen troops of horse and a regiment of foot. He arrived in London, and took his seat in Parliament on December 29 (Report on the MSS. of the Duke of Portland, i. 689; Commons’ Journals, vii. 799; Whitelocke’s Memorials, iv. 377-8, 380, 385; Ludlow, ii. 157, 160, 170, 183, 204; Clarendon State Papers, iii. 629; Guizot, Richard Cromwell, ii. 301, 303, 309, 317, 320, 331).