Exeter, Devon, South-West England, British Isles [Map]

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 894. This year, that was about twelve months after they had wrought a work in the eastern district, the Northumbrians and East-Angles had given oaths to King Alfred (age 45), and the East-Angles six hostages; nevertheless, contrary to the truce, as oft as the other plunderers went out with all their army, then went they also, either with them, or in a separate division. Upon this King Alfred gathered his army, and advanced, so that he encamped between the two armies at the highest point he could find defended by wood and by water, that he might reach either, if they would seek any field. Then went they forth in quest of the wealds, in troops and companies, wheresoever the country was defenceless. But they were also sought after most days by other companies, either by day or by night, both from the army and also from the towns. The king had divided his army into two parts; so that they were always half at home, half out; besides the men that should maintain the towns. The army came not all out of their stations more than twice; once, when they first came to land, ere the forces were collected, and again, when they wished to depart from their stations. They had now seized much booty, and would ferry it northward over Thames into Essex, to meet their ships. But the army rode before them, fought with them at Farnham, routed their forces, and there arrested the booty. And they flew over Thames without any ford, then up by the Colne on an island. Then the king's forces beset them without as long as they had food; but they had their time set, and their meat noted. And the king was advancing thitherwards on his march with the division that accompanied him. But while he was advancing thitherwards, the other force was returning homewards. The Danes, however, still remained behind; for their king was wounded in the fight, so that they could not carry him. Then collected together those that dwell in Northumbria and East-Anglia about a hundred ships, and went south about; and with some forty more went north about, and besieged a fort in Devonshire by the north sea; and those who went south about beset Exeter [Map]. When the king heard that, then went he west towards Exeter with all his force, except a very considerable part of the eastern army, who advanced till they came to London; and there being joined by the citizens and the reinforcements that came from the west, they went east to Barnfleet. Hasten was there with his gang, who before were stationed at Milton, and also the main army had come thither, that sat before in the mouth of the Limne at Appledore. Hasten had formerly constructed that work at Barnfleet, and was then gone out on plunder, the main army being at home. Then came the king's troops, and routed the enemy, broke down the work, took all that was therein money, women, and children and brought all to London. And all the ships they either broke to pieces, or burned, or brought to London or to Rochester [Map]. And Hasten's wife and her two sons they brought to the king, who returned them to him, because one of them was his godson, and the other Alderman Ethered's. They had adopted them ere Hasten came to Bamfleet; when he had given them hostages and oaths, and the king had also given him many presents; as he did also then, when he returned the child and the wife. And as soon as they came to Bamfleet, and the work was built, then plundered he in the same quarter of his kingdom that Ethered his compeer should have held; and at another time he was plundering in the same district when his work was destroyed. The king then went westward with the army toward Exeter, as I before said, and the army had beset the city; but whilst he was gone they went to their ships. Whilst he was thus busied there with the army, in the west, the marauding parties were both gathered together at Shobury in Essex, and there built a fortress. Then they both went together up by the Thames, and a great concourse joined them, both from the East-Angles and from the Northumbrians. They then advanced upward by the Thames, till they arrived near the Severn. Then they proceeded upward by the Severn. Meanwhile assembled Alderman Ethered, Alderman Ethelm, Alderman Ethelnoth, and the king's thanes, who were employed at home at the works, from every town east of the Parret, as well as west of Selwood, and from the parts east and also north of the Thames and west of the Severn, and also some part of North-Wales. When they were all collected together, they overtook the rear of the enemy at Buttington on the banks of the Severn, and there beset them without on each side in a fortress. When they had sat there many weeks on both sides of the water, and the king meanwhile was in Devonshire westward with the naval force, then were the enemy weighed down with famine. They had devoured the greater part of their horses; and the rest had perished with hunger. Then went they out to the men that sat on the eastern side of the river, and fought with them; but the Christians had the victory. And there Ordhelm, the king's thane, was slain; and also many other king's thanes; and of the Danes there were many slain, and that part of them that came away escaped only by flight. As soon as they came into Essex to their fortress, and to their ships, then gathered the remnant again in East-Anglia and from the Northumbrians a great force before winter, and having committed their wives and their ships and their booty to the East-Angles, they marched on the stretch by day and night, till they arrived at a western city in Wirheal that is called Chester [Map]. There the army could not overtake them ere they arrived within the work: they beset the work though, without, some two days, took all the cattle that was thereabout, slew the men whom they could overtake without the work, and all the corn they either burned or consumed with their horses every evening. That was about a twelvemonth since they first came hither over sea.

Polydore Vergil [1470-1555]. 7th September 1497. But, whichever it was, while he lingered in Ireland in a fever of uncertainty, reliable messengers informed him that the Cornishmen, undeterred by their recent disaster, were still badly affected towards Henry (age 40) and ready to take up arms once more to avenge the wrong. And so, thinking it would be useful not to ignore this proffered opportunity, went flying to them without delay. He solicited them, he incited them, he promised them such great things that a stroke he was hailed as their leader, with all men shouting they would obey his commands. Restored to good hope by these things, Peter (age 23) decided that nothing should be done rashly. First he should go in all directions, gaining power over fortified places that could serve for his protection. Then, having increased his forces, he should attack all who offered resistance. Adopting this strategy, he attacked and besieged Exeter, Devon [Map]. Since he lacked artillery to batter down its walls, he only sought to smash its gates opens, and with great vigor he began to pound them with stones, pry at them with steel, heap them with wood, and set them afire. At first, the townsmen, seeing the walls surrounded by the enemy at one point, and a fire to be started at another, were afraid. But they immediately let down messengers from the walls during the night, who were to inform the king. Then they courageously decided to fight fire with fire and, since the bars of the gates were already shattered, they added their own wood to the fire, so that the flames raging on either side would both prevent the enemy from coming within and their own citizens from leaving. And meanwhile they themselves dug ditches inside in front of the entry days and made earthworks. Thus all of the besiegers' efforts around the gates came to naught, and fire rescued the citizenry from fire. Then Peter, of necessity breaking off the fight at the gates, attacked the city at various points where it seemed weaker, and, bringing up ladders, frequently tried to take the walls, suffering great losses. Meanwhile he hoped that the burghers would be overwhelmed either by fear or want of provisions, could be impelled to surrender.

Diary of Edward VI. August 1549. To Devonshier the lord Previ-seal (age 64)¹ was sent, who with his band, being but smal, lay at Honington whils the rebels besieged Exciter [Map], who did rise divers preaty feates of warre. For after divers skirmishes, when the gatis were burnt, thei in the cite did continew the fir(e), til thei had mad a ramper within. Also afterward, when they were underminded and pouder was laid in the mind, thei within drouned the pouder and the mind with water they cast in; wich the lord Previ-seal hearing, thought to a gone to renforce them a bie way; of wich the rebels having spial, cut al the trees betwixt St. Mary-Outrie and Exciter. For wich cause the lord Previ-seal burnt that toun, and thought to returne home. The rebels kept a brig behind his bake, and so compelled him with his smal band to set upon them, wich he did and overcam them, killing 600 of them, and returning hom without any loss of men. Then the lord Gray (age 40) and Spinula² with their bandis came to him, and afterward Gray (sic) with 200 of Reding, with wich bands he being renforcid came to raise the sieg at Exciter, for bicaus thei had scarcety of vitel; and as he passed from Hunniagton, he cam to a little towne of his owne, whether cam but only tow waies, wich thei had ranforced with tow bulwarkes mad of earth, and had put to the defence of the same about 2000 men, and the rest the(y) had layed, some at a brige called Honnington brige, partly at a certein hedg in a hie way, and the most part at the sieg of Exciter. The rierward of the horsmen, of which Travers was captain, set upon the on(e) bulwark, the vauard and battail on the tother. Spiaula's band kept them occupied at their wale. At lenght Travers drove them into the towne, wich the lord Previ-seal burnt. Then thei rane to a bridg thereby; from whence being driven their were in a plain about 900 of them slain. The next day ther wer mete about other 2000 of them at the entrie of a hie way, who first desired to talk, and in the meane season fortified them selves, wich being perceived they ranne ther wayes, and that same night the cite of Exitter was delivered of the siege.^1a

Note 1. John lord Russell, shortly after made earl of Bedford. Some of his despatches to the council on this occasion will be found in Strype's Memorials, vol. ii. Records, DD.; also in Wiffen's Memorials of the House of Eussell, i. 369.

Note 2. "Captaine Paule Baptist Spinola, an Italian, borne of a noble house in Genoa, with a band of Italian footmen" Holinshed, p. 1651.

Note 1a. A very full narrative of the Devonshire rebellion, written by John Vowell, alias Hooker, chamberlain of Exeter, accompanied by a "description of the citie," was first published in the edition of 1586 of Holinshed's Chronicle, and it occupies in the edition of 1808 pp. 926-963 of vol. iii. It was also printed distinctly in 4to. 1775. Great pains were taken to refute the religious doctrines advanced in their "supplication" or manifesto: and several drafts of "the King's answer" thereto are preserved in the State Paper office, which Mr. Tytler has partly printed, i. 178 — 182; but a much more elaborate reply was compiled by Cranmer, which will be found at length in his works (Parker Soc, edition), ii. 163—187.

In March 1586 a virulent outbreak of gaol fever occurred during the Assizes in Exeter, Devon [Map]. The cause according to modern medical opinion was typhus transmitted by the human body-louse. Among the dead victims were eight judges, eleven of the twelve jurors, several constables, and the surrounding population which was ravaged by the disease for several months.

Edward Flowerdew died of gaol fever.

On 28th March 1586 Thomas Carew of Haccombe (age 70) died of gaol fever.

On 31st March 1586 John Chichester died of gaol fever.

On 1st April 1586 Robert Carey (age 71) died of gaol fever.

On 2nd April 1586 Arthur Bassett (age 45) died of gaol fever.

On 10th April 1586 Bernard Drake (age 58) died of gaol fever.