country, would be, however, by selecting the cases of a few individuals of that class of society, not particularly distinguished for the share taken by them in the troubles of the time; and, if of any historical importance, not as warriors or statesmen, but merely as having being forced by local circumstances into a temporary notoriety, which ceased with the restoration of public order, and a return to the usual course of things in the interchanges of social and domestic life. We have been allowed access to some private papers, which, in addition to the public sources of information already alluded to, will render the task of such a research more than ordinarily interesting, with reference to the case of Sir John Acland, of Columbjohn, the ancestor of the present highly respected member for the county of Devon, a royalist gentleman of great worth and reputation, whom (nevertheless) the casual events of the war alone elevated to a station in which he was (we may presume) unwillingly conspicuous in a certain district, and during a limited period of our great civil distractions. "At the commencement of the war," (we are now quoting from the Summary of Transactions in the West of England, prefixed by Mr. Lysons to his History of Devonshire in the Magna Britannia,) "the whole county of Devon was in the hands of the committees, and the majority of the inhabitants, particularly in the north part of the county, attached to the cause of the parliament." In October, 1642, the city of Exeter received a parliament garrison, and became the head quarters of their general, the Earl of Stamford; and, notwithstanding the successes which attended the arms of the Cornish royalists, and the army under Sir Ralph Hopton, during the greater part of the following year, we are told that, Late in the summer of 1643, the king had no force in the county, except a small garrison at Columbjohn, the seat of Sir John Acland, which was some check upon the garrison at Exeter. Sir John Berkeley was then sent into Devonshire with a regiment of horse, to take the command of the king's forces, to recruit their numbers, and take measures for blockading Exeter. After the capture of Bristol, Prince Maurice was sent into the west as commander-in-chief. He found Sir John Berkeley's forces, much augmented by new levies from the country, straitly besieging Exeter, with his guards close to the gates.' That city surrendered on the 4th of September, 1643, and remained from that time the principal garrison and chief hope of the royalists in the west, until its ultimate subjugation by Fairfax. On the 26th of July, 1644, the king came thither, in his pursuit of the Earl of Essex; and was, with his army, again quartered there, " and about Bradninch, Crediton, &c." in the immediate neighbourhood, on his return from that expedition in August. * During the course of that year, which (as far as relates to the affairs of the west) was principally occupied by the unsuccessful siege of Plymouth, the scene gradually changed in its aspect towards the contending parties. "In September, 1645, the clubmen of Devon declared for the parliament. From this time, nothing but a series of disastrous events happened to the royal party in Devonshire; nor is it to be wondered at, that these disasters should have been hastened by the cruelties and oppressions of Sir Richard Grenville, the licentious conduct of Lord Goring, and the dissensions among all the king's generals.""In the midst of these dissensions, Sir Thomas Fairfax, commander-in-chief of the parliament army, entered Devonshire, and pursued his victorious career, till he had reduced. every town and fortress in the county. Lord Goring, who had been quartered at Poltimore, with fifteen hundred horse, retired into Exeter ;" and, soon afterwards, having quitted his command, withdrew to the continent. Fairfax made himself master of Tiverton, on the 19th of October, and, after its reduction, Poltimore, Bishop's Clyst, and Stoke Canon, (all on the eastern side, and within three or four miles of the city,) were made parliament garrisons. Other places, situated to the north and west, were in like manner occupied. On the 25th of January, 1645-6, Powderham Castle, (the ancient seat of the Courtenays, then in the occupation of Sir Amos Ameredith, who had married the widow of the late Colonel Francis Courtenay,†) was taken by Colonel Hammond, and Mamhead, (the seat of Sir Peter Ball,) another royalist garrison, in the same neighbourhood, was abandoned. The city of Exeter, now entirely surrounded, was summoned by Fairfax, on the 27th of January, and the blockade commenced on the 9th of February. Various other transactions in the northern and western parts of the county withdrew the attention of the general during that and the following month; but, at length, on the 31st of March, 1646, we find him at Columbjohn, his army being quartered at Silverton. On the 3d of April, a treaty was commenced at Poltimore, and carried on till the 9th, when the city was surrendered upon articles. We have been particular in these dates, as necessary to the full understanding of what follows, and have only to add, that Columbjohn, (the theatre of so large a part of the events * This was the seat of Sir John Bampfylde, a gentleman attached to the parliament cause; and still remains that of his descendants. + The then Sir William Courtenay was too young to have taken any part in the troubles; but his father-in-law's name occurs in the list of compounders. recorded) of which the old entrance gate and chapel are all that now remains, (the family having since removed their residence to Kellerton, at a mile's distance,) became thus unhappily distinguished, less, probably, on account of its strength as a fortress, than from its situation at five miles distance from, and commanding the eastern approach to, the western capital. We have seen that, in the summer of 1643, the house of Columbjohn was employed as a royalist garrison, to keep in check the parliament forces at Exeter. It was at this period the jointure house of the Lady Elinour Vincent, (Sir John Acland's mother,) who, after the death of her first husband, Arthur Acland, Esq., had become the wife of Sir Francis Vincent, and appears to have then been in her second widowhood. The earliest document we have to refer to, is dated 22d August, 1643, and indorsed, "The grant of eight oxen of the Lady Button's, for £20." "Forasmuch as the Lady Vincent hath been heretofore plundered by the militia forces of cattle, horses, sheep, and other goods, to the value of £400., and being now possessed of eight oxen, (lately the goods of the Lady Martha Button, who is disaffected to his majesty's service,) These are to authorise the said Lady Vincent to detain and keep the said oxen to her own proper use, she paying forthwith the moiety of the value of them to the use of his majesty's army. The marshal general is to value the said oxen, and return the money to the tre".... (probably, treasury.) "Given under my hand, this 22d Aug. 1643, (Signed) JOHN BERKELEY." Indorsed, "A note of my Lady's losses"-and, in another place, "A note of my Lady Vincent's damages by parliament." "A particular of cattle, horses, and sheep, plundered by commission from Richard Evans and others. If the eight oxen belonging to the Lady Button, after de ducting therefrom the moiety of the value for the use of the king's army, were the only compensation to this unfortunate dowager, in lieu of all these losses, it must be admitted that her loyalty (whether forced or voluntary) had already cost her sufficiently dear. In the autumn of 1645, a short time previous to the entry of Fairfax into Devonshire, and the investment of Exeter, this good lady died, having (as it appears) by a nuncupation will, made in her last sickness, disposed of all her property "among her son, Sir John Acland, his lady, and children”—and (of the date of the 6th of September in that year,) we have the following "Note of plate at Killerton, taken and sent to London"probably for the sake of safe custody-since it does not appear upon the face of the document that it relates to plundered articles. It is curious, as exhibiting the interior of an English country gentleman's plate cupboard, in the time of Charles the First. "Imprimis, One great voyder and knife, with my Lady Vincent's arms thereon. "Item, One basin and ewer. One washing basin and ewer. Two great flaggons. One skinker. Two candlesticks. Two bowls, with bears' heads. One great salt, with my lady's arms. Two hooped tankards, the one with my lady's arms. Six plates, with bears' heads. One chaffing dish. Six saucers, with my lady's arms. One dozen of spoons, with the letter E. One great dish for cream, with Sir F. and my lady's arms. One fruit dish, parcell-gilt. One posset, with a cover and cock to it. One little caudle cup, with three legs and cover. One other posset, with cover and three legs. One silver snuffer. One goblet, embossed. One stone tankard, hooped, and crowned with silver. One skillet, with my lady's arms. One little cup, with two bows. One cullender and scumming dish. Long spoon for preserves. One porringer. One little cup, with one bow. Perfuming pan. Fruit dish. Pestle and Mortar. One tankard, with a great belly. One porringer. One gilt cup with cover." Our loyal baronet—(he had been invested with that dignity only the year preceding*-) was not destined to enjoy the fruits of the inheritance which thus devolved upon him. Ano day of * Lord Clarendon assigns to him the honour of having, at this period, alone sustained the royal cause in the county of Devon. His patent of baronet, granted the 1644, is said to have been lost during the confusion that followed, and the title was dropped by his two elder sons and grandson, who were successively entitled to assume it after him. It was not till after the accession of his third son, Sir Hugh Acland, (commonly styled the fifth baronet) that the grant was renewed with precedure according to the date of the first creation. ther curious document, in his own hand-writing, will explain the nature and extent of the losses which he incurred almost immediately on coming into possession of it. It is indorsed— "A particular of my quartering, payments, and disbursements, for the parliament army, and towards the parliament, during the leaguer before Exeter, 1645, and since." And the following are its contents- "Imprimis, 71 acres of hay £71. Item, 34 acres of oats £68. 3 acres of beans £9. Item, 12 fat cattle £60. Eighty fat sheep £40. Six hogsheads of cyder £6. Ten hogs £20. In barley and malt £20. In wheat straw £20 Item, Bought in provisions, when all this was spent £30. Item, The houses of Columbjohn and Killerton, during this time, were rifled and spoiled, to the value of £35. Item, Paid during this time to the garrison of Poltimore, for taxes, £12 14s. Item, To the garrison of Stoke Cannon, £7. Item, To Lieut. Bernard, for quartering, £4. Item, Quartering and payments at other places during the time, £40. Lost in horses by the parliament army, then and before, which were plundered away, £ Item, Paid towards my composition at Goldsmith's Hall £863. Item, Expended about the perception thereof, and since, being put to a great trouble by one Evans* of Exeter, Brewer, £ Item, All my household goods are detained from me, and seized by the said Evans, to the value of £— Item, All my Estate hath been sequestered by the parliament since August 1646; insomuch, that I was debarred from granting of Estates, to raise money to pay my fine at Goldsmith's Hall, and other debts, to my damage, of (at least) £1500. Item, My house is plundered by the Earl of Stamford's men, to the loss of (at least) £ Indorsed on this is the following "Disbursements towards the king's service. I raised two regiments of foot at my own expense, which cost me, £ Driven from my house into Cornwall, where I remained for the space of, £ Lost in houses by the Lord Goring's men, and other his Quartering of soldiers and extraordinary charges in Exeter * See and compare the preceding character of a sequestrator. |