We have unfortunately no local records of the measures taken by our old townspeople, or by their cavalier visitors for converting the little town into a royalist stronghold; but it appears that in the early part of the year 1643, while Cromwell was at Cambridge, busy in establishing there the Head quarters of the East Anglian Association, he received information of “a great confederacy among the malignants of a town called Lowestoft, being a place of great consequence.” It is said that the information was given him by a man who brought fish to Cambridge; doubtless a Yarmouth man. Cromwell, with his usual energy, started off at once to nip this “malignant” movement in the bud.
We have a full account of what took place from a letter written at the time by Mr. J. Cory, a Norwich man. Cromwell started with 5 troops of horse, which he increased at Norwich, with 80 volunteer dragoons, under Captain Fountain and Captain Rich, and arranged with the Yarmouth people to meet him at Lowestoft with an additional force of foot volunteers and 5 pieces of ordnance. With this formidable force he appeared at Lowestoft on the March. He found
“That the town had blocked themselves up, all except where they had placed their ordnance, which were three pieces, before which a chain was drawn to keep off the horse. The Colonel surrounded the town and demanded that they should give up the strangers, the town, and their army, promising them their favour, if so; if not, none. They yielded to deliver their strangers, but not the rest. Where upon our Norwich dragoons crept under the chain before mentioned, and came within pistol shot of the ordnance, preparing to fire upon their cannoneer, who fled. So they gained the two pieces of ordnance and broke the chain, and they and the horses entered the town without resistance; when presently eighteen strangers yielded themselves—Sir T. Barker, Sir John Pettus, of Norfolk, Mr. Knivett, of Ashwell Thorpe, Mr. Richard Catelyn’s son, some say his father too was there in the morning. Sir F. Cory, my unfortunate cousin, who I wish could have been better persuaded, Mr. Brooke, the sometime minister of Yarmouth, and some others escaped over the river. There was good stores of pistols and other arms; I bear above 50 cases of pistols. The Colonel stayed there Tuesday and Wednesday night. On Friday night the Colonel brought in hither (Norwich), his prisoners taken at Lowestoft and Mr. Trott of Beccles. On Saturday night, with one troop, he sent all the prisoners to Cambridge. Sir John Wentworth (of Somerleyton), has come off with the payment of £1000.” { 85}
