“Ordered, That the consideration of the commission granted to the Earl of Worcester, and his eldest son the Lord Herbert, and the sub-commissions by them granted to others, for the levying of forces in several Counties of England and Wales, and all the circumstances depending thereupon, be referred to the Committee appointed to draw up the charge against the Earl of Stratford, &c.”
And on the 11th of February following, that:--
“Mr. Reignolds reports from the Committee of the Earl of Worcester, the substance of that business. * * * * * * (thus printed in Journal.)
“And then it was resolved, upon the question, That the particulars reported by Sir W. Erle, Sir Jo. Clotworthy, and Mr. Reignolds, shall be the heads of the Conference to be desired with the Lords, concerning the disbanding of the new-levied Irish Army, and disarming of the Popish Recusants here in England.”
Later we find a guard set on his residence in London.[B]
“Mr. Wittacre, Sir John Francklin, Sir John Hippisley, Mr. Wheler, Mr. G. Long, are appointed to go immediately, and take order to set a good guard upon the house of the Earl of Worcester; and to search for persons suspected of high treason.
“They are to take like care for setting a guard upon, and searching * * *; and likewise upon such other houses, as they shall be informed; and that they have power to search all such houses at such times as they shall think fit.
“... To acquaint their Lordships, what this House has done for the searching, and setting a guard upon, the Earl of Worcester’s house, and upon what grounds.”
On the 5th of January, 1642, his Majesty addressed the following letter to the Marquis, in which he says--
“The large expressions which you and your son have made unto us of your forwardness to a service, shall _never be forgotten_.”
“Right trusty and right entirely beloved Cousin, We greet you well. Your son, the Lord Herbert, hath excused your not writing unto us; but where we find so much royalty, there needs not ceremony, and your last performance of our desires hath crowned the rest. And we would have you confident that the mentioning of leaving few forces at Raglan, was not out of any diminution of our care of you, or meant to lessen any provision fitting thereto: For we well understand that there were never any of the forces raised in the county, applied thereunto more than a private company under servants of your own. But the Ward of Raglan was given as a general ward attributive to the country, as that time we understood it. The large expressions which you and your said son have made unto us of your forwardness to a service, shall never be forgotten. He now commands in chief in the absence of the Lord Marquis [of] Hertford, and besides his dutifulness unto you, our command is, that his power and yours shall [be] the same, as your hearts are to our service. The acceptance whereof we shall not fail to make appear on all occasions, whereof you may rest assured. Given under and signed at our Court at Oxford, the 5th day of January, in the eighteenth year of our reign, 1642.[C]