Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 02.djvu/310

 carried him forcibly up a neighbouring hill, with his alb and stole upon him; then beat him and killed him with murderous weapons, stripping his body naked to the skin and leaving it lying in the fields unburied. Nor was their fury satiated even after the deed, but they tore his bloody shirt to pieces, and bore the fragments away with them in triumph, glorying in what they had done.

[Fuller's Worthies (ed. Nichols), ii. 10; Will. Wyrcestre; Davies's English Chronicle (Camd. Soc.), 58, 61, 64; Gascoigne's Theol. Dict. (Loci e Libro Veritatum), ed. Rogers, 39, 42, 158, 174.] 

AYSCU, or AYSCOUGH, EDWARD (fl. 1633), historian, was educated at Christ's College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1590. He afterwards resided at Cotham, in Lincolnshire, from which place he dates the preface to his only work, ‘A Historie contayning the Warres, Treaties, Marriages, and other occurrents betweene England and Scotland, from King William the Conqueror untill the happy Union of them both in our gratious King James. With a briefe declaration of the first Inhabitants of this Island: And what severall Nations have sithence settled them-selves therein one after an other,’ London, 1607, 4to. Ayscu appears to have been living in 1633.

[Cal. of State Papers, Dom., James I (1623–5), 128; Charles I (1627–8), 168, 232; (1629–31), 179, 236; (1633–4), 368; (1634–5), 466; MS. Addit. 5862, f. 34; Nicolson's Engl. Hist. Lib. (1786), 60.] 

AYSCUE, GEORGE (fl. 1646–1671), admiral, belonged to an old Lincolnshire family, many members of which took a prominent part in public affairs before and during the civil war. His father, William, was gentleman of the privy chamber to Charles I., by whom George was knighted, but for what reason or service no record remains. So far as we know, he held no command in the navy before 1646, when he was captain of the Expedition, one of the ships appointed for the winter guard. A few months later he was captain of the Antelope, and, in 1648, of the Lion (Life of Penn, i. 226, 236, 255), and throughout these services he appears to have ranked as one of the seniors in the fleet. During this time the navy had taken no distinct part in the struggle that was raging on shore, but had guarded England's coasts unaffected by party politics. In 1648, when the king was a prisoner and the Prince of Wales had fled the country, this neutrality could no longer be maintained, and in June a part of the fleet, under the command of Vice-Admiral William Batten, refusing obedience to the parliamentary authorities, weighed anchor from the Downs, and went over to Holland. That the whole or a still greater part did not go, was attributed mainly to the influence of Ayscue, whose service was rewarded by an appointment in the following year as admiral of the Irish seas. In this capacity, with his flag on board the St. Andrew, he was actively engaged in the operations on the coast of Ireland, and more especially in the relief of Dublin when besieged by the Marquis of Ormond, and for his conduct there he was officially thanked by order in parliament, dated 23 July 1649.

In April 1651, as second to Blake, he was engaged in the reduction of Scilly, then held for the Prince of Wales by Sir John Grenville, and was afterwards sent to the West Indies in command of a squadron, with which he reduced Barbadoes, after a stout defence on the part of Lord Willoughby, its royalist governor. Antigua, Nevis, St. Christopher's, as well as the settlements on the coast of Virginia, surrendered without further resistance, and Ayscue, finding his work in the West Indies finished, returned to England. He arrived at Plymouth in the end of May 1652, bringing in with him a number of Dutch merchant ships captured in accordance with the orders for reprisals which had been issued several months before the actual outbreak of the war. A few days later, having intelligence of a Dutch fleet sailing westward, he put to sea, and found it, on 12 June, a little to the west of the Lizard. It was, in fact, the outward-bound trade, under the convoy of a number of men-of-war, and, when attacked by Ayscue's squadron, stood stoutly on the defensive, and got away with the loss of some five ships. After this Sir George went round to the Downs, where he was left by Blake to command, and where, on 3 July, he was attacked by the Dutch with a much superior force. They were, however, unable to overcome the advantage of position, and were driven back; whilst Ayscue, following up his success, fell in with a number of Dutch merchant ships, of which he captured seven, and sank or ran ashore many more. Presently, however, the Dutch returned, mustering 102 men-of-war, besides ten fire-ships, against which Ayscue could oppose no more than sixteen vessels. Batteries for his support were erected on shore; but it might well have gone hard with him if a fortunate shift of wind had not driven the Dutch back (Calendar of State Papers, 11 July;, 13 July). 