Page:VCH Herefordshire 1.djvu/468

 A HISTORY OF HEREFORDSHIRE his liberty on promising not to engage against the army.*^' Birch complained to the House of Commons, and at their request Fairfax ineffectually ordered the troops to proceed to Ireland.*™ Soon afterwards Birch resigned his com- mand, which was incompatible with his position as a member of Parliament, and was succeeded by Colonel Humphreys. In January, 1647-8, Humphreys attempted to disband the troops in obedience to special instructions from Parliament conveyed through Colonel Edward Harley, but the soldiers refused to separate until ^5,000 arrears were forthcoming. Before October, 1648, they succeeded in obtaining arrears for two months, and left the county. The county also took part through its representatives in the strife between Parliament and the army. Sir Robert Harley was incapacitated by ill-health, but his son. Colonel Edward Harley, who was returned for Herefordshire on 1 1 September, 1 646, on the disabUng of Humphrey Coningsby, took a prominent part in opposing the army. In consequence, he was one of the eleven members specially accused on 16 June, 1647,*^^ and ten days later he was compelled to withdraw from the House.* About June, 1648, he resumed his seat, but on 6 December he and his father were among those turned back by Colonel Pride from the House of Commons and, resisting, was placed in confinement with other recalcitrants. Birch, who had likewise voted for treating with the king, was also imprisoned. ^'^^ On 1 2 December the Harleys were finally expelled.*^* The second outbreak of civil war in 1648 had little effect in Hereford- shire, although both to the north and south of the county serious conflicts took place. On 10 May Parliament gave power to the county committee to arrest the disaffected. On 21 July the House of Commons received informa- tion of a design for a rising in the counties of Salop, Stafford, Worcester, and Hereford, to be accompanied by the seizure of Hereford Castle. The plot, however, had been detected by Captain Yarrington, and Major Harcourt and some other Royalists arrested.*'^ Notwithstanding, Lingen, who had taken the Covenant on 23 November, 1646, and the Negative Oath, restraining him from any further attempt against Parliament, on 2 December, drew together a body of horse in September, 1648, and attacked Colonel Edward Harley's county troop near Leominster, taking eighty prisoners. But two or three days later he was defeated between Radnor and Montgomeryshire by Harley and Thomas Horton. All the captives were recovered, and Lingen himself seriously wounded and taken prisoner. He escaped with a heavy fine, which forced him to sell part of his estate, and a term of im- prisonment.*^* Herefordshire was almost unaffected by the invasion of England by Charles II and the Scots in 1651,*" although a party of cavalry penetrated into the county and destroyed two bridges on the Teme.*'* Birch, however, who had settled at Whitbourne, joined the king at Worcester with his brother. Major Samuel Birch, and in consequence had his estate sequestered. "' Fairfax Corresp. i, 370. *" Com. Journ. 19 July, 1647. "' Rushworth, Colkctlons, vi, 570. '"' Com. Journ. 26 June, 164.7. House, 1648. "* Com. Journ. 12 Dec. 1648. "* Lords Journ. 21 July, 1648. "* Cal. of the House of Lords, 1648 ; Com. Journ. 10 Nov. 13 Dec. 1648 ; Cal. S.P. Dom. 1648-9, p. 246 ; Lord Byron, Account of my Proceedings. *" See Cal. S.P. Dom. 165 i, p. 348, 376, 439-40. "' Whitelocke, Memorials (1682), p. 482. 398
 * " A True andful Relation of the Officers and Armies forcible seising of divers Eminent Members of the Commons