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 A HISTORY OF STAFFORDSHIRE culture and spiritualized by Puritanism.' 37 * The rural labourer remained neutral to the end, his uneducated mind not grasping constitutional questions. The tenant farmer followed his landlord, the yeoman in the east was for Parliament, in the north and west for the king ; the tradesmen as a rule were for Parliament." 6 Following the examples of other counties, Staffordshire associated with Warwickshire in order to combine into active resistance the scattered elements of the Parliamentary party over a considerable area, 276 but the king had many friends in the county and received very good recruits from it at the beginning of the war, 877 the association being opposed at once on the king's behalf by Colonel Hastings, a younger son of the Earl of Huntingdon, who was one of the first to raise a troop. Although most of the gentry were for Parliament, of the strong places and country houses more were garrisoned 278 for the king than for his foes. Lichfield declared for the king and raised a troop of horse ; Tutbury was garrisoned for him under Lord Loughborough ; so were Tamworth and Dudley Castle, the latter by Sir Thomas Levison. Eccleshall held out for him vigorously for a long time, the bishop, Robert Wright, helping in the defence, while other royal posts were Stafford Castle, Keele House, Patshull, Swynnerton, Bentley, Reynolds Hall. For the Parlia- ment were Painsley House, Caverswall Castle, Burton, Rushall ; and Birming- ham was hotly Roundhead. Robert Devereux, the third Earl of Essex, 379 was from the first opposed to Charles's political and ecclesiastical policy, and in 1 640 had first shown his hand by voting with the minority of the Lords who wished to refuse assistance to the king against the Short Parliament. Charles tried in vain to gain him over, and on 12 July, 1642, he was made general of the Parliamentary army, more on account of his character than his military experience ; but moral excellence in a military commander is not all-sufficient ; his tactics through- out the war were feeble, and culminated in the surrender at Lostwithiel. He had the good sense to resign before the second Self-Denying Ordinance, and died September, i646. !8 After Charles had unfurled his standard at Nottingham on 25 August, 1642, he withdrew to Derby, and then to Uttoxeter, 881 whence proceeding towards Stafford he and his staff passed Chartley Park, Essex's seat, which to the great chagrin of some of his officers was by the king's special mercy left untouched. At Stafford he was received loyally, and remained there a day or two before going to Shrewsbury. ' A more general and passionate expression of affection cannot be imagined than he received by the people of Derby, Stafford, and Shropshire as he passed.' 383 On the road from Nottingham to 874 Trevelyan, Engl. under the Stuarts, 102. *" Ibid. 277. 876 S. R. Gardiner, Hist. ofGt. Civil War, i, 90. Staffordshire afterwards was also associated with Shropshire and Cheshire ; Hist. AfSS. Com. Rep. v, 72, 80. Clarendon says Shropshire, Cheshire, Warwickshire, Leicester, Derbyshire, and Northants associated with Staffordshire ; Hist, of Rebellion, vi, 274.. This association must not be confused with the more famous Eastern Association. 177 Clarendon, Hist, of Rebellion, vi, 22. 878 The garrison system proved the ruin of the king. Living at free quarters they devoured the country side, and as long as there was anything left to plunder would never move to where they were really wanted ; Trevelyan, Engl. under the Stuarts, 245 ; Firth, Cromwell's Army, 26. m He had been restored in blood and honour by Act of Parliament in 1604. His wife, Frances Howard, left him for Carr, afterwards Earl of Somerset. 880 Diet. Nat. Biog. Robert Devereux. 881 Cal. S.P. Dom. 1641-3, p. 390. 888 Clarendon, Hist, of Rebellion (Clar. Press cd.), vi, 29. 2 5 8