Civil War

As before, no military force came anywhere near. We tried to maintain a normal life and just farm.

Sir George came to visit when the second Civil War had temporarily ended. Helen and I were shocked at how much he had aged and he had been wounded again, a severe cut to his right leg. He was delighted with his grandson George, and that Helen was expecting a second child in four months' time.

"Lord Henry? Being a grandfather is great but I'm feeling my age. How long these wars will continue? I don't know but if they last much longer I might have to stop being a cavalry commander and just rest.

"Will Cromwell let you do that?"

"I don't think so. I am now in command of at least a third of the Parliament's cavalry. I think I am indispensable as long as I survive.

The war resumed -- the third Civil War. As before, we were not threatened by any military force but had wounded soldiers from both sides to look after. Helen gave birth to a daughter. Our son and daughter were taking much of her time although she had staff to assist. My housekeeper, with trained assistants, was nearly as competent as Helen, but not quite. I had to make decisions that normally Helen would have made.

Eventually, about a month afterwards, we learned that the Royalists had been finally defeated and King Charles was under arrest awaiting trial. Sir Thomas arrived with a dozen or so former royalist commanders to flee by another French ship to Europe. They arrived about four hours before the ship. Helen and I were pleased to see them go because helping them might compromise us in the eyes of the victorious Parliament.

Now the war was over I began to worry what Olivier Cromwell, now Lord Protector meant by we might be 'an embarrassment'. We kept our defences manned but at a reduced level of readiness.

About six months later, our horse sentries all came galloping in. They reported a large number of troops approaching on all three sides, far more troops than they could count. We manned our defences as if for a full-scale assault.

A herald rode out from the woodlands to meet our herald, now wearing a tabard with the Welsh Dragon quartered with a simplified version of my standard.

Our herald returned and reported to me.

"The Lord Protector, Olivier Cromwell, has come with a significant proportion of his army. He wants your surrender."

I laughed.

"Tell him no, but I invite him and his senior commanders to dinner this evening."

The herald rode back to Cromwell's herald. Our herald kept his horse stationary until the other herald returned. Our herald came back to me.

"Cromwell accepts your invitation. He will come at seven thirty."

I wasn't surprised that he was accompanied by Sir George, now one of his senior commanders. Over dinner we talked about mundane things. Afterwards, Cromwell came to the point.

"Lord Westbury, I am concerned that this fort of yours is so powerful and heavily armed with massive guns. It is stronger than anything either side had during the war."

"I built it to protect my people, Lord Protector. I have never had to fire a single gun in anger."

"But you didn't ask for permission to build it, Lord Westbury."

"Was there any need? Applying for permission to crenulate hasn't been done since the 14th Century and who would I have asked? The King? He wouldn't have cared. Nor would you when fighting for the future of England. All it has been is a place of refuge and a hospital to treat wounded soldiers for both sides."

"And I thank you for the treatment of our wounded, and I suppose for the treatment of the King's wounded too. We would have been stretched to treat wounded prisoners of war. But your wife and father in law are my supporters, but you, Lord Westbury are not?"

"I supported neither side. I wanted to remain neutral. But as you now rule England, my fort is an English one. It would fight against England's enemies -- like the Dutch who might attack us soon."

"Thank you for the 'us', Lord Westbury, but you have far more Cannon Royal than I have. I had one. Now the King is defeated and executed, I have three. But you have twelve."

"And as you know, Lord Protector, they are almost impossible to move overland."

By his choice, the Lord Protector, Sir George, Lady Westbury and I went into another room to negotiate. Cromwell suggested he might attack my fort with the ten thousand men he had with him. I pointed out that even our small cannon were larger than his mobile artillery. They alone could defend against the pop-guns he had. Our Sakers, demi-cannon and Cannon Royal would make an assault almost suicidal.

Eventually we reached a compromise. I could stay in my fortifications at the expense of selling half of my Cannon Royal and a third of my demi-cannon to Cromwell at the price I paid for them. I would defend the estuary against any foreign enemy although such an invasion was unlikely.

But I would have to have a Commonwealth approved priest to replace the current vicar of our church. In fact, our vicar, an elderly man, was willing to be appointed as a commonwealth priest but I made a proviso that none of the statues or stained glass or any other images in the church would be defaced or damaged. Cromwell reluctantly agreed as long as the statues were shrouded so they were not obvious.

While a clerk wrote the terms of the agreement for Cromwell and I to sign, we toasted our agreement in wine. Helen had been concerned that I would anger the Lord Protector, but I hadn't. She hugged me around my waist before Cromwell and I signed the agreement.

After breakfast he next morning I took the Lord Protector and his commanders around the fortifications. As we approached the first bastion, one of my ensigns lowered the flag and replaced it with an English Commonwealth flag that my women had made for each bastion during the night. That pleased Olive Cromwell.

"Thank you for that, Lord Westbury, but you are no longer as isolated as you were. As we came with the army we improved the roads. That is one of my major tasks for the next year. Both sides were impeded in manoeuvres by the poor state of England's roads."

He and his commanders were impressed by the scale of my defences and the sight of twelve Cannon Royal. Even the six Cromwell proposed to leave me would deter any attacking force.

"Lord Westbury, when I get to London, I will send a ship to collect the Cannon Royal and the demi-cannon. Could you have them ready for loading?"

"Of course, Lord Protector. That should be enough notice. But my farmers had been unable to sell their produce during the war. Do you know anyone who might buy it?"

"What have you got for sale?"

"I'd have to check but 100 tons of grain..."

"That would useful."

By the end of the day, Cromwell's quartermaster had bought everything, to be collected by another ship. The ship carrying the cannon would already be too heavily laden and unable to take the produce as well.

Helen was worried when I asked Cromwell what I should do if any Royalists approached to flee the country.

"Let them go, Lord Westbury. We have arrested the main people. Anyone else? We don't want to be bothered with them. The war is over and they lost. Which reminds me, your father-in-law, Sir George. was wounded several times and still isn't fully fit. He wants to retire, live in his daughter's house, and not be part of my government. I assume that is acceptable to you?"

"Of course, Lord Protector. I will be pleased to have him around."

"And so will I, Lord Protector," Helen said.

Cromwell and his troops left the next day. It took considerable effort and much swearing for my militia to move the Cannon Royal and the demi-cannon to the quayside in the harbour. That took two days. We needed three more days to assemble all the farm produce that Cromwell's quartermaster had bought. The farmers and my militia men were happy once everything was in place for the ships that arrived two and three days later.

Between the second and third Civil Wars my people had built a wall around the village, not as a military defence but to prevent thieves or vandals. Now the wars were over, the village could be occupied again. Sir George took over Helen's house with a staff to keep him comfortable but several times a week he came to visit us and his grandchildren. He was happier now he was retired and his wounds were healing.

I had thought our defences and cannon would now be pointless until the Dutch declared war on England. That war was mainly fought at sea, but because we were on an estuary accessible from the sea and we had a good road leading inland, I had the defences manned again, not in such force initially as we had during the Civil Wars but enough to have the cannon ready for use, with more defenders on call if needed.

Nearly two years after the Anglo-Dutch war had started, a sentry reported a small Dutch ship entering the estuary on a rising tide. It had been in action and was badly damaged. We could see that it was low in the water and they were pumping hard. We fired a Saker across its bow. The Dutch flag was lowered. We directed it to beach on the hard beside the harbour which we sometimes used for careening ships. It grounded and we hauled it up as the tide rose, not a very high one but enough to bring the ship close to shore. They launched a boat and the captain came ashore to formally surrender.

The whole crew disembarked. Among them were five of the Dutch gunners we had employed during the first English Civil War. They were pleased to be ashore before their ship had sunk.

We accommodated them in the monks' infirmary, providing them with food and dry clothing. I asked for and got their parole to be prisoners of war without having to be incarcerated. They and my people took about three weeks to repair the ship which had sustained considerable damage including two holes below the waterline. When we had finished we used a higher than normal tide to float it and bring it alongside the quay in the harbour. It was now flying the English flag above the Dutch one to show it was captured.

I sent a letter to London asking what we should do with the ship. The reply came after the Treaty of Westminster ending the war. I was told to release the Dutch ship and crew and let them return to Holland.

As we had done with the storm-damaged English ship of years before, the Dutch ship was in good repair and the crew were well dressed with ample supplies -- except gunpowder for their guns. We had removed all except a few pounds for their saluting gun.

The Dutchmen cheered us as they left. They hadn't expected to be treated so well, almost as guests rather than prisoners of war, and also hadn't expected their ship to be repaired so well. They left in a sound ship, very unlike the wreck they had arrived in.

The Saker fired across their bows had been the only shot fired in anger since I had started construction of my defences. Over the next few months, with the wood cut down at the start of the first war, I built huts to cover all the guns from the elements. We had had to grease and clean the guns weekly since they were installed. Now sheltered, looking after them was easier, but we would never need them again.

At last Helen and I could relax and enjoy life as a family with our two children and their doting grandfather. We were at peace. Even the death of Oliver Cromwell, the accession of his son, and the eventual Restoration of the monarchy didn't disturb our quiet existence except that King Charles II advanced me to a higher level in the aristocracy for helping wounded Royalist troops and Royalist Commanders on their way to France. Helen and her father's support of Parliament were quietly forgotten.

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