A True RELATION OF THE Carriage of a Party of HORSE, At Medborne in the County of LEICESTER: As it was given in to the COMMITTEE of Leicester, on Thursday the 9th. of April, 1646.  
BY THE Minister, and Inhabitants of the said Town.  
London, Printed for R. W. April 30th 1646.   

A True RELATION, etc.  
Upon Friday the 3. of this instant April, 1646. about eleven or twelve of the clock in the forenoon, there came nine or ten Troopers into Medborne in the County of Leicester, and enquired for the Constable. He not at home, they demanded of his wife Provender and Quarter for ten horses and men: She asked to whom they belonged; they answered, to Colonel Rossiter. She told them they should have Provender and Quarter assigned them presently, and called for her son to accommodate them: One of them presently replies, Come, come, we must not stay your leisure, we'll take some of these things here (in the house) & make money of them to pay our quarters. I hope (Sir) saith the woman, you will not be so violent: Yes, said he, (bending his Pistol at her) we have a Commission to kill and slay all Cavaliers that we find without tickets, and we have been at Holt this morning, and if we had found any of them there without tickets, we would have put them all to the sword. The woman, very well affected to the Parliament, yet affrighted with such carriage and language, desires them to have patience, and fetcheth them what provender they demanded, offering them tickets to quarter at several houses, which they refused, saying they would quarter together at the Alehouse, and the Constable should pay for it, And so they did for an hour or two.  
Anon, one of them returns to the Constable's house, and demands a horse out of the stable: she entreats them to be content with their free quarter for themselves and their horses; But he growing violent, and preparing and trying to break open the stable, and threatening to shoot her son that had locked the door. She sent privately for Mr. Doughty the Minister of the Town, as one well known to the neighbouring garrison, to persuade them: the Soldier suspecting something, ran after the man that was sent, with his pistol, as if he would kill him, who hardly escaped through a Barn, which the said soldier searched diligently for him. The Minister, when he came, found them all horsed at the Constable's door, and saluting them after a friendly manner, asked if there were any Officer amongst them? They begin to handle their arms, and (with other insolent and reproachful language) said, Who made you an examiner? and, We will know, ere we go, who made you an examiner. And being somewhat calmed with fair words, one amongst them said he was Quartermaster, but they refused to give any other account of themselves, then, that they were for King and Parliament, and, Perhaps we belong to Rossiter, and perhaps have been conveying pressed men to Northampton, and what has any body to do with that? The Minister desired to know whether they quartered hereabout last night, and where the rest of their party was? they answered, They could speak to these things, but scorned to be accountable to every one. The Minister told them, that by virtue of an Order from the Committee of Leicester, he had power to examine them, or any that should come in that manner, but yet desired only as a friend to know to whom they belonged; they answer, That's all one, we shall desire to be excused.  
A while after, news was brought to the Minister, that a horse was taken out of his team that was at plough, by the soldiers that quartered in the town, and that they had beaten the ploughmen, and railed at their master, saying that he was a Rogue, and they would have one of his horses, which carriage of theirs made many believe they had been a party of Cavaliers; whereupon the Minister, with his youngest brother and two men, took some arms and ran out on foot to rescue the team being near the town, and in the recovery of the horse which the soldiers had taken, they took the Quartermaster prisoner with his horse and arms (who with some others charged those that came to rescue the horse) and brought him into the Parsonage, without any bloodshed on either side.  
The rest escaping, seized upon one whole team in the field, and part of another, and were driving them apace towards Rockingham, whereupon the town generally risen, and with forks and staves and some few guns pursued them, and in Drayton field, a mile from Medborne, overtook them, where the Troopers attempted once or twice to charge them, but the Townsmen thus bespoke them; Gentlemen, we desire to do you no wrong, and we desire you would do us no wrong; You have taken away cattle, and we have a man of yours in the town, Let us have our horses, and you shall have your man, if you tell us to whom you belong; And do not you offer to hurt us, for we stand upon our own defence, and if ye do, ye come upon your own peril. Here they came to an agreement: the Troopers said they were Major Babingtons' men, that their Lieutenant and Troop quartered at Calcut (in Rutland, within a mile of Rockingham) that the horses were gone thither, but they would send one of their company for the horses, and the rest return to Medborne for their man that was at the Parsonage. Hitherto there was no blood drawn on either side (though one pistol was casually fired, and some stones thrown) saving only that one or two of the Countrymen that straggled from the rest, were cut before this agreement.  
And now marching in a friendly manner all together towards Medborne, (for now some on both sides remembered one another as being formerly acquainted) within a quarter of a mile of Medborne, a party of about twenty Horse, which they had treacherously sent for from their Quarters (and not for the town-horses, as was agreed and sworn) overtook them: the Country men no sooner discovered them, but they desired one of the Troopers that were going back with them, to ride and meet them, and tell them that all was agreed, that there might be no mischief done. This messenger was a Scot, who when he came up to the said twenty, told them that the Townsmen had taken their men prisoners; And saved indeed the Ministers brother from the fury of the rest, of whom three or four fell violently upon him (yet hurt him not) but joined with them in falling upon the Townsmen now dispersed and scattered over the field; and without mercy stabbed, wounded, miserably bruised and trampled with their horses, sixteen men or upwards in the field, of which one died within twelve hours, and other two within five days: divers were thrust through, as they ran from them towards the hedges and ricks; one had his bowels let out with a wound, other some had their hands almost cut off, and some beaten and bruised so that they are not likely to recover, and the rest less dangerously hurt. Of these, divers were grievously mangled and cut, after the Soldiers had persuaded them to lay down their arms, and sworn to do them no harm, especially those that most manfully defended themselves. And when all was done, the Constable James Barret coming in (from the wood) to see what was the matter, and having told them he was the Constable, three or four of them fell upon him and thrust him through the body, whereof he is dead. And when as they road up and down the field to seek out the country men (for many endeavoured to hid themselves) crying, Kill, kill the Rogues, and some of the wounded answered, They had their death's wounds already: they made them open their clothes, and show where and what their hurt was, before they would spare them; cursing and swearing all the while after a dreadful manner: and divers they cut with their swords as they lay upon the ground, and as they found them in the ditches: and when some that were deadly wounded, were set on horseback to be carried into the town, some of those soldiers caused them to be taken down, saying, Throw them down: and when some answered, He is wounded, he cannot go; One Mr. Mansell (not the Lieutenant, for he was not amongst them nor any other Officer but one Corporal) said, Throw him down, Plague on them, if he cannot go, let him not in the ditches. And after they had wounded them, they would not suffer them to be carried into the town of an hour or more, but made them lie in their blood and sweat on the cold ground.  
Being come into the town, they came swearing and raging after a dreadful manner to the Ministers house demanding entrance, and their man that was there prisoner. The Minister (who stayed at home, whilst his brother and servants went out to rescue the Towns teams) desired them to forbear till his brother and Townsmen were returned, that he might know what was done in the field, and they should have their man, if withal they declared to whom they belonged, and what they were, which the prisoner had refused to discover. They swore they were Major Babingtons' men, and would have their man and the Minister too, or they would fire the house. The house, said another, nay fire the Town: and with that one of them road to the other side of the town, broke open a house, and fetched out a firebrand, with which he road back to the Parsonage; but one less desperate than he, beat it out of his hand and put it out, before he could put it into the hovel.  
When they had burst open the gate, and attempted upon the house, the Minister brought their man to the window, that they might see he was well, and desired him to persuade them to forbear, and he should be let out unto them, who instead of persuading, did more incense them to violence: whereupon they cry out with horrid oaths, No parley, no quarter, nothing but blood, or submission to our mercy. The Minister presents a short scattering gun at four or five of them together that were breaking a window, whereupon some of them shrunk back, and all swore desperately, that if he made but one shot, hit or miss, they would kill his brother and the rest of the Townsmen that were their prisoners in the field, and then fire the house and put all therein to the sword, and one swore, Leted go & kill them in the field, the first thing we do. And then did one of them bring a burning firebrand of the bigness of a man's arm, and thrust it into a hovel of Peas-straw and Pease, near the house, which being heavy fell out upon the ground before it could kindle. And so breaking in at a window (whilst the Minister and his wife, with M. Boheme Minister of Hallarton who was then also in the house, escaped out at a backdoor) they broke open every door that they found locked, to search for Mr. Doughtey, (save one door that they attempted, but could not break) swearing they would cut the maids in a hundred pieces, if they told not where he was, for they would have his blood if they were hanged for it. And having plundered the house at their pleasure of such things as they could best carry away, ransacking and breaking up divers trunks and boxes, and cutting some furniture with their swords in their rage; at length they departed, and carried the Minister's brother prisoner behind one of them to their quarters, where they kept him that night, some of them swearing often they were sorry they had given him quarter; and others threatened, that when or wheresoever they should meet with him, or his brother the minister, alone, they would kill them.  
Since this, they have been heard at several times to threaten and swear, that they would kill the said Mr. Doughtey, and that the rest of the Town should drink of the same cup, rejoicing at the death of some, and miseries of the rest, boasting and glorying how many they had wounded.  
Also upon Wednesday April 8. as one of our slain (the Minister's servant) was carried to the grave, a party of the same men, with drawn swords at the towns end, stood hooping and hallowing as in triumph, and challenging the Town to come out, greatly terrifying the inhabitants.  
All which Premises the whole Town of Medborne humbly refer to your considerations, desiring that the rest of the said Party may be apprehended, and all proceeded against according to law and justice, and the Town secured from their further threatened rage.  
And as we desire that all that Troop may be brought to examination, so, that the innocent and guiltless among them may be speedily cleared; And all with as little prejudice as may be to Major Babington, his Lieutenant, and other Officers and Soldiers that had no hand in the premises.   

Postscript.  
THe most of this Party were apprehended in their Quarters at Lydington near Vppingham, by a party of Leicester Horse and Dragoons, upon Thursday April 9 1646. and the rest of them we hope will be secured ere long.  
These are part of the fruits of retaining Soldiers unemployed, and unpaid. This Troop belonged to Leicester, till in discontent they left that Garrison, for employment under Colonel wait late Governor of Burleigh: And since the taking in of Belvoyr, have quartered in Rutland and thereabouts, to the great oppression of the Inhabitants, more ways than one.   
FINIS.