A LETTER FROM Sergeant Major Purefoy Governor of Compton-House in Warwickshire, To his Colonel Colonel Purefoy A Member of the Honourable House of COMMONS. Wherein is related the good success it pleased God to give unto that Garrison against the Enemy, that came with a great strength to have surprised it. With a List of the persons slain and taken, and the number of the Arms there taken. London printed for A. R. Febr. 7. 1644. A Letter from Sergeant Maior Purefoy Governor of Compton House in Warwickshire to his Colonel, Colonel Purefoy. SIR, I Shall here relate in part (for all passages would be too tedious for me to trouble you with all. First, with all my soul I desire God may have his praise and glory which is due to a God that hath now and ever showed himself to me almost by miracles, in delivering me and all under my command. This night about two of the clock about 1000 or 1200. Horse and Foot fell upon me at Compton, stormed my outworks, gained the stables, and cut down my great Draw-bridge, and possessed themselves of all my Troop horses, and took about 30. of my foot Soldiers in their beds, who lay over the stables, almost before a man could think what to do; we received that alarm as we had good cause, and presently made good the new Sconce before the stone Bridge, & beat them out of the great Court, there being about 200. entered, and ready to storm the Sconce; but we gave them so hot a sally, that we forced them to retreat bacl to the stables, barns and Brewhouse, where from the windows they played very hot upon us: I than commanded Lieutenant Purefoy and my quartermaster (having no other Officers of quality at home, the rest being abroad with about 30. of my best Troopers) to sally out upon the enemy with a party of 40. and to attempt the regaining of the Brewhouse and the rooms above, which they did with gallant resolution and courage; Sergeant Bird was one who came not short in bravery of any. This party fought with the enemy and came to push of Pike, nay to sword's point, and did lay about so bravely, that they forced the enemy to retreat from chamber to chamber; I than sent out my youngest brother the Ensign with my three Corporals of horse, and about 40. more men, to relieve the first party, and I will assure you the young boy will fight, he led on his men bravely and relieved his brother; by which means all the upper rooms were gained, and the enemy kept only the stables and the barns stoutly; my Soldiers did then so thunder their horse, and reserves of foot that stood within Pistol shot, that Sir William and Sir Charles Compton began to give ground, which my Soldiers perceiving, some leapt out at the windows, and so into the outworks, by which means I recovered my outworks again, and made good a sally port, by which the enemy endeavoured to retreat at, but finding they were frustrated of their hopes, and that my Musketeers did play so hot upon the great Drawbridge that they could not be relieved; and withal having beaten the enemy out of that work which we stormed when you took the house, I had time to recover the great Draw-bridge, and presently got new ropes and new locks, and drew it up again in spite of them all. Now these (whose names you have here enclosed were all in Cobbs pound, having no means in the world to retreat, whereupon they fought desperately for the space of 3. hours, and the valiant Comptons' perceiving their extreme loss, attempted three several times to storm and to regain my outworks, but all three times were beaten off with as much resolution and gallantry as could be. The enemy within set fire on the hay, straw, and all combustible stuff, to smother my men out of the upper rooms, which did indeed much annoy them: And the Enemy without threw at least 100 hand-Granadoes upon the houses, that they set them on fire in divers places; Sir Charles and Sir William Compton then thinking all was their own, sent a Trumpeter to parley, but I commanded that none should parley, nor would I permit the Trumpet to speak at all, though feign he would have said something to the Soldiers, but commanded him upon his life to be gone and return no more at his peril. We continued in fight still, and the fire did so increase, that I thought it fit to offer quarter to all those in the stable, for their lives only, but they would not hear me: Upon which I drew all my men together and fell violently in upon them, wherein was slain and taken prisoners all whose names are in the ensuing list. This did so dishearten the Comptons' and all their forces, that they did presently draw off all their foot, and only faced me with their horse, and sent another Trumpeter to parley, but I commanded to give fire upon him, so that he returned with no other answer but what a Musket could speak. Sir, this is as true and as short a Narration as I can give you. I am (as we are all) Your obliged servants and kinsmen, GEORGE PUREFOY. WILLIAM PUREFOY. Compton, Jan. 30. at 9 a clock at night. We recovered all our own men again that the enemy had taken. A List of the Officers slain, and taken Prisoners. Capt. Chamberlain. Capt. Colburne. Capt. Gannock. Ensign Layton. Quarterm. Blackford. Corporal Bayleyes. The names of the Officers we have Prisoners. Lieutenant Harvey. Lieutenant Clarke. Cornet Bishop. Corp. H●yworth Corp. of Horse. Corp. Lambert Corp. of Horse. Serg. Francis. Serg. Linsey. Serg. Farbush. Corp. Morgan. Corp. Scargill. William Atkins. Troopers of Captain Coleburne. John Webb. Thomas Tusker. William Mason. Simon Berry. Thomas Foster. William Chamberlain, William adam's, Earl of Northamptons' man. Thomas Dorrington. Robert Moor. Richard Collins. Richard Willer. Foot Soldiers of the Earl of Northamptons' own Company. George Grumbell. John Child. Anthony Smith. William Aeson. Henry Taylor. Roger Smith. Sir Williom Comptons' men. Richard Abram. John Atkins. Joseph Walks. John Moor. Thomas Smith. William Warde. William Robinson. Thomas Norman. Major Waldrums men. William Ansill. William Freeman. Robert Hurlestone. Thomas Airs. Edward Gibbs. Thomas Cotforth. Captain Willoughbies' men. Richard Collins. William Walker. Captain Territs. Thomas Tradde. Thomas Roberts. Capt. Rawleys men. John Beeson. William Worsley. Captain Wards men. Richard Conerley. William Milburne. Henry Fenne. John Clarke. Thomas Lisseman. Henry Musgrave. Captain G●nnocks men. William Smith. George Prince. William Wilkins. Besides six Cartload of wounded men carried off. And near upon forty Common Soldiers left dead behind them. Of mine own men, both Horse and Foot, only one desperately wounded, and another slightly hurt. Horse and Foot Arms taken from the Enemy. Muskets 100 Pistols 40. about 20. hand Granades. The fight began about two of the clock in the morning, and continued till about nine, in which they stormed us four several● times, and were beaten off. The number of the Enemy, Horse and Foot, were between 1000 and 1200. as the Prisoners confessed. With their hand Granades they fired the Stables, Barns, and Brewhouse, in three several places. We lost about twenty Horse and some Muskets. FINIS.