A RELATION OF THE CRUELTIES AND Barbarous murders, AND Other Misdemeanours, done and committed by some foot-soldiers, and others, without Command, upon some of the Inhabitants of Enfield, Edmonton, Southmyms, and Hadley, in the County of Middlesex, and their Servants and Cattle.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 1659.   

A Relation of the Cruelties and barbarous Murders committed by some foot-soldiers and others upon the Inhabitants of Enfield, Edmonton, &c.  
THe several Inhabitants of the several Parishes of Enfield, Edmonton, Southmyms, and Hadley, in the County of Middlesex, and all those whose Estates they claim,( amongst divers others) have for above 300 years now past enjoyed, and had Common for all manner of ●ommonable beasts without number, and Common of Estovers, and divers other great privileges and advantages in Enfield chase, which of late have been endeavoured to be taken from them by several Commissions under the Great Seal of England, grounded upon several Orders made by Oliver late Lord Protector, and his council, which in the year 1656, issued to six Commissioners of his own, empowering any three of them( amongst other things) to survey the said chase, to hear and determine the Proprietors and Commoners Rights therein, and to allow Satisfaction for them, whereof the Proprietors and Common●rs in the same chase were for ever to be debarred, if their claims were not made within 30 dayes after public Notice, and all Officers Military were commanded to Assist the said Commissioners. By colour of which Commission, two of the said Commissioners refusing, the other four did Act; And they put the Proprietors and Commoners to many chargeable Attendances; and those Military Officers did take away the goods of some of the Proprietors and Commoners, and Inhabitants aforesaid; And did beat and wound them and their servants: And before the work was finished,( to wit) in the year 1656. an Assembly called a Parliament, was called and held, which appointed a Committee concerning the Four Forrests of Needwood, Kingswood, Ashdowne, and Sherwood, pursuant to an Ordinance of the said Lord Protector made the 30th of August, 1654, for the Sale of them, to pay certain public debts; Which the Prosecutors of the enclosure of Enfield chase understanding, and that such Ordinances would fail, as were not confirmed by the said Assembly, they by very false and untrue Information, that the said Proprietors, Com●oners, and Inhabitants, were consenting thereto, procure Enfield chase to be Comprehended in the same pretended Act of Parliament of Confirmations with the other Forrests; upon which Act, Instructions were grounded, wherein the same four Persons are name Commissioners on the behalf of the Prosecutors of the same enclosure; And five other Commissioners were name on the behalf of the Proprieto●s and Commoners, without th●●r knowledge and consent. By the judgement of which Commissione●s, allowances were to be made for the Propri●to●s and Commoners Interests. Two of which Comm●ssioners refused to Act, and the other th●ee d●d forbear to Act, being all or most of them( although name by the other party) convinced in their Judgments, that the Proprietors and Commoners were very much wronged therein; until they were threatened to be sent for. And under colour of the execution of such power, the Comm●ssioners on the beh●lf of the Prosecutors of the said enclosure have returned a Survey of the said chase, containing less by 3000 Acres at least then former surveys do make mention of: All which, the purchaser have into their bargain, without paying any thing for the same: And of the number of Acres returned, they have taken away above half in quantity, and the very best Land in quality, and all the Wood growing thereon, notwithstanding the Proprietors and Commoners rights, privileges, and advant●ges, were by all former Acts of Parliament saved to them therein, and notwithstanding their Clayms made thereunto accordingly: When, in truth, the Proprietors and Commoners ought to have Two parts of the soil and Wood in the said chase, yet have not above one third part of the soil of the same chase, and no Wood at all; And the Prosecutors of the enclosure of the said chase have sold the Wood growing in the said chase at such low rates, that many o● the buyers thereof have reported, that they have bought so much wood for 15 l. as is worth 100 l. which is a great loss and a deceit to the Commonwealth, and much damage at the present to the Proprietors and Commoners, and in future times an irrecoverable loss. And the Prosecutoas of the same enclosure have stopped and turned many ancient highways not onely leading from one Town and road to another, but from one Market-Town to another. And such as they hare new made, are so strait and narrow, as are and will be impassable in Winter, and very dangerous and prejudicial to the Proprietors and Commone●s, and passengers who travail those ways: And the purchasers of the wood have and do daily dig up the Turf and soil, and commit much spoil and waste of such small part of the said chase as is allotted to the Proprietors and Commoners, which will not maintain the Tenth part of their Cattle as were maintained in the same chase before the enclosure thereof: All which contrivances were done by the Surveyor-General of the said chase, and some or all of the purchaser the●eof, being all or most part o● them great Officers of the Army, as John Nelthrope, Adjutant General, Colonel joice, Colonel Eyre, lieutenant Colonel Allen, Captain Kempe, the said Surveyor-General, Mr. Robotham, Mr. Lowry a Scotchman, and one Rice a Button-maker of London, and divers others, who, as it is reported, have bought poor Souldiers Debenters at 1 s 6 d. 2 s. and 2 s. 6. in the pound, and expect allowances for the whole Debenter, and inte●est for the same, when the poor Proprietors and Commoners have payed the greater Taxes to the Army for their Land, in rega●d of their Common belonging to their Lands: And if the said Proprieto●s Common be taken away, their rents of their Lands will fall at least 10 s. in t●e Acre, whereby they will be less capable of paying Taxes to the Army, and above 200 Families who heretofore have maintained their families, and payed Taxes to the Army, will be forced to take Alms of the said seve●all Par●shes, and pay nothing at all towards the maintenance of the said Army; And many others will be ●orc●d to forsake their several places of hab●tation in the said several Parishes, in respect of the poverty of the places, by paying Taxes, and maintenance of the poor people, their just Rights being forced from them ●y strong hand: And the said Proprietors and Commoners cannot have copies of the Certificates of the Commissioners and Surveyo●s p●oceedings of the Survey of the sa●d chase; although sought to have the same; but the same are kept by the Surveyor-General: whereas they ought to be kept by the Register. And the said Proprietors and Commone●s have been grievously oppressed and grieved by the said purchaser aforesaid, without any colour or ground at all, not onely by keeping away their Common from them, and killing their Cattle, but also by cutt●ng, wounding, and killing of some of the said Proprietors, Commoners, and Inhabitants of the said several Parishes, and th●ir Servants, by foot-soldiers hired for that purpose by some or all of the aforenamed purchaser: which was done in this manner,( to wit) about the beginning of Trinity Term last, divers of the Parishes of Enfield and Edmonton pulling down the Ditches of the said enclosure, to put in their Cattle into the new enclosed Grounds to seed, which was lawful for them to do, the pretended purchaser having no title thereto, the said Captain Kempe, John Nelthrop, lieutenant Colonel Allen, one randal a Smith, and Humphrey Yerbury, and divers others, with one Justinian Pagitt, Justice of Peace, and a Purchasor, and Colonel web, the said Surveyor-General, or some of them, upon a false Information, sent for Troops of Horse and men from London, and entertained them, and gave them Wine and strong Beer, and Money, as is credibly informed, who being fitted for their design, fell upon divers Inhabitants and Proprietors of t●e said several Parishes, and knocked them down, and cut and slashed with their swords, divers of them and their Servants, and other poor Labouring men coming from their labour at Night, and then complained of the persons beaten and wounded, and imprisoned, who were sent for by a Justice of Peace his Warrant, and some of them were by the said Justices threatened to be sent to the Barbadoes to dig for Tobacco, if they, or some, or one of them would not give Evidence against his Neighbours; who for fear of being sent to the Barbadoes, did declare more then they could or would justify and maintain upon Oath. Whereupon some of the Inhabitants of E●fi●ld, Edmonton, and Hadley, were sent for by Warrant, and bound over to the last Sessions at Hicks's-Hall in John-Street, and there then were Indicted of a riot, and Evidence was there given against them to the Jury by the said Captain Kempe, and randal the Smith, and others, who have made great spoil and waste in the said chase. And the Jury at first not finding the Bill, was asked by some of the Justices, Why the Bill was not found against the said parties Indicted? They answered the said Justices, That they h●d not Evidence sufficient whereby they might find the said Indictment. Whereupon, one Justice Hobert, a Trustee, then sitting upon the Bench,  told the said Jury, That they must find the said Bill of Indictment, and forced them to go back again, who then found the said Indictment against some of the parties name in the said Indictment, that were not present at the time of the said pretended Riot, nor were they privy thereunto; but some of them only said, They would put their Sheep and Cattle into the said new enclosure, to try their title with the purchaser thereof. And the other persons name in the said Indictment, were acquitted by the said Jury. But there was a design by some of the said Justices who were purchaser and Trustees, and men concerned therein, and Judges in the cause upon the Bench, to find the Bill against those persons, to take off the Courage of the Proprietors and Commoners from their Clayms to their Common, That they m●ght the better force the Proprietors Common from them in the said chase. And yet when 3. or 4. several Indictments were preferred to the Jury, and found against Yerbury a pretended soldier at the said Sessions, and several Warrants made against him to apprehended him;( who was taken upon the same by two several Constables) the said Yerbury was let go again by them, upon some pretended Colonel's engagement, That he should be forthcoming to answer at the said Sessions: but he would not appear to the said Indictments, neither can the persons who Indicted him, obtain any Warrant against him. And that at the same Sessions, the said Kempe, Yerbury, and one laurence Hogg were Indicted for a Riot done in the said chase, and the Indictment found against them, and a Warrant was made to apprehended them, by Mr. powel and Mr. Bradshaw, with their hands to the famed: And the said Justice Hobert( a Trustee, and a great Agent and stickler against the said Proprietors, and a great offender in the destruction of the Wood in the said chase) called to see the Warrant, and had, and did then tear the same in pieces; so that the said parties complaining, can have no remedy against the parties Indicted, whereby the Proprieto●s and Commoners dare not go into the said chase to seek for their Cattle, for fear the said Yerbury and others of his Confederates going armed with Swords and Pistols, who have threatened to kill them. And presently after the said Sessions ended, the said Robotham, Lieutenant Colonel Allen, Captain Kempe, Yerbury, Lowry, and others, or some or one of them, with the said other pretended purchaser, as the rumour is spread in the Country, but especially lieutenant Colonel Allen, hired several foot-soldiers, and as some of the said Souldiers have since confessed, to come down, without any Warrant from their Chief Commanders to Enfield chase, who came down, and did shoot and kill divers of the Proprietors and Commoners sheep, and carried some of them to their Quarters, and there dressed them, and eat them, and also did shoot and kill divers Cowes and Horses of the said Commoners to a good value with their Muskets charged with Stones and Bullets.  
And the same Souldiers and their Commander, challenged the Inhabitants of Enfield to fight with them, calling the said Inhabitants Rogues and Cowards, and bidding them come to meet them if they durst, and that they had stayed there three or four dayes for the said Inhabitants; and that if the said Inhabitents came not out the sooner, the said Souldiers would fire the said Inhabitants houses over their heads. And about the number of 10 Red-coats, and the rest Gray-Coats on the Lords day, the 10th of July instant, came from Barnet( where they had been drinking in Sermon-time) through Hadley, and commending the Drink they had at several places, and swearing, with some Pistols cocked, and saying, They would make Barnet look blew, before they had done with Enfield chase; and when they were gone a little way out of Hadley, some of them discharged two muskets towards the Town, and towards some of the Inhabitants walking upon the Common, who heard the Bullets fly close by them.  
And the 11th day of July, about 17 foot-soldiers and their Commander,( being hired for 6 d. the day more then their Ordinary pay) with a resolution, as they tehmselves say, to kill all they met withall, came from the said Allen's house, to the said Robotham's house, half a mile from the sa●d house where the said randal and one Royce and others were with the said Souldiers: And th●n some or one of them bid the said Souldiers shoot three or four of the Inhabitants, and the rest would be quiet from their claims: And the said Souldiers according to their encouragement marched against some of the said Inhabitants, being about Five and Twenty in number, and no more at the present, who had with them Cudgels, Mattaxes, Axes, and two Forks, and no other weapons, to know by what Authority the Souldiers came and killed their Cattle upon the●r Common: And the said Souldiers put themselves in rank and order, twelve men a breast, armed with muskets and Swords, Pistols and Forks, against the said Inhabitants, denying to parley with the said Inhabitants; but at their Officer's Command to give fire, presently d●scharged their muskets, being charged with Powder and chawed Bullets and Stones, and shot one man pr●sently dead upon the place, and hurt and wounded divers others: Whereat the said Inhabitants taking courage, rounded the said Souldiers, and took Ten of them, but killed none, and brought them before Mr. Rich, a Justice of Peace, who examined them, and, upon their own Confession, and upon the examination of Witnesses, sent the said Souldiers to Newgate, and the rest escaped: And one of the said Inhabitants of Enfield is since dead, who was shot in the leg with a poisoned Bullet, and many more of the said Inhabitants of Enfield are much wounded with the Chawed Bullets, insomuch, that it is believed divers other of the said Inhabitants will die of their wounds. And the said Souldiers upon their examination did confess they were hired for six pence a day more then their ordinary pay, and that they came without any Authority from their chief Commanders, of whose Confession and Examination of Witnesses therein Mr. Rich can give a more cettain Relation. And upon the Lord's day last the said Y●rby, with others of his Confederrtes, after the Order of Parliament red in the Churches, beat and wounded some of the said Inhabitants of Edmonton, and killed a mere in the said chase. At the insolences of which Souldiers and Purchasers of Enfield-Chace without Title, the Country stands amazed; since which horrid Murders and barbarous Actions committed by the said Souldiers and their Abettors, some Person to colour their odious and wicked Crimes with a seeming Cloak of truth, hath taken the boldness to print a false report against the said Inhabitants: And if these barbarous and bloody deeds of the Souldiers against their Pay-masters, be suffered to go unpunished, Who shall live safe? Who shall know what is their own, and who can be encouraged to maintain Souldiers any longer? who kill and murder, and take the Inheritance themselves. All which C●uelties, Munders, and Misdemeanours, are committed by the said foot-soldiers above-mentioned, by the encouragement of the said purchaser, contrary to the intention of the chief Officer and Souldiers o● the Army, as it appears by their honest and civill carriage towards the said Inhabitants of the said Parish●s. And whereas it hath been very falsely alleged by the purchaser, that th●●● were 500 men of the said Inhabitants in Arms against the Parliament and Army, there was not one man in Arms, nor was there, neither is there, any intention to put any man in Arms against the said Parliament and Army; but the said Inhabitants of the said several Parishes have been, and still are obedient to the Government of the Commonwealth.  
FINIS.