An authentic narrative of the siege of Plymouth, by the Royalist troops in the year 1643,

with various interesting particulars relating thereto, carefully reprinted from ancient documents : together with a notice of the fortifications of the town at that period, its forts, outworks walls gates, draw-bridges, &c.; and an attempt to trace and point out the existing remains of those ancient fortified barriers. Plymouth : G. P. Hearder 1843. Duodecimo, modern marbled papered boards with gilt-lettered Morocco title-piece to upper board; pastedown with ex libris of G. & N. Ingleton; original printed blue wrappers bound in, title with ownership inscription of noted Plymouth Dissenter Robert Govett (1813-1901), pp. 58, folding colour map; occasional light foxing, a very good copy, with a newspaper article on the Siege of Plymouth cut from the Western Daily Mercury, 11 December 1874, mounted on 3 leaves at rear.

A scarcely recorded account of the Siege of Plymouth by the Royalists in the Civil War, locally published in the bicentennial year of the bloodiest episode in the city’s history. Although the source documents on which the narrative is based are not explicitly stated, it seems likely that the diary of John Syms, Puritan naval chaplain and librarian, was one of them.

Having refused to surrender to the Royalists, the citizenry of Plymouth signed a solemn covenant to fight to the last man; although poorly armed, the defenders managed to overcome a formidable attacking force commanded by Sir Richard Grenville. The town held out for the next four years, until the Parliamentary army finally prevailed over the Royalists. With the death of Cromwell in 1658 and the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, however, retribution was exacted by King Charles II against the leaders of the Plymouth resistance, many of whom were imprisoned.

Davidson, Bibliotecha Devoniensis, p.71

Rare. Not in OCLC; not in COPAC

Provenance:

Geoffrey Ingleton, his bookplate to front pastedown, Ingleton catalogue number 11835 stamped on final blank.