A HISTORY OF SUSSEX and they further possessed the important stronghold of Arundel castle, although Chichester, like the Cinque Port towns and the borough of Lewes, was in the hands of the Puritan party, being under the leader- ship of William Cawley, a wealthy brewer. On 15 November 1642 William Cawley, Edward Higgons and Henry Chittey, who were in command of the trained bands, obtained ordnance from Portsmouth and fortified Chichester against the king's forces. The Royalist faction, however, were on the alert and at once seized the guns. That night Sir John Morley and other gentry offered to help to maintain order in the city, and on this pretence assembled in such strength as to compel the mayor to surrender the keys. The parliamentary leaders retired hastily to Portsmouth, and next day the sheriff. Sir Edward Ford, marched into Chichester with the trained bands and a hundred horse. Accompanied by Sir William Ford, Sir William Morley, Sir Edward Bishop, Thomas Leeds, member of parliament for Steyning, and now captain of horse for Arundel rape. Sir Thomas Bowyer, Bishop Henry King's brother and son, and many others, they seized the county magazine with ten barrels of powder from Portsmouth, and searched the houses of the adverse party for arms. The sheriff then, in order to put the local trained bands out of action, summoned them to Chichester on pretence of defending it from an attack by Prince Rupert, and when they came disarmed and detained them. As soon as news of this blow came to Portsmouth the governor sent Captains Swanley and Winford with a small force to retake the city, but the wind and tide failing they could not get beyond Thorney Island, and finding the garrison too strong, retired.' Early in December Sir William Waller, having captured the Royalist castle of Farnham and the city of Winchester, prepared to attack Chichester. A party of cavalry under Lord Grandison endeav- oured to assist the latter city, but being caught by Waller's troops near Winchester were obliged to surrender,^ Another Royalist force under the Earl ofThanet suffered a complete defeat at Hayward's Heath while marching against Lewes,^ which town Captain Ambrose Trayton had received orders to secure for the Parliament.* Making a sudden dash for Arundel Waller surprised the garrison under Sir Richard Leachford and Captain Goulding, blew in the gate of the castle, and captured it with all its stores for the loss of one man.^ Waller then marched against Chichester and, repelling a sally of the garrison, planted his cannon on the high ground of the Broyle, afterwards bringing them close to the north gate, while a galling fire was kept up on the defenders from all sides, especially from the church of St. Pancras on the east. After eight days' siege the city surrendered on 29 December on the promise of ' quarter with honourable usage.' * The loss of Chichester was due partly to lack of ammunition, but more to the disaffection of > Portland MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), i. 72. = Corvpn MSS. (Hist. MSS. Com.), ii. 327. 3 Godwin, The Civil War in Hampshire (2nd cd.) p. 53. • Ibid. p. 51. B Suss. Arch. Coll. v. 41-2. a Ibid. pp. 44-6. 522
