[Picture: The Waterlane Gateway]
Through which the parliamentary army entered, Feb. 22d, 1644–5, and
captured the town. The means by which this was accomplished showed much
generalship and secrecy on the part of the Parliamentarians. It appears
a detachment of soldiers belonging to that party left Wem, and marched
under the shadow of night to the extremity of the Castle-foregate, where
the troopers halted at four o’clock in the morning, in order that the
foot soldiers might effect an entrance by stratagem. The infantry turned
off on the left to the river, being led by a puritanical minister of the
town, named Huson, a kinsman of the celebrated John Huson, who from a
cobbler rose to be a colonel and a member of the Barebones parliament.
The dismounted troopers were under the command of Benbow, who, being a
native of Shrewsbury, was aware of the part most easily attacked. From
the end of Castle-foregate they advanced through the fields to the castle
ditch (now a thoroughfare), which was defended on the town side by strong
palisading and a breastwork of earth. A boat on the river contained
several carpenters and other persons, who commenced sawing down the
paling near the river to effect a passage for the soldiers. This was
soon accomplished, and by assisting one another over the ditch the
breastwork was gained. Having succeeded thus far, they seem to have
divided themselves into two divisions; the one party, headed by Benbow,
scaled the wall on the eminence between the Watch Tower and the Council
House, by means of light ladders. The main body, consisting of 350 men,
entered by the gate shewn in the engraving, to which a tower and outwork
was formerly attached. This, and a similar fort about the middle of the
lane where the town wall crossed, yielded without resistance by the
connivance of careless and treacherous sentinels, who are supposed to
have been intoxicated and privy to the design. The party who had scaled
the wall hastened to procure an entrance at the north or castle gate,
which was soon done, and having let down the draw-bridge, the horse, with
Colonels Mytton and Bowyer at their head, made the best of their way to
the main court of guard held in the Market-place, where they found their
comrades engaged with the royalists. The loss on both sides was
inconsiderable, amounting to only seven men and one captain. The castle
surrendered about noon, when the garrison was immediately marched off to
Ludlow, with the exception of thirteen poor Irishmen, who, being left to
the tender mercies of the parliamentary leaders, were hanged the same day
without trial.
Continuing the walk by the side of the river, the most prominent object
is the tower on the castle mount, from whose lofty height a group of
majestic trees decline to the banks of the Severn, which in this part
bends gracefully over its gravelly bed. The pathway brings us to the
island where a pageant took place in honour of Sir Henry Sidney (noticed
page 11). A little beyond, on the opposite side of the river, is the
ferry for conveying horses across by which barges are towed up the
stream. {179} The meadows into which we have passed comprised a portion
of the ancient Derfald, or enclosure for the keeping of deer,—in other
words a park, which may not inaptly be called