Previous Lot Next Lot

Auction: 26066 - Historical Documents, Autographs and Ephemera
Lot: 1015

Letters from George Digby to Prince Rupert - Secret Cipher
1642-44 five autograph letters signed from the 2nd Earl of Bristol to Prince Rupert, one autograph receipt; also autograph letter unsigned from his father, John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol addressed in code "For 55".

The five letters to Prince Rupert cover the advances of the Parliamentary forces of, variously, Sir Edward Hungerford, Sir Neville Poole, Sir Edward Bainton, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex and Sir William Waller.

Interesting contents from all letters include:

1) News "for certaine " from Doctor Goddard in Marlborough"that there are there alreadye assembled 500 dragoners under the command of Sir Edward Hungerdord and Sir Neville Poole and that this day were expected a thousand more conducted by Sir Edward Bainton" ... "If these forces bee not very speedilye crusht wee shall have heere about very warme quarters and your maties forces bee in danger of beinge hemd in"

2) "since it appears by your intelligence tat my Lord of Essex is not soe farr out of reach as was feared hee [King Charles I] is desirouse to make all hast toward him his maties armye being all (except stragglers) come well up hither to alnescott" ... your "Highness will be pleased to send speedily by your opinion way and to what place it will be fit for the kinge to march with his armies tomorrow as wee look upon the maps here (supposing that Essex points to Redding) wee conceive that Wantage will be the aptest place"

3) "The cause of this dispatch is or the Prevention of such Rumours and Reports as may flye into those Parts to the discouraging and disheartening of his Mats friends upon the occasion of his Maties Army being retreated from Abington (upon the Advance of Essex and Waller in a joynt Body thither) and it being drawn on the North side of Oxford"

4) "the truth of it is, had Essex and Waller jointly either pursued us or attaqued Oxford, we had been lost. In the one course Oxford had been yielded up to them having not a ford nights provision, and no hope of relief, in the other Worcester had been lost, and the King forced to retreat to your highness, and our remove from Worcester to bewdly was with that design" ... being at Broadway Hills this morning "from whence I now we suppose we cannot be hindered from rejoining our Oxford forces and trine of artillery, nor from the election witch of the two armies we will deal with single: which are very much weakened, or whether we will think fit to make a diversion by marching into the heart of their quarters, since Oxford is now thoroughly provided and secured. The is the best face of our condition, which though very hazardous still yet comparatively with the former may be though comfortable".

5) gives a long account details of some success against Waller at Cropredy Bridge, writing "my lord of Cleveland, being somewhat more advanced than the rest of the horse charged them without order with his brigade so madly, as struck such a terror in to them, as that their horse though twice as and back't with Foote and canon, thought the devil had come upon them in a cloud of dusk [sic] fled back over the passe, routed their own Foote and left us masters of nine or ten colours and eleven pieces of canon, before our van could well got the alarm ... 1000 of his men being certainelye reported to have run away from him in those two nights over and above the 500 at least that we killed and Tooke, with the losse of not twenty men". The letter continues with a small portion in cipher, with plain text written above.

For more information on this cipher, see: "Cipher with Prince Rupert, Digby, and Ormonde (1644-1645)": https://cryptiana.web.fc2.com/code/charlesi.htm

Also small signed receipt for £200 received for Thomas Duppa in rent.

Lastly 1642 (18 July) autograph letter, unsigned from John Digby addressed in code "For 55" to his nephew Kenelm Digby advising that the King will be at Leicester 22-25 July, 1642 and making arrangement for sums of money to be brought to him there.

A most important cache of letters containing extraordinary details on the various battles, movements of forces and responses to victory / fears of loss over this three year period.

Provenance:

The five ALS of George Digby came from papers sold by Sotheby's in 1980

Notes: Lord George Digby, 2nd Earl of Bristol (1612-77). He was made Charles I’s secretary of state in 1643, and in 1645 he became lieutenant general of the King’s army in the north. When he was defeated at Sherburn, Durham, in October 1645, the Parliamentarians captured his correspondence, which disclosed Charles I’s intrigues with foreign powers

Subject to 20% VAT on Buyer’s Premium. For more information please view Terms and Conditions for Buyers.

Estimate
£2,500 to £3,000

Starting price
£2000