Description:The opening stages of the Civil War produced many documents providing an insight into military preparations. The Sutherland Papers include examples of these documents including letters from King Charles I to the Sheriff of Staffordshire and letters written to Sir Richard Leveson requesting military assistance and equipment. The documents reflect Staffordshire's role in the Civil War.
In a letter dated 11th September 1642 written from his Court at Nottingham, King Charles I writes to the Sheriff of Staffordshire notifying him that ‘wee haue resolved to make or repayre to Vttoxater on Thursday next’. The letter indicates that the King and the Royalist forces made their progress to Uttoxeter through Stafford. The King writes that he requires the Sherriff ‘to warne all ye Gentlemen together with ye trayned bands of that our County aswell priuate as common armes to giue their personall Attendance on us at the confines of our sayd County on Thursday by twelue of the Clock to guard our persons through our sayd County’.
The protection of the King through Stafford was extremely important, the letter threatening the Sheriff that if any men ‘neglect ye performance of their duty wee shall esteeme them as persons disaffected to us and to the publique peace’.
The letter indicates that military troops were seen as unruly, reassuring the Sheriff ‘that all disorders may be prevented which may casually happen by the soldiers which wee will take all possible care to prevent and haue declared our resolution severely to punish’.
The letter also requests that the Sheriff make provision for the King’s troops, stating ‘wee desire you to giue direction for such necesary Provision of Victuall and other Accomodacon in … neere Vttoxater for three nights for our Army’.
The document provides an insight into the provisions required to accommodate the Royalist army, and charts the Royalist progress through Staffordshire in the opening stages of the Civil War.