Civil War
The city of Hereford took a battering during the English Civil War which began with such optimism when the King raised his standard at Nottingham in 1641 – a ‘war’ that pitted Parliamentarians against Royalists.
The Herefordshire county gentry, including the Aubreys of Clehonger and their kinsmen, overwhelmingly supported the King. In September 1642, the Earl of Stamford marched on the city of Hereford with a thousand men of the Parliamentary army. They met little resistance and plundered remorselessly, which only succeeded in fuelling resentment among the population.
Being strategically exposed, Stamford withdrew his troops from Hereford. The city remained in Royalist hands until the arrival in 1643 of the Parliamentarian Sir William Waller with an army of over 2,500 troops. An honourable man, he parleyed with the Governor Sir Richard Cave, and signed a set of orders to ensure that the inhabitants were treated with decency and respect.
He stayed less than a month but during that time, several distinguished persons were taken prisoner, including Sir Samuel Aubrey of Clehonger.
In Salt & Silk, this episode is described in detail and shows the affect his capture had on his family, particularly on his young grandson, Herbert Aubrey.
Little did they know that another Herbert Aubrey would marry the great-grand-daughter of this conqueror of Hereford.
For an insight into the turbulent lives of these men, their family and friends,
revealed vividly
in Salt & Silk... Order Now
