The text in blue below is a transcript of the document held at the Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies. It has an entry at the National Archives catalogue as follows:

Title: Transcription of letter from Col. Christopher Whichcote to William Lenthall regarding a skirmish at Cippenham, Reference: D 11/4/2. Date: 16 Dec 1645

An interesting account of an incident which occurred in Cippenham during the English civil war.

Historical Manuscripts Commission Reports. 13th Report Appendix part I on the Portland MSS at Welbeck Abbey P.327

A letter from col. Christopher Whichcote to William Lenthall. 16th December 1645. Windsor Castle. Encloses “examinations concerning the insolence of the enemy from Wallingford plundering your friends and fetching them away prisoners within 2 miles or less of Windsor which he is unable to prevent and is almost in-capable of subsistence himself.” Enclosed: Deposition of Adrey Lydgall (possibly a corruption of Lidgold, a local family with 18th century monuments in Burnham Church) of Sippenham in Burnham Hundred 2 miles from Windsor.

“At about 7 p.m. on the 11th nine or ten soldiers from Wallingford came to her house and after remaining an hour seized her husband William Lydgall and 5 horses and 3 more from John Foord a neighbour with pistols swords and a fowling piece – 3 of which horses and the pistols belonged to troopers of Col. Martin’s Regiment quartered in their houses – all which with 2 of the troopers they carried away to Wallingford where her husband remains a prisoner till the arrears of all such taxes they pretend to be due from that Parish be paid and £10 more to the party that fetched him away. Mrs. Foord sent her servant to Burnham to acquaint Lieutenant Ryder quartered there with a party of horse that some Wallingford soldiers were at Sippenham, and had carried away divers horses and though a cornet and other troopers of Col. Martyn’s gave him information of the enemy’s being in those parts and offered to join him in pursuit he refused to go pretending that he had a charge of money to look after, and would keep the house where he and divers others of his troopers were found tippling in a very deboyce manner. She desires that some way may be found by the Parliament for her husband’s relief and liberty and for reparations for her horses and damages.” Two other depositions follow deposing to various of the facts above stated.

Some notes on the above

MSS: is an abbreviation for manuscripts

Portland MSS : The manuscripts of His Grace the Duke of Portland, preserved at Welbeck abbey. Published 1891.

Historical Manuscripts Commission: (HMC) has existed since 1869 and publishes information on the location and nature of historical records, highlighting their value in research and advising on their care. The HMC has been part of The National Archives since 2003.

The English Civil War lasted from 1642–1651.

Lidgold was the surname of the miller evicted from Haymill in 1583, see Two-Mile Brook.

William Lenthall (1591 – 1662)

William Lenthall, the recipient of the letter, was a ploitician during the civil war and served as speaker of the house of commons.