marched towards Wexford, where in the way was a strong and large castle, at a town called Limerick, the ancient seat of the Esmonds, where the enemy had a strong garrison, which they burnt and quitted the day before our coming thither. From thence we marched towards Ferns, an episcopal seat, where was a castle, to which I sent Colonel Reynolds with a party to summon it, which accordingly he did, and it was surrendered to him, where we having put a company, advanced the army to a passage over the river Slaney, which runs down to Wexford, and that night we marched into the fields of a village called Enniscorthy, belonging to Mr. Robert Wallop, where was a strong castle very well manned and provided for by the enemy… We summoned the castle, and they refused to yield at the first, but upon the better consideration they were willing to deliver the place to us, which accordingly they did, leaving their great guns, arms, ammunition, and provisions." On 29th September his fleet appeared off Wexford, and on 1st October Cromwell with his army encamped before the walls, and on the 3rd he summoned the town to surrender. General Jones, with a party of dragoons, captured the fort at Rosslare, on the 4th. Several letters passed between Lieutenant-Colonel David Sinnott, the Governor of Wexford, and Cromwell. Although the town was invested closely on the south and west. Lord Iveagh managed to throw 1,500 men across the river, while Ormond advanced from Ross and succeeded in sending across Sir Edmund Butler, with 500 foot, and 100 horse. With these forces it was thought that Sinnott would be able to make a stout defence. On the 11th, however, after Cromwell had bombarded the town for a few hours, Sinnott offered to surrender upon ten conditions, the chief of which were: the free exercise of their religion, and retention of church property; that he, with his army, should be allowed to march out with all the honours of war, and join the garrison of Ross; liberty to the inhabitants to leave for any other place they might desire, carrying away all their movable property; the corporate privileges of the mayor and burgesses to be preserved intact; that such inhabitants as should elect to remain, should be guaranteed all their property; finally, "that no memory remain of any hostility which was hitherto between the said town and castle, on the one part, and the Parliament or state of England, on the other part." Cromwell replied: "I have had the patience to peruse your propositions, to which I might have returned an answer with some disdain. But, to be short, I shall give the soldiers and non-commissioned officers quarter for life, and leave to go to their several habitations with their wearing clothes, they engaging themselves to live quietly there, and to take up arms no more against the Parliament of England; and the commissioned officers quarter for their lives, but to render themselves prisoners. And as for the inhabitants, I shall engage myself that no violence shall be offered to their goods, and that I shall protect their town from plunder." Before Sinnott could consider these propositions, Cromwell had gained over Stafford, the commander of an outlying castle that commanded the walls, who admitted a number of Parliamentary troops. Seeing it thus occupied, the besieged abandoned the defence; the besiegers crossed the walls without hindrance, by their scaling-ladders; the gates were thrown open, and Cromwell's army poured in. An attempt was made to prevent the advance of the cavalry, by placing ropes and chains across the streets. The garrison retreated to the market-place, where the townspeople had gathered together. "When they [his troops] were come into the market-place," writes Cromwell, "the enemy making a stiff resistance, our forces brake them, and then put all to the sword that came in their way. Two boatfuls of the enemy attempting to escape, being overprest with numbers, sank, whereby were drowned near three hundred of them. I believe in all there was lost of the enemy not many less than two thousand; and I believe not twenty of yours from first to last of the siege… The town is now so in your power, that of the former inhabitants I believe scarce one in twenty can challenge any property in their houses. Most of them are run away, and many of them killed in this service, and it were to be wished that an honest people would come and plant here, where are very good houses and other accommodations fitted to their hands, which may by your favour be made of encouragment to them… Thus it hath pleased God to give into your hands this other mercy, for which, as for all, we pray God may have all the glory. Indeed your instruments are poor and weak, and can do nothing but through believing, and that is the gift of God also." The ordinary statements regarding the indiscriminate massacre of non-combatants at Wexford rest almost entirely upon the contents of a letter, written some fourteen years afterwards, to the Papal Nuncio, by Nicholas French, Bishop of Ferns, who
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