Manuscripts and Special Collections
Pw A 2231 : [Part of] a [draft] account in French of the march [from Torbay to London] by William Bentinck [later 1st Earl of Portland]; n.d. [c. Dec. 1688]
[Translated from French]
[Princess Anne wrote to her brother-in-law William that she was taking refuge in] the North of England, under the pro-tection of the aforesaid bishop [of London] and that of several provincial gentlemen who had gathered round her as she fled, and that she intended going towards Nottingham [Gloucester erased] to wait there for news from the Prince of Denmark [her husband]. On the morning of the 3rd/13th Dec. His Highness sent back the king's messenger with the required passports; the same morn-ing the Dutch ambassador arrived, having obtained the king's permission to come, and in the evening there came from London Lord Clarendon and Sir Henry Capell, brother of the late Earl of Essex, who had passed through the quarters of the king's troops without being arrested. On the 4th [14th Dec. New Style] His Highness marched to Salisbury, where he was received with public acclamation; the mayor and corporation came before him in their robes. The 5th/15th His Highness remained in this place, Lord Oxford arrived there from London. His Highness sent an officer of his guard to Lords Halifax, Notting-ham and Godolphin who had arrived in Andover about 15 miles from Salisbury to conduct them to Hungerford to await the arrival of His Highness, who marched on the 6/16th to Collingbourne Kingston, and on the 17th to Hungerford.
