Cromwell House, Old Marston
In 1642 after the battle of Edgehill, Charles I was forced back from London and made Oxford his military base and centre of government. When the city was besieged by the New Model Army of the Parliamentarians, their supporter Unton Croke, the local grandee at Marston, made his manor house available to General Fairfax as his HQ in 1645. Cromwell himself is known to have visited the house at that time and is likely to have made other visits later as he was constantly present around Oxford during the siege.
In 1646, after the King’s departure for the north, the Privy Council instructed Sir Thomas Glenham, Governor of Oxford, to treat with Fairfax, a course of action endorsed by the King. Glenham still considered Oxford to be defensible against Fairfax’s assault, mounted from the Great Fort on Headington Hill, but felt obliged to accept the enemy’s overture. 13 commissioners were chosen by each side and the place appointed for negotiations was ‘Mr Croke’s house at Marston’.
Meetings between 18 and 23 May were unsuccessful as neither side was yet in a mood to concede much. Fairfax had more prescriptive Articles of Surrender drawn up and on 4 June the commissioners returned to Unton Croke’s house to consider the them. Terms respecting the ancient rights of Oxford and safeguarding the departing Royalist garrison were finally agreed at the house on 17 June and on the 20th formally signed by Fairfax and Glenham in the Audit House at Christ Church. Two days later the King’s nephews, Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice, were allowed to leave the city with 300 gentlemen. On 24 June up to 3000 of the Royalist garrison marched out of the city with full military honours, as agreed. They were disarmed and disbanded at Thame and issued with passes from Fairfax guaranteeing their safety and liberty. Fairfax placed guards on the Bodleian Library to protect it against looting.
Mill Lane is a fairly quiet road, but it is possible to park off-road at the beginning of the Public Footpath. You are looking for a medium sized Cache, suitable for small TBs and trinkets. Please replace with care as found.
Congratulations to Odysseusthecunning & Farolinha for an excellent FTF, within about forty-five minutes of the Cache being published!