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Article THE SEA SERJEANTS. Page 1 of 3 →
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The Sea Serjeants.
THE SEA SEEJEAlsTTS . it
At the suppression of the Order of Knights Templar , all their lands , houses , and commanderies were , of course , confiscated by royal rapacity . Not the least celebrated of those subjected to the tyrant ' s grasp w as the commandery of Slebeach , situated in the loveliest
district of Pembrokeshire , on the banks of the river Cleddan , and having a large village , that of Slebeach , entirely peopled by the dependahts of the house . A few of the knights , foreseeing the tempest , made a timely escape from the fire and sword extermination that afterwards fell upon their brotherhood , and retired to the wild country at the base of Precellv mountain , where they found refuge iri the homes of
chieftains allied to them by the ties of blood . In course of time they ventured to emerge from their hiding places , and safe as well in their remoteness from the seat of government as in the fidelity of their countrymen , these ex-warrior monks repudiated their monastic vows , and intermarried with the great territorial families of the principality . But the original bond of union never ceased its influence . On the bed of death they bound their descendants by a solemn vow to
maintain inviolate their confederacy , and in all the great questions of peace and war which might thereafter convulse their common country , the name of " Slebeach" was to be the watchword of unity and strength . Accordingly , in the . subsequent wars of the Roses , they were amongst the most zealous paxtizans of the Yorkists . At the reformation , recalling the traditionary sufferings of their ancestors , the Templar Knights , they sympathized with conventual houses . In the great civil war between Charles I ; and the parliament , their descendants
rallied round the royal standard . At the famous siege of Pembroke , where Cromwell commanded in person , three of them , Llangherne , Poyer , and another , made one of the most remarkable defences on record during that most lamentable period of our national annals . At length , the besiegers having destroyed the'well that supplied its garrison with drinking water , they were forced to an unconditional
surrender . Langherne , Poyer , and his companion in arms , were condamned to be shot . Cromwell was ill of the gout . The coverlet of the bed in which he lay is still preserved by the descendants of the family at their house , where , an unwelcome guest , he had established his head quarters . As he wrote in bed the original order for their execution , a sudden twinge of his disorder caused him to upset the
inkstand ; a large stain is shown in evidence of the truth of this tradition . Great intercession was , however , made to save the lives of these devoted cavaliers by some who , though kinsmen , were in the besiegers ' camp . Cromwell thought it impolitic to refuse . He therefore cancelled the warrant and consented to the decision of their fate by lot . r Jfhree pieces of crumpled paper were thrown into a headpiece , held by a child , innocently unconscious of the solemn drama in Avhich he
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Sea Serjeants.
THE SEA SEEJEAlsTTS . it
At the suppression of the Order of Knights Templar , all their lands , houses , and commanderies were , of course , confiscated by royal rapacity . Not the least celebrated of those subjected to the tyrant ' s grasp w as the commandery of Slebeach , situated in the loveliest
district of Pembrokeshire , on the banks of the river Cleddan , and having a large village , that of Slebeach , entirely peopled by the dependahts of the house . A few of the knights , foreseeing the tempest , made a timely escape from the fire and sword extermination that afterwards fell upon their brotherhood , and retired to the wild country at the base of Precellv mountain , where they found refuge iri the homes of
chieftains allied to them by the ties of blood . In course of time they ventured to emerge from their hiding places , and safe as well in their remoteness from the seat of government as in the fidelity of their countrymen , these ex-warrior monks repudiated their monastic vows , and intermarried with the great territorial families of the principality . But the original bond of union never ceased its influence . On the bed of death they bound their descendants by a solemn vow to
maintain inviolate their confederacy , and in all the great questions of peace and war which might thereafter convulse their common country , the name of " Slebeach" was to be the watchword of unity and strength . Accordingly , in the . subsequent wars of the Roses , they were amongst the most zealous paxtizans of the Yorkists . At the reformation , recalling the traditionary sufferings of their ancestors , the Templar Knights , they sympathized with conventual houses . In the great civil war between Charles I ; and the parliament , their descendants
rallied round the royal standard . At the famous siege of Pembroke , where Cromwell commanded in person , three of them , Llangherne , Poyer , and another , made one of the most remarkable defences on record during that most lamentable period of our national annals . At length , the besiegers having destroyed the'well that supplied its garrison with drinking water , they were forced to an unconditional
surrender . Langherne , Poyer , and his companion in arms , were condamned to be shot . Cromwell was ill of the gout . The coverlet of the bed in which he lay is still preserved by the descendants of the family at their house , where , an unwelcome guest , he had established his head quarters . As he wrote in bed the original order for their execution , a sudden twinge of his disorder caused him to upset the
inkstand ; a large stain is shown in evidence of the truth of this tradition . Great intercession was , however , made to save the lives of these devoted cavaliers by some who , though kinsmen , were in the besiegers ' camp . Cromwell thought it impolitic to refuse . He therefore cancelled the warrant and consented to the decision of their fate by lot . r Jfhree pieces of crumpled paper were thrown into a headpiece , held by a child , innocently unconscious of the solemn drama in Avhich he