Gents Mag 1746 p.301

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	Gentleman's Magazine 1746 p.301 Penrith beacon was fir'd as a signal of distress, and the whole country thereupon flock'd southward to its relief. A party of about 120 rebels, which had been driven from Kendal before the rest came up, were intercepted in their flight, and pursued into Orton craigs; but they regain'd their main body, tho' with great difficulty, and after a very close pursuit, one only being taken. As there were no officers among them, and the people were very ill-arm'd, 'twas judg'd extremely imprudent to hazard an action, especially as the distance of the duke's army could not certainly be known; so they separated to guard the avenues leading to their respective habitations, and left Penrith to shift for itself. On Wednesday, Dec. 18, about midnight, by an express from his royal highness, we were summon'd to give all the assistance possible, by endeavouring to intercept the rebels, or any part of them, before they regain'd Carlisle. But they kept in so compact a body that we throught the attempt impracticable, especially considering the difference of weapons and numbers; so they reach'd the city on Thursday night and Friday morning, excepting a few inconsiderable stragglers, who were secur'd. Had it not been for the surrender of Carlisle, where they had now a comfortable retreat, and necessary supplies, they must have been extremely embarass'd, as the rains had now rendered the river Eden unfordable; but on the news of the Duke's marching from Penrith, they abandoned the city, and left the old governor, with about 400 Highlanders, and the English auxiliaries, to garrison the castle, with a view to retard the pursuit, having suffer'd incredible fatigues in the course of their flight from Derby; in which, had not a halt, of near 30 hours, been unhappily order'd to the king's troops, on the false notion of an invasion in Sussex, they would have been infallibly destroy'd. They forded Esk near Longtown, but lost some men by the rapidity of the current, seem'd to be in great uneasiness at Graitna, and vented repeated menaces against England for its disloyalty and backwardness in so just a cause, threatning a return after being join'd by the forces which were then in Scotland for the service. As the principal topic of thes (sic) rebel conversation, while they prepared to attack Carlisle, was on the beauties of their prince, the valour of their men, the tyranny of the present government, the justness of their cause, and their disregard of death; so now they were always boasting their skill and capacity in making an unparallel'd retreat, and their great prudence in timeing it, so as to prevent their being inclos'd between two fires. His royal highness arrived before Carlisle on Saturday the 21st, and honour'd Blackhall by taking up his lodgings there, at the same house in which the pretender's son was quarter'd in his march round that city. His royal highness sent notice privately to the well affected citizens to withdraw with their effects, and on Sunday Carlisle was again invested on all sides. On Monday, I sent his highness a plan of the city and castle of Carlisle, to which this is a copy, with my humble opinion where the batteries might be commodiously rais'd, to distress the town least, and the enemy most, by firing on the west curtain from Primrose Bank, and endeavouring to break down the arch over the sally-port door, which was accordingly approv'd of, and put in execution. As the army had left their trenching materials behind to facilitate the pursuit, the country was summon'd in with theirs, who with great alacrity flock'd to the place, and cast up the ditch at L, notwithstanding the fire from the garrison, which hurt not a single man, there being an advanc'd guard of soldiers to inform the trenchers at every flash. On Thursday the 26th his royal highness went round to visit the works on the North side near Stanwix, and some friends of the rebels having driven a flock of sheep onto the Swifts, the garrison, under favour of some cannon placed on Eden bridge, made a sally, and brought several head into the Castle; flour was also furnish'd them from time to time, notwithstanding the prohibition, which oblig'd his royal highness to cut the aqueducts that drove the mills, to disappoint their supplies; the rebels burnt a barn and house near the English gate the same day. On Friday six eighteen pounders which arrived from Whitehaven were brought from Rawcliff, and planted on the batteries, in order to begin to play on Saturday at day-break, which they accordingly did, 3 against the angle battery at C, and the other 3 against the 4 gun battery at D. 'Tis to be noted that as the parapet of the castle wall was extremely low, and the gunners on that account greatly expos'd, the inhabitants had rais'd an artificial bulwark of wet turf to a considerable thickness, with proper
	gazetteer links
	-- "Blackhall" -- Blackhall Park
	-- Carlisle
	-- "Orton Craigs" -- Orton Scar
	-- Penrith Beacon
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