Note 245 — Chapter X · The Last Stand. Battle of Wigan Lane. Trial and Death of the Earl of Derby.

"Raines," op. cit., p. ccxvii, ccvxiii. Canon Raines here repeats a wild story from Seacome, to the effect that this petition would have been allowed by the House, had not Cromwell and Bradshaw contrived to reduce the number of Members present to less than 40, so that no question could be put. There is no foundation for this statement. As a matter of fact, the House voted that Derby's petition should be read, but it could not possibly be dealt further with owing to the impossibility of sending a messenger into Lancashire in time to stop the execution, had that been intended. ("C.J.," Vol. 7, p. 27.) For Cromwell's real attitude towards the reprieve, vide note on p. 201.