In 1660, Andrew Cooper, a Royalist reporter and poet published Stratologia, or, The history of the English civil vvarrs in English verse : containing a brief account of all fights, most skirmishes, stratagems and sieges in England, from the very first originall of our late warres, till the martyrdome of King Charles the First of blessed memory by an eye-witnesse of many of them, A.C.
Stratologia contains four mentions of "Tinsley"—Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651. Tinsley is a phonetic spelling based on the local dialect pronunciation of Tyldesley.
Before Manchester did Lord Strange Difplay
His new-raif'd forces, but was beat away
Thence with fome loffe : alas ! who can declare,
All the occurrences of this fad Warre.
The valiant Tinfley did with fword and fire
Lancafter fall upon; the Rogues retire,
Out of thofe flaming ftreets, difcoloured
With blood, and with dead corps alfo befpread;
Then on the Caftle Tinfley makes affay,
But leaves it, and for York-fhire march'd away.
Perform : this the Oxfordians fully finde.
Wallingford is to Fairfax too refign'd,
Though Blague the place moft nobly did defend,
But who 'gainft fwords and famine can contend?
This place like others muft fubmit to fate.
Litchfield, the next comes to capitulate
On tearms: here valiant Tinfley plaid his part,
Not all their Force, not all their Miners art,
Not all their Batteries and Granado's great
Prevail; at every ftorm, they off were beat
With lofs, and fhame enough; the Moats were fil'd,
With bodies of th' Affailants in them kil'd.
This place by ftorm had been twice tane before,
Which did th' Affailants animate the more
To bold attempts; but fo they anfwered were,
That no more Ladders did they dare to Rear,
But clofe laid in their trenches and the town,
But now provifions wonderous fcarce are grown
Within; that Horfe-flefh they begin to eat,
Neceffity Tinfley inforc'd to treat
With th' Enemy, and now to yeild the place.
