Lord Hopton’s troops lay quartered at too great distance from each other, had, by a night march, come suddenly upon the Royalist forces at Alton. The horse made good their escape to Winchester, and Colonel Bolles, who was in command of his own regiment of 500 men, being outnumbered, retired with some four score men into the church, hoping to defend it till succour arrived. But the enemy, as he had not had time to barricade the doors, entered with him, and some sixty of his men were killed before the rest asked for quarter; this was granted, but Colonel Bolles refused the offer, and was killed fighting. Alton is seventeen miles from Winchester, and the little brass plate on the eastern pillar of the north arcade of the nave in Winchester Cathedral, just where the steps go up to the choir, has a counterpart in Alton Church. The inscription on it was composed almost fifty years after the event by a relative who describes himself M.A., but he does no credit to the learning of the time, for it is full of errors, both of spelling and of facts; for instance, he calls the gallant Colonel, Richard instead of John, and gives the date of the fight as 1641 instead of December, 1643; but it is too quaint a thing not to be transcribed in full. [Sidenote: THE WINCHESTER BRASS] A Memoriall. For this renowned Martialist Richard Boles of ye Right Worshipful family of the Bolleses in Linkhornsheire; collonell of a ridgment of Foot of 1300 who for his gratious King Charles ye first did Wounders att the Battell of Edgehill: his last action, to omit all others, was at Alton in this County of Soughthampton, was sirprised by five or six thousand of the Rebells, which caused him there Quartered, to fly to the church, with near fourscore of his men, who there fought them six or seven houers, and then the Rebells breaking in upon him he slew with his sword six or seven of them, and then was slayne himselfe, with sixty of his men about him. 1641 His Gratiouse Souveraigne, hearing of his death, gave him his high comendation in ye pationate expression. Bring me a Moorning Scarffe; i have Lost one of the best Comanders in this Kingdome. Alton will tell you of that famous Fight Which ye man made and bade this world goodnight, His Verteous life feared not Mortalyty, His body might, his Vertues cannot die. Because his blood was there so nobly spent This is his Tombe, that church his Monument. Ricardus Boles Wiltoniensis in Art Mag: Composuit Posuitque dolens An Dom 1689. A somewhat similar bit of spelling is this from a private diary:— “The iiii day of Sept 1551 ded my lade Admerell wyffe in Linkolneshire and ther bered.”