 In the Summer of 1644, on the approach of the Parliamentarian army from the east, Bourchier and his wife fled from Tawstock and Devon into the far west of Cornwall.For this action he was publicly criticised by certain royalists for having abandoned his post, and petitioned the king for redress to what he viewed as a slander, stating that he feared for his safety and was thus entitled to withdraw.However, in another account he claimed he went to Cornwall to inspect one of poorly performing estates.