 On Tuesday 13 September 1642 Bourchier accompanied by a substantial group of local royalist gentry entered South Molton for the purpose of reading his commission and raising troops, but was met by an angry mob of over 1,000 persons who were "in a great rage with the mayor and his company for giving licence that they should enter and swore that if they did attempt anything there or read their commission of array they would beat them all down and kill them (even) if they were all hanged for it".The mob was armed with muskets, halberts, bills, clubs, pikes and poles.The event was recorded by John Cock in 1642, who stated