Meeting on Heworth Moor
Encyclopedia
The great meeting on Heworth Moor outside York
took place on 3 June 1642. The Lords and gentry of Yorkshire were summoned there by King Charles I
to garner support from the county in his struggle with Parliament. At the meeting, at the request of Parliament, Lord Fairfax
petitioned Charles to listen to Parliament and to discontinue the raising of troops.
negotiated with each other while preparing for war.
Previously to the commencement of the English Civil War
, the king, to avoid the importunity of the Parliament, who petitioned for the exclusive control of the militia, and for other privileges subversive of the royal authority, moved from London to York, and was received by the inhabitants of York with every demonstration of loyalty and affection. He sent a message to both houses of Parliament, and afterwards advanced to Hull, to secure the arsenal there which had been left in that town, upon the disbanding of the army raised to oppose the Scots in he Bishops War; but, on being denied admission
by Sir John Hotham, the parliamentary governor, he returned to York. Parliament soon after appointed a commission to reside in York, to strengthen their party, and to watch the movements of the king. On their passing an ordinance for embodying the militia, the king ordered his friends to meet him in York, whither he directed the several courts to be in future adjourned. The Lord-Keeper
Lyttelton
, being ordered by Parliament not to issue the writs, apparently obeyed; but on the first opportunity made his escape to York, and brought with him the Great Seal
, joined the royal party, for which he was afterwards proclaimed by Parliament a traitor and a felon.
, and one hundred and fifty knights in complete armour, and attended with a guard of eight hundred infantry, greeted him with the loudest acclamations of loyalty and respect. The king, in a short address, explained the particulars of the situation in which he was placed, and thanking them for their assurances of loyalty and attachment.
However not all those who attended were sympathetic to the King's cause. Lord Fairfax
was required by Parliament to present a petition to his sovereign, entreating Charles to hearken to the voice of his Parliament, and to discontinue the raising of troops. This was at a great meeting of the freeholders and farmers of Yorkshire
convened by the king on Heworth Moor on 3 June near York. Charles evaded receiving the petition, pressing his horse forward, but Thomas Fairfax
followed him and placed the petition on the pommel of the king's saddle.
, it was signed by Lord Fairfax for Parliament and Harry Bellasis for the Royalists, on 29 September 1642, but was within days repudiated by Parliament in London and both in Yorkshire duly took up arms.
Charles return from the meeting to York, where, after keeping his court for more than five months, during which time every attempt at negotiation had failed, he advanced to Nottingham, and there erected his standard on 22 August 1642. From there by an indirect route his army advanced on London, to be met by a Parliamentary army at the Battle of Edgehill
on 23 October 1642, the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War
.
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
took place on 3 June 1642. The Lords and gentry of Yorkshire were summoned there by King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
to garner support from the county in his struggle with Parliament. At the meeting, at the request of Parliament, Lord Fairfax
Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron , English parliamentary general.-Early life:He was born in Yorkshire the eldest son of Thomas Fairfax, whom Charles I in 1627 created Lord Fairfax of Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland and received a military education in the Netherlands. Two of his...
petitioned Charles to listen to Parliament and to discontinue the raising of troops.
Prelude
During the summer of 1642 both the Parliamentary party and King Charles ICharles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
negotiated with each other while preparing for war.
Previously to the commencement of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, the king, to avoid the importunity of the Parliament, who petitioned for the exclusive control of the militia, and for other privileges subversive of the royal authority, moved from London to York, and was received by the inhabitants of York with every demonstration of loyalty and affection. He sent a message to both houses of Parliament, and afterwards advanced to Hull, to secure the arsenal there which had been left in that town, upon the disbanding of the army raised to oppose the Scots in he Bishops War; but, on being denied admission
Siege of Hull (1642)
The Siege of Hull in 1642 was the first major action of the English Civil War.As both sides moved towards war, Parliament had access to more military materiel, due to its possession of all major cities including the large arsenal in London...
by Sir John Hotham, the parliamentary governor, he returned to York. Parliament soon after appointed a commission to reside in York, to strengthen their party, and to watch the movements of the king. On their passing an ordinance for embodying the militia, the king ordered his friends to meet him in York, whither he directed the several courts to be in future adjourned. The Lord-Keeper
Lord Keeper of the Great Seal
The Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England, and later of Great Britain, was formerly an officer of the English Crown charged with physical custody of the Great Seal of England. This evolved into one of the Great Officers of State....
Lyttelton
Edward Littleton, 1st Baron Lyttleton of Mounslow
Edward, Baron Littleton , from Munslow in Shropshire, was a Chief Justice of North Wales. He was descended from the judge and legal scholar, Thomas de Littleton. His father, also Edward, had been Chief Justice of North Wales before him.-Education and career:He was educated at Oxford before...
, being ordered by Parliament not to issue the writs, apparently obeyed; but on the first opportunity made his escape to York, and brought with him the Great Seal
Great Seal of the Realm
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
, joined the royal party, for which he was afterwards proclaimed by Parliament a traitor and a felon.
Meeting
On 27 May 1642, the king issued a proclamation from his court at York, appointing a public meeting of the nobility and gentry of the neighbourhood to be held at Heworth Moor, on 3 June. This meeting was attended by more than seventy thousand persons, who, as Charles approached, accompanied by his son, Prince CharlesCharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
, and one hundred and fifty knights in complete armour, and attended with a guard of eight hundred infantry, greeted him with the loudest acclamations of loyalty and respect. The king, in a short address, explained the particulars of the situation in which he was placed, and thanking them for their assurances of loyalty and attachment.
However not all those who attended were sympathetic to the King's cause. Lord Fairfax
Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron , English parliamentary general.-Early life:He was born in Yorkshire the eldest son of Thomas Fairfax, whom Charles I in 1627 created Lord Fairfax of Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland and received a military education in the Netherlands. Two of his...
was required by Parliament to present a petition to his sovereign, entreating Charles to hearken to the voice of his Parliament, and to discontinue the raising of troops. This was at a great meeting of the freeholders and farmers of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
convened by the king on Heworth Moor on 3 June near York. Charles evaded receiving the petition, pressing his horse forward, but Thomas Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...
followed him and placed the petition on the pommel of the king's saddle.
Aftermath
It became clear after the meeting on Heworth Moor that opinion in the county of Yorkshire was divided, so a local peace treaty was negotiated for the county of Yorkshire, known as the Treaty of NeutralityTreaty of Neutrality (Yorkshire)
The Treaty of Neutrality signed on 29 September 1642 by Lord Fairfax for Parliament and Henry Bellasis for the Royalists, the two Knights of the Shire who represented Yorkshire in Parliament, with the support and agreement of other gentlemen of the county, in the hope of avoiding civil war in...
, it was signed by Lord Fairfax for Parliament and Harry Bellasis for the Royalists, on 29 September 1642, but was within days repudiated by Parliament in London and both in Yorkshire duly took up arms.
Charles return from the meeting to York, where, after keeping his court for more than five months, during which time every attempt at negotiation had failed, he advanced to Nottingham, and there erected his standard on 22 August 1642. From there by an indirect route his army advanced on London, to be met by a Parliamentary army at the Battle of Edgehill
Battle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642....
on 23 October 1642, the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
.