Siege of York
Encyclopedia
The Siege of York in 1644 was a prolonged contest for York
during the English Civil War
, between the Scottish Covenanter
Army and the Parliamentarian
Armies of the Northern Association and Eastern Association on the one hand, and the Royalist
Army under the Marquess of Newcastle
on the other. It lasted from 22 April until 1 July when the city was relieved by Prince Rupert of the Rhine
. Rupert and Newcastle were defeated the next day at the decisive Battle of Marston Moor
, and the siege resumed until the city was surrendered on easy terms on 16 July.
had a larger population). It had great prestige as the seat of the Archbishop of York, and as the centre of much of the region's trade.
When the Civil War broke out in 1642, the Royalists in Yorkshire were briefly besieged in the city, until the Earl of Newcastle (later elevated to Marquess) came to their aid with an army from the northern counties.
During the following year, Newcastle defeated the Parliamentarian northern army under Lord Fairfax
and his son, Sir Thomas Fairfax at the Battle of Adwalton Moor
and drove the survivors into Hull
. The Royalists laid siege to Hull, but could not prevent Parliament resupplying the city from the sea. An attempt to suborn the Governor, Sir John Hotham
, was thwarted. Newcastle also sent detachments southward into Lincolnshire
, but these were defeated at Gainsborough
and Winceby
by Parliamentarian cavalry under Oliver Cromwell
and Sir Thomas Fairfax.
, with Scotland
. On 19 January 1644, a Scottish army under the Earl of Leven
invaded Northumberland
. Newcastle took the bulk of his army north to face this new threat, leaving John Belasyse
as Governor of York with 1,500 horse and 1,800 foot. Since the autumn of 1643, Sir Thomas Fairfax's cavalry had moved into Cheshire
, where they had fought at the Battle of Nantwich
. Now, they began moving back across the Pennines into Yorkshire. To prevent them rejoining Lord Fairfax's army in Hull, Belasyse occupied the town of Selby
, which lay between them. On 11 April, Sir Thomas Fairfax and Parliamentarian infantry under Sir John Meldrum
stormed Selby
, capturing Belasyse and most of his army.
On hearing the news, the Marquess of Newcastle realised that York was threatened and hastily retreated there, entering the city on 19 April. The Scots army followed him up, and linked up with the Fairfaxes. They moved to the city and appeared before it on 22 April.
, they moved south into Derbyshire
and subsequently crossed the Pennines into Lancashire
. A garrison of 800 horse and 5,000 foot remained in York under Newcastle and his Lieutenant General of Foot, Lord Eythin
.
York lies at the confluence of the River Ouse
and the smaller River Foss
, and at the time it possessed the only bridges over the Ouse between Selby and Boroughbridge, making investment
difficult. The Scots occupied the sector west of the City, the Fairfaxes that to the east. The Foss had been dammed close to its confluence with the Ouse shortly after the Norman Conquest, causing the river behind to form a large lake that protected the north eastern approaches into the city. By the 17th century, however, the lake had begun to silt up and was shallow enough to the point that it could have been possible to cross on foot. The Parliamentarians constructed a bridge of boats
over the Ouse at Acaster Malbis
several miles south of York to allow communications between their two armies. The sector to the north between the Ouse and Foss was left open, except for occasional patrols, and the garrison could easily pass messengers to and fro, and even obtain some victuals via this unguarded sector.
Most of the activity over this period was undertaken by the garrison, who made a sortie to burn down several houses in the nearby village of Acomb (spelled Ackham in contemporary accounts), to deny shelter to the besiegers, and mounted other raids. The besiegers' chief concern during this period was to maintain their lines of communication with Hull, through which they received supplies and especially munitions.
, under the Earl of Manchester
had so far played little offensive part in the war. On 6 May, they stormed Lincoln
, removing the last Royalist garrison in their area, which allowed them to operate further afield. They moved to join the besiegers of York on 3 June, taking the hitherto unguarded northern sector between the Ouse and Foss. Another bridge of boats was constructed across the Ouse at Poppleton
to enable communications between them and the other armies. With the northern sector secure, large numbers of Parliamentarian horse could be spared to clear the area around the city. Several small Royalist garrisons nearby, such as Crayke
Castle, were captured.
The besiegers now began determined operations. The city's inner ring of defences consisted of the mediaeval city walls
. There was also an outer ring of several sconces (small detached earthwork forts, each with a garrison of perhaps a company of infantry and two or three cannon) at a distance from the walls. The Scots stormed two of these in the western sector on 6 June, but failed to capture another at the Mount, half a mile from Micklegate Bar, because reinforcements sallied from the Bar to relieve the outwork. (Although the work has long since disappeared and the area has been built upon by hotels and offices, the sconce on the Mount commanded a very wide field of fire). The Royalists then abandoned the remaining outer works.
The besiegers next formally summoned the garrison to surrender. Newcastle opened negotiations for a treaty, but he was probably merely playing for time. Both sides appeared to be acting with bad faith during the parleys, which lasted from 8 June to 15 June. On 10 June, parties of Royalist cavalry tried to sortie or to escape the city, but were forced back into York. Meanwhile, the besiegers had been constructing batteries and digging mines.
The English Parliament's Committee of Both Kingdoms
had despatched Sir Henry Vane the Younger
as Commissioner to the Allied Armies before York (referred to in the Committee's papers as the "Army of Both Kingdoms"). Vane carried instructions to the Generals at York to detach forces to resist the Royalists under Prince Rupert of the Rhine
, who was threatening to overrun the Parliamentarian-held county of Lancashire. Leven and his commanders had already expressed their opposition to this, and when Vane arrived on 9 June, they maintained their resolve to capture York rather than dissipate their strength in half-measures. Vane (who was also instructed to sound out the Allied leaders on their views as to whether King Charles
was to be deposed) eventually agreed with the Generals' strategy.
, and also dug a mine beneath the Walmgate Bar barbican. The cannon caused scars which can be seen today. A deserter warned the Royalists about the mine, and they flooded it through a countermine.
Meanwhile, at Saint Mary's Tower (outside Bootham Bar, on the north-west corner of the walls of the former St Mary's Abbey
), Manchester's men had dug another mine. On 16 June, this was fired and the explosion demolished the tower. A regiment of foot stormed the breach, but no reinforcements were available. Some Royalists emerged from the Abbey's postern gate by the river and recaptured the breach from behind, trapping the attackers. The Parliamentarians suffered 300 casualties. Manchester's Sergeant-Major General Lawrence Crawford
was blamed for rashness which led to the failure. Although the breach was the site of constant bickering between the attackers and the garrison (as the Earl of Manchester wrote, "We are now so near them that we are very ill neighbours one to another"), the Parliamentarians did not renew the assault.
, they could not arrive in time to intercept Rupert. On 28 June the besiegers learned that Rupert was holding a final muster and "fixing arms" at Skipton
and on 30 June, they temporarily abandoned the siege and moved to Marston Moor to confront him.
At first the garrison was unaware that the besiegers had departed, but sentries later reported that their Scots and Parliamentarian opposite numbers were no longer answering calls and shouting insults as they usually did. Patrols were sent out from the city, which found the besiegers had left. (There was a brief clash between these patrols and a Parliamentarian rearguard at Fulford
). After it became common knowledge within the city that the siege was lifted, Newcastle's men swarmed out from their defences and acquired large amounts of plunder, including cannon, ammunition and 4,000 pairs of shoes, from the abandoned siege lines and encampments.
Meanwhile, Rupert had bypassed the Scots and Parliamentarian armies in a highly successful flanking manoevre, and gained touch with the city from the north. Rupert claimed that he had orders from the King which required him to defeat the Scots and Parliamentarians in battle before returning to the south of England, and sent peremptory demands to Newcastle that he reinforce Rupert's army for an immediate battle. This was not possible, because Newcastle's troops, who had received no pay for some time, had mutinied and were demanding pay or discharge. Several were still looting, and it was said that some were drunk. Eventually, when Rupert and Newcastle had appealed to them, 3,000 men (with a mounted troop of 100 "Gentleman Volunteers") rejoined their colours and marched off about midday on 2 July, leaving 1,000 (the regiments of John Belasyse, Sir Thomas Glemham
and Sir Henry Slingsby of Red House) to hold the city.
That night, Newcastle's troops were annihilated at the Battle of Marston Moor
. Stragglers and fugitives from Prince Rupert's defeated army made their way to York. Sir Henry Slingsby, who had taken part in the battle as a volunteer, wrote, "We came late to York, wch made a great confusion: for at ye barre none were suffer'd to come in but such as were of ye town, so yt ye whole street[modern Blossom Street] was throng'd up to ye barre [Micklegate Bar] wth wound'd and lame people, wch made a pitiful cry among ym.
Sir Thomas Glemham
was left as Governor of the City. The Scots and Parliamentarian armies (now reinforced by Meldrum's and Denbigh's forces) resumed the siege the on 5 July. Glemham had only 1000 troops (although Rupert had left several cannon, in addition to those the Royalists had recovered on 1 July), and there was no longer any hope of relief. Glemham could only negotiate honourable terms for surrender. On 16 July, his men marched out of the city, with their arms and colours, heading for Richmond
and Carlisle. Most deserted within a few days.
Lord Fairfax was made Governor of York by Parliament. He earned the thanks of the city by refusing to allow religious zealots in the victorious Scots and Parliamentarian armies to vandalise the many churches (including York Minster
.)
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...
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, between the Scottish Covenanter
Covenanter
The Covenanters were a Scottish Presbyterian movement that played an important part in the history of Scotland, and to a lesser extent in that of England and Ireland, during the 17th century...
Army and the Parliamentarian
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
Armies of the Northern Association and Eastern Association on the one hand, and the Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
Army under the Marquess of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne KG KB PC was an English polymath and aristocrat, having been a poet, equestrian, playwright, swordsman, politician, architect, diplomat and soldier...
on the other. It lasted from 22 April until 1 July when the city was relieved by Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
. Rupert and Newcastle were defeated the next day at the decisive Battle of Marston Moor
Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince...
, and the siege resumed until the city was surrendered on easy terms on 16 July.
Early years of the Civil War
During the seventeenth century, York was often referred to as the Capital of the North and sometimes as the second City in England (although BristolBristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
had a larger population). It had great prestige as the seat of the Archbishop of York, and as the centre of much of the region's trade.
When the Civil War broke out in 1642, the Royalists in Yorkshire were briefly besieged in the city, until the Earl of Newcastle (later elevated to Marquess) came to their aid with an army from the northern counties.
During the following year, Newcastle defeated the Parliamentarian northern army under 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...
and his son, Sir Thomas Fairfax at the Battle of Adwalton Moor
Battle of Adwalton Moor
-The Battlefield:The site of the battle is high ground in Adwalton near Bradford, which is now in an area of rural-urban fringe, . Parts of the site are protected as "green belt" or other types of open space...
and drove the survivors into Hull
Kingston upon Hull
Kingston upon Hull , usually referred to as Hull, is a city and unitary authority area in the ceremonial county of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It stands on the River Hull at its junction with the Humber estuary, 25 miles inland from the North Sea. Hull has a resident population of...
. The Royalists laid siege to Hull, but could not prevent Parliament resupplying the city from the sea. An attempt to suborn the Governor, Sir John Hotham
John Hotham
Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet, of Scorborough , English parliamentarian, belonged to a Yorkshire family, and fought on the continent of Europe during the early part of the Thirty Years' War....
, was thwarted. Newcastle also sent detachments southward into Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, but these were defeated at Gainsborough
Battle of Gainsborough
The Battle of Gainsborough was a battle in the English Civil War, fought on 28 July 1643.-Prelude:When the English Civil War was declared, Gainsborough in Lincolnshire lay in an area which supported Parliament, but the town itself had Royalist sympathies...
and Winceby
Battle of Winceby
The Battle of Winceby took place on 11 October 1643 during the English Civil War near the village of Winceby, Lincolnshire about 4 miles east of Horncastle.-Prelude:...
by Parliamentarian cavalry under Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and Sir Thomas Fairfax.
Campaign of 1644
Late in 1643, Parliament signed a treaty, the Solemn League and CovenantSolemn League and Covenant
The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....
, with Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. On 19 January 1644, a Scottish army under the Earl of Leven
Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven
Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven was a Scottish soldier in Dutch, Swedish and Scottish service. Born illegitimate and raised as a foster child, he subsequently advanced to the rank of a Dutch captain, a Swedish Field Marshal, and in Scotland became lord general in command of the Covenanters,...
invaded Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. Newcastle took the bulk of his army north to face this new threat, leaving John Belasyse
John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse
John Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse PC was an English nobleman, soldier and Member of Parliament, notable for his role during and after the English Civil War.-Early life:...
as Governor of York with 1,500 horse and 1,800 foot. Since the autumn of 1643, Sir Thomas Fairfax's cavalry had moved into Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, where they had fought at the Battle of Nantwich
Battle of Nantwich
The Battle of Nantwich was fought during the First English Civil War, between the forces of Parliament and of King Charles I, northwest of the town of Nantwich in Cheshire on 25 January 1644...
. Now, they began moving back across the Pennines into Yorkshire. To prevent them rejoining Lord Fairfax's army in Hull, Belasyse occupied the town of Selby
Selby
Selby is a town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. Situated south of the city of York, along the course of the River Ouse, Selby is the largest and, with a population of 13,012, most populous settlement of the wider Selby local government district.Historically a part of the West Riding...
, which lay between them. On 11 April, Sir Thomas Fairfax and Parliamentarian infantry under Sir John Meldrum
John Meldrum
Sir John Meldrum was a soldier of Scottish origin who spent 36 years in the service of the Stuart kings of Scotland and England, James VI and I and Charles I. In 1636, Meldrum was granted by letters-patent from the king licence to continue and renew the lighthouses erected by Charles I on the...
stormed Selby
Battle of Selby
The Battle of Selby occurred in April 1644 during the English Civil War. It was a Parliamentarian victory over the Royalists.-Prelude:The war had advanced to the stage where the Parliamentary forces were seeking to control far larger swathes of territory, and were defeating Royalist pockets of...
, capturing Belasyse and most of his army.
On hearing the news, the Marquess of Newcastle realised that York was threatened and hastily retreated there, entering the city on 19 April. The Scots army followed him up, and linked up with the Fairfaxes. They moved to the city and appeared before it on 22 April.
The Siege - April to June
Newcastle sent most of his cavalry out of the city to join other Royalist armies. Although closely pursued, they escaped. Under Newcastle's Lieutenant General of Horse, Lord GoringGeorge Goring, Lord Goring
George Goring, Lord Goring was an English Royalist soldier. He was known by the courtesy title Lord Goring as the eldest son of the 1st Earl of Norwich.- The Goring family :...
, they moved south into Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and subsequently crossed the Pennines into Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. A garrison of 800 horse and 5,000 foot remained in York under Newcastle and his Lieutenant General of Foot, Lord Eythin
James King (soldier)
James King, 1st Lord Eythin was a Scottish soldier, who served in the Swedish army, and who later supported King Charles I in the English Civil War....
.
York lies at the confluence of the River Ouse
River Ouse, Yorkshire
The River Ouse is a river in North Yorkshire, England. The river is formed from the River Ure at Cuddy Shaw Reach near Linton-on-Ouse, about 6 miles downstream of the confluence of the River Swale with the River Ure...
and the smaller River Foss
River Foss
The River Foss is an improved river in North Yorkshire, England, and a tributary of the River Ouse. It rises in the Foss Crooks woods near Oulston reservoir close to the village of Yearsley and runs south through the Vale of York to the Ouse...
, and at the time it possessed the only bridges over the Ouse between Selby and Boroughbridge, making investment
Investment (military)
Investment is the military tactic of surrounding an enemy fort with armed forces to prevent entry or escape.A circumvallation is a line of fortifications, built by the attackers around the besieged fortification facing towards the enemy fort...
difficult. The Scots occupied the sector west of the City, the Fairfaxes that to the east. The Foss had been dammed close to its confluence with the Ouse shortly after the Norman Conquest, causing the river behind to form a large lake that protected the north eastern approaches into the city. By the 17th century, however, the lake had begun to silt up and was shallow enough to the point that it could have been possible to cross on foot. The Parliamentarians constructed a bridge of boats
Bridge of boats
A "bridge of boats" istype of bridge which floats on water instead of having permanent pillars. It is built by linking boats and the first and last being anchored to the shores. It was used as a military technique since ancient times, being the fastest method for an army to construct a water crossing...
over the Ouse at Acaster Malbis
Acaster Malbis
Acaster Malbis is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York, England. It is located on the River Ouse, almost 5 miles south of York...
several miles south of York to allow communications between their two armies. The sector to the north between the Ouse and Foss was left open, except for occasional patrols, and the garrison could easily pass messengers to and fro, and even obtain some victuals via this unguarded sector.
Most of the activity over this period was undertaken by the garrison, who made a sortie to burn down several houses in the nearby village of Acomb (spelled Ackham in contemporary accounts), to deny shelter to the besiegers, and mounted other raids. The besiegers' chief concern during this period was to maintain their lines of communication with Hull, through which they received supplies and especially munitions.
The Siege - June
The Parliamentarian Army of the Eastern AssociationEastern Association
The Eastern Association of counties was a Parliamentarian or 'Roundhead' army during the English Civil War. It was formed from a number of pro-Parliamentary militias in the east of England in 1642, including a troop of cavalry led by Oliver Cromwell...
, under the Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester
Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester KG, KB, FRS was an important commander of Parliamentary forces in the First English Civil War, and for a time Oliver Cromwell's superior.-Life:...
had so far played little offensive part in the war. On 6 May, they stormed Lincoln
Siege of Lincoln
During the First English Civil War Lincoln was besieged between 3 May and 6 May, 1644 by Parliamentarian forces of the Eastern Association of counties under the command of the Earl of Manchester. On the first day, the Parliamentarians took the lower town...
, removing the last Royalist garrison in their area, which allowed them to operate further afield. They moved to join the besiegers of York on 3 June, taking the hitherto unguarded northern sector between the Ouse and Foss. Another bridge of boats was constructed across the Ouse at Poppleton
Nether Poppleton
Nether Poppleton is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It is situated by the West bank of the River Ouse adjacent to Upper Poppleton, and west of York close to the A59 road from York to Harrogate...
to enable communications between them and the other armies. With the northern sector secure, large numbers of Parliamentarian horse could be spared to clear the area around the city. Several small Royalist garrisons nearby, such as Crayke
Crayke
Crayke is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire, England, about two miles east of Easingwold.The parish was formerly a detached part of County Durham , due to its connection with St Cuthbert and the Bishop of Durham, who had a castle at Crayke.The seventh-century...
Castle, were captured.
The besiegers now began determined operations. The city's inner ring of defences consisted of the mediaeval city walls
York city walls
The English city of York has, since Roman times, been defended by walls of one form or another. To this day, substantial portions of the walls remain, and York has more miles of intact wall than any other city in England...
. There was also an outer ring of several sconces (small detached earthwork forts, each with a garrison of perhaps a company of infantry and two or three cannon) at a distance from the walls. The Scots stormed two of these in the western sector on 6 June, but failed to capture another at the Mount, half a mile from Micklegate Bar, because reinforcements sallied from the Bar to relieve the outwork. (Although the work has long since disappeared and the area has been built upon by hotels and offices, the sconce on the Mount commanded a very wide field of fire). The Royalists then abandoned the remaining outer works.
The besiegers next formally summoned the garrison to surrender. Newcastle opened negotiations for a treaty, but he was probably merely playing for time. Both sides appeared to be acting with bad faith during the parleys, which lasted from 8 June to 15 June. On 10 June, parties of Royalist cavalry tried to sortie or to escape the city, but were forced back into York. Meanwhile, the besiegers had been constructing batteries and digging mines.
The English Parliament's Committee of Both Kingdoms
Committee of Both Kingdoms
The Committee of Both Kingdoms, , was a committee set up during the English Civil War by the Parliamentarian faction in association with representatives from the Scottish Covenanters, to oversee the conduct of the War and Foreign Policy...
had despatched Sir Henry Vane the Younger
Henry Vane the Younger
Sir Henry Vane , son of Henry Vane the Elder , was an English politician, statesman, and colonial governor...
as Commissioner to the Allied Armies before York (referred to in the Committee's papers as the "Army of Both Kingdoms"). Vane carried instructions to the Generals at York to detach forces to resist the Royalists under Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
, who was threatening to overrun the Parliamentarian-held county of Lancashire. Leven and his commanders had already expressed their opposition to this, and when Vane arrived on 9 June, they maintained their resolve to capture York rather than dissipate their strength in half-measures. Vane (who was also instructed to sound out the Allied leaders on their views as to whether King Charles
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...
was to be deposed) eventually agreed with the Generals' strategy.
The storming attempt
With the sconce at the Mount still in Royalist hands, the besiegers concentrated their attack on two other sectors. To attack Walmgate Bar, they set up a battery of guns on a nearby rise, Lamel HillLamel Hill
Lamel Hill, once known as Heslington Hill, is located to the south-east of the centre of York. It is the location of The Retreat and of the northern part of Walmgate Stray. It is best-known for having been the location of a Parliamentary gun-emplacement aimed at Walmgate Bar in the City Walls...
, and also dug a mine beneath the Walmgate Bar barbican. The cannon caused scars which can be seen today. A deserter warned the Royalists about the mine, and they flooded it through a countermine.
St Mary's Abbey, York
The Abbey of St Mary in York, once the richest abbey in the north of England, is a ruined Benedictine abbey that lies in what are now the Yorkshire Museum Gardens, on a steeply sloping site to the west of York Minster. The original abbey on the site was founded in 1055 and dedicated to Saint Olave...
), Manchester's men had dug another mine. On 16 June, this was fired and the explosion demolished the tower. A regiment of foot stormed the breach, but no reinforcements were available. Some Royalists emerged from the Abbey's postern gate by the river and recaptured the breach from behind, trapping the attackers. The Parliamentarians suffered 300 casualties. Manchester's Sergeant-Major General Lawrence Crawford
Lawrence Crawford
Lawrence Crawford was a Scottish soldier who fought in English or other armies on the continent of Europe. However, his motives were not mercenary, as he fought only for Presbyterian principles or causes....
was blamed for rashness which led to the failure. Although the breach was the site of constant bickering between the attackers and the garrison (as the Earl of Manchester wrote, "We are now so near them that we are very ill neighbours one to another"), the Parliamentarians did not renew the assault.
The relief
At around the same time, two armies were approaching. Prince Rupert was gathering a large Royalist army in Lancashire to relieve York. Although reinforcements for the besiegers were coming from the Midlands under Meldrum and the Earl of DenbighBasil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh
Basil Feilding, 2nd Earl of Denbigh was the eldest son of William Feilding, 1st Earl of Denbigh.Like his father, the son was educated at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was summoned to the House of Lords as Baron Feilding in March 1629...
, they could not arrive in time to intercept Rupert. On 28 June the besiegers learned that Rupert was holding a final muster and "fixing arms" at Skipton
Skipton
Skipton is a market town and civil parish within the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is located along the course of both the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the River Aire, on the south side of the Yorkshire Dales, northwest of Bradford and west of York...
and on 30 June, they temporarily abandoned the siege and moved to Marston Moor to confront him.
At first the garrison was unaware that the besiegers had departed, but sentries later reported that their Scots and Parliamentarian opposite numbers were no longer answering calls and shouting insults as they usually did. Patrols were sent out from the city, which found the besiegers had left. (There was a brief clash between these patrols and a Parliamentarian rearguard at Fulford
Fulford
Fulford is a historic village and civil parish on the outskirts of York, England. Situated to the south of the city, on the east bank of the River Ouse, it was the site of the 11th century Battle of Fulford...
). After it became common knowledge within the city that the siege was lifted, Newcastle's men swarmed out from their defences and acquired large amounts of plunder, including cannon, ammunition and 4,000 pairs of shoes, from the abandoned siege lines and encampments.
Meanwhile, Rupert had bypassed the Scots and Parliamentarian armies in a highly successful flanking manoevre, and gained touch with the city from the north. Rupert claimed that he had orders from the King which required him to defeat the Scots and Parliamentarians in battle before returning to the south of England, and sent peremptory demands to Newcastle that he reinforce Rupert's army for an immediate battle. This was not possible, because Newcastle's troops, who had received no pay for some time, had mutinied and were demanding pay or discharge. Several were still looting, and it was said that some were drunk. Eventually, when Rupert and Newcastle had appealed to them, 3,000 men (with a mounted troop of 100 "Gentleman Volunteers") rejoined their colours and marched off about midday on 2 July, leaving 1,000 (the regiments of John Belasyse, Sir Thomas Glemham
Thomas Glemham
Sir Thomas Glemham was a noted Royalist commander during the First and Second Civil Wars in England.-Early life and career:He was the son of Sir Henry Glemham of Glemham Hall, Little Glemham in Suffolk. After studying at Trinity College, Oxford, he served in armies in Europe from 1610 to 1617...
and Sir Henry Slingsby of Red House) to hold the city.
That night, Newcastle's troops were annihilated at the Battle of Marston Moor
Battle of Marston Moor
The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the First English Civil War of 1642–1646. The combined forces of the Scottish Covenanters under the Earl of Leven and the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists commanded by Prince...
. Stragglers and fugitives from Prince Rupert's defeated army made their way to York. Sir Henry Slingsby, who had taken part in the battle as a volunteer, wrote, "We came late to York, wch made a great confusion: for at ye barre none were suffer'd to come in but such as were of ye town, so yt ye whole street
End of the Siege
Although the Royalists still had other troops and garrisons in the north which might have been used to reform the Royalist armies, Rupert considered that he was needed with the King's main "Oxford Army" in the South of England, and led the troops he had rallied (5,000 horse, and a few hundred foot) out through Monk Bar on the eastern side of the city on 4 July. Newcastle considered the situation hopeless, and sailed from Scarborough with his senior officers to go into exile on the Continent.Sir Thomas Glemham
Thomas Glemham
Sir Thomas Glemham was a noted Royalist commander during the First and Second Civil Wars in England.-Early life and career:He was the son of Sir Henry Glemham of Glemham Hall, Little Glemham in Suffolk. After studying at Trinity College, Oxford, he served in armies in Europe from 1610 to 1617...
was left as Governor of the City. The Scots and Parliamentarian armies (now reinforced by Meldrum's and Denbigh's forces) resumed the siege the on 5 July. Glemham had only 1000 troops (although Rupert had left several cannon, in addition to those the Royalists had recovered on 1 July), and there was no longer any hope of relief. Glemham could only negotiate honourable terms for surrender. On 16 July, his men marched out of the city, with their arms and colours, heading for Richmond
Richmond, North Yorkshire
Richmond is a market town and civil parish on the River Swale in North Yorkshire, England and is the administrative centre of the district of Richmondshire. It is situated on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and serves as the Park's main tourist centre...
and Carlisle. Most deserted within a few days.
Lord Fairfax was made Governor of York by Parliament. He earned the thanks of the city by refusing to allow religious zealots in the victorious Scots and Parliamentarian armies to vandalise the many churches (including York Minster
York Minster
York Minster is a Gothic cathedral in York, England and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe alongside Cologne Cathedral. The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York; it is run by...
.)