Siege of York

The Great and Close Siege of York

Background

In late 1643, Parliament signed the Solemn League and Covenant with Scotland. Soon after, a Scottish army under General Alexander Leslie, 1st Earl of Leven, invaded Northumberland. Meanwhile, Thomas Fairfax's cavalry moved to Cheshire, fought at Nantwich, and then crossed the Pennines to Yorkshire to rejoin his father, Ferdinando Fairfax, Lord Fairfax, at Hull.

At this point, William Cavendish, Marquess of Newcastle, took most of his army north to stop the Scottish threat, leaving John Belasyse as Governor of York. To prevent Thomas Fairfax from reaching Hull, Belasyse occupied the town of Selby. However, on April 11th, 1644, Thomas Fairfax and his infantry captured Belasyse and most of his army.

When Cavendish heard the news about Belasyse's capture, he understood York was under threat and quickly retreated to York, entering the city on April 19th. The city was now well provisioned with a Royalist garrison of around 5,000 men.

Battle

After pursuing Cavendish to York, the Scottish army joined the Fairfax joint army there. York's ancient stone wall, its primary defense, encircled the city. On April 22nd, the Scots and Parliamentarians appeared before York. Surrounding the city, the combined forces mounted a formidable siege to isolate York, cut off its outside supplies, and force its surrender.

The Scots moved into position on the south side of the River Ouse, facing defenders around Micklegate Bar. Lord Fairfax's men were positioned on the east bank of the River Foss, facing Walmgate Bar. The main quarters for the Scots were at Bishopthorpe and Middlethorpe, while Fairfax made quarters at Fulford and Heslington.

The Royalists inside York tried to defend the city and launched sorties to disrupt the besiegers. The garrison was well organized, and morale was high. These factors played an important part in prolonging resistance.

Fighting during the siege included skirmishes, artillery bombardments, and attacks on outer fortifications. During sorties, the garrison burned several houses in the nearby village of Acomb to prevent the besiegers from using them for shelter.

The city's defenders maintained an outer ring beyond the stone walls, comprised of a sconce line and small detached earthwork forts. Near Micklegate Bar, the Scots stormed two of these defenses, only to be repelled by reinforcements that sallied from within.

Afterward, the besiegers shifted to other parts of town, setting up a gun battery on Lamel Hill to attack Walmgate Bar. They also mined beneath the Walmgate Bar Barbican. Warned of the mining, the Royalists flooded the tunnel through a countermine.

At the same time, Edward Montagu, Earl of Manchester, ordered his men to mine under St Mary's Tower near Bootham Bar. On June 16th, the mine was fired on orders from Lawrence Crawford and the explosion demolished the tower. As the smoke cleared, some 600 foot soldiers stormed the breach, but Royalists under Phillip Byron emerged from the abbey's postern gate, Byron was killed as he opened the gate, but the Royalists retook the breach from behind, and trapped the foot soldiers, causing 35 casualties, 100 wounded, and 200 taken prisoner. As a result, the Parliamentarians did not renew an assault on the breach.

Meanwhile, to relieve the siege, King Charles I dispatched a Royalist army under Prince Rupert of the Rhine. In response, the Parliamentarian and Scottish forces prepared for battle outside the siege lines. On June 30th, word reached the Parliamentarians that Rupert had reached Knaresborough, a day's march from York. Rupert maneuvered into York from the north on July 1st, temporarily lifting the siege. Cavendish's troops soon joined him. Rupert claimed he had orders from the King to defeat Parliamentarians and Scots before returning south.

The next day, armies clashed west of York at the Battle of Marston Moor on July 2nd, 1644. Decisive victory favored the Parliamentarians and their Scottish allies, who routed Prince Rupert's army. As chaos erupted, many Royalists retreated back to York's city gates. Following the defeat, Rupert departed with his cavalry, while Cavendish left for the Continent.

Henry Slingsby, a Royalist commander defending the city, later wrote:

"We came late to York, which made a great confusion; for at the bar, none were suffer'd to come in but such as were of the town, so the whole street was throng'd up with wound'd and lame people, which made a pitiful cry among them."

York was now commanded by Thomas Glemham and Henry Slingsby.

The siege of York began again in earnest around July 4th or 5th. After the defeat at Marston Moor, morale fell, and garrison numbers dropped. On July 16th, Glemham surrendered York on lenient terms. At eleven o'clock in the morning, the garrison marched out with arms and colors to Richmond and Carlisle as Parliamentarian forces entered the city and attended a service at York Minster.

Aftermath

The siege resulted in about 1,000 Parliamentarians and Covenanters killed or wounded. About 1,000 Royalists were also killed or wounded. Another 1,000 Royalists were paroled after they surrendered.

The fall of York gave Parliamentarians control of northern England and marked a turning point in the war. Building on this momentum, they then targeted northern castles still loyal to the King.

York suffered damage from bombardment, but key sites like York Minster were spared. Lord Fairfax, made Governor of York by Parliament, ordered these landmarks preserved.