Siege of Chester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Chester |
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| Part of the First English Civil War | |||||||
 Morgan's Mount, a Royalist gun platform which was part of Chester's defences in 1645 |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Royalists |
 Parliamentarians |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lord Byron | Sir William Brereton Colonel Michael Jones |
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The Siege of Chester was a long battle that happened during the First English Civil War. It lasted for 16 months, from September 1644 to February 1646. During this time, the city of Chester was surrounded by soldiers.
The Parliamentarian forces, led by Sir William Brereton, eventually took control of Chester. The city had been held by the Royalists, who were loyal to King Charles I. Their leader in Chester was Lord Byron.
Even though the siege lasted a long time, the fighting was not always intense. Sometimes, the Royalists managed to break free. But in the end, the Parliamentarians completely blocked off the city and captured it.
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Why Was Chester Important?
At the start of the English Civil War, Chester was controlled by King Charles I's supporters. The city was very important for the Royalists. It was located on the River Dee and close to the Irish Sea. This made it a key way to get supplies and soldiers to and from Ireland and North Wales.
Chester was naturally protected by the river on one side. It also had strong city walls that were very old, dating back to Roman times. When the war began, the Royalists made these walls even stronger. They also built new earth walls around parts of the city to the north and east.
In March 1643, Sir William Brereton became the leader of the Parliamentarian forces in Cheshire. Most of the wealthy families in Cheshire supported the King. Over the next year, Brereton took control of most of the area. But Chester stayed a strong Royalist base under Lord Byron.
The First Siege: September 1644 to March 1645
On September 20, 1644, Brereton's army moved towards Chester. They managed to take some of the outer defences of the city. Lord Byron, who was in charge of Chester, refused to give up the city. So, a loose siege began. This meant Brereton tried to stop supplies from reaching Chester. However, his army was not big enough to completely block the city.
Fighting continued outside Chester. Royalist soldiers would sometimes leave the city to attack Brereton's smaller bases. In late October, Brereton tried a big attack on Chester's walls. When this attack failed, he stopped the direct assaults. But he kept up the loose siege, trying to cut off supplies.
The siege continued through the winter. On February 19, 1645, Brereton had to stop the siege. This happened because Prince Maurice, a Royalist leader, was approaching with his army. But this break didn't last long. About a month later, Prince Maurice left, taking 1,200 experienced soldiers with him. This left Lord Byron with only 600 regular soldiers to defend Chester.
Brereton quickly surrounded Chester again. But about three weeks later, he had to pull his forces back. This was because a Royalist army was reported to be coming. This marked the end of the siege for several months. Parliament decided to reduce its military actions in Cheshire during the spring and summer of 1645.
The King's Movements and the Second Siege: September 1645 to February 1646
In the summer of 1645, King Charles I's main army suffered a big defeat at the Battle of Naseby. He then moved around, trying to gather more support. He hoped to join up with another Royalist leader, Montrose, in the north.
On September 20, 1645, a new Parliamentarian force attacked Chester. This army, led by Colonel Michael Jones, had over 700 foot soldiers and 700 cavalry. They broke through the outer Royalist defences. Jones's soldiers set fire to buildings outside the east gate. They then moved cannons to St John the Baptist's Church to fire at the city wall. By September 22, their cannons had made a hole in Chester's walls.
When King Charles heard about the attack, he rushed towards Chester. He arrived on September 23 with some of his best soldiers. They were able to enter the city from the west side of the River Dee, which was still controlled by Royalists. The King hoped to trap the Parliamentarian attackers between his army and the soldiers inside Chester.
Sir Marmaduke Langdale led about 3,000 of the King's cavalry towards Chester. But on September 24, they met Sydnam Poyntz's Parliamentarian cavalry near the village of Rowton. The two sides fought for hours. Then, Parliamentarian reinforcements arrived from Chester. The Royalist cavalry was completely defeated in what became known as the Battle of Rowton Heath. King Charles is said to have watched this defeat from the Phoenix Tower on Chester's city walls.
King Charles stayed in Chester overnight. But on September 25, he left with 500 horsemen and rode to Denbigh in North Wales. Lord Byron stayed behind to defend Chester. That same morning, the Parliamentarians surrounded the city again and started firing cannons. By the next day, they had made another hole in the city wall at Newgate.
The Parliamentarians tried to attack the city on October 8, but they failed. After this, they decided to make the blockade even tighter. They continued the siege for three more months. During this time, many people inside Chester died from starvation.
In January 1646, the Mayor of Chester, William Ince, convinced Lord Byron to talk about surrendering. Negotiations began on January 20 and finished on February 1. Finally, on February 3, Brereton and the Parliamentarians marched into Chester. The city was theirs.
What Happened After the Siege?
Chester suffered a lot during the long siege. Many people died. A lot of buildings, including homes, farms, and chapels, were destroyed. Many churches were badly damaged. The city also ran out of money.
Images for kids
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Lord Byron, the Royalist commander of Chester.
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This lighter stone fills a hole in the Chester city walls made during the siege in September 1645.
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St John the Baptist's Church was heavily damaged during the siege.
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During the siege, Royalist Captain Morgan placed cannons on this watch tower, now called Morgan's Mount.
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The walls of Chester Castle were used by the Royalists for their cannons.
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You can still see damage from musket balls on Bonewaldesthorne's Tower.
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Damage from cannonballs is still visible on Barnaby's Tower.
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The Phoenix Tower, where King Charles is said to have watched his army lose the Battle of Rowton Heath.
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An old sign on the Goblin Tower shows repairs made to the city walls after the war.
