Siege of Lathom House facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Lathom House
Part of First English Civil War
Illustration of Lathom House, prior to the siege
Date First siege 27 February – 27 May 1644 Second siege July – 2 December 1645 Location Lathom, Lancashire Result 1st Siege: Royalist victory 2nd Siege: Parliamentary victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
1st: Countess of Derby 2nd: Edward Rawstorne	1st: Sir Thomas Fairfax 2nd: Peter Egerton
Strength
1st: 300	1st: 2,000 2nd: 4,000
Casualties and losses
1st: Less than 10	1st: 400–500

The siege of Lathom House was a military battle during the First English Civil War. It took place at Lathom House, a strong castle near Ormskirk in Lancashire, England. The fight was between the Parliamentarian army and the Royalist defenders of the house. There were two sieges. The first siege lasted from February to May 1644. The second siege happened a year later, from July to December 1645. Lathom House was eventually captured and then destroyed.

Why Lathom House Was Important

When the English Civil War began in 1642, James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, was the most important Royalist leader in northwest England. The Stanley family's main home was Lathom House.

In 1643, King Charles I told the Earl of Derby to go to the Isle of Man. He needed to make it safe from a possible attack by Scottish forces. This meant the Earl had to leave Lathom House.

His wife, Charlotte de la Tremoüille, was left in charge. Lathom House became the last place in Lancashire still held by the Royalists.

Sir Thomas Fairfax, a leader for Parliament, saw this as a chance to make Parliament stronger in Lancashire. He decided to try and capture Lathom House. After the town of Warrington fell to Parliament, the Parliamentarians asked the Countess to give up her house. She refused, saying it would dishonor her husband. She only promised to defend her home, which delayed further attacks for a short time.

The First Siege Begins

When Sir Thomas Fairfax arrived at Lathom House in February 1644, the Countess had hidden how strong the castle really was. Fairfax demanded that she surrender Lathom House to him. She asked for a week to think about it. Then, she insisted that he visit her at Lathom House to talk more.

Fairfax was treated like an important guest. But the Countess and everyone in the house completely refused his terms for surrendering. He gave her two more days to decide. The messenger sent two days later was sent away without a polite answer.

The siege then began. About 2,000 Parliamentarian soldiers attacked the house. They had 500 cavalry (soldiers on horseback) and 1,500 infantry (soldiers on foot). Inside Lathom House, there were only 300 defenders.

The house had very strong defenses:

• Its outer walls and earth banks were six feet thick.
• There was a moat (a deep ditch filled with water) eight yards wide.
• Nine towers stood on the walls, each with six cannons. Three cannons pointed one way, and three pointed the other.
• The Eagle Tower was the tallest, giving a great view of the battlefield.

The castle was also in a low spot in the middle of an open area. This allowed the defenders to see the enemy's movements very well. Countess Charlotte had also gathered a group of skilled shooters. They were able to hit many enemy soldiers and officers from a distance.

An old account described Lathom House as being on flat, marshy ground. It said the strong walls were two yards thick. The moat was eight yards wide and two yards deep. There were also strong wooden fences (palisades) behind the moat. The Eagle Tower was in the middle of the house, taller than all the others. The gatehouse also had two tall, strong buildings with towers. The best shooters, who usually hunted with the Earl, were placed on these towers. They used powerful guns to shoot at the enemy, especially their commanders. The house's location made it a very strong place to defend.

Cromwell's Stone. People say the hollows in this stone were used to make cannonballs by Cromwell's army during the siege of Lathom House.

The castle's defenses held up well against constant cannon and mortar fire. The Royalists inside the house also made several successful surprise attacks. These attacks stopped the Parliamentarians from setting up their big guns. Because of this, the Parliamentarian forces could not place any major cannons against the castle. Their soldiers also lost hope as the defenders kept shooting at them.

Fairfax kept demanding that Charlotte surrender. He even got a letter from her husband, Lord Stanley, asking for her safe passage. But she refused to give up, sending back increasingly angry messages.

After a very bold attack by the Royalists in late April, which destroyed several Parliamentarian positions, Fairfax ordered a day of prayer. One of his chaplains quoted a Bible verse about attacking an enemy.

A messenger from Colonel Alexander Rigby, another Parliamentarian leader, came to offer Charlotte an honorable surrender. She threatened to hang him from the tower gates. Then, she tore up the message and told him to deliver this reply: "Tell that rude rebel, Rigby, he will get nothing from us. When we run out of strength and supplies, we will find a fire more kind than Rigby. Then, if God does not stop it, my house and everything in it will burn before his eyes. My children, my soldiers, and I would rather die in those flames than fall into his hands."

Rigby sent another demand on May 23. Charlotte replied: "The kindness of wicked people is cruel... unless they talked with her husband, they would never take her or any of her friends alive."

The first siege ended on the night of May 27. The Royalist general Prince Rupert was coming towards Lathom with thousands of soldiers. Charlotte and her household then left for the Isle of Man. She left Colonel Edward Rawstorne in charge of Lathom House.

The Second Siege

After the Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Marston Moor in July 1644, most of northern England was controlled by Parliament. Only areas near Royalist strongholds, like Lathom House, remained. The next year, in July 1645, 4,000 Parliamentarian troops returned to begin the second siege.

Their commander, Colonel Peter Egerton, set up his main camp in Ormskirk. His soldiers camped on Aughton Moss, near Aughton Mill. A house called Trenchfield House, built where the camp was, still has that name today.

The defenders of Lathom House did not give up quickly. But it became clear that no help would come, and their supplies were running out. Hunger forced Colonel Rawstorne to surrender. He gave up to Colonel Egerton on December 2, 1645.

What Happened Next

The fall of Lathom House was a very important event for the Parliamentarian side. They gained twelve cannons and a large amount of weapons and ammunition. More importantly, they won a great moral victory by capturing the famous Royalist house. The House of Commons ordered that church ministers in London give public thanks to God for its surrender.

After the king was restored to power, the Derby family got their property back. In the early 1700s, they still sometimes lived at Lathom House. However, Knowsley Hall became the main home of the Stanley family instead of Lathom House.

Lathom House in Stories and Songs

• The poem 'Lord and Lady Derby' by Letitia Elizabeth Landon talks about Lady Derby's bravery during the siege.
• The band Steeleye Span has a song called "They called her Babylon." It tells the story of the siege and is on their 2004 album of the same name.

Images for kids

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  Illustration of Lathom House, prior to the siege

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  Cromwell's Stone. The hollows in the stone are said to have been used for casting shot by Cromwell's army in the siege of Lathom House.