Siege of Lyme Regis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Siege of Lyme Regis
Part of the First English Civil War
Date 20 April – 16 June, 1644 Location Lyme Regis, Dorset Result Parliamentarian victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
Prince Maurice	Thomas Ceeley Robert Blake
Strength
2,500 – 6,000 troops	500–1,000 troops 240 reinforcements c. 900 seamen Civilians
Casualties and losses
2,000+	c. 120

The siege of Lyme Regis was a long battle during the First English Civil War. It lasted for eight weeks. The town of Lyme Regis in Dorset was very important. It was on the main shipping route between Bristol and the English Channel.

During the siege, Thomas Ceeley and Robert Blake led the town's defenders. These defenders were called Parliamentarians. Prince Maurice led the attack for the Royalists. The siege took place from April 20 to June 16, 1644.

When the war started, most people in Lyme Regis were Puritans. This meant they supported Parliament. The town was guarded by Parliamentarian soldiers. Most of Dorset and the south-west of England were controlled by the Royalists. Lyme Regis only had defenses facing the sea. So, the town feared an attack. Robert Blake was put in charge of making the town stronger. He built earth defenses with four forts around the town.

King Charles I wanted to capture Lyme Regis in early 1644. He sent his nephew, Prince Maurice, with about 4,000 soldiers. The siege began on April 20. The Royalists bombed the town and tried to storm it three times. But the town's defenses held strong. Lyme Regis often received supplies and more soldiers by sea. This made the siege less effective. On June 14, Prince Maurice left the siege. A new army, led by Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex, was coming to help Lyme Regis.

Why Lyme Regis Was Important

In April 1644, the First English Civil War had been going on for 20 months. It started when King Charles I declared Parliament's leader, the Earl of Essex, a traitor. This war was caused by disagreements over religion, money, and laws.

The War in England's South-West

By the end of 1643, most of south-west England was controlled by the Royalists. Only Plymouth, Poole, and Lyme Regis were still held by Parliament. Parliament controlled the navy. This made Lyme Regis very important because of its location. It was between Bristol and the English Channel.

If Lyme Regis stayed with Parliament, the Royalists could not easily supply their army in the south-west. If the Royalists captured it, they would control a line of forts. This line would stretch from the Bristol Channel at Bristol to the English Channel at Lyme. This would cut off the remaining Parliamentarian forces in the area.

Prince Maurice was King Charles I's 23-year-old nephew. He came to England in 1642 to help his uncle. Maurice became a strong leader. He was put in charge of Royalist forces in the south-west. He helped capture Bristol. After that, he became the main commander of the Royalist army in the south-west. He captured Exeter. Then he joined the attack on Plymouth, which failed. He got sick and rested his army for the winter.

Lyme Regis: A Key Port

In the late 1500s, Lyme Regis was a busy port. It was more active than Liverpool at the time. It connected England to Europe. Many people in Lyme Regis were Puritans. Also, King Charles I had demanded money for ships, called ship money. Because of these reasons, the town supported Parliament when the war began.

In 1642, two local Members of Parliament (MPs), Thomas Trenchard and Walter Erle, claimed Lyme Regis for Parliament. They started making the town stronger. Thomas Ceeley, the town's mayor, became its governor. He had about 1,000 soldiers, but maybe only half that number were actually there. He quickly removed anyone loyal to the Royalists. He also sent small groups of soldiers to nearby areas.

Robert Blake used his experience from the storming of Bristol to make Lyme Regis stronger.

Many thought Lyme Regis would be easy to capture. It was a small town with only about 3,000 people. It was in a valley, so attackers would be on higher ground. Most houses were made of thatch, which could easily catch fire. One writer at the time called it "a little vile fishing town defended by a small dry ditch."

The town had no strong defenses on the land side. So, Robert Blake was sent to improve them. He had been brave during the failed defense of Bristol. He used his experience to build earth walls, ditches, and forts around the town.

The main defense around the town was called the "Town Line." It was about 1 mile long. It had a ditch and a raised earth wall, about 6 feet high. Four strong blockhouses were part of this defense line. They were made of earth and sod, with stone and timber. Their walls were 10 to 12 feet thick. These forts were named Newell's Fort, Davie's Fort, Gaitch's Fort, and Marshall's Fort. They were named after the men who commanded them. Today, there are no signs of these defenses left.

Leading Up to the Siege

It's not clear if Prince Maurice attacked Lyme Regis because the King told him to, or if he did it on his own. Some say the King warned him not to attack Lyme. Others say the King wanted the town captured and sent Maurice with many men and cannons.

Either way, Maurice gathered his soldiers. He added more men from other towns in Devon. He marched towards Lyme Regis in March 1644. On April 19, a fire started in the town of Beaminster, where some of his soldiers were staying. It burned down many houses. The Royalist soldiers left Beaminster and moved to Axminster.

The Siege Begins

On April 20, Maurice marched his army to Lyme Regis. His army had between 2,500 and 6,000 men. After some small fights, the Royalists captured Haye House, a short distance from the town. It had about 30 defenders.

On the third day, the attackers set up their cannons on the west side of town. They started firing. But the next day, Governor Ceeley sent 190 men to attack the cannons. They forced the Royalists away. New cannons were set up around the town. The Royalists kept firing at the town.

On April 28, Maurice ordered an attack. But the attack did not get close enough. The next day, Lyme Regis received more ammunition and food. Over 100 more soldiers arrived from two Parliamentarian ships.

Women's Role in the Defense

Throughout the war, the women of Lyme Regis helped the army. They helped build the earth defenses. Later, during the siege, they dressed as men. This made it look like the town had more soldiers than it did. They also carried ammunition and helped reload weapons. Their bravery was compared to Joan of Arc. A writer named James Strong wrote an essay about their efforts.

Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, who led the Parliamentarian navy, sent vital supplies and soldiers to Lyme Regis.

For the next week, the Royalists kept the siege going. But they did not attack again until May 6. They attacked the town in three places during a thick fog. Many defenders were eating supper and were surprised. But the Parliamentarians quickly fought back. Within an hour, they stopped the attack. The town's records say about 100 Royalist soldiers were killed. The town only lost one man.

The next day, Maurice asked for a parley. This was a talk to bury the dead. The town agreed. In return, they could take any weapons left on the battlefield. For the next week, there was little fighting. Seven more ships arrived to help the town. They brought 240 soldiers from Sir William Waller's army. On May 15, the Earl of Warwick sent 120 more men.

Attacks on the Harbour

The Royalists then focused on the harbour. They placed cannons on the cliffs above it. They fired at any ships there. On May 22, an attack sank a boat full of food. That evening, about 50 Royalist men attacked the harbour. They set fire to the remaining boats. During the fight, Captain Thomas Pyne, who led the town's cavalry, was badly hurt. He died four days later.

The Earl of Warwick arrived on May 23 with eight ships. He promised more help. He sent 400 of his sailors to help defend the town. Pyne's funeral was on May 27. When the town's cannons fired a salute, the Royalists launched a second attack. The town was heavily bombed. Scaling ladders were brought against the earth defenses. But the town's defenders pushed back the attack again. Maurice asked for a parley right after, but the town refused.

The town got 300 more sailors the next day. Another attack happened on May 29. Some ships were sent as a trick to divide the Royalist forces. But it only worked for a short time. Around midday, the cannons heavily bombed the town. Then a ground attack broke through the defenses. After eight hours of fighting, the Parliamentarians stopped the attack.

Two days later, 14 more ships arrived. They brought more supplies and ammunition. They also brought news that an army was coming to help the town. By this time, Maurice knew he probably could not capture the town. So he decided to try and destroy it instead. Fires were set on June 1. After that, there were only light bombings until June 11. Then, heavier, red-hot cannonballs were fired to try and start more fires.

The Siege Ends

The Earl of Essex was supposed to attack the King's headquarters at Oxford. But he chose to try and take back the south-west for Parliament. He first recaptured Weymouth. Then he marched towards Lyme Regis.

Prince Maurice heard that Weymouth had fallen. He also heard that the Earl of Essex's army was coming. So, Maurice left the siege during the night of June 14. The historian Edward Hyde later wrote that Maurice lost some respect. He had spent so long with a strong army trying to capture a small, weak place, and failed.

What Happened Next

Maurice went back to Exeter. The Earl of Essex continued into Devon and Cornwall. He sent Blake to capture Taunton. Essex swept through Somerset and Devon. He successfully helped Plymouth. He kept pushing his army into Cornwall. But he became cut off from other Parliamentarian forces.

A large Royalist army, led by the King, trapped Essex. His army was completely defeated at the Battle of Lostwithiel in early September 1644. Essex escaped in a fishing boat. His remaining forces went back to Dorset. Only Plymouth, Lyme Regis, and Taunton were still controlled by Parliament in the south-west.

Essex lost his high position after this defeat. He was later replaced by the new New Model Army. Maurice, after his success at Lostwithiel, also fought at Newbury. He left the Royalist army in late 1645. He and his brother left England the next year.

Blake successfully captured Taunton. He held it for the rest of the war, even though Royalist forces attacked it three times. After the war, Parliament honored him. He was given £500. He did not take sides in the Second Civil War. Three years later, he became a general at sea. He spent the rest of his life as a naval commander. This is what he is best known for today.

The Earl of Warwick sent a letter to Parliament. He described how hard the siege was for Lyme Regis. He asked for help for the town. Parliament voted to give the town £1,000 a year. They also said that people who lost things in the siege should be paid back. Lyme Regis kept its soldiers through the war. They finally left in July 1647.