Siege of Reading facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Reading |
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| Part of First English Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Royalists |
 Parliamentarians |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Sir Arthur Aston Richard Feilding |
Earl of Essex | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| c. 3,300 | c. 19,000 | ||||||
The Siege of Reading was a major event during the First English Civil War. It was an eleven-day blockade of the town of Reading, Berkshire. The town was held by Royalist soldiers, who supported King Charles I. About 3,300 Royalist soldiers were in Reading, led by Sir Arthur Aston.
On April 14, 1643, a large Parliamentarian army arrived. This army had about 19,000 men and was led by the Earl of Essex. They surrounded Reading and began attacking the town with cannons two days later. During the siege, Sir Arthur Aston was hurt. Command of the Royalist soldiers then went to Richard Feilding. On April 25, Feilding asked for a break in fighting to talk about surrendering. Even though King Charles I and Prince Rupert arrived with more Royalist soldiers the next day, Feilding kept his promise to talk. Essex's army was able to stop the King's relief force. The surrender terms were agreed upon on April 26. The Royalist soldiers left Reading for Oxford the next day.
Contents
Why Reading Was Important
The First English Civil War began in August 1642. This happened when King Charles I declared that the Earl of Essex and Parliament were traitors. This war was caused by many disagreements between the King and Parliament. These issues included religion, money, and laws.
After a battle, King Charles I went to Oxford. He then moved towards London, passing through Reading. When he was stopped from reaching London, he went back through Reading. He left about 2,000 Royalist soldiers there. Sir Arthur Aston was put in charge of these soldiers as governor. Aston was not very happy with his soldiers. He wrote that it was a great challenge to lead them.
Reading was a very important town. It was on the main road between London and Oxford. These were two strongholds for the Parliamentarians and Royalists. Reading was also important because it was where people could cross the River Thames. Before the war, Reading did not have strong defenses. Sir Arthur Aston knew he needed to improve them to hold the town.
Building Reading's Defenses
Over the winter, Aston worked to build strong defenses around Reading. His soldiers dug a deep ditch. They also built a high earthen wall called a rampart. This wall connected several strong points called bastions. This type of defense was common for Royalist towns during the Civil War.
The ramparts were built using stones from Reading Abbey. The church's nave (the main part of the church) was destroyed to get these stones. Aston made civilians from the town work alongside his soldiers to build these defenses. He was very strict with his troops. He wanted them to meet high standards.
The Royalist soldiers caused some problems for the townspeople. Reading had about 5,000 people, and space had to be found to house the 2,000 soldiers. Also, the town had to pay for building the defenses and for the army's costs. Sir Arthur Aston's salary was so large that he even loaned money back to the town with interest. Many people in Reading found Sir Arthur Aston to be very unpopular.
The Siege Begins
In January 1643, the Parliamentarians learned that Reading's defenses might not be very strong. So, John Hampden and John Urry led a small group to check out the town. They could only reach the River Kennet, which was too flooded to cross.
There were talks about peace during the winter, especially from the Parliamentarian side. A peace plan was offered to King Charles in Oxford in February 1643. The King did not agree to these ideas. He made his own demands for his income and military resources to be returned. More talks happened, but the King kept asking for more. In early April, Parliament stopped the peace talks.
Parliamentarian Attack
The Earl of Essex was the main commander of the Parliamentarian army. He marched with over 19,000 men from Windsor. This army included 16,000 foot soldiers, 3,000 cavalry, and cannons. They arrived at Reading on April 14.
Essex first pretended to continue towards Oxford. Then, he set up his army to the south and west of Reading. These areas had the weakest defenses. He also captured Caversham Bridge, which cut Reading off from the main Royalist forces in Oxford. The Parliamentarian leaders discussed whether to attack the town quickly or to surround it slowly. The cavalry officers wanted a fast attack. However, the foot soldiers' commanders preferred to be careful.
Essex decided to be careful. He knew he could not lose many men, as he needed them for a planned attack on Oxford later. Essex demanded that Reading surrender. Sir Arthur Aston replied that he would rather "starve and die" than give up Reading. So, the Parliamentarians began to blockade Reading. Essex set up his main camp in Southcote.
Fighting and Surrender
By April 16, the Parliamentarians had set up their cannons. They began to bombard the town with cannon fire. Two days later, about 700 Royalist musketeers, led by Lieutenant General Wilmot, managed to get into Reading from Sonning, east of the town. After this, the Parliamentarian blockade became even tighter, surrounding Reading completely.
During the cannon attack, falling debris hit Sir Arthur Aston. He was unable to speak for a time. Command of the Royalist soldiers then went to Colonel Richard Feilding. He was the most senior officer under Aston.
On the morning of April 25, Feilding showed a white flag from the town walls. This meant he wanted a truce to talk about surrendering. On the same day, King Charles and Prince Rupert led a Royalist relief force. They attacked the Parliamentarian army at Caversham Bridge. But Feilding kept his promise to talk. The soldiers in Reading did not join the battle. Some of Feilding's officers wanted him to break the truce and help the King's force. But Feilding refused. He said it would be dishonorable.
Essex's army was able to stop the King's attack, and the relief force left. Feilding negotiated good terms for the surrender. He and his men were allowed to leave Reading safely for Oxford, carrying their flags. On April 27, the Royalist soldiers marched from Reading to Oxford. Even though they were promised safe passage, some Royalist soldiers were robbed. Essex had tried to stop this by promising his men a reward.
After the Siege
On April 29, two days after leaving Reading, Richard Feilding faced a court-martial. This was a military trial. He was accused of suspicious actions during the surrender. At this time in the war, sieges in Britain were not very effective. Commanders who surrendered often faced suspicion. Feilding's trial lasted two days. He was found guilty and sentenced to death. However, he was pardoned by the King after Prince Rupert stepped in. Even with the pardon, Feilding lost his command. He had to fight as a volunteer after that.
The capture of Reading meant the Parliamentarians could now directly threaten Oxford. However, Essex and William Waller could not work together for an attack. The Parliamentarians held Reading until October. Then, they left the town, and the Royalists took it back. But the Royalists also left in May of the next year when another Parliamentarian army approached. Reading then stayed under Parliamentarian control for the rest of the war.
