After their victory at Naseby in June, Fairfax and the New Model Army moved into Somerset, where they linked up with the Western Association Army led by Edward Massey. On 10 July, their combined force destroyed the last significant Royalist field army at Langport, clearing the way for an attack on Bridgwater.
Siege operations began on 13 July; on 21st, Parliamentarian forces stormed the western part of the town. Many of the buildings were set on fire, and the garrison capitulated on 23 July; over 1,600 prisoners were taken, along with large quantities of weapons and other stores.
The capture of Bridgwater meant Parliamentarian forces controlled a line of forts from the Bristol to the English Channels, isolating the Royalist West Country from the rest of England. Fairfax captured Bath and Sherborne, Dorset in August, then moved against Bristol in early September, the most significant port still in Royalist hands.
The New Model linked up with the Western Association Army under Edward Massey, and forced Goring to end the blockade of Taunton. The next day, Fairfax destroyed the Royalist Western Army at Langport.[5] Before moving against the Royalist-held port of Bristol, he first had to secure his rear. Large parts of the West Country were controlled by Clubmen, local militia groups set up to resist depredations from either side, which were often a greater threat than the Royalists.[6]
Many Royalist fugitives from Langport were killed by Somerset clubmen, in retaliation for the damage caused during their occupation. Regardless of political allegiance, the main objective for these groups was to end the war, and Fairfax persuaded their leaders withholding support from the Royalists was the quickest way to achieve this. They agreed to remain neutral, in return for assurances Parliament would pay for any supplies they took.[7]
This enabled Fairfax to rest his men and collect supplies, before arriving at Bridgwater on 13 July. Prior to commencing siege operations, the New Model captured Sydenham Manor, directly east of the town. Massey cleared Royalist outposts at Hamp, giving him control of the high ground to the south, while a naval blockade prevented the garrison from being resupplied from the sea.[8]
Bridgwater was positioned on either side of the River Parrett, which flowed into the sea at Bridgwater Bay, nearly 10 miles away; this made it an important commercial centre. Despite strong support for Parliament, it had been held by the Royalists since June 1643; its governor was Sir Edmund Wyndham, previously the local MP. After Langport, Goring retreated through the town into Devon, leaving most of his artillery, plus a garrison of around 1,800, well-supplied with provisions and ammunition.[8]
The town was surrounded by a deep moat, 5.5 metres wide, connected to the sea, and thus filled at every tide. The main defences were on the western bank of the Parrett, including Bridgwater Castle; abandoned in the mid-16th century, its outer walls remained formidable, but were not designed to resist modern artillery.[9] The defenders also constructed earthworks to the east, equipped with 40 guns, with an additional battery between the west and north gates.[10]
A night attack from the northern side was attempted on 14 July, but abandoned after the storm parties discovered the water in the moat was too deep for the scaling ladders to reach the walls. The next few days were spent building siege works, hoping to blockade the town; however, it was decided this was taking too long, and another assault was planned.[1]
1,200 men were selected by lot, divided into a main party of 600, and two smaller ones of 400 and 200. At 2:00 am on Monday 21 July, Massey's guns opened fire from the south, while the storm parties crossed the Parrett using three pontoon bridges. Despite heavy fire from the castle, much of it was misdirected and casualties were relatively light, with 20 dead and 100 wounded. The east gate was quickly seized and opened, allowing the main Parliamentarian force to enter; by midday, they had taken 600 prisoners, and the Royalists held only the western half of the town.[2]
Much of the eastern section caught fire, accounts vary as to who was responsible; the garrison was offered terms, which they refused. A second assault was planned for Tuesday 22 July; by now, it was clear the defenders were in a hopeless position, and Fairfax allowed over 800 non-combatants to leave. They then commenced firing into the Royalist-held area of the town, which was soon ablaze; terms were agreed upon, and the garrison formally surrendered on Wednesday 23 July.[11]
Aftermath
The former West Quay; Bridgwater was an important inland port
According to the etiquette of the time, if a garrison surrendered prior to the walls being breached, they were allowed to march out with their possessions, and given a free pass to the nearest friendly position.[12] This was not the case at Bridgwater; most of the 1,500 rank and file switched sides, while more than 200 officers, and numerous Royalist officials were held prisoner.[13]
Fairfax also captured 40 pieces of artillery, powder, and a 'great store of musquets', left behind by Goring. Most of his infantry deserted after Langport, demoralised by defeat; even if he could raise fresh troops, this crippled his ability to equip them.[14]
Sir Edmund Wyndham was held until 1649, when he joined Charles II in exile, returning only after the 1660 Restoration. His son Hugh was also taken prisoner, but escaped, and took service with the Royalist fleet commanded by Prince Rupert. He was recaptured in 1649, trying to break out of Kinsale, but survived to become an MP for Minehead in 1661.[15]
Bridgwater was badly damaged by the siege, and did not recover economically for many years; in December 1647, Fairfax wrote a letter to Parliament, asking that taxes on the town be reduced 'owing to its great losses in the recent siege.'[1]
Related Research Articles
The sieges of Taunton were a series of three blockades during the First English Civil War. The town of Taunton, in Somerset, was considered to be of strategic importance because it controlled the main road from Bristol to Devon and Cornwall. Robert Blake commanded the town's Parliamentarian defences during all three sieges, from September 1644 to July 1645.
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646. It is part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which also include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo-Scottish war (1650–1652) and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Historians calculate some 15% to 20% of all adult males in England and Wales served in the military between 1639 and 1653, while around 4% of the total population died from war-related cause, versus 2.23% in World War I. These figures illustrate the impact of the conflict on society in general, and the bitterness it engendered.
Clubmen were bands of local defence vigilantes during the English Civil War (1642–1651) who tried to protect their localities against the excesses of the armies of both sides in the war. They sought to join together to prevent their wives and daughters being raped by soldiers of both sides, themselves being forcibly conscripted to fight by one side or the other, their crops and property being damaged or seized by the armies and their lives threatened or intimidated by soldiers, battle followers, looters, deserters or refugees. As their name suggests, they were mostly armed with cudgels, flails, scythes and sickles fastened to long poles. They were otherwise unarmed.
The Battle of Langport took place on 10 July 1645 during the First English Civil War, near Langport in Somerset. Following its success at Naseby in June, the New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax destroyed the last Royalist field army, led by Lord Goring. Parliamentarian victory allowed them to besiege the Royalist port of Bristol, which surrendered in September.
Cornwall played a significant role in the English Civil War, being a Royalist enclave in the generally Parliamentarian south-west.
The Storming of Bristol took place from 23 to 26 July 1643, during the First English Civil War. The Royalist army under Prince Rupert captured the important port of Bristol from its weakened Parliamentarian garrison. The city remained under Royalist control until the second siege of Bristol in September 1645.
1645 was the fourth year of the First English Civil War. By the beginning of 1645 the war was going badly for Charles I and the campaigns of 1645 did not see a recovery in his prospects.
Sir John Stawell or Stowell, 29 August 1600 – 21 February 1662, was MP for Somerset at various times from 1625 to 1662, and one of the leading Royalists in the West Country during the First English Civil War.
Sir Edmund Wyndham was an Somerset landowner, and Member of Parliament on different occasions between 1625 and 1679. He supported the Parliamentary opposition to Charles I, until 1630, when his wife was appointed wet-nurse to the Prince of Wales.
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The battle of Leeds took place during the First English Civil War on 23 January 1643, when a Parliamentarian force attacked the Royalist garrison of Leeds, Yorkshire. The attack was partly dictated by the need to maintain local support for the Parliamentarian cause; the Earl of Newcastle had recently shifted the balance of power in Yorkshire in the Royalists' favour with the addition of his 8,000-strong army, and sent one of his commanders, Sir William Savile to capture Leeds. The West Riding of Yorkshire relied on the cloth trade, and Ferdinando, Lord Fairfax sent his son, Sir Thomas Fairfax to bolster the defences of nearby Bradford, before agreeing to his request to attack Leeds.
The Second Siege of Bristol of the First English Civil War lasted from 23 August 1645 until 10 September 1645, when the Royalist commander Prince Rupert surrendered the city that he had captured from the Parliamentarians on 26 July 1643. The commander of the Parliamentarian New Model Army forces besieging Bristol was Lord Fairfax.
The capture of Wakefield occurred during the First English Civil War when a Parliamentarian force attacked the Royalist garrison of Wakefield, Yorkshire. The Parliamentarians were outnumbered, having around 1,500 men under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, compared to the 3,000 led by George Goring in Wakefield. Despite being outnumbered, Parliamentarians successfully stormed the town, taking roughly 1,400 prisoners.
The battle of Bovey Heath took place on 9 January 1646 at Bovey Tracey and Bovey Heath during the First English Civil War. A Parliamentarian cavalry detachment under the command of Oliver Cromwell surprised and routed the Lord Wentworth's Royalist camp.
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Cassidy, Irene (1983). WYNDHAM, Edmund (c.1600-81), of Kentsford, St. Decuman's, Somerset, and Pall Mall, Westminster:in the House of Commons 1660–1690 (Onlineed.). CUP.
Höbelt, Lothar (2012). Afflerbach, Holger; Strachan, Hew (eds.). Surrender in the Thirty-Years War in How Fighting Ends: A History of Surrender. OUP. ISBN978-0199693627.
Hopper, Andrew (2012). Turncoats and Renegadoes: Changing Sides During the English Civil Wars. OUP. ISBN978-0199575855.
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