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Sieges of Taunton

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1270:
between two parties of his own army in an attempt to make Blake believe the Parliamentarian army had arrived. Hopton hoped that Blake would send out some of his own men to support the relieving force, but the feint failed. That evening, at around 7 pm, the Royalist force, which consisted of around 4,200 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, launched an all-out assault against the town. In heavy fighting, the attackers captured two of the earthen forts on the eastern side of town, and broke through the defences. Once inside Blake's outer perimeter, the besieging army discovered that there were Parliamentarian musketeers within every house, which prevented them advancing any further, though they did set fire to buildings, hoping to force the defenders to retreat. The tactic failed when the wind blew the flames back towards the Royalists, halting their attack.
1304: 125: 41: 1207:, the lieutenant-general of the south-eastern counties in the Royalist army, requested troops from the King so that he could mount a "large-scale southeastern campaign". His request was rejected, and he was despatched to the South West instead. He duly changed his focus, electing to target first Weymouth, and then Taunton, both Parliamentarian strongholds in the area. He took Weymouth, but was unable to hold it in the face of Parliamentarian reinforcements. In a letter he received from the King shortly after that loss, he was ordered to gather the Royalist forces of the area together in order to " those parts of the rebels' forces." 1330:, described by modern sources as "the decisive clash of the English Civil War". Goring had been ordered by the King to abandon his siege and join the Royalist forces at Naseby, and it has been suggested by modern historians that with his forces, and his leadership, the Royalists might have won the battle. Immediately after securing that victory, Fairfax led his army down towards Taunton once again. Aware of the approaching army, Lord Goring mounted a final assault on the town, hoping to catch Blake unaware by sending his cavalry towards the town on 9 July. The attack was neutralised by a section of Fairfax's army in 1295:, roughly 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Taunton, on 10 May. Fearing that they were facing the entirety of Fairfax's army, Hopton ordered his forces to abandon their attacks and retreat to Bridgwater. As they left, they felled trees across roads to slow the Parliamentarian advance. Weldon's army arrived in Taunton on 11 May, relieving and restocking the town. Accounts of Taunton's losses vary between 50 and 200 killed, with 200 or more casualties on top of that, while two thirds of the houses in the town had been razed. Having relieved Taunton, Weldon and his army left the following day and marched eastwards. 1319:, claiming that "Taunton would be taken in a few days." Despite his promises, he soon discovered that his army was too small to enact a rapid takeover of the town, and he established a loose blockade. Hyde, who is frequently scathing of Goring in his description of the Civil War, recalls that "Goring was so far from making any advance upon Taunton, that he grew much more negligent in it than he had been; suffered provisions, in great quantities, to be carried into the town." As well as being lax in his siege, Goring was often drunk and—reminiscent of the earlier siege—was deserted by many of his troops. 1242:, Grenville did eventually travel up towards Taunton and was ordered to follow Goring to support the King in the north, as Grenville's force of 3,000 men was considered too small to assault Taunton. He refused, claiming that "he had promised the commissioners of Devon and Cornwall, that he would not advance beyond Taunton", while also boasting that he could claim the town in ten days. He was delegated command of the siege, and arrived outside Taunton on 2 April. Only a day after his arrival, Grenville was injured while attacking Wellington House, and as the wound was serious, he was carried to Exeter. 1246:
establishing entrenchments within musket-shot of Taunton's defences. Command of the siege passed to Berkeley, though Grenville's troops often failed to follow the new commander's orders, and some of them deserted. Despite Grenville's retirement from the battle due to injury, he and Berkeley clashed; Grenville complained to the Prince of Wales that Berkeley was conducting the siege badly, while Berkeley claimed that Grenville had given his men orders to desert. These disagreements led Hopton, by now the commander of the Royalist forces in the West Country, to be given command of the siege.
1166:, who commanded an infantry regiment. The Royalist forces initially set themselves up around the town, where they were able to use their artillery to bombard the castle from the west and the town from the east. In his record of the siege, Morris claims that the besieging forces were unable to establish a presence in the town, and set up a wide perimeter roughly 1–2 miles (1.6–3.2 km) away. However, almost all other sources agree that after initial skirmishes, the Royalists broke through the eastern defences and forced Blake's troops back into the castle itself. 230: 1124: 1211: 136: 1257:, to relieve the town. Fairfax marched with the whole of his army towards Taunton; the Royalists considered sending their own army to meet him before he could reach London, but Prince Rupert convinced them instead to focus on conquering the north of England. In response to the Royalist movement north, Fairfax split his own army in two, sending a force of between 6,000 and 7,000 on to Taunton under Colonel 237: 1000:, who had proposed the second siege, renewed the blockade for a third time in mid-May, after engaging Weldon's departing army and forcing it back into Taunton. Goring's siege was lax and allowed provisions into the town, diminishing its effectiveness. The Parliamentarian defence tied up Goring and his 10–15,000 troops, who would have otherwise been available to fight for 1359:
at the outbreak of the war and was fined £7,000. Although the Parliamentarians destroyed many of the castles that had featured in the Civil War, Taunton Castle was considered a Parliamentarian stronghold, and remained intact. In 1647, only two years after the end of the sieges, the castle was sold as
1269:
that Blake had established. After some early success in which they captured one of the earthen forts, the attackers were forced back by a combination of musket shot, stones and boiling water. The next day, after yet more attacks made little impact, Hopton staged a battle on the south side of the town
1194:
Wyndham had initially planned to attack Holborne's forces at Chard, but instead retreated back to his garrison at Bridgwater on 14 December. He recorded that during his retreat, "the enemy sallied upon me but they were so hungry that they could not follow me." The day after the arrival of Holborne, a
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During the siege, Edmund Wyndham and Blake exchanged letters; Wyndham initially wrote to explain that he felt the siege was a gentle method of attack, rather than using "fire and sword". He offered generous terms for surrender, and signed the letter "Your well-wishing Neighbour and Country-man"; the
1314:
Over the course of the siege, Lord Goring had been with the King in Oxford, and on 10 May he returned to Bristol with a royal warrant pronouncing him the Commander of the Royalist Army in the West Country, replacing Hopton. Goring began his operations by harrying Weldon's army, and forcing them to
1273:
The attack was renewed around 11 am on 9 May, and over the next seven hours, Hopton's army advanced slowly through the town. His forces pushed the Parliamentarian troops back one building at a time, until they were left with only a small area of land in the middle of the town. Within the perimeter
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in 1640. Blake was unmoved, and wrote back to unequivocally reject the offer. Blake sent skirmishing parties out against the attackers with some success, though food and ammunition began to run out for the defending troops. To further this, Wyndham heavily rationed the town's population to prevent
1286:
Further assaults were made on 10 May, along with a demand for Blake and his men to surrender, to which Blake responded that he "had four pairs of boots left and would eat three of them before he yielded." Weldon's relieving force had met with small parties of the Royalist army around Chard and
1367:
After commanding the defence of Taunton, Blake was ordered to capture Dunster Castle, which he achieved after a nine-month siege. After the war, he was honoured by Parliament for his efforts and rewarded with £500, while a further £2,000 was split amongst his men. He took no side during the
1245:
The blockade set by Grenville was initially some distance from the town, and did not prevent Blake from sending and receiving messages. The besieging army was reinforced soon after with Goring's infantry and artillery units, and so, with a large force, the attackers closed in on the town,
1229:
to support Goring in the attack on Taunton. Goring arrived outside Taunton on 11 March, and a sizeable part of Berkeley's garrison from Exeter arrived soon after. Grenville did not leave his siege of Plymouth and, coupled with the threat from a Parliamentarian force formed by Waller and
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in early September 1644. His remaining forces retreated back to Dorset, leaving only Plymouth, Lyme Regis and Taunton under Parliamentarian control in the South West. Blake was aware of the vulnerability of Taunton, which, unlike many towns and cities of the time, did not have any
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and an earthen defence known as "Maiden's fort". By this time, a combination of artillery and arson attacks had set most of the east side of town on fire. An attempt by three people—two men and a woman—to set fires inside the remaining defences was quashed, and the culprits
1143:. On the eastern side of the town, which was the most vulnerable, he dug trenches outside the Eastern gate and erected a barricade across the street within it. At least three earthen forts were also built in that end of town. King Charles I held council in 1264:
Aware that the Parliamentarians under Fairfax were on their way, Hopton increased the attacks on the town on 6 May. Further attacks the following day focused on the east side of the town, first bombarding it with cannon shot, and then storming the earthen
1147:, and shortly after ordered a Royalist force numbering 3,000 troops to set up the first siege of Taunton. Initially, Sir Francis Dodington was going to command the attack, but the only available men were those in Bridgwater under the command of Colonel 1326:, was ordered to relieve Taunton in June, but he could only raise 3,000 men; far less than was needed to dispel Goring's army. The New Model Army, with Fairfax at their head, were busy in the Midlands defeating the bulk of the Royalist army at the 981:
Over the next three months, Blake was able to establish a network of earthen defences in Taunton, including a basic perimeter and several forts. The Royalists began the second, and bloodiest, siege in late March 1645, initially under Sir
1036:
led his Royalist army, consisting of eighteen regiments equally split between foot and cavalry, out of Cornwall and into Somerset. He forced the surrender of Taunton to the King without engaging in battle, and established a garrison in
1110:. Pye left Taunton shortly after the capture, leaving Blake to hold the town. Blake had an army of about 1,000 men, and was charged with trying to blockade the roads to support the Earl of Essex's campaign in Devon and Cornwall. 990:. After five days of intense fighting, which had once again driven the defending army back to a small central perimeter including the castle, the Royalists retreated in the face of a Parliamentarian relief army commanded by 1105:
as his second in command, to reclaim Taunton. They took the town without a fight, and surrounded the castle. The Royalist forces under Major William Reeve that were garrisoned at Taunton Castle surrendered and retreated to
1404:
suggests that in the time between Hopton claiming Taunton for the Royalists, and the Parliamentarian capture under Pye and Blake, the town changed hands twice, first returning to Parliamentarian governance, when Sir
1195:
supply caravan containing food, 2,000 muskets and 40 barrels of gunpowder restocked the town. Fearing further Royalist assaults, Holborne provided 1,000 of his own men as reinforcements for the town's defence.
1350:
claims that it was as high as two thirds of the town. Several compensation payouts were made to the town and some of its residents, funded by fines against those who had fought for the Royalists, such as Sir
1315:
retreat back to Taunton. Goring, commanding about 10,000 men, established a third siege of the town in under a year. He ignored orders from the King for him to support the Royalist efforts in
1249:
As the siege continued, supplies once again began to run out for the defending army, and Parliament identified the relief of Taunton as being a priority. On 28 April, they ordered
974:, the blockade was conducted from 1–2 miles (1.6–3.2 km) away, and concentrated more on starving the garrison than continued attacks. The town was relieved by a force under 280: 1203:
In early 1645, Blake sent raiding parties out from Taunton that, according to Hyde, controlled a large area and disrupted activities throughout Somerset. Around that time,
986:. A series of disputes between the Royalist commanders allowed Taunton some respite at the start of the siege, but in May the attacks were fierce under the command of Sir 1941: 1068:, but the proximity of the Earl of Essex's army led the town to be abandoned, leaving only 80 men to defend the castle. The historian Robert Morris, in 1008:, where historians believe they could have tipped the battle in favour of the Royalists. Instead, after securing a Parliamentarian victory at Naseby, 273: 1422:
Reeve was court-martialled and sentenced to death by the Royalists for his actions, but escaped and switched his allegiance to the Parliamentarians.
1226: 1214: 171: 266: 1380:, as one of the three commissioners of the navy, and spent the rest of his life as a naval commander, for which he remains best known. 73: 1346:
In his history of Taunton, H. J. Wickenden suggests that over half of the town was burned or destroyed during the three sieges, while
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stripped Taunton of its town charter for its part in the Civil War, and had the castle's outer walls removed.
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beliefs. By August 1642, the town was held by a small Parliamentarian force. In June the following year, Sir
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troops from local Somerset garrisons. After initial assaults drove Blake and his troops back into
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them smuggling food to the garrison. A petition to Parliament for help was answered when Sir
1135: 1028:, but most of the towns, including Taunton, were Parliamentarian, predominantly due to their 875: 841: 821: 796: 692: 657: 612: 602: 553: 548: 1171: 1025: 1001: 900: 880: 846: 697: 523: 468: 309: 8: 2154: 1946: 1154:
The siege began on 23 September 1644. Wyndham was assisted in the attack by his brother,
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Cavalier Generals: King Charles I and His Commanders in the English Civil War 1642–46
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The King's General in the West: The Life of Sir Richard Granville, Bart., 1600–1659
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On 8 July 1644, the Earl of Essex sent a Parliamentarian force, led by Colonel Sir
1057: 1005: 826: 791: 786: 712: 642: 607: 573: 448: 1238:, the attack on Taunton was postponed. After further urging from the King and the 2055: 1409:'s forces took the town, but then back into Royalist hands under the army led by 1292: 1231: 1144: 1061: 890: 861: 776: 652: 647: 627: 563: 413: 1024:; many of the prominent landowners and those living in the countryside favoured 2302: 2221:
The Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural History Society
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part of the estate of Taunton Manor. In 1660, shortly after taking the throne,
1338:, relieving the third and final siege of Taunton during the English Civil War. 1254: 1250: 1180: 1159: 1148: 1140: 1038: 1009: 971: 963: 781: 217: 156: 1064:. At the time, Taunton was held by a garrison of 800 men commanded by Colonel 2369: 2358: 2320: 2259: 2232: 2106: 1347: 1323: 1163: 637: 88: 75: 2190: 1316: 1258: 1187:, sent a force of 3,000 men under the command of his deputy, Major General 1065: 1049: 991: 209: 2125: 258: 1048:, the Chief Commander of the Parliamentary army, decided to reclaim the 1288: 1107: 1087: 139: 2136:
Turncoats and Renegadoes: Changing Sides during the English Civil Wars
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Admirals of the World: A Biographical Dictionary, 1500 to the Present
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The Earl of Essex's campaign failed, suffering a total defeat at the
956: 129: 1123: 1072:, suggests that Stawell and his men retreated to Bridgwater, but in 959:
defences during all three sieges, from September 1644 to July 1645.
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commanded the Parliamentarian defence of Taunton during the sieges.
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George Goring (1608–1657): Caroline Courtier and Royalist General
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Minnitt, S. C. (1981). May, F. (ed.). "Civil war coin hoard".
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The regional commander of the Parliamentarian forces, Colonel
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Series of three blockades during the First English Civil War
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struggled to assert his authority over the Royalist troops.
1334:, and Goring withdrew from Taunton to meet Fairfax at the 1505: 2331:
An Alternative History of Britain: The English Civil War
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Loyalties in Somerset were divided at the start of the
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The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England
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Cavaliers and Roundheads: The English at War 1642–1649
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was the castle, an entrenchment in the market square,
1253:, the Commander in Chief of the recently established 1012:
marched his army to relieve Taunton on 9 July 1645.
2312:The History of Taunton, in the County of Somerset 2367: 966:on 23 September, and was primarily composed of 2301: 1215:John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton 1082:claims that the troops were requisitioned by 1060:, and then left the coast and headed towards 274: 1704: 1702: 1440: 1438: 1355:, who had been the Member of Parliament for 1183:, who commanded the Parliamentarian army in 288: 2315:. Taunton: John Poole & James Savage. 1464: 1462: 281: 267: 39: 2348: 2264:The English Civil War: A People's History 2197: 2113: 1699: 1499: 1452: 1450: 1435: 236: 2185:. Vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon Press. 1302: 1209: 1122: 2327: 2280: 2258: 2218: 2153: 2096: 2053: 1939: 1810: 1808: 1806: 1804: 1802: 1729: 1727: 1725: 1723: 1525:Toulmin & Savage 1822, pp. 410–412. 1500:Wroughton, Dr John (17 February 2011). 1459: 2368: 2334:. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. 2239: 2132: 2060:. Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military. 1976: 1974: 1926: 1924: 1896: 1894: 1892: 1890: 1826: 1824: 1822: 1820: 1626: 1624: 1622: 1620: 1618: 1616: 1614: 1612: 1561: 1559: 1557: 1555: 1553: 1551: 1549: 1447: 1880: 1878: 1876: 1874: 1872: 1647: 1645: 1575: 1573: 1571: 262: 2227:. Bridgwater: Bigwood & Staple. 2175: 2074: 1799: 1720: 1261:, while Fairfax led the rest north. 1052:. He moved through Dorset, retaking 2139:. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2101:. Taunton: Somerset County Herald. 1971: 1921: 1887: 1817: 1609: 1546: 1310:renewed the Royalist siege in 1645. 249:Location of Taunton within Somerset 13: 1940:Copping, Jasper (8 January 2012). 1869: 1669:Toulmin & Savage 1822, p. 413. 1642: 1588:Toulmin & Savage 1822, p. 412. 1568: 1490:Toulmin & Savage 1822, p. 410. 1372:and, three years later, under the 1046:Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex 14: 2422: 2204:. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. 2411:Sieges of the English Civil Wars 1158:, who brought his garrison from 235: 228: 134: 123: 2353:. Taunton: E. Goodman and Son. 2242:The Sieges of Taunton 1644–1645 2099:The Sieges of Taunton in 1644–5 2047: 2035: 2010: 2001: 1992: 1983: 1962: 1933: 1912: 1903: 1860: 1851: 1842: 1833: 1790: 1781: 1772: 1763: 1754: 1745: 1736: 1711: 1690: 1681: 1672: 1663: 1654: 1633: 1600: 1591: 1582: 1416: 1198: 1070:The Sieges of Taunton 1644–1645 57:September 1644 – July 1645 2198:Memegalos, Florene S. (2007). 1537: 1528: 1519: 1493: 1484: 1390: 1298: 1118: 1: 1429: 1221:The King sent orders for Sir 1078:, the 17th-century historian 1015: 2406:Military history of Somerset 2082:. Chesham: Barracuda Books. 1998:Wickenden 1947, pp. 106–107. 1733:Granville 1908, pp. 117–119. 1708:Memegalos 2007, pp. 222–225. 1341: 1075:The History of the Rebellion 962:The first siege was laid by 7: 1502:"The Civil War in the West" 1470:"The Civil War in Somerset" 10: 2427: 2349:Wickenden, H. J. (1947) . 1848:Wickenden 1947, pp. 87–88. 1760:Wickenden 1947, pp. 86–87. 1308:George Goring, Lord Goring 1234:combining their armies in 1191:, in support of the town. 2328:Venning, Timothy (2015). 2281:Stewart, William (2009). 2244:. Bristol: Stuart Press. 2161:. London: HarperCollins. 2114:Granville, Roger (1908). 1472:. Somerset County Council 1113: 300: 223: 145: 116: 49: 38: 30: 25: 2386:17th century in Somerset 2097:Ellison, Gerald (1936). 1383: 1276:St Mary Magdalene Church 1101:with Lieutenant Colonel 1086:during his retreat from 2266:. London: HarperPress. 2240:Morris, Robert (1995). 2133:Hopper, Andrew (2012). 2007:Wickenden 1947, p. 110. 1787:Memegalos 2007, p. 247. 1778:Memegalos 2007, p. 243. 1742:Hyde 1816, pp. 799–800. 1456:Memegalos 2007, p. 269. 1374:Commonwealth of England 1022:First English Civil War 929:First English Civil War 923:were a series of three 292:First English Civil War 108:Parliamentarian victory 33:First English Civil War 2351:The History of Taunton 2054:Barratt, John (2004). 1980:Wickenden 1947, p. 92. 1687:Wickenden 1947, p. 86. 1639:Wickenden 1947, p. 85. 1311: 1218: 1131: 146:Commanders and leaders 1989:Purkiss 2006, p. 439. 1968:Hibbert 1993, p. 220. 1918:Hibbert 1993, p. 214. 1866:Morris 1995, pp. 7–8. 1839:Hibbert 1993, p. 201. 1814:Purkiss 2006, p. 438. 1751:Venning 2015, p. 181. 1717:Venning 2015, p. 178. 1678:Venning 2015, p. 163. 1660:Minnitt 1981, p. 123. 1534:Morris 1995, pp. 4–5. 1444:Barratt 2004, p. 115. 1306: 1213: 1172:members of parliament 1136:Battle of Lostwithiel 1126: 955:commanded the town's 683:Gunnislake New Bridge 2155:Hibbert, Christopher 2041:Stewart 2009, p. 33. 1900:Ellison 1936, p. 16. 1830:Ellison 1936, p. 15. 1796:Ellison 1936, p. 14. 1606:Ellison 1936, p. 11. 1565:Ellison 1936, p. 13. 246:class=notpageimage| 2120:. London: J. Lane. 2080:The Book of Taunton 1947:The Daily Telegraph 1930:Morris 1995, p. 11. 1597:Hopper 2012, p. 74. 1170:pair had served as 85: /  2401:History of Taunton 1909:Hyde 1816, p. 834. 1884:Morris 1995, p. 8. 1857:Morris 1995, p. 7. 1769:Hyde 1816, p. 801. 1696:Hyde 1816, p. 796. 1651:Morris 1995, p. 6. 1579:Morris 1995, p. 5. 1543:Hyde 1816, p. 680. 1398:History of Taunton 1336:Battle of Langport 1312: 1219: 1132: 757:Scarborough Castle 559:2nd Wardour Castle 459:1st Wardour Castle 2396:Conflicts in 1645 2391:Conflicts in 1644 2341:978-1-4738-2782-0 2294:978-0-7864-3809-9 2273:978-0-00-715061-8 2251:978-1-85804-057-8 2211:978-0-7546-5299-1 2168:978-0-246-13632-9 2146:978-0-19-957585-5 2089:978-0-86023-034-2 2067:978-1-84415-128-8 2022:Westminster Abbey 1630:Bush 1977, p. 76. 1223:Richard Grenville 984:Richard Grenville 921:sieges of Taunton 914: 913: 837:Sherburn in Elmet 708:Montgomery Castle 618:Stourbridge Heath 257: 256: 166:Richard Grenville 112: 111: 26:Sieges of Taunton 2418: 2362: 2345: 2324: 2298: 2277: 2255: 2236: 2215: 2194: 2172: 2150: 2129: 2110: 2093: 2071: 2042: 2039: 2033: 2032: 2030: 2028: 2014: 2008: 2005: 1999: 1996: 1990: 1987: 1981: 1978: 1969: 1966: 1960: 1959: 1957: 1955: 1937: 1931: 1928: 1919: 1916: 1910: 1907: 1901: 1898: 1885: 1882: 1867: 1864: 1858: 1855: 1849: 1846: 1840: 1837: 1831: 1828: 1815: 1812: 1797: 1794: 1788: 1785: 1779: 1776: 1770: 1767: 1761: 1758: 1752: 1749: 1743: 1740: 1734: 1731: 1718: 1715: 1709: 1706: 1697: 1694: 1688: 1685: 1679: 1676: 1670: 1667: 1661: 1658: 1652: 1649: 1640: 1637: 1631: 1628: 1607: 1604: 1598: 1595: 1589: 1586: 1580: 1577: 1566: 1563: 1544: 1541: 1535: 1532: 1526: 1523: 1517: 1516: 1514: 1512: 1497: 1491: 1488: 1482: 1481: 1479: 1477: 1466: 1457: 1454: 1445: 1442: 1423: 1420: 1414: 1394: 1370:Second Civil War 1328:Battle of Naseby 978:on 14 December. 886:Stow-on-the-Wold 842:3rd Basing House 797:2nd Lathom House 747:High Ercall Hall 658:2nd Basing House 603:1st Lathom House 549:1st Basing House 295: 293: 283: 276: 269: 260: 259: 239: 238: 232: 140:Parliamentarians 138: 128: 127: 126: 100: 99: 97: 96: 95: 90: 89:51.019°N 3.100°W 86: 83: 82: 81: 78: 51: 50: 43: 23: 22: 2426: 2425: 2421: 2420: 2419: 2417: 2416: 2415: 2381:1645 in England 2376:1644 in England 2366: 2365: 2342: 2303:Toulmin, Joshua 2295: 2274: 2252: 2212: 2169: 2147: 2090: 2068: 2050: 2045: 2040: 2036: 2026: 2024: 2016: 2015: 2011: 2006: 2002: 1997: 1993: 1988: 1984: 1979: 1972: 1967: 1963: 1953: 1951: 1938: 1934: 1929: 1922: 1917: 1913: 1908: 1904: 1899: 1888: 1883: 1870: 1865: 1861: 1856: 1852: 1847: 1843: 1838: 1834: 1829: 1818: 1813: 1800: 1795: 1791: 1786: 1782: 1777: 1773: 1768: 1764: 1759: 1755: 1750: 1746: 1741: 1737: 1732: 1721: 1716: 1712: 1707: 1700: 1695: 1691: 1686: 1682: 1677: 1673: 1668: 1664: 1659: 1655: 1650: 1643: 1638: 1634: 1629: 1610: 1605: 1601: 1596: 1592: 1587: 1583: 1578: 1569: 1564: 1547: 1542: 1538: 1533: 1529: 1524: 1520: 1510: 1508: 1498: 1494: 1489: 1485: 1475: 1473: 1468: 1467: 1460: 1455: 1448: 1443: 1436: 1432: 1427: 1426: 1421: 1417: 1411:William Seymour 1395: 1391: 1386: 1353:William Portman 1344: 1301: 1293:Orchard Portman 1240:Prince of Wales 1232:Oliver Cromwell 1201: 1156:Francis Wyndham 1121: 1116: 1018: 957:Parliamentarian 917: 916: 915: 910: 673:Cropredy Bridge 529:Aldbourne Chase 479:Chalgrove Field 296: 291: 289: 287: 253: 252: 251: 250: 248: 242: 241: 240: 216: 212: 208: 204: 200: 196: 192: 183: 179: 174: 169: 163: 159: 154: 124: 122: 93: 91: 87: 84: 79: 76: 74: 72: 71: 70: 44: 17: 12: 11: 5: 2424: 2414: 2413: 2408: 2403: 2398: 2393: 2388: 2383: 2378: 2364: 2363: 2346: 2340: 2325: 2299: 2293: 2278: 2272: 2260:Purkiss, Diane 2256: 2250: 2237: 2216: 2210: 2195: 2173: 2167: 2151: 2145: 2130: 2111: 2094: 2088: 2072: 2066: 2049: 2046: 2044: 2043: 2034: 2018:"Robert Blake" 2009: 2000: 1991: 1982: 1970: 1961: 1932: 1920: 1911: 1902: 1886: 1868: 1859: 1850: 1841: 1832: 1816: 1798: 1789: 1780: 1771: 1762: 1753: 1744: 1735: 1719: 1710: 1698: 1689: 1680: 1671: 1662: 1653: 1641: 1632: 1608: 1599: 1590: 1581: 1567: 1545: 1536: 1527: 1518: 1492: 1483: 1458: 1446: 1433: 1431: 1428: 1425: 1424: 1415: 1407:William Waller 1402:Joshua Toulmin 1388: 1387: 1385: 1382: 1378:general at sea 1376:, he became a 1343: 1340: 1300: 1297: 1255:New Model Army 1251:Thomas Fairfax 1200: 1197: 1189:James Holborne 1181:William Waller 1160:Dunster Castle 1149:Edmund Wyndham 1120: 1117: 1115: 1112: 1084:Prince Maurice 1039:Taunton Castle 1026:King Charles I 1017: 1014: 1010:Thomas Fairfax 976:James Holborne 972:Taunton Castle 964:Edmund Wyndham 931:. The town of 912: 911: 909: 908: 903: 898: 893: 888: 883: 878: 865: 864: 859: 857:Shelford House 854: 849: 844: 839: 834: 829: 824: 819: 814: 809: 804: 799: 794: 789: 784: 779: 774: 769: 764: 759: 754: 749: 744: 731: 730: 725: 720: 715: 710: 705: 700: 695: 690: 685: 680: 675: 670: 665: 660: 655: 650: 645: 640: 635: 630: 625: 620: 615: 610: 605: 600: 595: 582: 581: 579:2nd Middlewich 576: 571: 569:Bramber Bridge 566: 561: 556: 551: 546: 541: 536: 531: 526: 521: 516: 511: 506: 501: 496: 491: 486: 481: 476: 471: 466: 461: 456: 451: 446: 441: 436: 431: 426: 421: 419:1st Middlewich 416: 411: 398: 397: 392: 387: 382: 377: 372: 367: 365:Farnham Castle 362: 357: 352: 347: 342: 337: 332: 327: 322: 317: 315:Marshall's Elm 312: 301: 298: 297: 286: 285: 278: 271: 263: 255: 254: 244: 243: 234: 233: 227: 226: 225: 224: 221: 220: 218:Thomas Fairfax 202:James Holborne 187: 157:Edmund Wyndham 148: 147: 143: 142: 132: 119: 118: 114: 113: 110: 109: 106: 102: 101: 94:51.019; -3.100 65: 63: 59: 58: 55: 47: 46: 45:Taunton Castle 36: 35: 28: 27: 21: 20: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 2423: 2412: 2409: 2407: 2404: 2402: 2399: 2397: 2394: 2392: 2389: 2387: 2384: 2382: 2379: 2377: 2374: 2373: 2371: 2360: 2356: 2352: 2347: 2343: 2337: 2333: 2332: 2326: 2322: 2318: 2314: 2313: 2308: 2307:Savage, James 2304: 2300: 2296: 2290: 2286: 2285: 2279: 2275: 2269: 2265: 2261: 2257: 2253: 2247: 2243: 2238: 2234: 2230: 2226: 2222: 2217: 2213: 2207: 2203: 2202: 2196: 2192: 2188: 2184: 2183: 2178: 2174: 2170: 2164: 2160: 2156: 2152: 2148: 2142: 2138: 2137: 2131: 2127: 2123: 2119: 2118: 2112: 2108: 2104: 2100: 2095: 2091: 2085: 2081: 2077: 2073: 2069: 2063: 2059: 2058: 2052: 2051: 2038: 2023: 2019: 2013: 2004: 1995: 1986: 1977: 1975: 1965: 1949: 1948: 1943: 1936: 1927: 1925: 1915: 1906: 1897: 1895: 1893: 1891: 1881: 1879: 1877: 1875: 1873: 1863: 1854: 1845: 1836: 1827: 1825: 1823: 1821: 1811: 1809: 1807: 1805: 1803: 1793: 1784: 1775: 1766: 1757: 1748: 1739: 1730: 1728: 1726: 1724: 1714: 1705: 1703: 1693: 1684: 1675: 1666: 1657: 1648: 1646: 1636: 1627: 1625: 1623: 1621: 1619: 1617: 1615: 1613: 1603: 1594: 1585: 1576: 1574: 1572: 1562: 1560: 1558: 1556: 1554: 1552: 1550: 1540: 1531: 1522: 1507: 1503: 1496: 1487: 1471: 1465: 1463: 1453: 1451: 1441: 1439: 1434: 1419: 1412: 1408: 1403: 1399: 1393: 1389: 1381: 1379: 1375: 1371: 1365: 1363: 1358: 1354: 1349: 1348:Diane Purkiss 1339: 1337: 1333: 1329: 1325: 1324:Edward Massey 1320: 1318: 1309: 1305: 1296: 1294: 1290: 1284: 1282: 1277: 1271: 1268: 1262: 1260: 1256: 1252: 1247: 1243: 1241: 1237: 1233: 1228: 1227:John Berkeley 1224: 1216: 1212: 1208: 1206: 1196: 1192: 1190: 1186: 1182: 1177: 1174:together for 1173: 1167: 1165: 1164:Edward Rodney 1161: 1157: 1152: 1150: 1146: 1142: 1137: 1129: 1125: 1111: 1109: 1104: 1100: 1095: 1093: 1089: 1085: 1081: 1077: 1076: 1071: 1067: 1063: 1059: 1055: 1051: 1047: 1044:In mid-1644, 1042: 1040: 1035: 1031: 1027: 1023: 1013: 1011: 1007: 1003: 999: 995: 993: 989: 985: 979: 977: 973: 969: 965: 960: 958: 954: 950: 946: 942: 938: 934: 930: 926: 922: 907: 906:2nd Worcester 904: 902: 899: 897: 894: 892: 889: 887: 884: 882: 879: 877: 874: 873: 872: 871: 870: 863: 860: 858: 855: 853: 852:Denbigh Green 850: 848: 845: 843: 840: 838: 835: 833: 830: 828: 825: 823: 820: 818: 815: 813: 810: 808: 805: 803: 800: 798: 795: 793: 790: 788: 785: 783: 780: 778: 775: 773: 770: 768: 765: 763: 760: 758: 755: 753: 750: 748: 745: 743: 740: 739: 738: 737: 736: 729: 726: 724: 721: 719: 716: 714: 711: 709: 706: 704: 701: 699: 696: 694: 691: 689: 686: 684: 681: 679: 676: 674: 671: 669: 666: 664: 661: 659: 656: 654: 651: 649: 646: 644: 641: 639: 636: 634: 631: 629: 626: 624: 621: 619: 616: 614: 611: 609: 606: 604: 601: 599: 596: 594: 591: 590: 589: 588: 587: 580: 577: 575: 572: 570: 567: 565: 562: 560: 557: 555: 552: 550: 547: 545: 542: 540: 537: 535: 532: 530: 527: 525: 522: 520: 517: 515: 512: 510: 507: 505: 504:Roundway Down 502: 500: 497: 495: 494:Burton Bridge 492: 490: 487: 485: 484:Adwalton Moor 482: 480: 477: 475: 474:1st Worcester 472: 470: 467: 465: 462: 460: 457: 455: 452: 450: 447: 445: 442: 440: 437: 435: 432: 430: 429:Seacroft Moor 427: 425: 422: 420: 417: 415: 412: 410: 409:Braddock Down 407: 406: 405: 404: 403: 396: 393: 391: 388: 386: 383: 381: 378: 376: 373: 371: 368: 366: 363: 361: 360:Turnham Green 358: 356: 353: 351: 348: 346: 343: 341: 338: 336: 335:Powick Bridge 333: 331: 328: 326: 323: 321: 318: 316: 313: 311: 308: 307: 306: 305: 299: 294: 284: 279: 277: 272: 270: 265: 264: 261: 247: 231: 222: 219: 215: 211: 207: 206:Second relief 203: 199: 195: 191: 188: 186: 182: 178: 173: 172:John Berkeley 167: 162: 158: 153: 150: 149: 144: 141: 137: 133: 131: 121: 120: 115: 107: 104: 103: 98: 68: 64: 61: 60: 56: 53: 52: 48: 42: 37: 34: 29: 24: 19: 2350: 2330: 2311: 2283: 2263: 2241: 2224: 2220: 2200: 2181: 2177:Hyde, Edward 2158: 2135: 2116: 2098: 2079: 2056: 2048:Bibliography 2037: 2025:. Retrieved 2012: 2003: 1994: 1985: 1964: 1952:. Retrieved 1945: 1935: 1914: 1905: 1862: 1853: 1844: 1835: 1792: 1783: 1774: 1765: 1756: 1747: 1738: 1713: 1692: 1683: 1674: 1665: 1656: 1635: 1602: 1593: 1584: 1539: 1530: 1521: 1509:. Retrieved 1495: 1486: 1474:. 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London 1511:18 March 1476:18 March 1092:Plymouth 1058:Weymouth 968:Royalist 949:Cornwall 937:Somerset 807:Hereford 802:Langport 767:Auldearn 752:Weymouth 723:Carlisle 688:Ormskirk 668:Oswestry 623:Cheriton 593:Nantwich 524:2nd Hull 464:Stratton 345:Edgehill 325:Plymouth 310:1st Hull 190:Garrison 62:Location 2191:1431493 2027:16 June 1396:In his 1357:Taunton 1281:lynched 1267:redoubt 1030:Puritan 941:Bristol 933:Taunton 812:Kilsyth 643:Lincoln 574:Arundel 539:Winceby 449:Reading 67:Taunton 2357:  2338:  2319:  2291:  2270:  2248:  2231:  2208:  2189:  2165:  2143:  2126:921472 2124:  2105:  2086:  2064:  1162:, and 1114:Sieges 1006:Naseby 862:Newark 792:Alford 787:Naseby 653:Bolton 608:Newark 105:Result 1384:Notes 1145:Chard 1062:Chard 945:Devon 935:, in 628:Selby 564:Alton 414:Leeds 2355:OCLC 2336:ISBN 2317:OCLC 2289:ISBN 2268:ISBN 2246:ISBN 2229:OCLC 2206:ISBN 2187:OCLC 2163:ISBN 2141:ISBN 2122:OCLC 2103:OCLC 2084:ISBN 2062:ISBN 2029:2015 1956:2015 1513:2015 1478:2015 1225:and 1056:and 947:and 919:The 869:1646 735:1645 638:York 586:1644 402:1643 304:1642 175:Sir 170:Sir 168:, Bt 164:Sir 155:Sir 54:Date 2225:125 1506:BBC 1090:to 1004:at 943:to 2372:: 2305:; 2223:. 2020:. 1973:^ 1944:. 1923:^ 1889:^ 1871:^ 1819:^ 1801:^ 1722:^ 1701:^ 1644:^ 1611:^ 1570:^ 1548:^ 1504:. 1461:^ 1449:^ 1437:^ 1400:, 1283:. 1151:. 1094:. 1041:. 994:. 951:. 2361:. 2344:. 2323:. 2297:. 2276:. 2254:. 2235:. 2214:. 2193:. 2171:. 2149:. 2128:. 2109:. 2092:. 2070:. 2031:. 1958:. 1515:. 1480:. 282:e 275:t 268:v

Index

First English Civil War

Taunton
51°01′08″N 3°06′00″W / 51.019°N 3.100°W / 51.019; -3.100
Royalists

Parliamentarians
Edmund Wyndham
Richard Grenville
John Berkeley
Ralph Hopton
Lord Goring
Robert Blake
James Holborne
Ralph Weldon
Thomas Fairfax
Sieges of Taunton is located in Somerset
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v
t
e
First English Civil War
1642
1st Hull
Marshall's Elm
Portsmouth
Plymouth
Babylon Hill
Powick Bridge
Kings Norton

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