Siege of Colchester - Conflict & Dates:

The Siege of Colchester was fought June 13 to August 28, 1648, during the English Civil War (1642-1651).

Siege of Colchester - Armies & Commanders:

Parliamentarians

• Sir Thomas Fairfax
• approx. 5,000 men

Royalists

• Sir Charles Lucas
• Lord Norwich
• Lord Capel
• Sir George Lisle
• approx. 4,000 men

Siege of Colchester - Background:

With the beginning of the English Civil War in 1642, King Charles I and the Royalists enjoyed some early success before Parliamentarian forces won a string of victories.


  Under the leadership of the Earl of Essex, Sir Thomas Fairfax, and Oliver Cromwell, the Parliamentarians triumphed at Newbury, Marston Moor, Naseby, and Langport.  Through the fall and winter of 1645-1646, Charles attempted to rebuild his shattered forces while enduring a siege at Oxford.  Unsuccessful in this endeavor, he fled north and surrendered to a Presbyterian Scottish army near Southwell in May.  Taken prisoner, Charles was later turned over to Parliament.     

Following Charles' defeat, the victorious parties worked to form a new government.  In each case, they believed that the king's participation was key.  Playing the various groups off one another, Charles then signed an agreement with the Scots in December 1647, known as the Engagement, by which they would invade England on his behalf in exchange for the establishment of Presbyterianism in that realm.  This action ignited the second phase of the conflict and provoked Royalist uprisings in south Wales and several areas of England including Kent.

  Moving to crush the rebellion in Kent, Fairfax engaged Royalist forces under the Earl of Norwich at Maidstone on June 1.  

Siege of Colchester - Moving North:

In the resulting battle, Fairfax shattered the enemy and Norwich withdrew towards London with around 500 men.  Finding the city held by Parliamentarian forces, he, along with Lord Capel and Sir George Lisle, rendezvoused with Sir Charles Lucas at Chelmsford on June 9.  Lucas led a sizable force largely consisting of elements of the Essex Trained Bands which had switched their allegiance to the king.  Hoping to enlarge their forces, the Royalists marched to Colchester to recruit with the ultimate goal of moving north into Suffolk and Norfolk.  Advancing north in pursuit, Fairfax was reinforced on June 12 by those parts of the Essex Trained Bands that remained loyal to Parliament as well as Colonel Edward Whalley whose cavalry had been shadowing the Royalists.  Departing Coggeshall, the Parliamentarian army reached the outskirts of Colchester the next day and was further augmented by Colonel John Barkstead's brigade from London.   

Siege of Colchester - Fairfax Strikes:

Alerted to the Parliamentarians' approach, Lucas deployed his forces in Colchester's outskirts and blocked the road south.  Assessing the enemy's position, Fairfax ordered a direct assault as this tactic had been effective at Maidstone.  Pushing forward, Barkstead's men were repulsed three times as the Royalists fought from behind barricades and fired from dense hedgerows.  The fighting began to turn when Fairfax's cavalry succeeded in driving off their opposite numbers on the Royalist flanks.  Threatened with collapse at both ends of their line, Lucas' men began retreating into Colchester and took shelter behind the city's walls.  Pursuing the beaten enemy, Barkstead's troops pressed into the city's gates but were thrown back by a well-timed Royalist counterattack.  When fighting ended around midnight, Fairfax saw no other option but to lay siege to the city.  

Siege of Colchester - Starving the Enemy:

Moving quickly Parliamentarian forces began working to encircle the town while naval vessels blockaded the River Colne.  In addition, forts were constructed to strengthen the siege lines and artillery batteries were placed to batter Colchester's walls.  Though trapped, Lucas and Norwich expected reinforcements to arrive and relieve their garrison.  These hopes suffered a blow when the Suffolk Trained Bands elected to join Fairfax's command rather than defect to the king.  Continuing their work, the Parliamentarians completed the investiture of city on July 2.  Three days later, Lucas and Lisle attacked out of the East Gate with around 1,000 men.  Though they drove back Parliamentarian forces, counterattacks from Fairfax's men inflicted heavy losses and forced them back into the city.

Seeking to tighten the siege, Fairfax attacked the remaining Royalist positions outside of Colchester's walls on July 14.  In fierce fighting his men secured St John's Abbey, Lucas' house, and the port of Hythe.  Hoping to end the siege, the Parliamentarian commander dispatched an emissary to Lucas two days later and demanded the garrison's surrender.  Refusing, Lucas and Norwich held out in the belief that aid would arrive.  These expectations began to fall a short time later when word arrived that reinforcements under the Earl of Holland had been defeated at St. Neots.  In an effort to alter the situation, the Royalists mounted three breakout attempts over the next several days using their cavalry.  Of these, only  Sir Bernard Gascoigne's effort on July 22 saw any Royalist forces escape.

Despite an increasingly bleak outlook, Lucas was bolstered by the arrival of a letter from Sir Marmaduke Langdale, who commanded Royalist forces in the north, stating that aid would arrive within two weeks.  As August began, the food situation in Colchester became critical with starvation spreading through the population.  Though the city had been loyal to Parliament for much of the conflict, Fairfax repeatedly refused requests from the population to be permitted to leave in an effort to expedite an end to the siege.  On August 24, Fairfax received word of Cromwell's victory at Preston and the destruction of the Royalist forces in the north.  Learning of this, Lucas commenced surrender talks later that day.

Siege of Colchester - Aftermath:

Though Norwich attempted to play for terms, Fairfax insisted that there would be no negotiations.  Instead, he directed that common soldiers and junior officers were to be given quarter while senior officers would be required to surrender to mercy.  As a result, the Royalist leaders' fate would be in the hands of Parliament with no guarantee of survival.  Having little choice, Lucas and Norwich formally surrendered on August 28 and Parliamentarian forces entered the city.  In the fighting for Colchester, Fairfax suffered between 500 and 1,000 casualties while Royalist losses numbered around 1,000.  

While the aristocratic Royalists leaders, such as Norwich, were turned over to Parliament, a military court quickly decided the fates of Lucas, Lisle, Gascoigne, and Colonel Henry Farre.  Found guilty of high treason, all four were sentenced to death by firing squad.  While Farre managed to escape prior to his execution, Gascoigne was spared as he was an Italian citizen.  Late on August 28, Lucas and Lisle were shot at Colchester Castle.  The carrying out of such a sentence was rare during the conflict, but Fairfax justified the action by stating that Lucas had broken his parole when he took up arms against Parliament a second time, had executed prisoners during the siege, as well as that both commanders had caused needless bloodshed by continuing to fight from an untenable position.      

Selected Sources

• British Civil Wars: Siege of Colchester
• English Civil War: Siege of Colchester
• Siege of Colchester