Sieges of Bradford

The first attack began in October 1642 when Royalist forces located in Leeds were ordered to attack Bradford, as it was known the locals were preparing defences.[8] The Royalists set up two cannons in the Hunderscliffe (Undercliffe) area,[9] which is north east of the church and on a hill about 1-mile (1.6 km) distant.[10] Accordingly, after a brief skirmish which involved some cannon-fire from the Royalists, the engagement petered out due to a rapid change in the weather (snowfall and strong winds), and the destruction of one of the Royalist guns, which was described as having "burst asunder".[10] The Royalists left soon afterwards going east to Leeds.[11]

Later, on the 18 December,[12] the Royalists again went to Bradford with "200 men of foot, six troops of dragoons, and five of horse",[13] which meant that had about 800 men against half of that for the defenders.[14] They positioned themselves in Barkerend (which was at that time a separate entity from Bradford proper, but which is now part of its urban sprawl). The defending forces garrisoned themselves around the church and hung woollen bales from the church to limit the damage from cannon fire; a contemporary woodcut from 1643 shows the tower of the church with six vertical rows of bales, by four across.[15] The distance from their position in Barkerend to the church was described as being "as little as 300 paces",[16] and so the protection of the wool, also meant that the defending side could position their "choicest marksmen' in the tower.[17] During this first attack, an officer from the Royalist side charged down the hill on his horse meaning to launch an attack on the church and those within. He was beaten down by the Parliamentarians, and when he cried out for "quarter", the townsfolk are said to have misinterpreted his plea for mercy, to one where he was asking to be quartered.[18][note 1] This became known as "Bradford Quarter".[22] The attack ended up with the Royalists being driven back and retreating,[23] with Sir John Goodricke being taken prisoner, and receiving Bastinado (a foot-whipping).[24][25] Twenty-five other Royalists were taken prisoner, and Colonel Goring was wounded, but believed to have returned to the Royalist side.[21]

Newman asserts that the credit for this Parliamentarian victory was given to Fairfax, even though he had ridden away before the skirmishes occurred, and had not taken part in the defence of Bradford. However, the propaganda element of the story, ordinary men pitted against professional soldiers and winning, was seen to encourage those towards the Parliamentarian cause, and by some, as having God on their side.[26] Newman states, that despite all of this, in actuality, the Royalists lost because they were over-confident, used only a small part of their available strength, and were against a largely leaderless crowd of men who were fighting for their homes, families and livelihoods.[27] This siege was also known as the Battle of the Steeple, due to the defensive measures taken to protect the church during the battle.[28]

Sir Thomas Fairfax was in the town for a while during the summer of 1643, but he was convinced the town could not withstand a siege by the estimated 10,000 Royalists approaching from the east, so rode out to meet them with his 3,000–4,000 men.[29] Fairfax had hoped to have been sent the 6,000 men who were at Nottingham waiting. However, he was denied these forces by Captain John Hotham,[note 2] who had convinced the other Parliamentary leaders in Nottingham that the threat lay in the Midlands, not Yorkshire. Fairfax demanded that the troops be sent north in a letter to Hotham, stating he should march north;

with all the forces you have, and join with me to suppress this Popish army here, which else, whatsoever report gives it out to you, is of power, without God's miraculous deliverance, to destroy our force, and so by degrees to ruin the kingdom.[31]

Adwalton Moor battlefield

The aftermath of the Battle of Adwalton Moor, some 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Bradford, at the end of June 1643, left the town undefended against a Royalist attack.[note 3] The two opposing armies met at Adwalton Moor by chance; both had hoped to surprise each other (the Royalists were billeted at Howley Hall, and the Parliamentarians at Bradford). Some on the Parliamentarian side considered this a trap, with Fairfax himself accusing Major General John Gifford of having delayed their departure from Bradford by four hours.[32] Fairfax and his army, whilst initially successful, found themselves overwhelmed on their left flank (the north) and so retreated south westwards along "a lane in the field we were in which led to Halifax, which, as a happy providence, brought us off without any great loss."[33] With the Parliamentarians scattered to Halifax, the Earl of Newcastle ordered his army to march on Bradford.[34] However, some Parliamentarians retreated to Bradford, and when the city was besieged by Newcastle's troops, they managed to escape on horse, those on foot, could not get out. During the escape, the wife of Sir Thomas Fairfax was captured. The Earl of Newcastle returned her to Fairfax the next day.[35] The cannon-fire from the Royalist guns and feigned attacks by the Royalists demoralised the defenders and made them waste their ammunition.[36] A surrender was suggested by Sir Thomas Fairfax to his opponents, but both sides were distrustful of each other and so nothing came of it. Further skirmishes over the night led to the Parliamentarian side running out of lead and shot; Fairfax and his officers left the town to its fate in the early hours of 2 July 1643.[36][37]

The resistance of the people of Bradford to the Royalist attacks angered the Earl of Newcastle, so much so that he was quoted as ordering his troops to

...put to the sword every man, woman or child, of every age without regard to age or distinction whatsoever...[38]

The Earl was also said to have told his men to give the inhabitants of the town "Bradford Quarter".[39] However, the next day, the earl rescinded this order. Whilst staying overnight at Bolling Hall, his sleep was disturbed three times by a girl clad in white who beseeched him to "pity poor Bradford".[40] Some people have interpreted this event differently, however, the next morning the Royalist troops occupied the town largely peacefully.[41] Cooke states that a massacre would go against Newcastle's record of how he conducted himself during previous engagements. However, he could have been buoyed by the release of 200 Royalist prisoners at Wakefield, and he had just heard that Fairfax and the Parliamentarians had abandoned Leeds.[42]

Bradford was relieved of its Royalist forces in February and March 1644 by John Lambert,[43][44][45] though Sir John Belasyse tried to reclaim the town on 25 March 1644; the attack failed.[46][47]

• Bennett, Martyn (1992). The English Civil War. Hereford: Robert Ditchfield Ltd. ISBN 0904305112.
• Grainge, William (1854). The battles and battle fields of Yorkshire; from the earliest times to the end of the great civil war. York: Hunton. OCLC 1181166254.
• Hopper, A. J. (1999). The extent of support for Parliament in Yorkshire during the early stages of the first civil war. York: University of York. OCLC 931113561.
• James, John (1841). The history and topography of Bradford, (in the county of York,) with topographical notices of its parish. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. OCLC 18077389.
• James, John (1973). Continuation & additions to the history of Bradford and its parish (Republished ed.). Manchester: E.J. Morten (Publishers). ISBN 0-901598-69-0.
• Johnson, David (2012). Parliament in crisis : the disintegration of the parliamentarian war effort during the summer of 1643 (Thesis). York: University of York. OCLC 870419194.
• Lister, Joseph (1842). Wright, Thomas (ed.). The autobiography of Joseph Lister, of Bradford in Yorkshire, to which is added a contemporary account of the defence of Bradford and capture of Leeds by the Parliamentarians in 1642. London: J R Smith. OCLC 1000226.
• Newman, Peter Robert (1978). The Royalist army in Northern England : 1642-45. 2,2. (Appendices) (Thesis). York: University of York. OCLC 631439529.
• Newman, P R (1989). The Siege of Bradford : an account of Bradford in the Civil War, together with the text of The rider of the white horse, a rare pamphlet of 1643. Bradford: Bradford Libraries and Information Service. ISBN 0-907734-17-0.