Siege of Lyme Regis 1644
Marker: recorded battle location (no official boundary).
Key facts
| Date | 20 April 1644 – 16 June 1644 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Date (year) | 1644 | Wikidata P580 start time |
| Century | 17th century | derived |
| Period | Civil Wars | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| War / conflict | First English Civil War | Wikidata |
About the battle
The siege of Lyme Regis was an eight-week blockade during the First English Civil War. The port of Lyme Regis, in Dorset, was considered to be of strategic importance because of its position along the main shipping route between Bristol and the English Channel. Thomas Ceeley and Robert Blake commanded the town's Parliamentarian defences during the siege, which was laid by Prince Maurice between 20 April and 16 June 1644.
At the start of the war, the people of Lyme Regis were predominantly Puritans, and the town was claimed by a pair of local members of parliament and garrisoned for the Parliamentarians. Most of the rest of Dorset, and the south-west of England in general, was under the control of the Royalists. The town, which only had sea-facing defences, feared an attack and Blake was charged with its fortification. He established a series of earthen defences featuring four forts which completely surrounded the town.
King Charles I ordered the capture of the town in early 1644, and sent his nephew, Maurice, with around 4,000 troops. The siege was laid on 20 April, but despite a steady bombardment, and three attempts to storm the town by ground, the town's defences held fast.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- Recorded location (Wikidata; may be approximate): 50.7250, -2.9400
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Siege of Lyme Regis (revision 1370743077), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs and trimming at sentence boundaries; citations removed. No text added.
Battle location from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Babylon Hill 1642 · 34 km
- Sieges of Taunton 1644 · 35 km
- Battle of Weymouth 1645 · 37 km
- Battle of Langport 1645 · 37 km
- Battle of Clyst Heath 1455 · 38 km
- Battle of Pinhoe 1001 · 38 km
Other battles of the First English Civil War
- Battle of Aylesbury 1642
- Battle of Babylon Hill 1642
- Battle of Brentford 1642
- Battle of Edgehill 1642
- Battle of Turnham Green 1642
- Siege of Hull 1642
- Siege of Reading 1642
- Battle of Adwalton Moor 1643
- Battle of Aldbourne Chase 1643
- Battle of Braddock Down 1643
All battles of the First English Civil War →
Browse more: battles in Dorset · battles in England · Civil Wars · 17th century battles
Further reading
- Siege of Lyme Regis on Battlefields of the World (the battle in world context, with others of its war worldwide)
- Wikipedia: Siege of Lyme Regis
- Wikidata Q20712873