BattlefieldsStorming of Leeds by Fairfax 1643
English Civil War

Storming of Leeds by Fairfax 1643

1643
West Riding, England
Also known as: Fairfax captures Leeds January 1643 · Leeds parliamentary capture
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
West Riding, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalists
Forces
Royalist garrison c.100–200.
VS
Victor
Parliamentarians (Thomas Fairfax)
Forces
Parliamentarians (Fairfax) c.800–1,200
Outcome
Leeds taken by storm by Fairfax; important Parliamentary success in the West Riding cloth towns
The Battle

History & Significance

In January 1643 Sir Thomas Fairfax stormed Leeds, capturing it from its Royalist garrison. Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax — the West Riding cloth towns — were broadly sympathetic to Parliament, and Fairfax's capture of Leeds gave Parliament a base in the industrial heartland of Yorkshire. The cloth workers provided manpower for Parliamentary forces. Leeds was to change hands as the tide of the war in Yorkshire ebbed and flowed over the following months.

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