BattlefieldsBradford Siege and Relief 1643
English Civil War

Bradford Siege and Relief 1643

1643
West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Also known as: Siege of Bradford 1643 · Bradford Parliamentary garrison
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Siege
Location
West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Parliamentary garrison c.200–300.
VS
Victor
Royalists (Newcastle) temporarily
Forces
Royalists (Newcastle) c.2,000–3,000 besiegers
Outcome
Bradford briefly held by Parliamentary forces under John Lambert and local clothiers; besieged and taken by Royalists then retaken
The Battle

History & Significance

Bradford was a centre of Parliamentary support in the West Riding, its clothworkers providing staunch support for the Fairfaxes. The town was besieged by Newcastle's Royalist army in 1643. A scratch garrison of clothworkers and local volunteers — coordinated by the young John Lambert — initially held the town. Bradford fell and was briefly occupied by Royalists before Parliamentary counter-pressure. The town's experience exemplifies the local community character of the Yorkshire Civil War, where cloth towns resisted and agricultural areas tended to Royalism.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around West Riding of Yorkshire

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near West Riding of Yorkshire