BattlefieldsSecond Bishops War — Scottish Occupation of Newcastle 1640
English Civil War

Second Bishops War — Scottish Occupation of Newcastle 1640

1640–1641
Northumberland, England
Also known as: Newcastle under Scottish occupation 1640 · Scots hold Newcastle 1640-1641
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Siege
Location
Northumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Crown (England)
Forces
Newcastle garrison absent
VS
Victor
Covenanters
Forces
Scottish army of occupation c.20,000
Outcome
Scottish Covenanting army occupied Newcastle for nearly a year; English paid 850 pounds per day to maintain Scottish army; withdrawal followed Treaty of London 1641
The Battle

History & Significance

The Scottish occupation of Newcastle from September 1640 to August 1641 was an extraordinary military and financial humiliation for Charles I. England paid 850 pounds per day to maintain the Scottish army — a sum that created intolerable pressure on royal finances and forced Charles to keep the Long Parliament sitting to raise the money. The occupation was thus directly responsible for the parliamentary crisis that led to civil war.

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