BattlefieldsSiege of Pontefract Castle Third Siege 1648-1649
English Civil War

Siege of Pontefract Castle Third Siege 1648-1649

1648–1649
West Riding, England
Also known as: Pontefract third siege 1648 · Pontefract last Royalist holdout
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Siege
Location
West Riding, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalists
Forces
Royalist garrison c.200–350
VS
Victor
Parliamentarians
Forces
Parliamentarian besiegers c.2000–3000
Outcome
Last Royalist garrison in England surrendered Pontefract only after execution of Charles I; held longest of any northern castle
The Battle

History & Significance

Pontefract Castle's third and final Civil War siege began in 1648 as part of the Second Civil War. The garrison, holding out for Charles I, continued to resist even after the king's execution in January 1649. Colonel Morris's garrison finally surrendered in March 1649 — the last Royalist garrison to hold out in England. Pontefract was subsequently demolished. Colonel Rainsborough, the Parliamentary general, was assassinated by Royalist agents during the siege — the most prominent casualty of the northern war in 1648.

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