Battlefields›Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44)
English Civil War

Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44)

1643
England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Siege
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalist
VS
Victor
Parliamentary
Forces involved

Royalist garrison originally around 800 infantry and four troops of horse, though the cavalry was withdrawn by Hopton before the siege; Waller's relieving Parliamentarian force numbered approximately 5,000 men, mostly South-Eastern trained bands.

Outcome
After a three-week siege led by Sir William Waller, the Royalist garrison under Colonel Joseph Bampfield surrendered on 6 January 1644, restoring Parliamentary control of Sussex for the rest of the war.
The Battle

History & Significance

Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44) was a Civil War siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought in England in 1643. The victor was Parliamentary. After a three-week siege led by Sir William Waller, the Royalist garrison under Colonel Joseph Bampfield surrendered on 6 January 1644, restoring Parliamentary control of Sussex for the rest of the war.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44) lies on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

Casualties & Losses
  • No precise casualty figures recorded, but the surrendering garrison of roughly 1,000 (including camp followers) was reported to be dying of scurvy and starvation after the besiegers cut off the water supply by draining the castle's lake.
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44)

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Overview
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Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44)

Maison Dieu
Maison Dieu
Scheduled monument · ~0.1 mi

Maison Dieu is a medieval hospice and charitable institution located in Winchelsea, Sussex, founded in the thirteenth century to provide shelter and care for pilgrims and poor travellers. The surviving structure comprises a substantial stone building that reflects the architectural character typi…

Nilfanion / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

Arundel Castle is a fortified residence in West Sussex that originated as a Norman motte-and-bailey castle founded in the late eleventh century, likely established shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The castle's keep, constructed on its substantial earthwork mound, dates from the late ele…

Egjoni98 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Tortington Augustinian priory and ponds, including part of priory precinct
Tortington Augustinian priory and ponds, including part of priory precinct
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

Tortington Augustinian priory is a religious community founded in the twelfth century in the parish of Tortington in West Sussex, established as a house of Augustinian canons. The surviving remains include substantial elements of the priory precinct, notably the ponds which formed part of the mon…

User:JohnArmagh / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
A 19th century artillery fort known as Littlehampton Fort, 317m south west of the Windmill Theatre
A 19th century artillery fort known as Littlehampton Fort, 317m south west of the Windmill Theatre
Scheduled monument · ~3.7 mi

Littlehampton Fort is a nineteenth-century coastal defence fortification constructed during the period of Victorian military modernisation. Built as part of Britain's comprehensive scheme to strengthen vulnerable points along the south coast against potential invasion threats, the fort exemplifie…

Charlesdrakew / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Amberley Castle
Amberley Castle
Scheduled monument · ~3.8 mi

Amberley Castle is a 14th-century fortified residence located in the parish of Amberley in West Sussex, constructed by Bishop Rede of Chichester as a defensive stronghold and episcopal retreat. The castle comprises a substantial gatehouse, curtain walls, and rounded bastions that reflect its peri…

Jonathan Day from Brighton, UK / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Rackham Banks: A cross dyke and Itford Hill style settlement on Rackham Hill, 900m SSE of Oldbottom Barn
Rackham Banks: A cross dyke and Itford Hill style settlement on Rackham Hill, 900m SSE of Oldbottom Barn
Scheduled monument · ~3.9 mi

Rackham Banks is a cross dyke and associated settlement of Iron Age date located on Rackham Hill in Sussex, approximately 900 metres south-south-east of Oldbottom Barn. The site comprises defensive earthworks in the form of a cross dyke, characteristic of Iron Age fortification practices in south…

Simon Burchell / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ringwork 400m NNW of Batworthpark House
Scheduled monument · ~0.7 miles
Burpham camp
Scheduled monument · ~1.6 miles
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Battles near Siege of Arundel Castle (1643-44)

Siege of Arundel
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Arundel - Siege and Release of Empress Matilda 1139
1139
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Siege of Arundel Castle (Civil War of 1173-74)
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