In December 1642, Sir Thomas Fairfax held the bridge at Tadcaster against Newcastle's superior Royalist force. He conducted a fighting defence through the day, then under cover of darkness demolished the bridge and withdrew intact to Selby. The action preserved his army when destruction seemed inevitable. It established Fairfax's reputation for cool tactical thinking and was the first significant engagement in the Yorkshire Civil War. Newcastle's frustration at losing the bridge delayed his southern advance into Yorkshire.
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