Siege of Tiverton (1645)
Who Fought
History & Significance
The siege of Tiverton took place in October 1645 during the First English Civil War, when a Royalist garrison surrendered to a detachment of the New Model Army.
Defeats at Naseby in June, and Langport in July destroyed the Royalist field armies, leaving them confined to parts of the West Country, and isolated strongpoints elsewhere. When Bristol surrendered on 10 September, their last significant position was the port of Exeter.
To isolate Exeter, the Parliamentarians first needed to capture outposts such as Tiverton Castle, held by a garrison of around 200. When their heavy artillery opened fire on 19 October, one of the first shots severed the drawbridge chains, and the garrison capitulated.
At the beginning of 1645, the Royalists still controlled most of the West Country, Wales, and counties along the English border. On 14 June, the New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax won a decisive victory over Prince Rupert at Naseby. This left Lord Goring's Western Army as the last significant Royalist field force.
On 9 July, Fairfax forced Goring to end the blockade of Taunton, and destroyed the Western Army at Langport the next day. Before moving onto the Royalist-held port of Bristol, he first had to secure his rear. Large parts of the West Country were controlled by Clubmen, local militia groups set up to resist depredations from either side, which were often a greater threat than the Royalists.
Many Royalist fugitives from Langport were killed by Somerset clubmen, in retaliation for the damage caused during their occupation. Regardless of political allegiance, the main objective for these groups was to end the war, and Fairfax persuaded their leaders withholding support from the Royalists was the quickest way to achieve this. They agreed to remain neutral, in return for assurances Parliament would pay for any supplies they took.
However, in Dorset, these assurances had no effect, and after Fairfax arrested their leaders on 2 August, between 2,000 - 4,000 men assembled on Hambledon Hill, an ancient hill fort. On 4 August, they were dispersed by dragoons led by Oliver Cromwell; he managed to do so with minimal bloodshed, having made the point they could not stand up to the well-disciplined, professional New Model.
The surrender of Bristol on 10 September left Exeter as the last significant Royalist position in the West. At a Council of War held on 13th, Fairfax and his senior officers decided to clear any remaining Royalist strongholds between Plymouth and London, before moving on Exeter. Oliver Cromwell was tasked with taking those in Wiltshire and Hampshire, while Fairfax and Major-General Edward Massey did the same in Dorset and Devon.
The ground they fought on
The site of Siege of Tiverton (1645) lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.
- Royalists: 200 POW
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