Civil War Siege of Chichester

1642

Chichester was besieged and captured by Parliamentary forces in December 1642, early in the English Civil War. The city had declared for the King, and a Royalist garrison held the walled town. Sir William Waller, commanding a Parliamentary force drawn largely from London and the south-eastern counties, advanced on the city and demanded its surrender. When the garrison refused, Waller positioned his artillery on the higher ground to the north and east and began a bombardment. The medieval walls, though impressive for their age, were not designed to withstand cannon fire, and breaches were made in the eastern defences. After several days of siege, the garrison surrendered on 28 December 1642. The fall of Chichester secured Sussex for Parliament and removed a potential Royalist stronghold that could have threatened the route between London and the south coast. The siege caused significant damage to the city's buildings. The cathedral suffered during the bombardment, and Parliamentary troops caused further damage after the surrender, destroying monuments and images as part of the Puritan campaign against religious decoration. The medieval stained glass of the cathedral was largely destroyed at this time. The castle mound in the north-eastern quarter of the city had already been reduced from its medieval prominence. The Civil War siege is the most dramatic military event in Chichester's post-Roman history and a reminder that the city's calm appearance today belies a more turbulent past.