Siege Of Newcastle

The Siege of Newcastle in 1644, happened during the Civil War. Lord Leven led a Scottish Army and laid siege from February until October. The Scots had previously occupied the town in 1640 following the Battle of Newburn, named after a small village 5 miles upriver. 

The town had been resolutely defended throughout the year by William Cavendish, the Marquis of Newcastle, who had defied both the Covenanters and Northern Parliamentarians. Newcastle had held sway in the north-east since the outbreak of the war in 1642. The Marquis had defeated the Fairfaxes at Adwalton Moor and secured the City of Newcastle as the major coal exporter and port of entry for vital Royalist munitions and supply. In July the Royalists were beaten at Marston Moor by a combined force of Parliamentarians and Scottish Armies. Newcastle was classed as 'A Royalist stronghold' which after Marston Moor needed to be broken down. 

In the autumn of 1644, forces under the Earl of Leven arrived at the King’s greatest bastion in the north-east with over 30,000 men. John Marley the Mayor and The Town with only 1,500 defenders were for 3 months attacked constantly before in October 1644 the walls were eventually breached with mines. The remaining defenders finally took refuge in The Cathedral Bell Tower and The Castle Keep, the Scots, (Parliamentary Supporters), then took the Town.

Without this the north was lost, if anything Newcastle was more important, in strategic terms, than York and it was the City’s fall in October which marked the final demise of Royalist domination of the north. A consequence of this incident was that the Scottish thus controlled the rich and prosperous Coal Trade in the area and was totally supported by the Parliamentarians in neighbouring Sunderland. This escalated the opposing views of the two towns. The Scottish left Newcastle 3 years later. 

The siege is celebrated by the motto under the city coat of arms. King Charles I after hearing how long the town had held out gave Newcastle the motto ‘Fortiter Defendit Triumphans’. Which translated means, triumphing by a brave defence.