News

The Civil War in the North East

7 December 2013

The Battlefields Trust and Tyne and Wear Archives & Museums

The English Civil War in the North East

 

 

A series of three talks on the English Civil War and the involvement of the north east in the struggle between King and Parliament

 

 

Outline

 

Talk One – A New Dynasty

 

In this talk we will look at the coming of the Stuarts in 1603 and consider the origins of the struggle between the monarchy and parliament. We will conclude with a detailed look at the Battle of Newburn Ford (1640) on the western fringes of Newcastle. It was this battle that forced Charles I to abandon his long period of direct rule without Parliament.

 

Talk Two – A Nation At War With Itself

 

This talk will cover the descent into civil war. The north east was peripheral to the early phase of the First Civil War. We will look at this period in summary and consider the events leading to the invasion of the Scots on the side of Parliament in 1644 and the fighting in Northumberland.

 

Talk Three – Newcastle At Bay

 

This talk will look at the events of the second half of 1644 culminating in the Siege of Newcastle. This will include a look at the lesser known Siege of South Shields which was a part of this campaign and the fighting between Newcastle and Sunderland which, as always, were on opposite sides. We will conclude with details of the aftermath of these actions and briefly summarise the events leading to the execution of Charles I and the abolition of the monarchy.

 

Field Trip

 

We will conclude the series with a visit to the battlefield of Newburn Ford to the west of Newcastle. Standing on the ground is the best way to understand how battles were fought.

 

The talks will be held at South Shields Museum on 6th, 13th & 20th March 2014 from 14:00 to 15:30

The field trip will take place on 27th March.

 

Booking details will be circulated in the New Year.