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 | Warwickshire History |
| Civil War in Warwickshire | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
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At the outbreak of the English Civil War, Warwickshire was Parliamentarian. In the first battle which took place at Edgehill near the Oxfordshire border in 1642, Charles I and Oliver Cromwell were both present and both claimed victory. Charles I is also said to have used the Old Mint at Southam in order to mint coins for his troops after the battle.
During the Civil War, Coventry became a firm stronghold of the Parliamentarian forces. On several occasions Coventry was attacked by Royalists but they were unable to breach the strong city walls.
Coventry was used to house Royalist prisoners. It is believed that the phrase "sent to Coventry" grew out of the hostile attitude of residents of the city to either the troops billeted there, or the Royalist prisoners held in St. John's church.
In 1662 after the restoration of the monarchy, in revenge for the support Coventry gave to the Parliamentarians during the Civil War, the city walls were demolished on the orders of King Charles II. Now only a few short sections survive, the best examples being found in Lady Herbert's garden.
Another buildings that suffered from the Civil War was Kenilworth Castle. This was destroyed in 1649 and the great mere drained away by Oliver Cromwell's forces to ensure that it could not be used as a defensive fortress again. |
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