Slitherine

deadtorius wrote:WE Royalists are civil, its the animal hating Parliamentarians that cause all the uncivility.

The Royalists first passed through Birmingham proper in great force in 1642, the town was mainly Puritan, and some looting took place. As an apology to the town King Charles ordered two of his captains to be hanged, this did not appease the town and some time later a baggage train of the king was captured and delivered to Warwick. With further unrest both sides prepared for war, the smiths of Birmingham were called upon and over 15,000 sword blades were manufactured, these were supplied to Parliamentarian forces only.

Kings Norton and Hawksley both acted as battlefields during October, Prince Rupert's troops were ambushed with many casualties, although both sides claimed the upper hand.

In March 1643 Prince Rupert in command of about 200 men requested entry to the unfortified town which was refused by about 200 towns folk and a company of Roundheads from the garrison at Lichfield under the command of Captain Richard Greaves. The Battle of Camp Hill started with a direct assault by the Cavaliers on the earthworks at Camp Hill, after being twice repulsed the Cavaliers captured the earthworks by launching flanking attack with their cavalry. The Cavaliers perused the fleeing towns men into Birmingham where thy came under fire from some houses, which they torched. At the far end of the town at Cape Hill the Roundhead troopers made a stand and successfully checked the Cavaliers killing their officer the Earl of Denbigh, and allowing Graves and his men to retreat unmolested back to Lichfield.

The stand of the towns folk against Rupert, the death of his favorite Officer Denbigh, and the supply of weaponry to Parliamentarians gave Rupert the perfect excuse to allow his troops freedom to injure, rape, kill, and plunder Birmingham for one night of "fun". By the time Rupert had left the town he had destroyed one third of it by fire.