Battle of Seacroft Moor

[3] In late January of 1643, the Parliamentarians fought back and partially restored the balance of power in northern England when they retook the town of Leeds.

In Yorkshire, Parliamentary forces also held the important wool working towns of Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax in West Riding and the port of Hull.

[1] On 22 February, Queen Henrietta Maria arrived at the Yorkshire port of Bridlington with war materials and English officers brought back to England to support the King.

Queen Henrietta Maria's presence and the addition of the materials and officers to Newcastle's army were not only a boost to the Royalist effort in Yorkshire, but also persuaded at least one Parliamentarian Governor, Sir Hugh Cholmondeley of Scarborough, to switch sides and declare for the King.

[1] Because of these changes in the strength of the Royalists in Yorkshire, Lord Fairfax felt vulnerable with the dispersed positions of his forces and decided that it would be advisable to move his field army from Selby to Leeds.

[1] In order to move his army from Selby to Leeds without the risk of his slow artillery train being attacked while in transit, Lord Fairfax decided to create a diversion designed to keep Newcastle's forces from leaving their positions to pursue the Parliamentarian convoy.

After spending a few hours in Tadcaster destroying the Royalist fortifications, the Parliamentarians left marching west to meet up with Lord Fairfax in Leeds.

[1][2] Lord Fairfax and the Parliamentary field army along with the artillery train reached Leeds safely, but at a horribly high cost considering the losses that occurred at Seacroft Moor.

The criticism was so great that on 21 May Fairfax launched an attack on the Royalist garrison at Wakefield to take prisoners that he might exchange for the men lost at Seacroft Moor.