In the battle, the Parliamentarians led by Lord Fairfax attacked and captured the strategic Royalist garrison of Selby under the command of John Belasyse.
In March, Belasyse's forces were temporarily reinforced with Royalist cavalry from Newark commanded by Major-General George Porter.
[2] Sensing an opportunity to catch the Royalists at a weak point, the Parliamentarians assembled an army and planned an assault on Selby as the first step of a push toward York.
The Royalist commander, Belasyse, continued to fight attempting to rally his men against the Parliamentarians, but ultimately, he was unhorsed and taken prisoner.
A few Royalists were able to escape on their mounts, but the remainder of the garrison, approximately 1,600 men, were taken as captives along with a large amount of arms and ammunition.
The Marquess of Newcastle who had been in County Durham defending against the Parliamentarian's Scottish allies was forced to return to York to help with its defence.
Eleven days after the fall of Selby, the Parliamentarians began the siege of York which eventually led to the disastrous Royalist defeat at the Battle of Marston Moor and the complete loss of northern England.