1643 1644 1645 1646 The Great Siege of Scarborough Castle[a] was a major conflict for control of one of England's most important stone fortresses during the First English Civil War fought between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists loyal to King Charles I.

[1]) Early in the English Civil War, Scarborough, its castle and strategic supply port were first held for Parliament by Sir Hugh Cholmley.

[2] Cholmley actually lost the castle in a bloodless takeover by his own cousin, Captain Browne Bushell, in the same month while away at York, but persuaded him to give it back.

[5] After March 1643, although Cholmley was the only Royalist commander at work in east and north Yorkshire, his forces felt so secure at Scarborough that they could move almost freely throughout the region, targeting Parliamentarian positions.

In June, Cholmley captured the marketplace at Beverley, some 30 miles from the castle, and from September to October 1643 he was present at the unsuccessful second Siege of Hull.

[6] Though Cholmley's activities were a nuisance to the Parliamentarians, these victories were never decisive, and Parliament considered the King's south-western strongholds far more important targets.

The Royalist failure at Hull and the entry of the Scottish Covenanters into the war on Parliament's side in late 1643 resulted in a run of Parliamentarian victories across Yorkshire.

The next day, the Marquess of Newcastle, the King's captain-general in the north, and several of his senior officers, took ships from Scarborough and went into exile on the continent, abandoning the fight.

[2] Cholmley retreated into the castle and refused to give in, so the Parliamentarians prepared for what would be a five-month siege, one of the most bloody of the civil war, with almost continuous fighting.

Over several weeks, as the funds began to trickle through to Scarborough, allowing Meldrum the forces he needed to attempt an all-out siege, Parliament came around to the idea that besieging the castle should be made a priority.

Meanwhile, the garrison initially had access to drinking water from local springs and the "Well of Our Lady" near the cliff edge which with stockpiled food allowed them to defend the castle for months.