The English Civil War and Why Weymouth was Important

The English Civil War (1642-1651) was fought between supporters of King Charles I (Royalists) and those who opposed him in Parliament (Parliamentarians). At its heart were disputes over royal authority, taxation, religion, and the power of Parliament.

Control of ports and coastal towns was vital, as Parliament relied heavily on naval dominance to supply its armies and prevent Royalist support from overseas. Towns such as Weymouth and Melcombe Regis were therefore strategically important, leading to repeated changes of control and fierce local fighting.

Timeline: A Brief Overview of The English Civil War (National)

• 22 August 1642 - King Charles I raises his standard at Nottingham, formally beginning the English Civil War.
• 23 October 1642 - The Battle of Edgehill, the first major battle of the war, ends inconclusively.
• 1643 - Royalist forces gain ground in the west and north of England, while Parliament strengthens its navy and key ports.
• 2 July 1644 - Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Marston Moor gives Parliament control of northern England.
• 14 June 1645 - Decisive Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Naseby. The main Royalist army is destroyed.
• May 1646 - King Charles I surrenders to Scottish forces, effectively ending the First Civil War.
• 1648 - The Second English Civil War breaks out due to renewed Royalist uprisings.
• 30 January 1649 - King Charles I is executed in London. England becomes a Commonwealth.
• 1651 - The final Royalist defeat at the Battle of Worcester ends the Civil War period.

Weymouth on the Eve of the Civil War

Civil War broke out in the summer of 1642 and like most of Dorset, Weymouth started in the hands of parliamentary supporters. One of the first battles to take place close to Dorset was the Battle of Babylon Hill in Yeovil but in general, there was no major fighting in the early stages. Life in Weymouth in those early stages remained fairly normal, even in 1643 when Weymouth fell to the royalists, its citizens saw little in the way of fighting as a peaceful surrender and handover occurred. However, though little fighting took place, life wasn't totally unaffected, Royalist soldiers paid little attention to the conditions of a peaceful surrender and didn't offer a lot of respect to the towns residents or property. In 1644, in much the same way as the Royalists had taken the town, parliamentary colours regained control with little fighting affecting the towns civilians. Following parliaments retaking of the town shortly afterwards, life in Weymouths civil war returned to some normality, however this was short lived. The town still had a number of royalist sympathisers and in 1645, leading sympathisers led by the wealthy and respected Fabien Hodder planned a deadly attempt to retake Weymouth back for the royalist in a battle that became known as the Crabchurch Conspiracy. Crabchurch being a code word to keep the conspiracy a surprise from the parliamentarian forces that occupied the town.

Pre-Civil War Fortifications in Weymouth

Prior to the civil war, Weymouth was not well set up to defend itself, Henry VIII had built Sandsfoot castle to protect Weymouth harbour from pirates and French invasion but apart from a small fort on the Nothe and some ancient earthworks, the town had very little in the way in which to defend itself. This explains why in the early years of the civil war Weymouth had been so easily lost and re-taken by the parliamentarians with little blood shed. However, high up on the hill where Chapelhay stands stood a church. The ideal position to defend the town. Identifying this strategic point, high up on the hill, overlooking the town bridge, the defending Parliamentarians decided that this was the ideal location for a new fort and they hastily set about converting it into 'The Chapel fort' and the main defensive position in Weymouth. The three forts at Sandsfoot, the Nothe and the Chapel therefore made up Weymouth's Civil war defences. The fortifications must have made the town feel quite secure, certainly the regimental preacher felt so as he wrote 'we were in as sweet a quiet and security as any garrison in the Kingdom' (Weymouth regimental preacher Peter Ince). At the time there was no idea of the attack that was shortly to come.

The Crabchurch Conspiracy (1645)

The Crabchurch conspiracy started on the night of the 9th February 1645 and became the most colourful part in Weymouth civil war history. It was to become the initial phase of a series of battles/sieges that lasted until the end of February. As stated above, the town was peaceful and the inhabitants felt secure in the hands of the parliamentarians with the enemy far away and plenty of fortifications should they attack. However through the night of February 9th, two small armies of men slowly made their way through the cold dark night from the royalist stronghold of Portland, one approached via Chesil, made their way through Wyke towards the Chapel fort while the second arrived via the sea to attack the Nothe and shortly before midnight sounds of musket fire and sword fighting filled the air, waking the town as both its key defences at the Nothe and the Chapel were easily taken in the surprise attack. Weymouth however didn't fall to the royalists until the next day (10th February) when royalist reinforcements from Sherborne (led by Sir Lewis Dyve) and Portland (led by Sir William Hastings) arrived to join in the attack. Melcombe Regis on the other side of the harbour remained in Parliamentarian hands under the command of Colonel William Sydenham who raised the town bridge cutting off access across the harbour. Royalist held Weymouth led by Dyve and Parliamentarian Melcombe Regis led by Sydenham repeatedly exchanged fire across the harbour. A cannon ball lodged in the wall of a building that survives to this day can still be seen in Weymouth, this can be found above the public toilets on Maiden street, the ball is believed to have been fired into Melcombe Regis by Dyve's forces in one of these exchanges. The scar of a battle that has survived some 350 years! It is not the only reminder of the civil war in Weymouth however, other old buildings around Weymouth harbour also show signs of cannon ball damage.

The Siege of Melcombe Regis by Royalist Troops (1645)

During this exchange of fire, buildings were destroyed in both Melcombe Regis and Weymouth but despite Sydenham's forces in Melcombe Regis being hugely outnumbered (900 to 7000), he managed to hold his position. Being hugely outnumbered and besieged by Dyve's men in Weymouth who held both the Nothe and the Chapel, the royalist stronghold on Portland and the large army that had recently arrived and was busy looting Dorchester, Sydenham refused to give up and even when supplies got low his men were able to go out into the country and steal what livestock they could. Supplies were very short but they held on and so the biggest battle in Weymouth civil war history continued.

The Retaking of Weymouth by Parliamentarian Forces

On the 27th February 1645, after 16 days of siege, Sydenham's men, getting very low on supplies managed to intercept a large party of Royalists bringing in supplies from Dorchester. This proved to be the turning point in Weymouth's civil war as Dyve, unable to accept such a loss, sent his own men out to attack the attacking parliamentarians and take back the supplies that were intended for his men. This was the point Sydenham was waiting for however and he seized his opportunity, lowering the bridge and sending a flurry of attackers into Weymouth where they quickly overwhelmed the Chapel, re-taking control of Weymouth. Sydenham had now successfully held Melcombe and re-established control of most of Weymouth but he would still need to defend them against the considerably larger Royalist army gathered at Dorchester and after humiliating Dyve, the most bloody battle in Weymouth's civil war was far from over.

Royalists Reinforcements Arrive and the Battle of Weymouth

In the early hours of February 28th 1645, Goring, whose troops had been camped at Dorchester and considerable in number arrived and attacked Weymouth and Melcombe Regis simultaneously from a number of positions, attacking the Chapel fort as well as street fighting throughout Weymouth, Sydenham however had been forewarned of the impending attack by an escaped Parliamentarian prisoner and he had positioned his men and artillery as best he could to defend the town. Despite being hugely outnumbered and some very fierce fighting, Sydenham's men eventually drove the Royalist attackers out of the town, a large number of royalists were killed in the fighting or drowned as they attempted to escape and fell into the cold waters of Weymouth harbour. Weymouth harbour in those days had a number of inlets that have now been filled in and built upon and these would have been difficult to avoid in the panic of an ambush in the unlit, dark and cold 17th century Weymouth night. All areas of Weymouth were heroically held by Sydenham's outnumbered men. This was to be the last of the attacks on Weymouth and Melcombe Regis by the Royalist during the conspiracy and despite over 2 weeks of intense fighting and siege, the royalists were defeated. The surviving army marched out of Dorset and headed to Taunton that day in what was probably a reaction to news that a large parliamentary force was closing in to relieve the sieged town. The royalists had failed and the biggest battle to take place in Weymouth civil war history was over.

A Summary of Weymouth's Involvement in the Civil War

From 9 to 28 February 1645, Weymouth endured its bloodiest period of the Civil War. The Crabchurch Conspiracy was not a single battle but the opening act of a wider campaign. It began on 9 February (1645) with the surprise seizure of Weymouth by Royalist forces and the failed attempt to capture Melcombe Regis. This was followed by the siege of Melcombe Regis, the Parliamentarian retaking of Weymouth on 27 February (1645), and the final fighting in the Battle of Weymouth on the 28 February (1645), after which both Weymouth and Melcombe Regis remained firmly in Parliamentarian hands for the rest of the war.

Trials and Public Executions of the Conspirators in Weymouth

The leading conspirators were quickly brought before Sydenham and his council and handed strong penalties for their betrayal of the town. Fabian Hodder, the leader of the conspiracy had escaped but was captured and held in prison in Poole, he did however escape justice for his actions and was known to have survived the war. Of the other leading conspirators, two were sentenced to hang but begged for mercy at the gallows, these being William Bond and Thomas Samways - who had helped to lead the initial surprise attacks on the forts. They were reprieved and sent back to jail. John Cade and John Mills however were less fortunate, John Cade became the first man to hang for his betrayal and was shortly followed John Mills who 'desperately threw himself off' the ladder with no sign of any guilt or pleas for mercy. Both men were hanged in public in Weymouth at the Nothe, the scene of the initial attack.

Weymouth After the Crabchurch Conspiracy

With the leading conspirators dead, imprisoned or on the run, life in Weymouth and Melcombe Regis began to return to normal and Weymouth along with the rest of Dorset, with the taking of Portland and Sherborne became a strong Parliamentarian held county. The most colourful part of the civil war in Weymouth was over and ultimately it had failed for the royalist cause.

Civil War Locations You Can Still See in Weymouth Today

Weymouth and Melcombe Regis still contain visible reminders of their role in the English Civil War. Several key locations were fortified, fought over, or directly affected during the conflict between Parliamentarian and Royalist forces.

The Nothe Fort Area

The Nothe headland was a critical defensive position during the Civil War, overlooking Weymouth Harbour and the entrance from the English Channel. Earthwork defences and gun positions were established here to protect the harbour from Royalist ships and attacks. Its elevated position made it one of the most strategically important sites in the town.

Sandsfoot Castle

Originally built by Henry VIII, Sandsfoot Castle was reused during the Civil War to control shipping approaching Weymouth from the west. The castle changed hands during the conflict and formed part of the wider defensive network protecting the harbour and coastline.

Chapel Fort (Melcombe Regis)

Chapel Fort stood on the Melcombe Regis side of the harbour and was heavily involved during the fighting of 1645. Cannon positioned here exchanged fire across the harbour during the Crabchurch Conspiracy, turning the harbour itself into a battlefield.

Weymouth Harbour

The harbour was central to the Civil War in Weymouth. Control of the harbour meant control of supply routes, troop movements, and naval access. During the Crabchurch Conspiracy, cannon were fired across the water and ships were used to support Parliamentarian defences.

The Town Bridge (Between Weymouth and Melcombe Regis)

The original bridge linking Weymouth and Melcombe Regis played a key role during the fighting. During the Royalist attack in February 1645, the bridge was raised to prevent enemy forces crossing, effectively splitting the battlefield in two and slowing Royalist advances.

Maiden Street

Maiden Street is traditionally associated with visible Civil War damage. A cannonball is said to have lodged in the wall of a building here during the fighting, a reminder of the close-quarters urban warfare that took place in the town.

Radipole and the Surrounding Countryside

The fields and villages around Radipole were used for troop movements, mustering, and encampments during the sieges. Control of the surrounding countryside was essential for cutting off supplies and reinforcing positions inside the town.

Timeline: The English Civil War in Weymouth and Melcombe Regis

• August 1642 - The English Civil War begins nationally. Weymouth and Melcombe Regis declare for Parliament due to their strong merchant and naval connections.
• August 1643 - Royalist forces capture Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. Control of the harbour allows the King to threaten Parliamentarian shipping along the Dorset coast.
• June 1644 - Parliamentarian forces retake Weymouth after a short siege. The town's defences are strengthened, including fortifications at the Nothe, Sandsfoot Castle, and harbour approaches.
• 9 February 1645 - The Crabchurch Conspiracy begins. Royalist troops march on Weymouth.
• 9-10 February 1645 - Heavy street fighting erupts across Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. Cannon fire is exchanged across the harbour, and the bridge between the towns is raised. Estimated casualties: approximately 250 Royalist soldiers killed, many drowned or shot while retreating.
• 27 February 1645 - Parliamentarian forces fully retake Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. Royalist control in the town effectively ends.
• 1646 - The First English Civil War ends. Weymouth remains under Parliamentarian control for the rest of the conflict.