15 THE GREAT BRIDGE OF BURTON-ON-TRENT, 
The assault upon the Bridge by the Queen’s troops was led by 
the “Fiery Prince Rupert” and was the occasion upon which Sir 
Thomas Tyldesley as described upon a monument to his memory in 
Wigan-lane, “for the desperate storming of Burton-upon-Trent 
over a bridge of thirty-six arches, received the honour of Knighthood 
at the hands of Charles I.” 
About Christmas 1643, ‘‘Colonell Harpur, of Little Over fortefied 
Burton Bridge, wither Colonell Gell sent his Major Mollanus, the 
6th of January 1644, with some of his fforces, and tooke the towne 
and bridge, with his whole regiment, horse and ffoote, except 
Colonell and Leiftenant Colonell who ran away in the night; he tooke 
six captaynes and eight other officers with five hundred common 
soldyers without any loss of our side, but five of the enemy slayne at 
the entrance of the bridge.” 
So we see after 321 years, Burton bridge again saw war and 
strife. 
The next informtaion is again froma date stone said to have been 
over the 5th arch from mill on the north side with the letters D,S., 
1684 (Fig. 7, p. 16) 
The 23rd arch half walled up had the date 1698 (Fig. 3. p. 14). 
‘The 13th arch had a date stone with I.S, and 1716 (Fig. 1, p. 14), 
The 30th arch had the date 1718 (Fig. 5, p. 16). 
The 27th arch, said to be without ribs, had the date 1747 (Fig. 4, 
p. 14). 
In 1753, Shaw says, “‘when the turnpike was erected on the 
road from Ashby-de-la-Zouch to this town, the Earl of Uxbridge 
made a demand for £20 per annum towards keeping this bridge in 
repair, as he thought the carriage of heavy goods would be greatly 
increased by the roads being made,” and gives as his authority Dr. 
Wilks’ MSS. 
