A HISTORY OF YORKSHIRE 



The Parliamentary leaders were quick to see their chance, and suddenly horse and foot surged 

 forward to the attack. Crawford dashed across the ditch and caught the Royalist right wing on the 

 flank ; Baillie's Scots followed, driving back the main body of the enemy's foot, and Sir William 

 Fairfax carried the ditch and hedge on his front. On the left Leslie and Cromwell shattered the 

 first line of the opposing horse : for a moment Rupert's own troops checked the Parliamentary- 

 charge ; Cromwell, slightly wounded in the neck, halted and even began to draw back, when David 

 Leslie saved the situation by a dashing flank charge, which sent the Royalists flying in disorder down 

 the road to York. Crawford's foot were equally successful in driving back O'Neil's forces, but on 

 the right matters were going badly for Lord Fairfax and the Yorkshire Puritans. The ground on 

 this side was broken and covered with furze and other obstacles, so that it was with difficulty that Sir 

 Thomas Fairfax managed to bring his men to the charge. Moreover, Sir William Urry had inter- 

 spersed amongst his troops of horse bodies of musketeers, whose fire caused great loss to the attacking 

 party. After a desperate struggle Sir Thomas, whose cheek had been laid open by a sabre cut, 

 routed the troop immediately opposed to his own ; leaving his men to pursue them, he returned by 

 himself to bring up the rest of his cavalry, only to find that Goring had charged them and that they 

 had fled in disorder, Eglinton's regiment of horse alone standing their ground. In their flight they 

 scattered their own foot, including the reserves, and, finding that his troop had melted away, old 

 Lord Fairfax hurried after them to Tadcaster, believing all was lost. While the left wing of each 

 army had thus scored a great success the issue in the centre still hung in the balance. Still struggling 

 with the Royalist centre Baillie's Scots were now attacked on the flank by the foot of the victorious 

 left wing and the body of horse under Sir Charles Lucas. Several regiments broke and fled, and 

 Lord Leven, after vainly trying to rally them, gave up all for lost and rode off to Wetherby ; but 

 Baillie with the regiments of Lord Lindsay and Lord Maitland (commanded by Colonel Pitscottie) 

 held out grimly, and Lumsdaine brought up another regiment to his aid. And now the fortunes of 

 war were changed by the difference of discipline in the two armies. Goring's victorious cavalry, 

 having driven their adversaries off the field, turned to plundering, but on the Parliamentary left 

 Leslie and Cromwell had kept their men well in hand and were waiting for news. This they soon 

 received, for Sir Thomas Fairfax, finding himself alone on his wing, took out of his hat the distinguish- 

 ing white favour and, riding through the Royalist forces as if he had been one of their own officers, 

 reached the left wing. As soon as they knew the state of affairs, Cromwell led his men across the 

 field, and wheeling round met and cut to pieces Goring's cavalry as they returned in disorder, 

 Crawford brought up his victorious infantry to the help of Baillie, and Leslie attacked the White 

 Coats. The Royalist rout was complete ; the whole army broke and fled towards York, except the 

 gallant White Coats, who refused either to fly or to surrender, and after making a magnificent stand 

 in White Syke Close were cut down almost to a man.' 



In the battle of Marston Moor 4,000 Royalists were slain and 1,500 taken prisoners; twenty- 

 five pieces of ordnance were captured, besides quantities of arms and ammunition, and colours 

 enough 'to make surplices for all the cathedrals in England, were they white.' Amongst the 

 prisoners were Generals Goring, Porter, and Tilyard, and Sir Charles Lucas. On the Parliamentary 

 side also the losses had been heavy, including Charles Fairfax, younger brother of Sir Thomas ; but 

 the victory was decisive. The Marquess of Newcastle and Lord Eythin abandoned the struggle and 

 rode off to Scarborough, whence they sailed, with a number of other officers, for Hamburg next day, 

 Rupert, with the remains of his horse and a small body of foot, made for Lancashire, leaving Sir 

 Thomas Glemham to hold York as best he might. The siege of the city was resumed two days 

 after the battle, on 4 July, and ten days later Glemham, whose position was hopeless, offered to 

 capitulate. Very good terms were granted ; the garrison marched out with the honours of war on 

 16 July and were conducted under escort to Skipton, where there was a Royalist garrison.* Lord 

 Fairfax became Governor of York and Thomas Hoyle was elected mayor in place of Sir Edmund 

 Cowper, who had been maintained in office by Newcastle in despite of the corporation's protests 

 since January 1642.' 



After the surrender of York, the county being entirely in the hands of the Parliament except 

 for a number of isolated castles, the Scottish army, after a brief stay at Leeds, marched to Newcastle,^" 

 while the Earl of Manchester moved southwards, halting at Doncaster on 23 July. The earl who 

 had so far served the Parliament faithfully, now began to show signs of slackness. He did not wish 

 to see the king unthroned, he had no belief in the permanence of any settlement by force, and wished 

 for a compromise and agreement. He, therefore, was not anxious to pursue his recent successes, and 

 declined to move against Newark ; although he detached General Crawford to attack Sheffield Castle, 

 he left him without ordnance," and it was not until Lord Fairfax sent some artillery under Colonel 



' Gardiner, Hist, of the Great Civil War, \, 373-82; Markham, op. cit. 153-78, and authorities 

 there quoted. 



' Slingsby, Diar;j, 1 15-16, 1 2 3. » Yorh. Arch. Joum. v, 53-62. 



" Cal. S.P. Bom. 1644, p. 423. " Ibid. 1644-5, P- '5^. 



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