page_title: Siege of Hull (1642)
section_title: Siege
hierarchical_section_title: Siege of Hull (1642) / Siege
caption_attribution_description: Line engraving of Sir John Meldrum.
context_page_description: The first Siege of Hull marked a major escalation in the conflict between King Charles I and Parliament during the build-up to the First English Civil War. Charles sought to secure the large arsenal held in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire. He first approached the town in late April 1642, but was rebuffed by the town's Parliamentarian governor, Sir John Hotham. Charles retreated to York, but in July he received news that Hotham might be willing to hand over the town if the Royalists approached with a large enough force that Hotham could surrender with his honour intact.
  Charles marched towards the town with an army of 4,000 men. In the meantime, Hull had been reinforced by sea, and Parliament had sent Sir John Meldrum to command the town's garrison, as they were concerned about Hotham's loyalty. Hotham once again rejected the King's demands to enter the town, and a largely ineffective siege was established by the Royalists, commanded by the Earl of Lindsey as the King had returned to York.
context_section_description: After rebuffing the King in April, Hotham had to put down several plots from within Hull to betray the town. In his account of the Civil War, the Earl of Clarendon suggested that Hotham was meanwhile planning to hand the town over to the King himself. Lord Digby had been captured by a Parliamentarian ship, but pretended to be a Frenchman who did not speak English. He was taken to Hull, where he met with Hotham and admitted his true identity. Digby tried to persuade Hotham to surrender Hull to the King. The two agreed that if the King approached the town with a sufficient force, then Hotham could make a show of resisting, before honourably surrendering the town. Digby travelled to York, still disguised as a Frenchman, and informed Charles of the plan.
  On 3 July, Charles marched from York with 3,000 infantry and 1,000 cavalry. On arrival, rather than admitting the King as agreed, Hotham held fast against the King's demands to enter. Hull defences had been further improved, and the poorly trained and equipped army the King had brought was insufficient to storm the town. Charles had contemplated trying to blockade Hull, but had been told by Thomas Glemham, a former governor, that the town was so low-lying that surface water was easily accessible, and Parliament's control of the navy meant that it could be easily replenished by sea. Parliament sent further reinforcements (recorded as between 500 and 1,500) which arrived by sea on 10 July, led by Sir John Meldrum. In addition to supplementing the garrison, Meldrum had been sent by Parliament to command the garrison, as they were growing suspicious of Hotham's loyalty. To make the town more defensible, Hotham ordered the sluice gates be opened, and that the banks of the Humber should be breached to allow the high spring tide to flood the land around the town. He also had buildings beyond the town walls destroyed to remove any cover the King's army could use during an attack; this included the Carthusian hospital building to the north, and the village of Myton to the west.
  Though Parliament controlled the navy, the Royalists did manage to send one ship up the river Humber as far as Keyingham, 10 miles (16 km) east of Hull, where they offloaded eight artillery guns which they then transported across land to establish a battery on the eastern side of the town. Forts were also established in Paull, Hessle and on the southern bank of the Humber, in order to fire at ships using the river. The siege of Hull is variously described as commencing from either 10 July or 15 July, and a sally made by Meldrum is often attributed as the "first blood" of the First English Civil War. According to John Rushworth, Meldrum attacked the King's forces with 500 men. The Royalist cavalry were not backed up by their infantry, and in the face of the attack retreated towards Beverley. Meldrum's force made chase, killing two and capturing thirty. At this early stage of the war, siege warfare in Britain was largely ineffective; methods that had been developed and refined in the European wars were applied without the skill and experience required. Charles, having been frustrated in his efforts to capture the town, withdrew from Hull, leaving the Earl of Lindsey in command of his forces. Another sortie by Meldrum on 27 July attacked the Royalist arsenal in Anlaby, to the west of Hull, capturing fifteen cannons and a 36 pounds (16 kg) mortar. After this loss, the Royalists lifted the siege and retreated to York.
caption: Sir John Meldrum was sent by Parliament to both assist Hotham, and ensure his loyalty.
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