page_title: Newark-on-Trent
section_title: The Civil War
hierarchical_section_title: Newark-on-Trent / History / The Civil War
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of a makeshift royalist shilling (siege piece) made from silver plate during the siege of Newark-on-Trent
context_page_description: Newark-on-Trent or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of the county of Nottinghamshire, England. It stands on the River Trent, the A1 – on the route of the ancient Great North Road, and the East Coast Main Line railway. The origins of the town are possibly Roman, as it lies on an important Roman road, the Fosse Way. The town grew around Newark Castle, now ruined, and a large market place, now lined with historic buildings. It was a centre for the wool and cloth trades. In the English Civil War, it was besieged by Parliamentary forces and relieved by Royalist forces under Prince Rupert. Today Newark has become a commuter town for the cities of Lincoln and Nottingham.
context_section_description: During the English Civil War, Newark was a mainstay of the Royalist cause, Charles I having raised his standard in nearby Nottingham. "Newark was besieged on three occasions and finally surrendered only when ordered to do so by the King after his own surrender." It was attacked in February 1643 by two troops of horsemen, but beat them back. The town fielded at times as many as 600 soldiers, and raided Nottingham, Grantham, Northampton, Gainsborough and other places with mixed success, but enough to cause it to rise to national notice. In 1644 Newark was besieged by forces from Nottingham, Lincoln and Derby, until relieved in March by Prince Rupert.
  Parliament commenced a new siege towards the end of January 1645 after more raiding, but this was relieved about a month later by Sir Marmaduke Langdale. Newark cavalry fought with the king's forces, which were decisively defeated in the Battle of Naseby, near Leicester in June 1645.
  The final siege began in November 1645, by which time the town's defences had been greatly strengthened. Two major forts had been constructed just outside the town, one called the Queen's Sconce to the south-west, and another, the King's Sconce, to the north-east, both close to the river, with defensive walls and a water-filled ditch of 2¼ miles around the town. The King's May 1646 order to surrender was only accepted under protest by the town's garrison. After that, much of the defences was destroyed, including the Castle, which was left in essentially the state it can be seen today. The Queen's Sconce was left largely untouched and its remains are in Sconce and Devon Park.
caption: A makeshift royalist shilling (siege piece) made from silver plate during the siege
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