Hopwood & Heywood Nov 2020

From The Archives
ROCHDALE AND THE CIVIL WAR
The English Civil War between that Lancashire, particularly in the
1642 and 1651 was a series of
increasingly urban areas, sided with
armed conflicts between those Parliament whereas the rural prowho
supported Parliament (the Catholic areas to the north of Lancashire
and into Yorkshire were with the King.
roundheads) and those who
Rochdale, with strong a protestant
supported King Charles I (cavaliers
population, supported those behind
or Royalists).
Parliament.
It concerned which person or group
Manchester, by 1642 had become a
had the right to govern England. In the
centre for Parliamentarians as a source
early days the Royalists took Newcastle
of fighting men but also an arsenal with
and York in the north and established
barrels of gunpowder and the means
strongholds in Yorkshire under Lord
to detonate them. Lord Strange for the
Fairfax and his son, although these were
Royalists gathered troops from Bury
taken at the Battle of Adwalton Moor
to attack Manchester in order to seize
near Bradford in 1643. The Fairfaxes
the arsenal but 1000 volunteers came
then retreated to Hull. Before that
forward to repulse them. The weaponry
however, in 1642, both sides wrestled
was dispersed to nearby towns,
for pre-eminence across the region,
Rochdale being one. In February of
Rochdale becoming for a time an
1643, the Manchester garrison captured
important
Preston by the cavaliers who then turned
point of
their attention to Bolton, but these were
tension. It
beaten back by the roundheads, one
is difficult
of whom was Captain Schofield from
to suggest
Rochdale. More roundhead victories at
exactly
Whalley in April meant that by summer
which
most of Lancashire was in the hands of
towns and
Parliament.
families were
on which In July 1643, the Earl of Newcastle for
side but the Royalists offered security to the then
Blackwood town of Manchester if they agreed to lay
has
down their arms, but this was refused
suggested which mean an attack was imminent.
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