Siege of Bristol, 1643
July 15 After Roundway Down, Rupert went back to Oxford to join the King and Queen.
July 18 Rupert leaves Oxford with a force of 5500 men and 8 siege cannons. He approached Gloucester but found that Waller and about 500 survivors of the battle of Roundway Down were behind the walls. He then moved south towards Bristol. Rupert took with him his engineer de Gomme and munitons expert LaRoche.
July 23 Rupert arrives at Bristol and stations his men on the high ground to the north-west. He quarters at the well-fortified Westbury College. He is later joined by his brother Maurice.

Hertford moves from Bath and takes up positions to the south-east of the city.

 Rupert thought so highly of Westbury College that he torched it when he left to stop the Parliamentarians having it.
Inside the city, the Parliamentary commander had 1500 foot and 300 horse as well as 100 cannon. Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes was the Parliamentarian governor of Bristol.
July 24 Rupert summoned Fiennes to surrender which he refused to do. The foot was deployed to the north of the fortifications in three sections commanded by Lord Grandison, John Belasyse and Wentworth. The cannon were placed to fire on the forts.

Enemy reconnaisacne patrols were fired on in the night.

 

Bristol was originally built between the two rivers Avon and Frome, and protected by a castle. The city had expanded beyond these borders and was surrounded by a fortification of earthworks with small forts spaced at intervals along them. On the west of the city was a range of hills.

 
July 25 Rupert crossed the Avon to consult with Maurice about whether to carry out an extended siege or to attack the city.

Maurice's Cornishmen favoured an extended siege but Rupert managed to persuade them that an all-out attack was needed as the troops needed to support the King near Oxford as soon as possible.

The plan was for Rupert to attack the north and west outer defences while Maurice attacked in the south. Mining under the walls was impossible because of the rock to the north and the marsh to the south so the fortifications had to be scaled.

 Hertford had left Prince Maurice to make plans and did not attend the council of war.
July 26 Maurice's Cornish foot were so eager to commence the attack that they started before the firing of the official starting gun, but were forced back with heavy losses. It did however prevent the city's defenders from moving to face the attacks from the north and west.

The three brigades in the north and west attacked and were initially beaten back. Lord Grandison was himself severely wounded.

Wentworth succeeded in  breaching the defences, making a gap through which troops could enter. They managed to hold off several counter-attacks.

 Colonels Slanning and Trevannion were killed in this attack.
Rupert was visiting Grandison's brigade when he heard the news that Wentworth had  breached the earthworks.

Once inside, Wentworth moved his troops to right and down to the quays where he was prevented by Rupert from burning the ships in case fire spread to the inner city - Rupert wanted to take the city intact.

Belasyse's brigade followed Wentworth through the breach. The parliamentarian defenders in the inner city resisted well sallying out from the Frome gate and firing at the attackers from the houses and walls outside. This carried on for at least tow hours.

The defenders in the line of forts however, took little further action.

Rupert directed Wentworth to cross the River Frome at the south end of the city near the quays...

 

 Rupert's horse was shot in the eye as he went to rally his men ready to enter the city. 'Without so much as mending his pace he marched off on foot leisurely till another horse was brought him'
...and then Colonel Fiennes called for a parley.

Under the terms of surrender, Fiennes could march his men out of Bristol. Only the officers could take their arms while the other soldiers had to leave theirs behind together with all the cannon, ammunition and money. The city promised to raise £140,000 in order to avoid being sacked.

The garrison marched out of the city an hour earlier than planned - before Rupert was ready and they were subjected to abuse and attack by unruly Royalist soldiers. Rupert and Maurice had to restore order.

In his haste to leave Fiennes forgot about Blake and Captain Husbands at Brandon Hill Fort. The two bravely continued to fight off Royalist forces until they were convinced of the surrender. Although Rupert wanted them to hang they were allowed to leave Bristol behind the rest of Fiennes' army.

 The Marquis of Hertford felt 'left out' of the events by Rupert and Maurice, and he was so upset he appointed Hopton as Governor of Bristol without consulting Rupert. Meanwhile Rupert had asked the King to make him Governor - which he did.

When the King realised what had happened he wrote to Hopton and asked Rupert to appoint him as deputy governor. The King also asked Hertford to be a part of his inner council back in Oxford.

Maurice was appointed General of the South-West forces.
Parliament : Colonel Fiennes

Royalist : Rupert, Maurice, Hertford, Wentworth, Belasyse (wounded), Grandison (wounded), Henry Lunsford (killed), Moyle(killed), Slanning (killed), Trevannion (killed)

 Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes faced a charge of cowardice over the Siege of Bristol.
The Royalists suffered heavy losses (500) but had gained an important city and 18 ships of the Parliament navy. The whole of the south west was in Royalist hands now except for Plymouth and Gloucester. Should the King now march on London? - the subject ofmuch debate!