Chichester 1642
Nov 15 Although Chichester had declared for Parliament, a group of Royalists captured the army and magazine by night, disarming the local militia and opening the town's gates to Sir Edward Ford, the High Sheriff of Sussex, and a party of Royalist troops he had mustered.

Ford garrisoned the town with about 1,000 Royalist troops and a number of big guns.
Dec 17 Waller had moved south from Winchester when he received orders from Parliament to march on Chichester.
Dec 21 Waller arrived at Chichester to be greeted by a Royalist sally from the town gate. The defenders were immediately driven back inside.

The Parliamentarian troops occupied the Broils, an area of land overlooking the town.
Waller summoned the town by trumpet and sent two officers (Major Horatio Carey and Captain Carr) in to negotiate terms.

After a long consideration, the answer was that the terms were 'so strict that no men of honour could accept them, and therefore they denied them all but the giving up of the Papists, if they could be found'.

 

 The terms offered were:

1. An absolute surrender of the Town.
2. A delivery of the Sheriff, and other Delinquents voted in Parliament, and all Papists.
3. A permission to the common soldiers to pass out without any arms, to the officers to ride out with their swords, and one horse apiece to be allowed for their journey.
4. An oath to be taken by them never to serve against the Parliament.
Dec 22 The cannons fired on the town but mostly overshot.
Dec 23 The cannon were drawn nearer the town. The defenders had burned down many of the buildings near the West Gate and the East Gate, but Waller took the Alms houses 'within half a musket shot of the North Gate'. From there he could fire through the Gate and up into the market place.

There was also a skirmish at the South Gate and the attackers eventually managed to capture the suburbs near the East gate.


The East Gate, Chichester
Dec 26 A trumpet sounded from the town about 10am with a letter offering a treaty by 9am the next day.
Dec 27 The gates are opened and Waller marches into Chichester and occupies the town. The High Sheriff (Ford), 60 officers and 400 dragoons were taken prisoner and sent off to London. There was some damage done in the Cathedral but mainly, the plunder of Winchester was not repeated.