Leicester 1645
May 22 Fairfax begins laying siege to Oxford. The King (in Market Drayton) sends a message to Goring in Bath to forget about attacking Taunton and march north to meet the main army at Market Harborough. Goring was drinking heavily in Bath, promised to come, but failed. He was then ordered to proceed to Oxford but also failed to do so.
Rupert successfully manages to persuade the King's council of war to march eastwards and draw Fairfax away from Oxford. They decide to attack Leicester - believed to be poorly defended. Rupert hopes to meet Charles Gerrard who had been raising an army of 3000 Welshmen (they failed to show), and the men from the Newark garrison.

May 30 1 pm. Rupert summoned the city to surrender. 

3 pm. He received no answer and opened up with some of his siege guns.

6 pm. A breach in the walls was made at the Newark - at the south side of town, and its best defended area.

12 midnight. An all-out assault on the walls was made at the south with other attacks on the north and east sides using scaling ladders.

 It is believed traitors went out to the Royalists to tell them where the weaknesses in the walls were.

The town was defended by 480 foot, 400 horse and 900 townsmen.

The defenders tried to plug the gaps in the walls with sacks of wool.
May 31 1 am. The town's gates were opened allowing the Royalist cavalry to enter the town. The defenders (women included) fought valiantly but were driven back, street by street until they were forced to surrender in the town's market place. Rupert lost 30 officers and was greatly annoyed by the town's stubborn resistance. He made little attempt to restrain the ensuing plunder of the town.
The plundering of the town went on for some days afterwards. 140 cartloads of booty were taken. Many of the Royalist soldiers deserted with their loot. Sir Robert Pye was taken prisoner but was exchanged a few days later for Sir Henry Tillyer.
Royalists : Prince Rupert, Sir Marmaduke Langdale, Sir Richard Page (5500 men)

Parliament : Sir Robert Pye, Major James Ennis.(1800 men)
Jun 1 Rupert's plan worked and the Committee of Both Kingdoms ordered the abandonment of the siege of Oxford, and ordered Fairfax and the New Model Army northwards. Fairfax's orders were to follow the movements of the King's army...and the rest was left to his own judgement. He was free from having to receive orders from Parliament!
The Royalist forces were somewhat depleted with the return to Newark of the men from the garrison there, the desertion of Langdale's cavalry who rode off when they found out that the army was not going to march north, and the casualties at Leicester. They march south... Charles had 4000 foot and 3500 horse left in his entire army.
Jun 5 Fairfax marches north from Oxford.

Charles reaches Market Harborough. Langdale is persuaded back but there is still no sign of Goring or Gerrard's Welshmen.
Jun 18 After the battle of Naseby, the Parliamentarian forces laid siege to Leicester. The Royalist garrison soon surrendered as the breaches in the walls had not yet been repaired. They left behind all their weapons and were allowed to leave.

The castle defences were later destroyed so they could not fall into Royalist hands again.