Lichfield Cathedral

Lichfield Cathedral is situated in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England.

The English Civil War

There were three sieges of Lichfield during the period 1643-46 as the cathedral was surrounded by a ditch and defensive walls, and made a natural fortress. The cathedral authorities with a certain following were for the king, but the townsfolk generally sided with the parliament, and this led to the fortification of the close in 1643. Lord Brooke,led an assault against it, but was killed by a deflected bullet by John Dyott (Known as 'dumb' because he was a deaf mute) who along with his brother Richard Dyott had taken up a position on the battlements of the central cathedral spire on March 2, 1643. His deputy Sir John Gell took over the siege. Although the Royalist garrison surrendered to Gell two days later. The close yielded and was retaken by Prince Rupert in this year on 20 April Rupert's engineers detonated the first mine to be used in England to breach the defences. Unable to defend the breach, the Parliamentarians surrendered to Rupert the following day. The cathedral suffered extensive damage: the central spire was demolished, the roofs ruined and all the stained glass smashed. It was not until the 19th century that the damage caused by the Civil War was fully repaired. Today, on top of the ornamented gable, between the two spires, stands a colossal figure of Charles II, by Sir William Wilson.

Related Topics:
1643 - 46 - Lord Brooke - March 2 - Sir John Gell - Royalist - Prince Rupert - 20 April - Civil War - Charles II - Sir William Wilson

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