Basingstoke Flashback: The story of Siege of Basing House

A new book  has been published recently and for me it was a glimpse into the dreadful time of the English Civil War (1642-1645).

Other books about the Siege concentrate more on the military campaign, but The Siege of Loyalty House. A Civil War Story by Jessie Childs casts light on the individuals whose lives were utterly disrupted as they took sides in this terrible conflict.

Charles I and Parliament were in opposition – Charles rarely called his Parliament – he had, he believed, a Divine Right to Rule which could not be questioned.   

His followers were called Royalists while those who broadly sought a more democratic government were Parliamentarians.   

Significantly,  this was also a  religious  divide between Catholics and a fundamentalist Protestant movement akin to Calvinism.  

A further complication was that Charles I’s wife, Henrietta Maria, was Catholic.  

John Paulet , 5th Marquess of Winchester, lived in a huge mansion in Basing on the site of the motte and bailey Norman castle  built by Hugh de Port – one of William the Conqueror’s men, who had been rewarded with some 55 lordships in Hampshire.

John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester and defender of Basing House. (Image: Newsquest)

Visually, Paulet’s mansion, which consisted of two houses by now was comparable in size to Hampton Court Palace.  

Substantially, It would be the ‘new’ house, of which today there is no above-ground trace which,  not as strongly fortified as the ‘old’ house,  would in the end provide the opportunity to breach the walls into the old house and bring about its downfall.

Paulet believed initially that the whole affair would blow over; that the King and monarchy  would triumph.

In 1643, he saw the need to defend Basing House and asked the King for reinforcements  —  100 musketeers arrived to form a Garrison.

Soon after this General Waller arrived with a huge army of some 7,000 men who tried for nine days to take the house but failed.   

A further siege took place in 1644 — the Parliamentarians intended to starve the Garrison out.  

It's not possible here to give an account of the two years of attacks, withdrawal and attempts to starve the house longside the re-provisioning of the Garrison in the house. Rival publications on both sides provided a stream of pamphlets, widely distributed, which were lively accounts.

These were full of personal insults, half-truths and outright lies, which maybe would be recognisable in some parts of today’s social media!

The impact on local people can only be imagined. Some details from the Churchwardens’ accounts for Basingstoke report on the number of graves dug for soldiers.

A skirmish on 28 July 1644 described a surprise attack on the Parliamentarians when the ‘rebels’ were ‘pursued to Basingstoke town, slashing and doing execution all the way’.

The period 1643-1644 reports a payment of 7s for digging 21 graves.

The storming of Basing House. Painting by Ernest Crofts (Image: Painting by Ernest Crofts.)

In September 1644, with the Garrison close to starvation, Royalist Colonel Gage fell on Basingstoke, divesting the townspeople of  “100 cattle whereof divers were excellent fat oxen, as many or more sheep and 40 and odd hogs” … “from thence  [Gage] continued to send all day as much wheat, malt, salt, oats, bacon, cheese and butter as [Gage] could get carts and horses to transport”.   

This had the effect of re-victualling the Garrison at Basing House.   

Gage then managed to get back safely to Oxford. 

By 1644 the King's cause had become more and more hopeless. Oliver Cromwell had taken charge with his New Model Army and Naseby was won. Many towns and cities had surrendered in quick succession. 

Gateway to Basing House. (Image: Photo by Terry Hunt)

The strategic site of Basing House on the main London Road made it a target as the noose tightened around the King at Oxford. 

On the 28th of September 1645 Cromwell marched to Winchester which capitulated and opened the city gates. 

From Winchester he advanced to Basing and demanded the surrender of the house, but the Marquess would not.  

The house fell under a huge bombardment on 14th October 1645.

Basing House from the new guide. (Image: Hampshire Cultural Trust)

Cromwell stayed in the Falcon Inn in London Street, (where the Tea Bar is today).

From here, Cromwell wrote to the Speaker of the House of Commons with details of this final victory.   

Prisoners, among  them the Marquess were imprisoned in the cellars of The Bell Inn in Winchester Street.  

The Bell Inn in London Street. (Image: Newsquest)

Oliver Cromwell plaque. (Tea Bar, London Street). (Image: Newsquest)

Cromwell wrote to  the Speaker of the House of Commons to tell of the Fall of Basing House.

He said “we have had a little loss;  many of the enemy are  put to the sword and some officers of quality”.

Engraving of Basing House. (Image: Photo by Terry Hunt.)

The next day by command of the House of Commons, it was ordered that the house should be totally slighted and demolished and “whosoever would fetch away any stone brick or other materials was to have the same freely for his pains”. 

And they did indeed do that!

I recommend the book to you and a visit to Basing House as well.