Charles 1st regranted the Charter of Malmesbury in 1636, with additional privileges in acknowledgement of "the populous state of the Borough, and activities of the Burgesses in weaving and merchandise" and confirmed it to be run by "an alderman, twelve capital burgesses and twenty-four assistant burgesses." The Alderman to act as Justice of the Peace.

It was to be expected that this gesture might have made Malmesbury Royalist at heart in gratitude, but alas they sided with Parliament on the whole. After much deliberation, Charles raised the Royal Standard at Nottingham Castle on August 23rd, 1642, "on the evening of a very stormy and tempestuous day" which was to start a bloody struggle, costing thousands of lives and beggaring the country, until his betrayal by the Scots at Newark to Cromwell in May, 1646, for the "first instalment of the sum of £400,000" which was finally never discharged by the Commonwealth.

Malmesbury was of strategic importance as being on the route from Oxford to Bristol and the West. There was also quite a considerable amount of defensible Castle left, (although it was ordered to have been destroyed in King John's reign), and this was garrisoned throughout the War.

Charles was not popular in Nottingham and moved to Oxford where he was, and shortly afterwards moved through Malmesbury and was entertained by the Corporation in the same house that saw the entertainment of Henry VIII. It is believed that information was sent to Waller in Bristol and he started posthaste, but Rupert also came in from Cirencester and got Charles out in time. It would have been interesting to know what would have happened to England if Charles had been taken in the first few weeks of the War, and in what should have been a "loyal" Malmesbury of all places.

The War brought out the terrible tragedies of all Civil Wars, and for a time no one appeared to know on whose side anyone was. The original Commander of Malmesbury Garrison was Edward Hungerford the Parl: brother of one of our two Members of Parliament who was a Royalist. He was indicted by his own side owing to some unfortunate letters he sent to a Lady Seymour, which were personal but considered to be treacherous to the Parliamentary cause. He was removed by his own side, in January, 1643.

On February 2nd, a fortnight later, Rupert entered Malmesbury from Cirencester and took over for the King, leaving 400 foot and a troop of horse, under Colonel Lunsford. Now the affair started in ernest. Malmesbury changed hands no less than five times after this, twice by bloody assault, and three times after minor incidents when the inhabitants must have been fed up with their position as pawns in the game and "couldn't care less" in modern idiom.

About this time Sir William Waller, the great Parliamentary General (who apparently practically tossed a coin to see on which side he would fight and died a confirmed Royalist) was making a triumphal march through the West, winning battles and general support en route. The Malmesbury and Cirencester garrisons were getting anxious and appealed to Rupert for help, as this report shows. "16th March, 1643. Col. Owen's Regt. 400 men, whereof not 200 armed. Col. Bamphield 120, not 60 armed. Have received from Prince Maurice but 40 muskets and 26 pikes, neither can I receive aid from My L'd Chandoyes notwithstanding your Highnesses letter and other invitations."

On Monday, March 20th, 1643, Waller arrived with 7,000 horse and foot and well armed. A fair sized cavalry battle had taken part at Sherston on the way, and 25 Royalist prisoners and 40 horses sent back to Bristol.

Owing to the structure of Malmesbury, which is an isthmus, almost entirely surrounded by the two rivers, with the exception of the narrow neck of land known as Abbey Row; all invasions of the Town throughout the centuries have had to come in by this route; through Westport, which has always suffered much damage as a consequence, including the demolition of the famous old Westport Church.

Waller followed the same route, passing through Tetbury, and arrived at the outskirts of the town about noon (21st, Tuesday) having crossed the river at Stainsbridge and gained possession of the Westport area, including damaging Westport Church.

The Old Westport Gate, which stood opposite what is now Dr. Sillars surgery, had been pulled down in King John's reign and all that remained was the West Bar, a spar of wood 14 foot long with iron spikes and 8 inches in diameter, supported by hastily dug earthworks and trenches on each side.

In this area the Malmesbury musketeers gave a good account of themselves and the first stage lasted but half an hour. Waller's despatch states "This business cost us hot water. As we fell on we advanced two Drakes (some special armament?) and under that favour our musqueteers possessed themselves of some houses near the port from which we galled the enemy much.

If our men had come out roundly we had then carried it, but the falling of some cooled the rest," so they withdrew. On that night "we gave on again and had a very hot fight which withdrew. Again on that night "we gave on again and had a very hot fight which after an hour's continuance at the least we were fain to give over for want of ammunition." He blamed the baggage train which had got lost so "I thought fit to draw off the Drakes that night, or rather morning, as it was near two of the clock."

It is interesting to note that the empty space in Abbey Row, opposite Dr. Sillars, with the beautiful magnolia tree, is the site where houses were blown up to prevent sniping during this action, and have never been rebuilt to this day.

In the early morning, the crafty Waller resorted to subterfuge and as he states "I was in such want of powder and especially of ball, that if the enemy had fallen on me I could have maintained very small fight" so he "caused all the drums to beat and trumpets to sound, as if in preparation for the final assault, which gave the enemy such apprehension, thinking the supplies had come, that they immediately sent out a drum and craved a parley."

They yielded on quarter 7-0 a.m. on Wednesday, 22nd March, '43, with 300 foot and some horses, which were sent under escort to Bristol. One interesting item is in the list of prisoners, which naturally starts off with Colonel, a Lieutenant Colonel and follows with a "Sergeant Major Finch," who appears before the Captains and other ranks. So Sergeant Majors must have been of great importance. It is also odd to note that at the bottom of the list of such a small garrison there were no less than four Quartermasters.

Most of the cavalry had escaped before, leaving things to "the Foot," but some 240 of them, probably survivors of the cavalry battle of the day before, had quartered themselves at Sherston and "about twelve of the clock that night one Major Burghel (Parl) made a surprise attack and falling into their quarters, routed them with heavy loss taking many prisoners and horses." He was expecially mentioned in dispatches by Waller.

After the capture of the town and Waller's departure, the garrison became bored, and slack, and "many drifted away." They found Malmesbury life too dull for them. In mid-April, Rupert made a surprise attack and found "only 120 souldiers to make resistance, they were generally discontented as they had not pillage as others, who took less paines and lost no blood." This is typical of the attitude of troops in a Civil War, and is interesting to note. The town was again garrisoned by the King under Col. Bamphield. There are still descendants of that name around here. However Bamphield was ordered away with his troops a fortnight after, to relieve Reading, and again the town was taken over peacefully by the Parliament "in early Summer."

13th JULY, '43. BATTLE OF ROUNDWAY DOWN, near Chippenham. Waller was trounced by the Royalists which included the Life Guards, and fled back through Chippenham and Malmesbury to Gloucester. Rupert again entered the town ten days afterwards and this time "played it rough" as the bullet holes on the West end of the Abbey show, where the prisoners were executed. He then went on to re-take Bristol where he treated them badly after capture.

It must have been about this time when Charles again stayed the night in Malmesbury, en route somewhere. This time however, instead of a grateful collection of worthies to greet him, he was forced to write to Rupert as thus, "31st July, 1643. Send a troop of Horse to attend me. The Mayor and Corporation of Malmesbury have deserved so ill of me that I will neither be reasoned by them, nor admit them to my presence till the business be settled." He merely stayed "for supper and bed." His last visit here. Poor Charles, he deserved better treatment from a town he had helped so much.

After this the town was left nominally in the hands of the King and undistrubed for nearly a year.

24th MAY 1644. Colonel Massey, another Parl General, (who later turned ardent Royalist under the Commonwealth and was imprisoned in the Tower with Waller), was then Governor of Gloucester and had orders to take the strategic Malmesbury for good this time. He captured Beverstone Castle, near Tetbury, and advanced on Malmesbury in the time-honoured manner throughout the centuries, damaging and looting the old Westport area again. How they must have hated this war.

He arrived in the late afternoon and sent a summons "under drum" to Colonel Howard, of the Suffolk family of Charlton, then Colonel in charge of the Royalist garrison to "surrender within the half hour." A lengthy and dignified reply was sent by Howard to the effect that "I have received your summons . . . and without unsavoury language, do return you this answer .. . of serving you, the truth is, we are all too proud," and signed himself, "Your servant, Henry Howard."

Having complied with the courtesies of war of those days, between officers and gentlemen, preparations were made for "battle to commence" as Stanley Holloway would have said in more recent times.

An interesting description of what took place is in a diary of a Chaplain to the Parliamentary Forces, as follows in extract. "Late in the evening, the souldiers wanted sleep having been on the march several daycs and nights, Great storm of raine and cavalry had to seek such shelter for themselves and their horses as they could outside the town." (Poor old Westport area again. The scene can be imagined; with all farms pillaged for fodder and the occupants turned out for the troops in any possible house). "He (Colonel Massey) gave the alarm to the enemy all that night, playing hard with the ordinance and the musquetiers." "Took all such houses as might preserve his men and resolved to storm it early next morning about sunrise." 25th MAY, '44.

Assault began at the usual West Bar, now a mere cheval de frise, without proper earthworks. This was the same form of spiked barrier as before, but why the Royalists were caught unprepared and without further defences, this end, is beyond comprehension. The main attack was here and the walls round the Town attacked with scaling ladders. The "Governor Massey" had promised rewards for the first men into the town and "two horsemen jumped the barrier, one encountered the first enemy by cutting off his arme with his sworde and shot the nexte in the head with his pistol."

"The first man that entered the workes was a Sergeant with forty resolute musquetiers to whom the Governour had promised five pounds (a very large sum in those days, and shows what importance was attached to taking the town) if they would give the first assault and perform it with courage, which they did accordingly and the Governour paide them liberally." It is not known how many lived to receive their share of the five pounds. To give Massey his due, he attempted to stop pillaging and plunder, and the town was fairly treated. Two sons of the Earl of Suffolk and Berkshire were taken prisoner in this action, which caused trouble after the end of the War, and beggared the family at that time.

Some of the garrison escaped in the Cirencester direction by running through the river at the "Duke of York" end of the town. As uniforms were not worn, and loyalties to either side of the "cause" often elastic, it is obvious that any defeated "other rank," unless in a definitely uniformed Regiment, wished to get home as soon as possible. Any weapons, or armour, which could be disposed of quickly was got rid of, and when the river was cleaned out at this place some years ago, evidence of this was found in the form of rusty weapons. In mufti, it was easy to say, "I be plain V'armer 'odge, and ad nout to do we'll and try to get home before being recognised by some informer. This obviously happened on both sides, and the author knows of an ancient hostelry in Somerset, where three successive landlords were taken out and hanged by opposite sides for "harbouring the enemy," who probably had not even paid for their board and lodging anyway. Heaven preserve us from another Civil War.

This was the end as far as Malmesbury was concerned and we were left in peace for the rest of hostilities. Charles was executed at Whitehall on January 30th, 1649, leaving this historic Borough yet another sign of Royal favour, ill repaid in his case.