Siege of Hereford

Siege of Hereford
Part of the First English Civil War
The Bridge over the River Wye was the scene of heavy fighting during the siege.
Date 30 July–4 September 1645 Location Hereford, Herefordshire Result Royalist Victory
Belligerents
English Royalists	Scottish Covenanters
Commanders and leaders
Barnabas Scudamore	Earl of Leven Lawrence Crawford †
Strength
1,500	14,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The siege of Hereford took place in 1645 during the English Civil War when the city of Hereford and its English Royalist garrison was besieged by a Scottish Covenanter army under the command of the Earl of Leven. The Covenanters were allied to the English Parliamentarian cause and moved to take the Royalist stronghold in the wake of their victory at the Battle of Naseby. After a month-long siege the approach of Royalist reinforcements and news of Montrose's victories against the Coventanters in Scotland forced Leven to abandon the siege and retreat. However, in December of the same year the city was taken in a surprise attack by Colonel John Birch and remained in Parliamentarian hands for the remainder of the conflict.^[1]