Sunday, 20 March 2005

Malcolm Atkin

Malcolm Atkin is a professional archaeologist and historian, employed as  County Archaeology Officer for Worcestershire, who also lectures at University College Worcester in the Field of Archaeology and Heritage Studies.  Publications on the English Civil War outside Worcestershire include:

• Gloucester and the Civil War: a city under siege (with Wayne Laughlin) (Sutton Publishing 1992)

• 'The use of archaeology and documentary sources in identifying the Civil War defences of Gloucester' (with Russell Howes), Post-Medieval Archaeology 27, (1993), pp15-41.

• ‘David Papillon and the Civil War Defences of Gloucester', Trans. Bristol and Glos. Archaeol. Soc, 112 (1994), 15-42.

Malcolm transferred his allegiance from Gloucestershire to Worcestershire in 1993 and has subsequently established himself as a leading authority on the Civil Wars in that county.   

The Civil War in Worcestershire
"A Storm of Fire and Leaden Hail"

“The Civil War in Evesham: ‘A Storm of Fire and Leaden Hail’”, printed by Harlot Press (no, I do not know why “Harlot”) on behalf of the Vale of Evesham Historical Society, had a long gestation owing to the discovery of archaeological finds from the Civil War era that were so significant that we had to delay printing to include them.  In particular, part of a defensive ditch dating back to the 1640s was discovered during an excavation in Rynal Place prior to building work. The V-shaped ditch, 15ft wide and 6ft deep, is further south than originally thought and meant that the book had to be updated.  Kirsty Nicol, of Birmingham University’s Field Archaeology unit, which made the find, was quoted by Berrow’s Journal (Worcester) as saying: “this discovery has helped us define the map of the area during the Civil War, and is a key piece of evidence that has never been picked up before”.  Mike Glyde, planning archaeologist at Worcestershire County Council, added: “these are exciting and fascinating discoveries.  We believed archaeological remains were likely but we didn’t expect to find this”.  The challenge was how to get: “Storm of Fire …” published before the archaeologists made any more finds!

From the Worcester press:
“'The Battle of Evesham' usually refers to the August 4^th 1265, event when Simon de Montfort was killed. But as reporter Gerry Barnett has been finding out, there was another battle, on May 26^th 1645, nowhere near so long or bloody, which also played a big part in the history of England. The story is told in 'The Civil War in Evesham, A Storm of Fire and Leaden Hail', by Malcolm Atkin, county archaeology officer for Worcestershire, who has a special interest in the history and archaeology of the English Civil War.  The book has been published by the Vale of Evesham Historical Society.  In the booklet, which is available from The Almonry Heritage Centre in Evesham, Mr. Atkin describes what life was like in Evesham and the Vale in the 1640s as he details the events leading up to the battle which was centred on the defences on the north side of the town.  The attack on the Evesham garrison under the command of Colonel Robert Legge, took place at dawn and Mr. Atkin says recent archaeological evidence suggests it was focused on the west and central part of the defences, explaining the absence of musket balls in the fill of the defence ditch excavated off Swan lane.  The Parliamentarian troops under Colonel Edward Massie forced their way into town over Bengeworth bridge up Bridge Street and into Abbey Park where the Bell Tower still bears the scars of musket fire on the base of its walls. Finally trapped against the river in a battle that lasted only one hour but described as `a storm of fire and leaden hail', the Royalists finally surrendered. Despite the ferocity of the battle there were remarkably few casualties on either side.  'The importance of Evesham's role during the Civil War can be judged', says Mr. Atkin, 'on a number of levels. For the town itself, the war had a great, and detrimental, effect on the economy of the town throughout the 1640s and 1650s. Its topography was changed through the creation of defences whose line still survives to this day.  The Battle of Evesham, though short and sharp, was fought out within the streets and lanes of the town and had great significance for the rest of the war in the Midlands. It proved to be the springboard for the Parliamentary recapture of Worcestershire. Finally, in 1651 Evesham was the focus of national attention as the rendezvous for the entire Parliamentary army that was drawn together to crush the Scottish army of Charles II and end his bid to win back the throne by military means.'
 

Worcestershire Under Arms
An English County During the Civil Wars

One terrible and bloody hour in Evesham changed the course of the English Civil Wars in Worcestershire. That crucial hour came in May 1645 when an attacking force of 2,000 Parliamentarians led by Colonel Edward Massie took the town from a valiant but outnumbered Royalist garrison of 700. Colonel Massie later changed his allegiances, joined the Royalist force and was wounded in the early stages of the Battle of Worcester in 1651, but that is another story. Malcolm tells the story of the Civil Wars in Worcestershire in 170 fascinating pages.  The Vale of Evesham suffered a great deal during the civil wars because it was on the route of both sides’ armies.  Those were very troubled times and families with allegiances to one side would often hedge their bets by marrying into a family from the other.  People tried not to take a stand but Evesham paid a heavy price when it took the parliamentary side and, on one occasion, the town was fined £1,000 and one thousand pairs of shoes. Evesham was so important because the crossing of the Avon in the town controlled the strategic route from the royalist capital at Oxford to the recruiting grounds of Wales and the arms manufacturers of the Midlands. Its taking was crucial and as had been hoped cutting this essential line of communication marked the start of the Parliamentary Ascendancy. A secure base enabled the Parliamentary Committee to recruit men, collect taxes and gain vital intelligence. The Battle of Evesham, like many in the civil wars, was short but bloody. This was in an age when the term "surgical strike" had no part in the vocabulary of battle and in just an hour much blood was spilt, lives lost and bodies maimed. At the end the victors took more than 500 prisoners. On May 26 the battle started when Colonel Massie crossed the Avon at Twyford Bridge while at the same time a second contingent tried to storm Evesham Bridge from across the river at Bengeworth. The fight was fierce but when the parliamentarians eventually made the weight of numbers count and the cavalry charged through the centre of the town, surrounding the defenders they had no choice but to surrender. There are no good wars but civil conflicts are especially bitter with villages pitted against village and in some cases families taking different sides. On August 27, 1651, Cromwell's Army of 30,000 soldiers gathered in Evesham ready for the Battle of Worcester. The final victory, in which an estimated 10,000 prisoners were taken and 4,000 men killed, was critical. Charles II's attempt to win back his throne by force was over. It is ironical and some would claim testimony to the futility of civil war that nine years later he was restored by popular consent and with the help of many of the same soldiers who had defeated him at Worcester.  Malcolm has written a book that tells the story of the impact on the lives of the ordinary people of the time rather than as a clinical military history.
 

The Battle of Worcester 1651

By a coincidence of history, the first and last battles of the English Civil Wars were fought out in the fields around Worcester.  In September 1642 occurred the first skirmish at Powick and the battle on September 3rd 1651 saw the final attempt of Charles II to win back his father's throne by military might.  The Battle of Worcester on September 3^rd 1651 was the final decisive engagement of the English Civil Wars. In this fascinating guide, Malcolm Atkin sets out in a graphic and easily understood way the movements of the opposing armies of Cromwell and Charles II as they approached Worcester and gives a detailed and gripping account of the deadly combat that followed. He also describes of the fate of 10,000 Scottish prisoners and retraces the route of Charles II as he made his dramatic escape. 
 

Cromwell's "Crowning Mercy" 
The Battle of Worcester 1651

Using contemporary sources, surviving monuments and the evidence of documents from the time, Malcolm tells the story of how Cromwell shattered the Royalist cause at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. It represented the crowning achievement of Cromwell's military career, and was a mercy in bringing to an end (bar a few ineffective plots and uprisings) the fighting of the Civil War. The author explains the role of the local gentry in the war and the attitudes of ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. there is also an extensive discussion of the fate of the thousands of Scottish prisoners who faced transportation to the New World or the fens of East Anglia. In 1651 Worcester became the Royalist headquarters for the final time during the English Civil War. On 3 September Cromwell, leading his soldiers into battle for the last time, launched a two-pronged attack on the city. By the end of the day, up to 4,000 Scots were dead and up to 10,000 captured; the Royalist cause was shattered and Charles II was a fugitive fleeing for his life. Here for the first time is a vivd, fully illustrated account of the most dramatic of Civil War battles, described by Cromwell as a 'crowning mercy'. It represented the crowning achievement of Cromwell's military career, and was a mercy in bringing to an end (bar a few ineffective plots and uprisings) the fighting of the Civil War. Using original sources and quoting extensively from accounts of those who took part, the author explains the role of local gentry in the war and the attitudes of the ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. For the first time, there is also extensive discussion of the fate of the thousands of Scottish prisoners who faced transportation to the New World or the fens of East Anglia. Extensive appendices reproduce contemporary documents, making the book a valuable resource for further study. As a local study and as a dissection of a key event in the English Civil War, Malcolm Atkin's authoritative accounts will be essential reading for all those interested in the period. Modern reconstruction drawings are used throughout as a means of bringing the battle to life, and these are complemented by contemporary artefacts, maps and illustrations.
 

The Civil War in Worcestershire

"Say you have been at Worcester , where England's sorrows began, and where they are happily ended".
                  Hugh Peters, Parliamentary chaplain, Powick Bridge 1651

Worcestershire saw both the first and last serious engagements of the English Civil Wars fought on its soil.  The region was the focus of frequent fighting during the opening months of the war until it was secured for the King at the beginning of 1643; it remained under Royalist control until the very end of the First Civil War in 1646.  In 1651 Worcester was chosen as the final stand of Charles II.  But was this really the "faithful" county of popular myth or merely the image portrayed by post-Restoration propaganda?  Using contemporary sources, surviving monuments and the evidence of archaeology, this book describes not only the military campaigns but also the effect of the war and the presence of an occupying army on ordinary people.  In so doing the overwhelming impression from this valuable study is not of a fanatical "faithful" city or county, but rather of a moderate and conservative part of England loyal to the status quo, fearful of change, and worn out by the continual exactions of a war that few sought or wished to participate in.