DEATH ON DEANSGATE – MANCHESTER IN THE ENGLISH CIVIL WAR. By Arthur Chappell Print: £8.44 Download: £2.50
http://www.lulu.com/content/1034110
A comprehensive and closely detailed day by day historic analysis of the devastating effects of the English Civil War in Manchester, examining the question of whether Manchester''s claims about the first blood of the tragic events spilling there are valid or not. The study shows how Manchester''s defenders fared in the war and in the years leading up to the Restoration of the Monarchy. The main essay addresses the Banqueting riot and subsequent weeklong Royalist V Roundhead siege of Manchester in 1642, where heavy rains changed the fortunes of the leading
participants. I move on to show how soldiers from Manchester coped in battles away from home and how the label ‘Manchester Men’ was looked on with considerable pride. I show the effects of the war on towns now seen as part of the county of Greater Manchester, which includes the brutal massacre in Bolton, and the siege of Wythenshawe Hall. The plague would also ravage the city at this time. There is close inspection of the destinies of leading participants, from the Royalist Earl of Derby (Lord Strange), the Parliamentarian Sir Humphrey Chetham, and the German Mercenary Johan Rosworm, are given in detail. Ordinary people are also involved, such as the weaver who died at the Banqueting riot and the serving girl who killed a Roundhead marauder in Wythenshawe. I discuss the various accounts of events and why many disagree and get details wrong. I also look at the range of art and commemorative physical evidence of the Civil War in Manchester. A statue of Oliver Cromwell in Wythenshawe has proved to be controversial to this day. I explain why. A comprehensive chronology and reading list are added for good measure. This is a regional
history that sets events against the backdrop of major national events.