Sir John Hotham

Beverley Gate, Monument Bridge,HU1 2HW. Grid C3.

In April 1642, King Charles 1st travelled to Hull to secure the town, which had a large arsenal of weapons and was a major European trading port. However, Parliament had already appointed Sir John Hotham as Governor of Hull, ordering him not to surrender the town to the King without parliamentary authority. At Beverley Gate, the King was refused permission to enter the city; this was the first act of defiance in the English Civil War. In July, the King set up his court in Beverley and stationed his troops around Anlaby. By then, Parliament had removed much of Hull’s arsenal to London, but there was enough left for the defence of the city, and the first siege of Hull began. In the first military action of the English Civil War, the Royalists were repelled by those defending Hull, and at the end of July, the King abandoned the siege.