Siege of Carlisle (December 1745)

The Jacobite army entered England on 8 November 1745 and reached Carlisle on 10th. Previously an important border fortress, its defences had been neglected since the 1707 Union but it remained a formidable challenge for the Jacobites, who had no siege equipment. They insisted on the surrender of both town and castle, threatening to burn them if not; although Jacobite officer O'Sullivan later admitted this was a bluff, Carlisle capitulated on 15 November. Leaving a small garrison under Colonel John Hamilton to hold the castle, the army continued south.^[1]

After turning back from Derby, the Jacobites re-entered Carlisle on 19 December and continued into Scotland the next day, leaving a garrison of around 400. Prince Charles did so to demonstrate his determination to return, but the decision was almost unanimously condemned by his colleagues.^[2] One officer, James Johnstone, later recorded he refused to remain with the garrison, as he 'would never be a victim by choice.'^[3]

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The castle garrison was commanded by Hamilton, the town by Francis Towneley, colonel of the Manchester Regiment, the only significant unit recruited in England. He had previously held a commission in the French army, and Jacobite cavalry officer Sir John MacDonald viewed him as having "the greatest intelligence and prudence" of those on Prince Charles' staff.^[4] He also had a reputation for being hot-tempered, and one of his subordinates James Bradshaw transferred to another unit, rather than continue serving under him.^[5]

Government records show that of the 396 prisoners taken when the garrison surrendered, 114 were English members of the Manchester Regiment, 274 were Scots, mostly from Lowland units like Glenbuckets' and Lord Ogilvie's regiments, while 8 were French. However, many of the English recruits were unarmed, while most of the 46 pieces of artillery available were unused, as the defenders had little ammunition.^[6]

On 21 December, advance elements of Cumberland's army arrived outside the town; over the next few days, their numbers increased to over 5,000, including a contingent from Newcastle under George Wade. In their attempts to catch up with the retreating Jacobites, the heavy guns had been left at Lichfield and Cumberland was forced to wait for additional artillery to be brought up; meanwhile, his troops blockaded the town and began constructing gun positions.^[7]

Taking even a rundown fort was not easy, a fact acknowledged by Cumberland, who wanted to prosecute the civic officials who surrendered the town to the Jacobites in November, despite their complete lack of siege equipment. The Duke of Richmond, grandson of Charles II and one of Cumberland's officers, wrote to Newcastle on 24 December predicting the capture of Carlisle would take some time.^[8] Towneley reinforced the defences and his men fired 'upon every body who has shown himself;' while this did little damage, it demonstrated an assault would face determined resistance.^[7]

The first battery of siege guns arrived on 25 December; more arrived on 27th from Whitehaven, along with 70-80 naval gunners under William Belford, an experienced artillery specialist who served under Cumberland in Flanders. On 28th, they began firing on the castle and apart from a short pause caused by shortage of ammunition, continued until the morning of 30 December, when Hamilton offered to surrender.^[8]

In contests between regular armies, the garrison would have surrendered on terms, which at the minimum meant being treated as prisoners of war; as rebels, Cumberland only granted their lives, subject to the 'King's pleasure' ie they would not be summarily executed but receive a trial. Towneley opposed surrender and felt they could have held out for better terms; he was over ruled and the garrison capitulated on the afternoon of 30 December.^[7]