Editing Newark-on-Trent (section)

===The Civil War===
[[File:Siege piece shilling from Newark-on-Trent.JPG|thumb|A makeshift royalist [[Shilling (English coin)|shilling]] (siege piece) made from silver plate in the siege]]
{{See also|Siege money (Newark)}}
In the English Civil War, Newark was a Royalist stronghold, Charles I having raised his standard in nearby Nottingham. "Newark was besieged on three occasions and finally surrendered only when ordered to do so by the King after his own surrender."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/ppimageupload/Image36882.PDF|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613195933/http://www.newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk/ppimageupload/Image36882.PDF|url-status=dead|title=Newark Civil War Trail|archivedate=13 June 2011}}</ref> It was attacked in February 1643 by two troops of horsemen, but beat them back. The town fielded at times as many as 600 soldiers, and raided Nottingham, [[Grantham]], [[Northampton]], [[Gainsborough, Lincolnshire|Gainsborough]] and other places with mixed success, but enough to cause it to rise to national notice. In 1644 Newark was besieged by forces from Nottingham, Lincoln and [[Derby]], until [[Relief of Newark|relieved]] in March by [[Prince Rupert]].

Parliament commenced a new siege towards the end of January 1645 after more raiding, but this was relieved about a month later by Sir [[Marmaduke Langdale]]. Newark cavalry fought with the king's forces, which were decisively defeated in the [[Battle of Naseby]], near [[Leicester]] in June 1645.

The final siege began in November 1645, by which time the town's defences had been much strengthened. Two major forts had been built just outside the town, one called the [[Queen's Sconce]] to the south-west, and another, the King's Sconce, to the north-east, both close to the river, with defensive walls and a water-filled ditch of 2¼ miles around the town. The King's May 1646 order to surrender was only accepted under protest by the town's garrison. After that, much of the defences was destroyed, including the Castle, which was left in essentially the state it can be seen today. The Queen's Sconce was left largely untouched; its remains are in [[Sconce and Devon Park]].