Siege of Laugharne Castle, 29 October-3 November 1644

Short siege during English Civil War. Laugharne castle, on the Taf estuary, had been abandoned for some years by the outbreak of the war, but was still defensible, and in the summer of 1644 Charles Gerard left a 200 strong Royalist garrison in the castle under Lieutenant-Colonel Russell. Once Gerard left the area, the parliamentary commander in Pembroke, Rowland Laugharne, moved against the garrison, with 2,000 men supported by artillery. The siege proper began on 29 October, when Laugharne moved his guns into position to bombard the castle, while also taking the probably lightly defended town of Laugharne. A two day bombardment, on 30 October and 1 November, left a breach large enough for an assault, and on 2 November the Parliamentarians captured the outer ward of the castle. Russell surrendered the castle the following day, and after a brief period of Parliamentary occupation, it was once again abandoned.
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See Also
Books on the English Civil War
Subject Index: English Civil War

How to cite this article: Rickard, J. (27 March 2001), Siege of Laugharne Castle, 29 October-3 November 1644, http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_laugharne.html

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