Key Facts
- Duration
- 1643–1645 (approx. 2 years)
- Parliamentarian casualties (siege total)
- Upwards of 2,000 slain
- Garrison size (final assault)
- ~400
- Garrison killed in assault
- ~100 (about a quarter)
- Priests killed or executed
- 10
- Waller's assault force (1643)
- ~7,000
Strategic Narrative Overview
Three major phases defined the siege. In November 1643, Sir William Waller's 7,000-strong force failed three direct assaults and withdrew. In 1644, Colonel Richard Norton's close investment was broken by a Royalist relief column under Colonel Henry Gage in September; Waller ended a second investment in November after disease thinned his force. Each Parliamentarian withdrawal allowed the garrison to receive fresh supplies and maintain resistance.
01 / The Origins
Basing House, owned by John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester, was garrisoned for King Charles I during the First English Civil War. Its strategic position commanding the road from London westward through Salisbury made it a critical Royalist strongpoint. Paulet's staunch Catholic Royalism and the house's fortified strength made it a natural target for Parliamentarian forces seeking to sever Royalist communications and supply lines in southern England.
03 / The Outcome
In October 1645, Oliver Cromwell arrived with reinforcements and a siege train of heavy artillery. The defences were quickly breached and the house stormed on 14 October. Around a quarter of the 400-strong garrison was killed, including ten priests. The house caught fire during the assault and was subsequently demolished by order of Parliament, its stones given away freely.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Sir William Waller, Colonel Richard Norton, Oliver Cromwell.
Side B
1 belligerent
John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester, Colonel Henry Gage.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.