For King and Parliament Author:John Lynch, John Lynch John Lynch In the seventeenth century Bristol was the second city of England, a rich trading centre and the main west coast port. In consequence, control of the town became one of the chief objectives of both armies during the Civil War. The city was held by Parliament at the outbreak of the war, but the Royalists captured Bristol in July 1643. This import... more »ant new study argues that the Royalists gained not only the city but also the materials and facilities that quite literally allowed them to remain in the war. Under Royalist rule Bristol became a vital center for military and government activities. Its position as a focus of communications between the west of England, south Wales and Ireland, combined with plentiful accommodation and comparative security made the city an ideal location for equipping new units. The city's shipping and other marine resources were quickly exploited to create a Royalist, as opposed to "Royal" navy; it became a centre for importing arms from Europe; and the Royalist administrative headquarters in the south-west, later almost an alternative Royalist capital. Bristol's loss in 1645 was, therefore, a huge blow to the Royalist cause: it now became a Parliamentary military garrison and a vital supply base for Cromwell's war in Ireland. As Clarendon put it, "The sudden and unexpected loss of Bristol was a new earthquake in all the little quarters the king had left, and no less broke all the measures which had been taken, and the designs which had been contrived, than the loss of the battle of Naseby had done."« less