New light shed on Worcester battles

History buffs will be able to study first-hand accounts of the skirmishes and battles of the Civil War, which first began in 1642 at Powick and ended at Worcester in 1651.

The 900 English Civil War pamphlets, bound together in 17 volumes, were discovered in a strongroom at the Home Office and officially handed over to the British Library in London at a ceremony on Monday.

The volumes, which are in mint condition, document 17th Century events before and after the beheading of Charles I and are thought to have formed part of the King's own collection. Handwritten notes in the margins are believed to have been scribbled there by the King's own courtiers.

Among the pamphlets - which were the newspapers of their day - is an account of how Prince Rupert clashed with Parliamentarians in Worcester on December 10, 1642.

Entitled a True and Reel (sic) Relation of a Great Victorie (sic), it relays how with 5,000 men in tow, Prince Rupert, a Royalist, cavalry, commander and nephew of Charles I, arrived to take possession of the city but was beaten back by the Earl of Essex and his Parliamentarians.

Although there is no actual mention of the Battle of Worcester on September 3, 1651, historians will be able to use the volumes to enhance their knowledge of skirmishes and clashes which took place in and around the Midlands.

"The pamphlets are very exciting and shed light on some battles early on in the Civil War when the Royalists were in the West Midlands and being pursued by Parliament," said Giles Mandelbrote, curator of the British Collection 1501 to 1800 at the British Library.

"One of the most interesting things is that the pamphlets document the events that were happening in the Civil War which were then brought home to the people in a vivid way by giving a blow-by-blow account."

See tomorrow's Evening News for more details about the pamphlets and the pivotal role Worcester played in the Civil War.