The Siege of Carlisle II, 1745

The Siege of Carlisle was a significant event that took place during the Jacobite Rising of 1745. On December 21, 1745, the town of Carlisle was under attack by government forces led by the Duke of Cumberland. The town had been captured by the Jacobite army that invaded England in November of the same year and reached as far south as Derby, before turning back and re-entering Carlisle on December 19.

The Jacobite army left a garrison of 400 men in Carlisle, while the main army continued its retreat into Scotland. The government army reached Carlisle on December 21, but siege operations were delayed until the arrival of their heavy artillery, which arrived six days later. On December 28, the government army began firing on the castle, and the Jacobites surrendered on December 30.

The Carlisle Castle was considered a formidable obstacle despite years of neglect, and the government forces were forced to wait for additional artillery to be brought up. The siege guns arrived on December 25 and 27, and the first shots were fired on December 28. On December 30, the Jacobite commander, Colonel John Hamilton, offered to surrender, and the garrison was taken prisoner.

Due to fears of a French invasion, Cumberland returned to London, and the prisoners were tried and sentenced to transportation to the West Indies or execution. Some of the prisoners, including Colonel Francis Towneley and Colonel John Hamilton, were executed as a result of their role in the Jacobite Rising.