Question mark over Leeds landmark and its link to English Civil War

The photos shows a copse of trees which is thought to be the burial mound of soldiers killed during the Battle of Stainbeck during the Civil War. It is located on the public fields adjacent to the playing fields of Carr Manor High School.

There remains some uncertainty as to whether the Battle of Stainbeck actually took place or not. Some say it was actually in Meanwood.

The Battle of Meanwood is thought to have been a skirmish that took place on the eve of the Battle of Leeds during the First English Civil War on January 23, 1643, when a Parliamentarian force attacked the city's Royalist garrison.

The attack was partly dictated by the need to maintain local support for the Parliamentarian cause; the Earl of Newcastle had recently shifted the balance of power in Yorkshire in the Royalists' favour with the addition of his 8,000-strong army, and sent one of his commanders, Sir William Savile to capture Leeds.

The West Riding of Yorkshire relied on the cloth trade, and Ferdinando, Lord Fairfax sent his son, Sir Thomas Fairfax to bolster the defences of nearby Bradford, before agreeing to his request to attack Leeds.

Savile, who had command of around 2,000 men in Leeds, built a trench on the western edge of Leeds, destroyed one bridge on the approach to the town and heavily fortified another.

Fairfax attacked during a heavy snowstorm, bringing an army of roughly 3,000 men to attack Leeds in three places. The battle lasted around two hours before the Parliamentarians secured the town, and captured about 500 prisoners. Fairfax lost around 20 men during the attack, while the Royalists suffered roughly double as many fatalities.

This photo is published courtesy of photographic archive Leodis, which is run by Leeds Library & Information Service. They also run heritage blog The Secret Library Leeds, which provides a behind the scenes look at the Central Library and highlights from its special collections, including rare books hidden away in the stacks.

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