In our monthly column by Discover History's Paul Harding and Helen Lee looking at Worcestershire's past, Helen explains Worcester's part in the start of English Civil Wars

As the sound of battle faded from the streets of Worcester, on the 3rd September 1651, Hugh Peters, a parliament chaplain summed up the Civil Wars by saying - Worcester was ‘where England’s sorrows began and where they had happily ended.’

During the 1640’s, tensions were building between the followers of King Charles I and Parliament. The royalists had fled London and began making plans for war from Oxford. By doing this, they had given parliament access to money and arms in city of London.

By the late summer of 1642, the royalists were raising money for their war effort. Sir John Byron had been given the task of collecting money and silver plate for the king.

This slow moving wagon train entered Worcester on 16th September 1642. The city, like many, was trying desperately to stay neutral. However some of its inhabitants had openly declared their allegiance to parliament, such as John Nash.

Parliament heard news of this money making enterprise and sent Nathaniel Fiennes to locate and capture it. His mounted force scoured the countryside looking for this precious convoy, in a war that had not really come to serious blows.

At dawn, on the 22nd September, parliament cavalry decided to search the wealthy wool manufacturing city - Worcester. The story says the officer, John Brown, rode up to Sidbury Gate and smashed his poleaxe into the rotting oak. He fled after firing his pistol and rousing the guard.

Brown then rode to Nathaniel Fiennes, who was relaxing in the warm sunshine around Powick village. Brown suspected the treasure was in Worcester.

Meanwhile King Charles I was concerned that parliament would intercept the wagons in Worcester, so dispatched his nephew, Prince Rupert and his cavalry force to escort it north to Shrewsbury.

The next day, Fiennes heard rumours that the treasure was on the move. He wasted no time and rode down the lane to cross the River Teme at Powick Bridge. The wagons would be very vulnerable once they had left the safety of Worcester’s medieval walls.

In the meantime, Prince Rupert and his men had arrived nearby and were resting their horses on the opposite side of the bridge. It was at that point, at around midday that Rupert saw Parliamentarian cavalry crossing the bridge and trotting into the lane towards Worcester.

Prince Rupert is said to have jumped onto his horse and ordered a charge.

Fiennes men struggled to gain the upper hand, because his force was split by the river Teme. It was a short and bloody engagement that lasted only 10-15 minutes.

The accounts of this skirmish vary, and news sheets wrote at the time are confusing. One account suggests the skirmish was an organized ambush. This was later found to be propaganda.

Parliament casualty lists show 36 parliament dead. the royalists on the other hand say at least 80 were killed around Powick Bridge.

The following day, the royalists were moving to Shrewsbury. The parliamentarians moved into Worcester and arrested the Mayor, Edward Solley, for harbouring the royalists who were just passing through.

These soldiers stole what they could, stabled horses in the cathedral nave, used the cathedral choir as a toilet and broke up furniture to cook their food.

Most of them got very drunk and dressed up as the clergy too.

Worcester had just witnessed the start of the English civil wars.

It would be another nine years before Hugh Peters would say the sorrows ‘had happily ended.’