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On a rainy Saturday morning in 1642, the citizens of Hull took action which was so hostile to the throne that it began the English Civil War! You are standing on one of the old gates to the town.

The earliest walled defences were constructed in the 14th century by Edward II, he was granted permission to build a stone wall surrounding the town. Its purpose was to defend Hull from any military advances.

These stone town walls were rebuilt using brick between 1330 and 1410. This time the new defence system had added features such as interval towers and heavy gates.

Discovering the remains of the gate

Beverley Gate underwent two refurbishments. It is thought that the final reconstruction of this Gate measured two storey's high and had a steeple.

Seeds of the English Civil War

Prior to the Civil War, animosity between King Charles I and Parliament was increasing. The King relied on the Parliament for money and Parliament interfered with the governing of the city.

Hull had in its storage a considerable magazine of arms and ammunition, which had been left after the Scottish War. It was very well defended after King Charles I ordered the fortifications to be improved.

Relations between the King and Parliament had deteriorated and in 1642, Sir John Hotham had been appointed governor of Hull by the Parliament. He was sent to Hull with his son, Captain John Hotham to protect the city against the King.

Illustration of the Beverley Gate

In April 1642 the King, who had moved from London to York, travelled to Hull with the intention of seizing the city for its arms.

Sir John Hotham had ordered the gates to be closed and refused the King entry into the town and it was here at Beverley Gate that the King had stood to enter the town. A few months after this defiance the Civil War began.

Excavations

At the time of when Beverley Gate was excavated, a similar gate was found on North Walls, behind Hull College, here you can also see the remains of the town wall.

The town walls required regular maintenance and eventually fell into disrepair and decay. In 1776, Beverley Gate was demolished to make way for the development of the Queen's Dock and a new structure, Monument Bridge, was built on the site next to the Gate.