The Seige of Colchester Castle

Back in 2019, Shinar Jewels made a beautiful custom made design for Colchester Castle and from the 7th of June 2023 to the 3rd of Dec 2023, under Siege was a temporary display to mark the 375th anniversary of the epic Siege of Colchester at Colchester Castle. 

​

"The siege took place over eleven weeks in 1648, during the English Civil War. The Royalists, who supported King Charles I, had taken control of Colchester, but the town was besieged by the parliamentary forces led by Thomas Fairfax. 

​

The display will feature a range of objects from the period, including coins that were fashioned and used during the siege when money couldn’t circulate, a spade that could have been used to dig the parliamentary defences, and several pamphlets on loan from the Essex Society for Archaeology and History. One of the highlights will be a letter written by Thomas Fairfax himself, displayed for the first time. The letter provides a fascinating insight into the mind of the parliamentary leader during this turbulent period of English history. "