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In 1189, Colchester was granted its first Royal Charter by King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart.) In 1648, during the Second English Civil War, a Royalist army led by Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle entered the town. A pursuing Parliamentary army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Henry Ireton surrounded the town for eleven and a half weeks, a period known as the Siege of Colchester. The Royalists surrendered in the late summer and their leaders Lucas and Lisle were executed in the grounds of Colchester Castle. A small obelisk marks the spot where they fell.

Fairfax Taking Possession of Cochester

In 1189, Colchester was granted its first Royal Charter by King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart.) In…