Crabchurch Conspiracy & Battle of Weymouth 1645, Commemoration Event in Weymouth

[Debby]

On the 7th February 2009, a march will take place by the English Civil War Society in full 17th century dress to commemorate the Battle of Weymouth of 1645 and the
Crabchurch Conspiracy.

The march will start from Sandsfoot Castle at 12 noon, the route taking Old Castle Road then to Boot Hill and end at the Old Town Hall in High West Street where a wreath will be laid to honour the 500+ souls who perished here during the month of February 1645 and also those executed a few days after upon the scaffold of the Nothe for their part in the Crabchurch Conspiracy which led to the siege and battle. A volley of muskets will be fired.

The march will then continue through the line of the old High Street and on to the Town Bridge where musketeers will drag/parade the four Royalist prisoners through the town to ferry steps where a boat will carry them across to the Nothe steps.

The main body will by then have marched along the quayside to the Old Rooms where another wreath will be laid and a volley of muskets fired for the 250 Irishmen who perished there. They will then continue to meet the boat and prisoners and then up on to the Nothe where a trial and execution will take place.

This should be completed by around 2-30pm and there will be a living history encampment on the Nothe until dusk.

In the evening it is planned that there will be a gig at a nearby pub.


Many of the ECWS will remain overnight in Weymouth and a trip on the Sunday morning to the home of the Sydenham family at Wynford Eagle where it is believed, at least four of the bodies of the family still lie in a field in the ruins of the early medieval church will end in another wreath laying.


Notice of this event is posted on the Weymouth History Group on Facebook which is open to all to join.

[JohnGraham]

Where does the word Crabchurch come from?

John Graham

[Midnighter]

Hi John. It was a password that the attacking Royalists from Portland employed to try and avoid them killing eachother in the darkness, as they attacked Weymouth at Midnight,

The word itself was the name of an ancient area of the Isle of Portland.