Robert Mason "Died at the Seige of Bolton"
1600–1644 ·Robert Mason was born on 1 October 1600 in Bolton, Lancashire, England, to Alexander Mason and Anne Shaw. He was killed at Bolton on 28 May 1644 during the event later known as the Bolton Massacre. Family tree notes state that his brother, Alexander Mason Jr., was also killed there.
During the English Civil War, Bolton was a strongly Parliamentarian town in an area described in the family notes as largely Royalist. The town had resisted earlier Royalist attacks, but on 28 May 1644 Royalist forces under Prince Rupert stormed and captured Bolton.
Robert Mason was among those killed in the fighting or its aftermath on 28 May 1644. A Lancashire parish-register transcription lists both “Robert Mason” and “Alexander Mason” among 78 people of Bolton said to have been slain that day. Family tree notes identify the latter as Robert's brother, Alexander Mason Jr.
Robert died at Bolton, Lancashire, England, on 28 May 1644, aged 43. The assault became known as the Bolton Massacre, although accounts of the number killed vary.
Historical context
The Bolton Massacre, also called the Storming of Bolton, took place on 28 May 1644 during the English Civil War. According to the supplied Wikipedia extract, Royalist forces under Prince Rupert captured the strongly Parliamentarian town. The extract says that it was alleged that up to 1,600 defenders and inhabitants were killed during and after the fighting, and notes that the event became a prominent subject of Parliamentarian propaganda.
The family notes describe the 1644 attack as the third major Royalist assault on Bolton and state that the town's defenders were led by Colonel Rigby. They further state that, after a brief siege, Royalist troops broke through the defenses; the notes estimate that perhaps 1,000 people died and another 700 were captured. These figures should be treated as account-specific estimates rather than established totals.
Sources & research
Lancashire: Bolton - Parish Register, 1587-1660. Deaths due to “The Bolton Massacre.” The supplied transcription includes “Robert Mason” and “Alexander Mason” and concludes: “All these 78 of Boltonn slayne on the 28 May 1644.”
Wikipedia, “The Bolton Massacre” (extract supplied in the family tree notes).
Original Family Tree Maker notes, citation [1]. No bibliographic details for [1] were supplied.