King’s Lynn under siege: how a small field in North Lynn illuminated Civil War fortress engineering

Conflict Archaeology is a relatively new aspect of the discipline; in Britain, at least, it is more commonly known as Battlefield Archaeology, reflecting what is often its main focus. Yet, with a few notable exceptions, British battles were relatively short affairs, most lasting just hours. Sieges, on the other hand, could last for days, weeks, or even months, meaning that they leave a potentially greater archaeological ‘footprint’. Sieges were also the most prominent type of action during the so-called ‘English’ Civil Wars (‘so-called’ because this series of conflicts started in Scotland in 1639 and ended in Ireland some 14 years later); in England, for example, for every major