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English Civil Wars

Long haired man, Colonel Popham, in black armour sitting on a grey horse

A tumultuous time in our nation’s history, the English Civil Wars ripped apart the country and led to regicide. An intriguing aspect of your pupils study of the development of Church, state and society in Britain 1509-1745; it also features in Edexcel and OCR GCSE papers.

Resource Information

We have designed the resources below to help your pupils learn, whether they are in the classroom or at home. They will also support and complement a visit.

The Royal Armouries Museum houses the largest collection of weapons and armour from the English Civil Wars in the world. This part of our collection is called the ‘Littlecote House Collection’ and was originally collected by the parliamentarian Colonel Alexander Popham. Read the story of The King and the Colonel and learn more about Alexander Popham.

If you are planning to visit the Royal Armouries in Leeds check out our English Civil War Workshop to immerse your pupils learning while they are with us!

Download the English Civil Wars Teacher Notes KS3 (pdf, 735 KB) for helpful information and tips on how these resources can assist in your lesson planning.

Videos

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'Cannons are roaring' ballad

With lyrics originating from 1637, this ballad will transport pupils back to the mid 1600s. The lyrics describe open field battle, sieges and the role of women in battle, giving an excellent insight into the time period in a very different way than a text book.

Download transcript of "Cannons are roaring" (Word, 7 KB)

Learning packs and resources

Photo Banks

All the below images are from our collection and will enhance students visual understanding of the English Civil Wars. 

Click/tap the image to reveal more information, including a link to further information and more images of the object.

You are more than welcome to use the images in your lessons and other non-commercial education. If in doubt, please download our Copyright Policy (pdf, 93 KB) or contact our licencing team.

Contact Information

Please contact us to make a booking or if you have any questions.

Email address

educate.leeds@armouries.org.uk

Telephone

07785 692 443

Postal address

Education Team 
Royal Armouries Museum 
Leeds 
LS10 1LT 
United Kingdom