On a building called Brooke House in Dam St is a plaque. The name and the plaque’s inscription relate to the man killed there during the civil war. According to the Public Monument & Sculpture Association records1, Richard Greene (he of Lichfield’s Museum of Curiosities) commissioned the plaque in the 1700s, and it reads as follows:

‘MARCH 2ND 1643 LORD BROOKE A GENERAL

OF THE PARLIAMENT FORCES, PREPARING TO

BESIEGE THE CLOSE OF LICHFIELD, THEN GARRISONED

FOR KING CHARLES THE FIRST, RECEIVED HIS DEATH WOUND

ON THE SPOT BENEATH THIS INSCRIPTION BY A SHOT IN THE

FOREHEAD, FROM MR DYOTT. A GENTLEMAN WHO HAD

PLACED HIMSELF ON THE BATTLEMENTS OF THE

GREAT STEEPLE TO ANNOY THE BESIEGERS’

A couple of weeks ago, I’d have said without hesitation that I knew this story. Lord Brooke was shot through the eye and it was John Dyott (or Dumb Dyott as he was known) with a musket from the central spire of the Cathedral. It’s possible that this is the correct version, but as I know now, it’s certainly not the only version.

According to a letter from Richard Greene2 the version he based the inscription on was from Sir William Dugdale’s 1681 book ‘The Late Troubles in England’. Greene believed this gave the most ‘circumstantial account of the affair’. Over in the comments section of the Shopping Daze post, Pat & Ian have been discussing the affair, following a comment left by ‘Born a Lichfeldian’. In arguing their case, Pat & Ian have both done some research – Ian has found these different accounts on the Learning with Archives in Staffordshire & Stoke on Trent website and Pat has found a programme that includes a section about John Dyott.



The fact that Brooke was killed on 2nd March doesn’t seem to be in dispute but inevitably, with this date being St Chad’s day the significance attributed to this does differ. Some, like Archbishop Laud suggested that St Chad had a hand in events…..

So, let’s imagine there was a way to prove exactly what happened on 2nd March 1643 (yes, I’m still thinking about my reconstruction idea!). What would we gain and what would we lose by doing so?

I can’t add any new photos so I can’t provide one of Brooke House. How about walking a few of those mince pies off with a stroll up Dam St to have a look for yourself?

Big thanks to Pat & Ian for all their contributions to this post and those in the pipeline 😉

Sources:

1.http://pmsa.cch.kcl.ac.uk/BM/STliLIlb010.htm

2. Vol 55 of The Gentleman’s Magazine,