was knighted on 21 October 1644. The king also promoted him to full colonel in Earl Rivers's Regiment. On 27 October, the second battle of Newbury was fought, and Colonel Sir John Boys secured the King's artillery under the walls of Donnington castle. The famous Parliamentarian soldier Sir William Waller surrounded the castle with his army and again Boys refused to surrender. After the battle of Newbury, when the King had gone to Oxford, the Earl of Essex besieged Donnington Castle, but abandoned the attempt before Charles returned in the first week of November 1644 to relieve Donnington. The King took his "treasure and guns," leaving some of the heavier pieces for use by the garrison. Some time after 14 November 1645, Oliver Cromwell himself turned his attention to the problem of the Royalist stronghold of Donnington castle, and in the following spring a furious bombardment with cannon and mortars was ordered. By 30 March a truce was concluded, and Charles had no option other than to instruct Boys to obtain the best possible surrender. On 1 April 1646, the surrender was completed, wherein garrison was permitted to march to the Royalist garrison at Wallingford Castle with their colours flying and drums beating. Boys did not join them, instead he went to London rather than take part in any further military resistance. Later history He was made Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports in 1646. During August 1648, he made a futile attempt to raise the Siege of Walmer Castle in Deal, one of the Cinque Ports, and customary home of the Lord Warden. Sir Algernon Sydney replaced him as Warden in 1648. In 1659, Boys was held as a prisoner in Dover Castle for "petitioning for a free Parliament", but was released on 23 February 1660. He was then, reputedly, granted the office of Receiver of Customs at Dover from Charles II. A few years later, on 8 October 1664, Sir John Boys died at his house at Bonnington and was buried in the parish church of Goodnestone-next-Wingham (near Canterbury) in Kent. Personal life He was married three times, and had five daughters by his first wife Lucy. His second marriage was to Ann Brockman, daughter of Sir William Brockman of Newington-next-Hythe in 1650. She died in 1651. His third marriage was to the Lady Elizabeth Finch, widow of Sir Nathaniel Finch, and a daughter of Sir John Fotherby