been constructed, along with more earthworks around the town. First battle Prelude The regimental preacher, Peter Ince, said of the defences that "we were in as sweet a quiet and security as any garrison in the Kingdom; no enemy near us but one at Portland, and that not very considerable, being but about 300 or 400 men". Matters were so peaceful that a meeting of the town council at the end of January 1645 was primarily concerned with the cleanliness of the town, and resolved that all the dirt in the streets should be piled up and removed. Within Weymouth there remained Royalist sympathisers who had been plotting to deliver the town to the King's forces. They were led by Fabian Hodder, who recruited supporters to his cause by paying them £5. When Hodder was prepared to move, he had his wife, Anne, write a letter to Sir Lewis Dyve in Sherborne. The letter was delivered by Elizabeth Wall, a widow. Battle At midnight on 9 February 1645, a small force of Royalist soldiers were ferried across the narrow strait (where the Portland Bridge Road, A354 now crosses) from Portland Castle. They linked up with the sympathisers in the town, who wore white handkerchiefs on their arms and used the password "Crabchurch" to identify themselves. The incursion caught the Parliamentarian garrison by surprise, and successfully captured both the Chapel and Nothe forts. Recovering from their initial surprise, the Parliamentarians rallied and launched counter-attacks. The strength of the forts was such that despite their smaller numbers, the Royalists were able to hold them until the following day, when Dyve and the governor of Portland Castle, William Hastings, arrived with 1,500 men to clear out any resistance and garrison the town for the King. They also tried to assassinate Sydenham, but were unsuccessful – although Sydenham lost his brother Francis in the initial assault. This was known locally as the Crabchurch Conspiracy. The defending Parliamentarians, under William Sydenham, took refuge in nearby Melcombe, which was at the time only connected to Weymouth proper by a drawbridge. The two sides began to bombard each other from across what is now Radipole Lake and the old harbour. Second battle In order to retake Weymouth, Parliament dispatched the warship Constant Reformation under William Batten, with 200 sailors from Poole, and 100 cavalry under James Heane who had made their way through enemy lines and met