20 August 1640
Second Bishops' War

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Following the First Bishops' War in April-June 1639, which consists of border skirmishes, Scottish troops cross the River Tweed and invade England. They then occupy Newcastle on their march south. The Bishops Wars are so named because they are blamed on English bishops, especially the followers of Archbishop Laud, who support Charles I in his desire to impose the Anglican Church on the Covenanters (see 23 July 1637) and crush the rebellion against royal authority. In October 1640, the Scots negotiate the Treaty of Ripon, which brings the wars to an end. They receive a pay off and Charles I eventually agrees to allow them to reform their Church in their own way.

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[The] king ... signed an armistice promising to pay the Scots £860 a day while the Covenanting army sat tight on the Newcastle coal field, London's fuel lifeline.

From A Century of Troubles by Stevie Davies (Channel 4 Books)

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