The Civil War and the Monsons
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Lincoln was not exempt from the outbreak of civil war in the 1640s. The city was held by the royalists, and Edward Montagu, Earl of Manchester, arrived from the south with the Parliamentarian army and gathered at the top of Canwick Hill. His force quickly took control of the lower town, but heavy rain delayed further attack on the castle and upper town which was now contained by the royalist force under Sir Francis Fane.
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Early on the Monday morning of 6th May, Manchester gave the command to make an assault on Lincoln Castle. Despite the slippery ascent and the huge stones being thrown down at them, the Parliamentary solders had stormed the castle within half an hour. Over 900 hundred Royalists were killed or taken prisoner.
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The Castle may not have been deliberately slighted by the Parliamentarians afterwards, as it was by now already in a poor state, but other buildings in Lincoln suffered a great deal of damage. St Botolph's church, near Bar Gate in the lower town probably suffered in this attack, as it fell down in 1646. St Swithin’s is recorded to have been set on fire and burnt from an explosion of gunpowder in Cornhill. St Martin’s (bottom of Steep Hill) and St Michael’s (at the top of Steep Hill) were damaged by Parliamentary cannon. Soldiers were allowed to pillage the upper town and the cathedral was apparently used as a billet for soldiers and the stabling of their horses.
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The following day, having eliminated all Royalist support from the city of Lincoln, the Earl of Manchester marched his Parliamentarian army northwards to Gainsborough, and then on towards York. It was during this march that the soldiers would have passed through South Carlton. Knowing that the Monson family were staunch royalist supporters, Manchester’s armed force was not going to simply pass-by quietly. As they had done in Lincoln the previous day, the parliamentarians ransacked the village and church. For the most part the soldiers were after silver (for the which to melt down into coins), however the monument at St John the Baptist’s provided the earl with an opportunity to send a cold message to the remaining royalist supporters in the county.
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Breaking into the church, and the Monson chapel, Manchester’s forces defaced the monument. Indeed, the majority of the damage which the monument has sustained was caused through the actions of the parliamentary soldiers. The damage caused was most notable to the figurines of the Monson children, with the majority of them having their heads struck away from their bodies. Limbs were also severed, most notably with the effigy of Sir John, all in a deliberate effort to render the identity of the figures unrecognisable.​
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Repercussions against the Monson family did not stop there. At the conclusion of the war, and with King Charles I ultimately defeated, there was no space in Cromwell’s new vision for England for those who had remained a royalist supporter until the bitter end. having their estates sequestered and purchasing "retirement" for a nominal fee. Such a fee varied from family to family – with a general understanding that the more influential and wealthier the royalist family, the higher the fee would be. In the case of the Monson family, that figure stood at £2642. It was jointly paid by Sir Thomas and Sir William Monson
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The Monson family, like so many other royalists who had managed to survive the war, endured a period of uncertainty. Effectively stripped of their lands, their influence was severely limited. However, there is no indication to suggest that they were blocked from their previous means of income. Whilst the Cromwell dictatorship lasted throughout the 1650s, discretion from the royalists ensured their survival. The wheel of fortune would turn once again when the monarchy was restored, with Charles II in 1660. The return of the monarchy also heralded a return to favour for many of the established gentry. The Monsons were duly restored to their primary estates and social position following the restoration. The lands, offices and all other titles which had previously been theirs prior to the end of the civil war, were restored in 1694.
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