The English Civil War saw Scarborough, its castle and strategic supply port on the side of Charles I, with 700 Royalist soldiers led by Sir Hugh Cholmley — who originally occupied the castle as a Parliamentarian loyal to Cromwell in September 1642, but swapped sides in March 1643. Cholmley actually lost the castle in a bloodless takeover by his own cousin, Captain Browne Bushell, in March 1643 while away at York, but persuaded him to give it back. The castle changed hands seven times between 1642 and 1648, and was refortified on Cholmley's orders, including establishment of the South Steel Battery for artillery.