ABSTRACT
As the rift between King Charles and Parliament widened during the first half of 1642, George Goring outwardly remained loyal to the opposition leadership in the Commons. His fellow MPs, believing Governor Goring held Portsmouth for Parliament, offered him a position of command in the army they were forming to confront the king. Only in early August 1642—even before King Charles had raised his standard at Nottingham—did circumstances force Goring to declare his true intentions: that he held Portsmouth for the king alone. Without any outside assistance, George Goring maintained his position against a siege by land and sea for just one month. He then negotiated the surrender of Portsmouth and his own freedom to leave for the Continent where he joined his father and Henrietta Maria in their efforts to raise men and money for the king’s cause.
