ONE terrible and bloody hour in Evesham changed the course of the English Civil Wars in Worcestershire.

That crucial hour came in May 1645 when an attacking force of 2,000 parliamentarians lead by Colonel Edwards Massie took the town from a valiant but heavily outnumbered Royalist garrison of just 700.

Colonel Massie later changed his allegiances, joined the Royalist force and was wounded in the early stages of the Battle of Worcester in 1651 but that's another story.

The story of the Civil Wars in Worcestershire is told in 170 fascinating pages by Malcolm Atkin, head of historic and environment services for Worcestershire County Council and a leading authority on the English Civil Wars.

Malcolm, aged 52, from Pershore, has been interested in the Civil Wars most of his working life and came to Worcestershire in 1993.

"The Vale of Evesham suffered a great deal because it was on the route of both armies," said Malcolm who took three years to write the book.

"These were very troubled times and families with allegiances to one side would often hedge their bets by marrying into a family from the other.

"People tried not to take a stand but Evesham paid a heavy price when it took the parliamentary side and the town was fined £1,000 and one thousand pairs of shoes."

Evesham was so important because the crossing of the Avon in the town controlled the strategic route from the royalist capital at Oxford to the recruiting grounds of Wales and the arms manufacturers of the Midlands.

Its taking was crucial and as had been hoped cutting this essential line of communication marked the start of the Parliamentary Ascendancy.

A secure base enabled the Parliamentary Committee to recruit men, collect taxes and gain vital intelligence.

The Battle of Evesham, like many in the civil wars, was short but bloody.

This was in an age when the term "surgical strike" had no part in the vocabulary of battle and in just an hour much blood was spilt, lives lost and bodies maimed. At the end the victors took more than 500 prisoners.

On May 26 the battle started when Colonel Massie crossed the Avon at Twyford Bridge while at the same time a second contingent tried to storm Evesham Bridge from across the river at Bengeworth.

The fight was fierce but when the parliamentarians eventually made the weight of numbers count and the cavalry charged down Broad Street surrounding the defenders they had no choice but to surrender.

There are no good wars but civil conflicts are especially bitter with villages pitted against village and in some cases families taking different sides.

On August 27, 1651, Cromwell's Army of 30,000 soldiers gathered in Evesham ready for the Battle of Worcester. The final victory, in which an estimated 10,000 prisoners were taken and 4,000 men killed, was critical.

Charles II's attempt to win back his throne by force was over. It is ironical and some would claim testimony to the futility of civil war that nine years later he was restored by popular consent and with the help of many of the same soldiers who had defeated him at Worcester.

"I hope I have written a book that tells the story of the impact on the lives of the ordinary people of the time rather than as a clinical military history," said Malcolm.

Worcestershire Under Arms by Malcolm Atkin is published by Pen & Sword Books in association with Worcestershire County Council, price £19.99 and is available from local bookshops.