 Very little blood flowed, due to his weakness; the prevailing feeling was that, even had the execution not taken place, he probably would not have lived for very long anyhow.The second rising of the English Civil War had culminated in the Battle of Preston during August 1648, with the Roundheads marching 250 miles in 26 days through foul weather and conditions, to defeat and ensure the Royalists would never re-form as an army.The townspeople of St Neots, who apparently were neutral during the entire conflict, continued their peaceful existence.