Although Birmingham was captured with few losses by the royalists, more damage was inflicted in the aftermath of the battle.

As at Brentford in November 1642, the royalist soldiers resorted to plunder once they had possession of the town. Parliamentarian reports accused the royalists of also mistreating civilians, though most of this was likely inflated for propaganda purposes. The royalists only admitted to killing one civilian; a lunatic who they’d mistaken for a Puritan divine.

The initial treatment of Birmingham was probably not much more severe than what had previously been inflicted on towns taken by assault. The tactic of setting fire to buildings, either to create a smoke screen or to drive out enemy snipers, meanwhile, was used by both sides throughout the war. 

Yet the greatest controversy surrounding the royalist sack of the town occurred the following day. After Rupert had left with his main force in the direction of Walsall, several fires broke out across the town. These were quickly blamed on royalist soldiers, who reputedly shot at and threatened to kill anybody who attempted to quench the flames.

Up to 87 houses, including barns and stables, were reported to have been destroyed in the conflagration. It was said to have consumed dwellings in the ‘Welch end’ (part of Bull street), Dale end and Moor street.

The royalists responded to parliamentarian accusations by denying Rupert’s culpability for the fire, claiming it had been started by unknown soldiers in defiance of his explicit instructions. Even parliamentarian Captain Richard Greaves, who claimed these soldiers had threatened to tear down the houses of parliamentarian sympathisers, noted that they pretended to have Rupert’s warrant to do so.

It was also reported that high winds had affected the spread of the fire. The royalists claimed it had prevented them quenching the fire, but the parliamentarians reported that the wind soon changed direction and therefore saved the rest of the town.

The royalists’ explanation does not appear to have convinced King Charles I, who rebuked Rupert in a letter for his troops’ conduct. In future, he ordered his nephew to prevent looting, and to instead attempt to win over the hearts of minds of innocent civilians.

Due to industrial development, no indication of the fire that consumed part of Birmingham remains today.