The Siege of Hull in 1642 was the first major action of the English Civil War. As both sides moved towards war, Parliament had access to more military materiel, due to its possession of all major cities including the large arsenal in London. In Kingston upon Hull, where the majority of the inhabitants were Royalists, there was a large arsenal which had been established for the Second Bishops' War in 1638. To deny the Royalists access to this, in January 1642 Sir John Hotham was ordered by Parliament to seize Hull. This was carried out at once by his son John, who became the Military Governor of Hull.