1644

1644 was a difficult year for King Charles I of England, then prosecuting the second year of the English Civil War. In July, Oliver Cromwell routed the forces of Prince Rupert and other Royalists in the environs of the castle at Crook Marsham. Soon after, the castle —which had long been beset by phantasmagoria — was destroyed by a "strange fire".

At around the same time, a star in the constellation of Orion went nova. The Seventh Doctor and Ace journeyed to Marsham Castle in 1644 to commemorate the moment that it went nova. (PROSE: Nightshade)

The same year witnessed another major battle of the English Civil War, at Marston Moor. (PROSE: The Roundheads)