By the Sword Divided

By the Sword Divided
GenreHistorical drama
Created byJohn Hawkesworth
Directed byHenry Herbert, Brian Farnham, Diarmuid Lawrence, Michael Custance
StarringJulian Glover
Sharon Maughan
Jeremy Clyde
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes20
Production
Production companyBBC
Original release
NetworkBBC1
Release16 October 1983 (1983-10-16) –
10 March 1985 (1985-03-10)
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By the Sword Divided is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985.

The series, created by John Hawkesworth, was a historical drama set during the mid-17th century, dealing with the impact of the English Civil War on the fictional Lacey family, made up of both Royalist and Parliamentarian supporters.

It follows the family as it is torn apart by the conflicting and changing loyalties of the war, as families were during that time, and the defeat of the Royalist forces at the end of the First English Civil War. Series two covers the second and third civil wars and the eventual Restoration of the Monarchy. The last episodes see the surviving members of the family (from both sides of the divide) witness the arrival of King Charles II on a visit to the ancestral Lacey home.