Peter Guinness

By the Sword Divided is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1985.

The series 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 sees the surviving members of the family witness the arrival of Charles II on a visit to the ancestral Lacey home.

The cast included: Julian Glover, Sharon Mughan, Gareth Thomas, Judy Buxton, Peter Jeffrey, Rosalie Crutchley, Robert Stephens, Timothy Bentinck, Rob Edwards, Lucy Aston, Joanna McCallum, Malcolm Stoddard, Jeremy Clyde, David Collings, Jerome Willis, Charles Kay, Simon Dutton, Edward Peel, Mark Burns, Simon Treves and Janet Lees Price.