Daily catch-up: Continuing the run-down of the sieges pop chart

After the Black Death, sieges are the best bits of history for those who like it graphic and gruesome

Predjama castle, Slovenia

The Top 10 in The New Review, the Independent on Sunday magazine, was Sieges. This was one of the most popular lists. A lot of people nominated Stalingrad, although I allowed myself to be swayed by a pedant who said that it didn't have fixed fortifications. The same goes for Leningrad. Here are some more that didn't make it, the run-down of the rest of the Top 20.

11. The Alamo, 1836. Heavily mythologised, as many of the best sieges are. Davy Crockett; war between America and Mexico over Texas. Graham Fildes tells me it was all about freemasons, which I didn't know. Also nominated by Dom del Nevo, John Peters and Finn Tel Darby.

12. Alesia, 52 BC. “Julius Caesar’s huge siege in Gaul; his legions constructed 20 km of ditches and fortifications, encircling 80,000 Gauls,” says Simon Mason. Stian Westlake also nominated it “for sheer professionalism”.

18. Balcombe Street, London, 1975. Four members of the IRA holed up with hostages and negotiated out by the Metropolitan Police. Nominated by Brendan O'Kane and Finn Tel Darby.

14. Calais, 1346 (the one with the Burghers during the Hundred Years' War). Nominated by John Peters. Calais was also besieged in 1348, 1436, 1558 (Mary Tudor, who said the town's name would be engraved on her heart), 1596 and 1940.

17. Jericho. James Tickell.

16. Mafeking, 1899-1900. Relief of, defeat of the Boers, Robert Baden-Powell. "Finally, the people at home took upon themselves the direction of the War and won it in a single night in London by a new and bracing method of warfare known as Mafeking" (1066 And All That). Nominated by Huw Pritchard ‏and Josh Black.

15. Predjama castle (Predjamski grad) in Slovenia, 15th century (above). "This vast castle is built facing out from a huge cave and is almost impregnable. Very handy if you upset the Holy Roman Emperor as one knight (Erazem Lueger) happened to do, by killing one of the Emperor's friends. Forces laid siege to the castle for a year and a day but became both frustrated and fearful, when the knight lobbed fresh out of season cherries at them, thus earning the knight a reputation as a sidekick of the devil. He used a handy tunnel to access valleys on the other side of the hills, where spring came earlier than the castle's valley to keep his supplies replenished." Kerry Larbalestier.

19. Rochester, 1215. "During the First Barons' War when King John blew up the walls with exploding pigs," says Jon Stone. ‏

13. Vienna, 1529 and 1683. "The Polish lancers coming over the hill to charge headlong into the Turks," says Brian Williams, although I'm not sure which siege that was, as there were Polish cavalry involved both times.

20. Vicksburg, 1863. Made Ulysses S Grant's reputation, says Joshua Worrad. "As important as Gettysburg in ending the Civil War," says Duncan Weldon.