Showing posts with label English Civil War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English Civil War. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 August 2021

The Battle of Roundway Down and Siege of Devizes - Battlefield Walk


For the English Civil War enthusiast, the South-West of England provides plenty of opportunity for battlefield exploration, being as it was very much front and centre as a key battleground between Charles I and his Parliament and over the years of this blog I've posted about those I've visited which really illustrates that point, and through the dates of the battles how the war waged up and down the peninsular, culminating in the final battle of the First English Civil War at Stow in 1646.


In addition if the English Civil War is your thing then you might also be interested in links to other ECW battlefields visited and posted on here on JJ's in the links below;


Last summer during our brief respite from national lockdown, Mr Steve and I made the most of a glorious summer and our travel release to explore the battlefield of Lansdown Hill near Bath (see link above) and some associated skirmish sites, before the second winter of home arrest prior to the vaccine roll-out programme which seems likely and hopefully to make the need for similar lock downs a thing of the past.

So this summer with a gradual relaxation of restrictions, we again jumped at the opportunity to get out and about again and picked up where we left off, with the end of the Battle of Lansdown that had left, on July 6th 1643, a slightly battered Parliamentary army under General Sir William Waller ensconced in Bath, requesting reinforcements from the garrison in Bristol, whilst a rather badly burned General Sir Ralph Hopton, having suffered the ill-effects of being too close to an ammunition wagon that exploded soon after the battle, was left recovering along with his army in camp near the village of Marshfield, from where they had marched prior to the battle.


The Royalists claimed the victory with Parliament's casualties of 200 dead and 300 wounded starkly in their favour, suffering themselves just 21 dead and 56 wounded, but with their own failure to take Bath and the loss of their talismanic Cornish infantry commander Grenville not to mention the poor performance of the cavalry, the key Cornish infantry had taken a large dent to their morale; and with the exploding ammunition cart that had left their army commander so badly injured they now found themselves desperately low on powder, as recounted by Captain Richard Atkyns in his description of the state of the Royalist army when he went on to state;

'The Foot and Cannon(by the loss of Ammunition) became wholly unserviceable to us.'

The route of my two hour drive up to Devizes helps illustrate the theatre of operations for Generals Waller and Hopton in 1643, with Bath, Bristol and Chippenham all key nodes along the march route of the armies and with the King's capital not far from the area at Oxford in the Thames Valley, just beyond Swindon.

The time at Marshfield was spent burying the dead and making preparations for a retreat back to Oxford, whilst Waller encouraged by the reports of Royalist misfortunes received 500 reinforcements from Bristol on July 7th, setting off in pursuit of Hopton's army as soon as they arrived in the hope of cutting them off en-route to Oxford, before they reached the Royalist capital or received reinforcements.

The routes of march for the respective armies during the Lansdown and Roundway campaign, with Parliament (Waller) in red - The English Civil War Atlas, Nick Lipscombe

On the 8th July Waller caught up with the Royalist rear-guard at Chippenham, but Hopton had won the race to the bridge over the River Avon, and with the retreat recommenced the next day, there followed a series of sharp clashes between the opposing horse on the road from Chippenham to Devizes, with the Parliamentary force breaking the Royalists outside Chippenham and in the pursuit taking prisoners from the rear-guard horse.

About three miles from Devizes the Royalist horse made another stand at a ford over a stream near the village of Rowde, with the Royalists braking at the first charge but rallying under Prince Maurice and counterattacking, with Atkyns recounting;

'Lieutenant Colonel (Richard) Neville (of the Earl of Carnarvon's horse) was commanded to bring up the rear, which he did with that gallantry, and good conduct.'

The Royalist horse stood their ground, while the rest of their army deployed on a nearby hill, eventually retreating into Devizes.

The sharp skirmishing between Chippenham and Devizes and the robust rear-guard fought by the Royalist horse at Rowde, allowing Hopton's army to retire into Devizes, resurrected the reputation of the Royalist horse in the eyes of the Cornish foot after previous performances at Lansdown. 

Lord Mohun's Regiment of Foot defended the hedgerows near the ford for half-an-hour, sustaining forty casualties, and with Atkyns noting;

'. . . that we killed as many of the enemy as they did of us.'

The resistance put up by the Royalist horse was long enough to allow the Cornish foot to retire into Devizes and drew a note of vindication from Atkyns when he recounted;

'. . . instead of calling us runaway horse (following their performance at Lansdown) they called us gallant horse; for the Cornish foot knew not till then the service of the horse.'
 
Despite the respite gained by the Royalist occupation of Devizes on the evening of the 9th July, the skirmishing would continue the next day with an action at Beckhampton, east of Roundway Hill when a Royalist relief column, from Oxford, of eight wagons and carts carrying fifteen barrels of powder and slowmatch was ambushed by Waller's troops, capturing five of the wagons and routing the 600 Royalist horse and dragoons that were escorting it.

Following this action, Waller, concerned at the ease with which the Royalists in Oxford could send a relief column so quickly to Devizes, wrote to the Earl of Essex, whose army was watching Oxford, to impress upon him the importance of preventing any further intervention from the Royalist capital, as he lay siege to Devizes, a seemingly inciteful assessment that would have dire consequences with the failure of this request being met. 

My interpretation of one of the earlier interpretations of the Battle of Roundway Down using a Google sat-map of the area to help orientate ourselves on arrival (Parliament in Red, Royalists in Blue). I should say my technique for preparing a walk like this is to come prepared with both saved satelite maps, as above, and my View Ranger walking app, as you can never be over supplied with images to help you know exactly where you are and saved references work when app coverage doesn't.

Arriving at the little carpark, mid-morning, close to the Millennium White Horse on the very edge of Roundway Down overlooking Devizes, Steve and I orientated ourselves around our various maps of the battlefield with a view to walking the suspected location for the battle and then retracing our steps to follow the retreat route of Waller's army as it eventually broke under the pursuit of Royalist horse and having its own guns turned against it.

Following that, it was likely we would need to find a suitable 'watering-hole' for a well earned lunch before we headed off into Devizes to look at landmarks that featured during the short Parliamentary siege and assault on the town, prior to the battle and a visit to the local museum to see what treasures they might be holding.

The Roundway Campaign movements, courtesy of the British Civil War Project, showing the arrival route of Maurice and the Royalist relief cavalry force marching from Oxford via Marlborough.
http://bcw-project.org/military/english-civil-war/west-country/roundway-down

On the the 10th July 1643, Sir Ralph Hopton held a council of war in Devizes during which it was decided that he would hold the town with the infantry and artillery whilst Prince Maurice rode to Oxford for reinforcements, with Lords Hertford and Carnarvon, taking with them the remaining 300 cavalry and breaking out at midnight that day; riding the forty-five miles to Oxford in one night, and on arrival discovering the main army was in the Midlands operating under Prince Rupert and the Queen and that a convoy of powder, the one ambushed at Beckhampton, had been dispatched to Devizes earlier.

After a day recovering from their exertions the night before and in the previous days of retreat to Devizes, Lord Wilmot took command of the relief force of 1500 horse, plus Maurice's 300 horse together with two brass cannon and powder, with no infantry from the garrison being spared to join them.

Marching immediately, the Royalist force assembled at Marlborough on the 12th July and arrived before Devizes on the afternoon of the following day as described by Captain Atkyns;

'The next Morning I had Orders that the Rendezvous was about Marlborough, whether I went with several Horse quartered at Farringdon, and came timely thither: The Lord Wilmott was sent with a recruit of Horse from oxon (Oxford)and I suppose all the Horse at that Rendezvous were about 1800 and two small pieces of Cannon: We lost no time, but March'd towards the Enemy, who stood towards the top of the Hill; the Foot in the middle between two Wings of Horse, and the Cannon before the Foot: There were four Hills like the four corners of a Dye (die), in such a Champaign, as 40000 men might Fight in. Upon one of the Hills we discharged our Cannon, to give notice to our Foot that we were come to their relief.'
 
My interpretation of the latest estimation of the battle site as presented on the Battlefield Trust site, an invaluable resource to British battlefield walking.
https://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/civil-war/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=36

In the meantime, following a day of negotiations, Waller who had set up his army outside on the eastern approaches to Devizes, with his guns set up on Coatefield Hill, suspecting a ploy by Hopton to waste time, assaulted Devizes on the 12th July but after fierce fighting was repulsed by the Royalist garrison; and after reorganising his forces was preparing a further assault when he recieved reports from his scouts on the 13th July of the approach of the Royalist relief force from Marlborough.

Drawing off his entire army of some 2,500 infantry, a similar number of horse and dragoons together with eight field guns and leaving a rear-guard force to guard the baggage, he immediately marched on Roundway Hill, deploying conventionally as described above by Atkyns.

Suspecting the withdrawal by Waller was a stratagem to draw him from the town, Hopton and his infantry stayed put as the opposing forces gathered on the high ground to the east.

The view of the battlefield of Roundway Down, taken from the view point shown on the satellite picture above and looking towards the the Royalist lines

The battle started at 3pm on the afternoon of the 13th July, with the initial Royalist charge on the forward skirmish groups of dragoons, prompting a charge by Waller's cavalry in support described by Atkyns;

'Then Forlorn hopes out of each Army were drawn out, and the Lord Wilmotts Major, Paul Smith Commanded ours, who did it Round with that gallantry, that he beat them into the very Body of their left Wing, and put them out of Order; which we took advantage of, and immediately charg'd the whole Body; the Charge was so suddain that I had hardly time to put on my Armes, we advanc'd a full Trot 3 deep, and kept in order; the Enemy kept their Station, and their right Wing of Horse being Curiaseers, were I'me sure five, if not six deep, in so close Order, that Punchinello himself had he been there, could not have gotten in to them.'

Map of the Battle of Roundway Down, English Civil War Atlas - Nick Lipscombe

Wilmott's brigade was met by the cuirassiers of Sir Arthur Heselrige, whose flanks were overlapped by the Royalist cavalry and gave ground in the attack, to be rallied by Heselrige, only then to break from the field on seeing the second Royalist brigade ready to support Willmot.

Captain Richard Atkyns attacking Sir Arthur Heselrige - Graham Turner

In the pursuit of Heselrige and his men Atkyns described a famous encounter between him and the Parliamentary commander:

'Twas my fortune in a direćt line to charge their General of Horse, which I suppos'd to be so by his place; he discharged his Carbine first, but at a distance not to hurt us, and afterwards one of his Pistols, before I came up to him, and mist with both: I then immediately struck in to him, and touchd him before I discharged mine; and I'm sure I hit him, for he staggerd, and presently wheel'd off from his Party and ran.

... it was Sir Arthur Haslerigge. When he wheeld of, I persu'd him, and had not gone Twenty Yards after him, but I heard a Voice saying, ’Tis sir Arthur Haslerigge follow him; but from which Party the Voice came I knew not they being joyn'd, nor never did know till about Seven Years since, but follow him I did, and in Six score Yards I came up to him, and discharg'd the other Pistol at him, and I'm sure I hit his head, for I touch'd it before I gave fire, and it amazed him at that present , but he was too well Armed all over for a Pistol Bullet to do him any hurt, having a Coat of Male over his Arms, and a Head-peece (I am confident) Musquet proof, his Sword had two Edges and a Ridge in the middle, and mine a Strong Tuck; after I had slackned my pace a little, he was gone Twenty Yards from me, riding three quarters speed, and down the side of a Hill, his posture was waving his Sword on the right and left hand of his Horse, not looking back whether he were persued or not, (as I conceive) to daunt any Horse that should cọme up to him; 

about Six Score more I came up to him again (having a very swift Horse that Cornet Washnage gave me) and stuck by him a good while, and tryd him from the Head to the Saddle, and could not penetrate him, nor do him any hurt; but in this attempt he cut my Horses Nose, that you might put your finger in the Wound, and gave me such a blow on the inside of my Arm amongst the Veins that I could hardly hold my Sword; 

Taken from the same position but looking back towards the Parliamentarian line on the forward slope of the hill to the left of the track.

he went on as before, and I slackened my pace again, and found my Horse drop Blood, and not so bold as before; but about Eight Score more I got up to him again, thinking to have pull'd him off his Horse; but he having now found the way, struck my Horse upon the Cheek, and cut off half the Head-stall of my Bridle, but falling off from him, I run his Horse into the Body, and resolv'd to attempt nothing further than to kill his Horse; all this time we were together hand to fist.

The slope close to the 'white horse' depicted as the likely retreat route for Heselrige and his men, as shown above in Lipscombe's map of the battle, and described in Atkyns account of his pursuit. 

In this nick of time came up Mr Holmes to my assistance, (who never fail'd me in time of danger) and went up to him with great resolution, and felt him before he dischargd his Pistol, and though I saw him hit him, 'twas but a flea biting to him; whilst he charg’d him, I imployed my self in killing his Horse, and run him into several places, and upon the faultring of his Horse his Head-peece opened behind, and I gave him a prick in the Neck, and I had run him through the Head, if my Horse had not stumbled at the same place; then came in Captain Buck a Gentleman of my Troop, and discharged his Pistol upon him also, but with the same success as before, and being a very strong Man, and charging with a mighty Hanger, storm’d him and amaz'd him, but fell off again; by this time his Horse began to be faint with bleeding, and fell off from his rate, at which said Sir Arthur, 

"What good will it do you to kill a  A poor Man" , 
Said I,
"take quarter then", 

with that he stopt his Horse, and I came up to him, and bid him deliver his Sword, which he was loth to do; and being tyed twice about his wrist, he was fumbling a great while before he would part with it; but before he delivered it, there was a run-away Troop of theirs that had espied him in hold; 

Sayes one of them My Lord General is taken Prisoner; Sayes another, Sir Arthur Haslerigge is taken Prisoner, face about and Charge; with that they Rallied and charg'd us, and rescued him; wherein I received a Shot with a Pistol, which only took off the Skin upon the blade bone of my Shoulder.'

Prior to planning our visit to Roundway Down and researching various sources, I came across a very interesting and entertaining presentation from the chaps at the Royal Armouries in Leeds that really helps explain why Sir Arthur Heselrige was so able at withstanding several close range pistol shots to his head and body, together with other techniques that might have been employed against him


With Heselrige's cuirassiers routed, Waller led forward the cavalry brigade on the left and they soon followed suit as they were counter-charged by Sir John Byron supported by Lord Crawford's reserve, with Byron ordering his troopers not to fire their pistols until they were among the Parliamentary horse.

'By this time we were come very near to Waller's brigade, and the command I gave my men was, that not a man should discharge his pistol till the enemy had spent all his shot, which was punctually observed, so that the first they gave us a volley of their carbines, then of their pistols, and then we fell in with them, and gave them ours in their teeth, yet they would not quit their ground, but stood pushing for it a pretty space, till it pleased God, (I thinke) to put new spirit into our tired horse as well as into our men, so that though it were up the hill, and that a steep one, we overbore them, and with that violence, that we forced them to fall foul upon other reserves of horse that stood behind to second them, & so swept their whole body of horse out of the field.'  


Waller's cavalry soon broke and were pursued across the downs to the precipitous slopes at the rear where many were driven over the edge to their deaths in an area now known as 'Bloody Ditch'.

With his cavalry routed, Waller stayed on the field to rally his infantry into defensive squares, fending off attacks by Wilmot's cavalry for over an hour, but as the attacks grew more concerted and with the approach of the Cornish infantry from Devizes, now fully alert to the battle on the heights above the town, he was forced to order a retreat eastwards.

Some modern day equestrians, enjoying a glorious morning for a ride across the downs, stand in for Captain Atkyns and Lord Wilmot!
No horses were injured in the making of this post.

It seems the Parliamentary infantry made an ordered withdrawal at first but with the pressure of the situation and the Royalist horse turning captured cannon against them, order was lost and the infantry broke in a rout towards the cover of the wooded slopes, close to Oliver's Castle, an Iron Age hill fort on the rearward slopes of the downs; many being cut down in their flight over the slopes and beyond adding yet more grisly casualties to 'Bloody Ditch', this as Waller and his generals fled the battlefield, bound for Bristol.

Sir John Byron described the final chapter of the battle as the Parliamentary withdrawal turned to rout;

' . . . but when they saw my horse rallied together again before them, & the Lieut. Gen. continuing still in the rear of them, and that Cornish foot began to sally out of the town, they thought it not fit to stay any longer, they began first gently to march off, their officer marching before them, amongst which (as I have been told since) Sir W.W. himself was, & Popham.

With that I advanced towards them with those troops I had rallied, & shot at them with the cannon I had formerly taken, their officers thought it not fit to stay any longer, but such as had horses rid away as fast as they could, & the rest blew up their powder & threw down their arms & betook themselves to their heels, our horse fell in amongst them & killed 600 of them, & hurt many more, and took 800 prisoners & all their colours, & this was the success of their great conqueror.'

This satellite image shows the route of the Parliamentary rout over the downs from the scene of the original battle and the archaeological finds that have been discovered in the intervening years, and the track we followed leading back past the White Horse out to Roundway Covert and Oliver's Castle. The Bridge Inn is shown from where we saw the battlefield side on. 

Roundway Down does reward the battlefield walker in helping to explain the passage of the battle and its results, in the terrain seen on the ground at the soldiers eye level.

The battle site clearly shows that the Parliamentary troops held a height advantage in their initial positions, perhaps explaining Heselrige's enthusiastic charge down its slopes to meet Wilmot's attack on the advanced dragoon skirmish line. 

In addition the precipitous slopes, particularly to the extreme rear of the downs directly above Devizes show why so many met their deaths trying to evade down them whilst being pursued by vengeful cavalry; and the distance the Parliamentary foot tried to cover in their squares under constant attack by horse and later guns on a plateau devoid of cover explains the eventual breaking of ranks as the woods came into site as perhaps the Cornish infantry did at about the same time, and with the subsequent rout giving rise to the Royalist name for the battle 'Runaway Down'.

The result of Roundway Down was the virtual destruction of Parliament's Western Army, presenting the King an opportunity to complete the conquest of the West, but in the end not as decisive as it might have been, with the reduced garrison of Bristol falling to attack, but Gloucester resisting and thus sustaining Parliament's hopes for the future.

Royalist casualties numbered some 40-150 killed, depending on the source relied upon, while Parliamentarian casualties are estimated at 600 killed, 400-700 captured, together with 900 horses and the baggage train and its store of official documents, and of course not forgetting the wounded Sir Arthur Heselrige;

'. . . who received a wound in his arme, and an hurt in his eare, but not dangerous: he fought very bravely.'

Devizes seen from the rear slopes of Roundway Down, with the spires of St James and St John's churches easy reference points from the time of the battle and which featured in the loose Parliamentary siege and assault that preceded it.

Following in the footsteps of the Parliamentary foot, Steve and I retraced our route checking out the gentler slopes near the White Horse over which Heselrige and his men made their escape, to the wooded path along the back slope that provided relief from a very hot mid-morning sun as we walked out to Oliver's Castle.

The view from the rear of Oliver's Castle with the wooded slopes to the left to which the Parliamentary foot sought refuge in their flight and the steep slopes to the right over which many of them and the horse before them tried to escape but over which they met their end.

The view of 'Bloody Ditch' from the heights of Oliver's Castle, with the steep descent down clearly seen in this picture, difficult enough for man or beast to make at the best of times but obviously much harder when running for your life.

The walk out to Oliver's Castle paid as much in dividends to understanding this battle as did seeing the battle site itself and by the time we had got back to the cars we were more than ready for a bite of lunch and a suitable beverage and we found the perfect place to stop; at the Bridge Inn, dating back to 1800 which was later extended into a flour mill and bakery in 1810 as the Kennet and Avon Canal was built alongside it, facilitating the loading of working barges that would stop there on route.
 
The historic Bridge Inn at Horton on the Kennet and Avon Canal, a perfect spot for lunch in the beer garden before we headed off into Devizes before the second part of our day exploring.

Not only great history, food and beer, but our stop also provided a great side on view of the battlefield as the views below looking out over the fields towards Roundway Down illustrate, with the slight hill occupied by Waller seen close to a wooded copse and a possible smaller hill to the west a likely spot from where Wilmot's Royalist force fired their two small cannon to alert the Devizes garrison of their arrival.

The view over the road and fields next to the Bridge Inn with Roundway Down battlefield on the horizon, extreme right of picture, with the village of Bishops Canning between.

Suitably refreshed with our lunch we were ready to start the next part of our adventure, to check out the likely parts of Devizes fought over between Waller and Hopton's soldiers as the former pressed his assault on the town looking to take advantage of the latter's distress, being desperately short of powder and shot, and likely to surrender if not relieved in time.

The map below shows the extent of Devizes in 1773, some one-hundred and thirty years after the siege and battle, and likely giving a good impression of the size of the town when compared with comparative twenty-first century extent today seen in the satellite image below.

A 1773 map of Devizes, probably not much different from Devizes in 1643 and showing the key landmarks of the two churches mentioned in accounts of the assault by Waller's men on the 12th July. 

In the accounts prior to the Battle of Roundway Down and the occupation of the town by Hopton, it is clear that Waller was looking to resolve the situation speedily and with as fewer casualties as possible, by first offering a field battle by pulling off from the town to allow Hopton to meet him up on Roundway Down, and then when this failed, to reach a negotiated surrender with a display of force before it, which resulted in the assault on the 12th July when Waller could see that Hopton was playing for time, which indeed he was.

The extent of the modern developments that have occurred since 1773 are obvious in this satellite view of the same area covered by the map, but with the churches, the green and Morris Lane, the furthest extent of the Parliamentary attack clearly identifiable among the newer buildings. 

Waller didn't have a large enough force to employ anything but a fluid siege of the town, explaining Maurice's ability to exit it with his 300 horse on his escape to Oxford.

The Church of St James, around which Waller set up the main part of his loose envelopment of the town and close to which he set up his gun line to bombard prior to his assault.

Waller, placing his guns on Coatesfield Hill, near St James' Church opened his bombardment on the 12th July, but due to heavy rain didn't begin his assault until the afternoon, that started with an attack on the Royalist skirmishers defending the hedgerows outside the town.

The view from the church of St James out over the green to the town outskirts, broadly as it was at the time.

The town was heavily barricaded as described in the account by the acting commander of Lord Mohun's Foot. Lieutenant Colonel Walter Slingsby;

'The next morning Waller draws his whole force close to the Towne and beleaguers us round, lying in many places within Carabine shot; rais'd a batterye upon a hill neare the Towne, and then incessantly day and night pours greate and small shott into us. 

There was no better works then hedges, yet had wee so barricaded the Avenues that their Horse could not charge in upon us, neither durst their Foot attempt us, we being almost twice their number, and better Foot. Our match failed us and we were forced to use all the bed-cord in the town, which being prepar'd with rossell served well.'

Street Fighting in the English Civil War - Steve Noon

After 'four hours of fighting the outworks and guards were carried'  by Waller's men driving the Royalist skirmishers back, after their fierce resistance  'and the Parliament's horse charged up into some of the streets' but could not advance further, with the fighting thought to have reached up to Morris Lane and the Church rectory, forming part of the main line of the Royalist defence.

Morris Lane the likely high-water mark of the assault made by Wallers troops on the 12th July and repulsed by Hopton's Cornishmen.

At this point the Royalist defenders 'demanded a parley of two hours, which after some hesitation was granted; and when this was expired, as their object was to spare ammunition as well as to gain time for sleep, they induced Waller to extend it during [an] other six hours.'

The spire of of St, John's church peeks above the trees lining Morris lane, and a key location for both sides, as it was a likely magazine for the remains of Hopton's dwindling powder and shot reserves.

Waller's confidence in the outcome got the better of him as events were to prove, writing on the night of the twelfth to the Speaker of the House of Commons and stating;

'We hope God will not destroy this mighty army of the West. He wrought wonders for us, and we hope the Lord will keep us from the great strength they expect from Oxford.'

The next morning Waller found his plans in disarray as scouts warned him of the approach of Wilmot's relief force.
 
St John the Baptist Church, another battlefield veteran and still bearing the scars of its role in the conflict fought around it in 1643.

Bullet and shot marks still scar the outside stonework indicating the ferocity of the fighting around it



This part of the town just below the castle is one of the oldest, as indicated by the 1773 map and the remaining buildings from medieval Devizes are easily located.


The final part of our day exploring Devizes and Roundway Down entailed a visit to the Wiltshire Museum, just around the corner from St John's, specifically to see what evidence has been found relating to the siege and battle.

That said the museum holds a fascinating display of other items ranging across the history of the wider area from the prehistoric 'Beaker People' to more modern times and is well worth a visit should the opportunity present.



The small collection of finds are as you might expect from a battlefield of this period consisting mainly of small and large shot and a very interesting Royalist pendant lost by a supporter but with a very nice portrait of King Charles I detailed on one side.


The likely path of the Parliamentary rout is well illustrated by the trail of battlefield finds leading to the rear slopes of Roundway Down.


Our visit to Devizes and Roundway Down was the culmination of an ambition to explore the English Civil War history of the area held for many years, as Steve and others who have joined me on trips to the Devizes Wargames Club's annual show 'Attack' can easily confirm, with any plans to quickly 'pop over to the battlefield' very much undone by lack of time spent enjoying the company and the delights of a very pleasant show. 

That said it was so nice to be able to dedicate a day to purposefully explore the locale and have such a nice day, weather wise to do it on, and I would recommend anyone else with similar aspirations to do the same and dedicate at least a day to soak up the history of the events at a leisurely pace. 

Sources consulted for this post:
The 1643 Campaigns for the South West - Robert Giglio
The English Civil War Atlas - Nick Lipscombe
The Praying Captain - A Cavaliers Memoirs (Captain Richard Atkyns) https://www.jstor.org/stable/44222262

Friday, 2 October 2020

The English Civil War, An Atlas and Concise History of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1639 -51 - Nick Lipscombe

 

There  are certain books in my rather large collection that I would never be without and consider a fundamental tome when looking to read up on any given period, subject or fact that will give me the detail I'm after.

These kind of books are not the superficial, coffee table items that flatter to deceive with often copious and often colour pictures with occasional maps of subjects that have been repeated ad infinitum but bring very little new or of value to the subject.

When these 'fundamental tomes' come along, it is worth highlighting them for the value they represent and thus it was that I obtained my copy of the newly published English Civil War history and atlas from Osprey and written by Colonel Nick Lipscombe, an author I have reviewed previously here on JJ's with his excellent book 'Wellington's Eastern Front' covering the campaigns fought on the east coast of Spain from 1810-14 and have referred to often with my use of his previous massive work, 'The Peninsular War Atlas' which contributed hugely to my Talavera project and subsequently to my Peninsular War Tour that I wrote about last year.

I well remember pouring over Nick Lipscombe's map of the battlefield of Talavera and working out the specific contours I needed to capture on my table to reflect the nature of the key Allied and French ridges, not to mention the pimple that is the Pajar Vergara and can testify to the sheer enjoyment of having such a perfect reference work to help me in a labour of love that had been long in the planning.

Normally I will read a book from cover to cover and gestate on the contents before delivering my thoughts to you here on the blog, and if they make it to the blog you can feel assured that I have enjoyed the read and can recommend it to anyone else with a similar interest to myself.

The fact that I can say that I have not read this book from cover to cover since it arrived on Wednesday this week, but felt compelled to post this rather concise review should say something, as far as my pleasure at now having this book within my collection of English Civil War references.

The Map Legend - Superb attention to detail

So come on then JJ, what's so good about this book and why would I want to get a copy?

Well as a historical wargamer I am always looking for good maps of battle sites and clear overviews of the campaigns that led to them.

Osprey, the publishers of the book, excel at this type of work in their own series of campaign books and that expertise shows here with the glorious attention to detail that I was expecting, having had the Peninsular War atlas to refer to.

As you will see above, the collection of 156 maps in colour is prefaced by a key to the battle and campaign maps including contours in feet, perfect for those of us interested in creating suitable table-top terrain and for identifying key features when out walking these battle sites. So this is definitely a book that you will not find me complaining about how many of, or what quality are, the maps, quite simply these are excellent.

The Battle of Braddock Down, January 1643 one of the many small actions covered in Nick Lipscombe's atlas

The other key aspect of this book that had me turning to other reference works such as 'The Civil War in the South West' by John Barratt, my usual walking reference book, was my concern that we might have a rather superficial coverage of the campaigns and actions, some of which can be quite small affairs with a few hundred to a few thousand men involved.

Well to illustrate my pleasure, I have included pictures of two of the map plates, illustrating the Battle of Braddock Down fought here in the West Country just down the road from me near Saltash and Liskeard on the Devon-Cornish border in January 1643, only four months after Edgehill.

The battle between Royalist general Sir Ralph Hopton and Parliamentarian commander Colonel William Ruthven only saw 5,000 and 4,000 men on each side respectively take the field and the map above gives a readily interpretable impression of the two armies with pike and musket blocks illustrated together with supporting cavalry.

This is one south west battle site on my list to visit and having a detailed representation and map to accompany such a visit is just the sort of reference to kill for.

The Battle of Ripple Field. Mr Steve and I visited the site a few weeks ago and I will put up some pictures in a follow up post covering our walk, that will help illustrate the excellence of this map from Nick Lipscombe's new book

Likewise, Mr Steve and I recently visited the battle site at Ripple Field just north of Tewkesbury after also visiting the Wars of the Roses battle site, and a post covering our walk will be posted soon here on the blog.

The action between Waller and Prince Maurice was an even smaller affair than Braddock Down with about 2,000 men on each side fought in a field with a slight ridge at one end on which sat Waller's horse.

It was really pleasing to see how well a small action like this was represented in the accompanying maps of the fight and the marching that led up to it and careful examination of the map shows the position we visited situated as it is between a rectangle of narrow lanes and with the ridge shown in the coloured contour levels.

I wish we had had this map on the day, and I will show the pictures of this battle site later, together with a view down the Parliamentarian ridge after Steve and I edged our way around a nearby field to get the perfect view, plus pictures of the pretty hamlet of Ripple, with many buildings little changed from the outside since 1643.


As well as the battlefield maps, the book captures the key details and movements of the King's and Parliament's and their allies forces in a chronological history covering the origins of the conflict in 1639-40 right through to the Interregnum of 1649-60 and the Rule of the Major Generals 1655-57 with maps covering the actions for the whole of the British Isles and Ireland.

The history of the war is broken down into 44 chapters making it a relatively straight forward reference work to be able to research a specific time period or campaign with those glorious maps illustrating key strategic movements as seen in the illustration above.

This is a relatively short summary of this book and I have not read the contents from cover to cover and if my experience of owning the similar Peninsular War Atlas is anything to judge, I am very unlikely to, because this book for me is a dip into reference about aspects of a very large and wide ranging war that has battles and campaigns I am very interested in to others for which I have a passing interest and want to be aware of for completion in my overall knowledge.

The writing covering each section is detailed enough to capture the key facts, with a book on that specific time period or campaign something that I would read in conjunction, but with Lipscombe's maps complementing both accounts.

Speaking as an historical wargamer interested in playing games and recreating actions from the English Civil War, not to mention dreams of campaign aspirations and the enjoyment of walking these battle sites, this book is a well-spring of information that supports those interests and I know I will be referring to it again and again.

The book is hardbound with gorgeously stiff paper making up its pages that number 367 from cover to cover.

Written with the support of the Battlefields Trust this book is likely to be a cornerstone of reference for the foreseeable and if like me you have the slightest interest in the English Civil War, this is a must have inclusion for your reference library.

The English Civil War Atlas is published by Osprey and has a recommended retail price of £55.11, but I got my brand spanking new copy via Amazon Prime for just £32.99 including free delivery, which is an absolute steal for such a stunning book.

Recommended

JJ

Tuesday, 25 August 2020

The Battle and Campaign of Lansdown - Battlefield Walk and a Roman Marching Fort

 
With restrictions on movement eased somewhat in the majority of the UK, Mr Steve and I decided to  meet up and head towards Bath for a day out walking the battle sites of the English Civil War Campaign of Lansdown.

This would see the first clash between old friends and comrades from the war in Bohemia of 1618, now on opposite sides of a 'war without an enemy', namely Sir Ralph Hopton, commanding the Royalist Army of the South West, fresh from its victory at Stratton Hill in May 1643 and Sir William Waller, with several small victories to his credit in the south of England and on the Welsh border, not to mention the capture of Portsmouth in 1642, but with his army on the wrong end of the result in a clash with Prince Maurice at the Battle of Ripple Field in April 1643.

The South West of England was very much one of the key battlegrounds in the First English Civil War and would host its last battle in 1646 at Stow on the Wold as covered in my post from 2018 (see below for my other posts on South West Civil War battle sites visited), and in 1643, with Hopton's arrival to the south-west of Bath skirmishing with Parliamentary troops in Chewton Mendip on the edge of the Mendip Hills, Royalist fortunes in the region were at their height, with the Cornish foot, a veteran-elite Royalist formation confident in its abilities to overcome.


The skirmish at Chewton Mendip cost Hopton some thirty to forty men whilst Waller lost rather more and both sides drew breath with Hopton based in Wells and Waller in Bath as both armies reorganised and attempted to build up their strength in preparation for the forthcoming trial of strength.

Waller was reasonably well off with horse, having some 2,500 troopers but his desperate need was for infantry which caused him to make an urgent request to the Governor of Bristol, Nathaniel Fiennes to supply men from his garrison, writing;

"Good Sir, Sure you think we have both a lame and patient enemy, that will ... stay till be ready to answer his return ... What good will this regiment do Bristol if we perish? Let not the west of England be lost for a little monies, neither send your supplies too late. There is time which wise men will not let slip."

Waller's pleas were seemingly to no avail and by early July he still only had about 1,500 foot.

It was during the lull in the action that Hopton wrote to his old friend suggesting a meeting, which caused Waller to respond with a moving letter of his own which included the famous quote  'war without an enemy' signing it;

 'your most affectionate friend and faithful servant William Waller, Bath 16 June 1643.'

An overview of our walk plan with Lansdown Hill Battlefield to the north west, then driving over to Monkton Farleigh to see the area of the skirmishing on July 2nd 1643, before returning towards Lansdown to take a look at the Roman marching fort close to Bath race course.

The die was cast and Hopton and his Royalist commanders were determined to defeat Waller's Parliamentary army as a matter of priority, seizing the bridge at Bradford on Avon on July 2nd despite the success of Major Francis Duett and his 250 strong cavalry force managing to overcome Sir James Hamilton's Regiment of Horse at Leigh on Mendip, reportedly taking fifteen officers, 97 men, 140 horses and sixty cases of pistols.

The River Avon separated the Royalist army from Bath which moving north sought better ground to press their offensive, only to be countered by Waller's army now reinforced by Alexander Popham's Regiment of Foot from Bristol, as Waller attempted to attack the Royalist force on their march by sending a force under Colonel Robert Burghill, across the river near Claverton by means of a temporary bridge, occupying Monkton Farleigh Hill and concealing their infantry in nearby woods ready to spring their ambush.

The Lansdown Campaign showing the two armies movements around the city of Bath prior to the battle of Lansdown - The Civil War in the South West, John Barratt (Pen & Sword)

However it seems the Royalist advance guard may have been aware of the attempted ambuscade and the Cornish foot forced Burghill's men back down into the valley and their bridge, guarded with a redoubt on the west bank, taking two light Parliamentary guns in the pursuit which ended on the banks of the Avon as darkness fell and the Cornishmen thinking better of pressing their attack over the river and rejoining the main force to continue the march north in order to reach the Lansdown Hill position north of the city.

However Waller was wise to his enemy's march plan and speedily marched north himself taking up position on Lansdown Hill before the Royalists arrived on the 4th July on Freezing Hill directly opposite their line, with a steep valley separating the two forces and with the Royalist forces viewing the strong position selected by Waller for several hours before deciding to fall back to Marshfield at about 1pm, fending off Parliamentary probing attacks with their dragoons as they retired.

The next day found Waller had reinforced his position on Lansdown Hill with the construction of breastworks using the local stone and trees cut down in the woods that masked the front of the position and again after several hours of inconclusive skirmishing the Royalist sought to break contact and fall back to Marshfield, prompting Waller to unleash his own attack sending forward his cavalry to assault their Royalist opposite numbers on Freezing Hill roughly handling them and taking back two light guns, replacing those lost on the 2nd July, before the Royalist cavalry were supported by their infantry who drove the Parliamentary cavalry back to their own lines.

A Google Earth view of Lansdown Hill and the approximate positions of the two armies (Royalist in blue) with point markers in yellow indicating the route we walked and positions the various pictures were take from. The direction of the Royalist attack and later Parliamentary withdrawal are indicated by the coloured arrows

It was by now late afternoon and with some Royalist accounts suggesting that Waller's army seemed ready to fall back from its position with horse and foot 'running around distractedly' and the 'blowing up of powder', it seems the the next series of events are unclear.

Whatever the cause and how orders were issued, Sir Bevil Grenville and the Cornish pikemen advanced up Freezinghill Lane with musketeers to their left in the fields and woods and cavalry to their right with supporting flanking attacks developing to turn both Parliamentary flanks as the attack developed.

The Cornish foot were subjected to artillery fire and musketry as they climbed the hill using the cover the lane provided and the support from their musketeers and cavalry to aid their progress.

In response Waller pulled his men back from the wooded slopes and crest line, purportedly to give room for his cavalry to counterattack the no doubt fatigued Royalist pikemen as they crested the ridge.

As the Cornishmen reached the crest they were met with a hail of cannon and musketry that brought their advance to a halt, soon followed up by three counter-charges by Haselrigg's 'Lobsters', armoured cuirassiers, who in the third attack managed to administer the mortal blow to the head of Bevil Grenville, caught up in the thick of the fighting.

Point 1 Freezinghill Lane, The Grenville Monument and the Parliamentary Front Line


The lay-by alongside on Freezinghill Lane that bisects the battlefield and where we began our day's adventure. It was up this road the Grenville's pikemen advanced onto the ridge you can see in the picture.

Close by, there is the first of the battlefield markers alongside an information board that announces the significance of the site to English and British history

As the Cornish pike fought to hold their ground, the Cornish musketeers joined their comrades on the ridge together with supporting Royalist cavalry, among them Richard Atkyns esquire who left the following account of the action that followed;

'As I went up the hill, which was very steep and hollow, I met several dead and wounded officers brought off; besides several running away, that I had much ado to get up by them. When I came to the top of the hill, I saw Sir Bevill Grinvil's stand of pikes, which certainly preserv'd our army from a total rout, with the loss of his most precious life: 



They stood as upon the eaves of an house for steepness, but as unmovable as a rock; on which side of this stand of pikes our horse were, I could not discover; for the air was so darkened by the smoke of the powder, that for a quarter of an hour together (I dare say) there was no light seen, but what the fire of the volleys of shot gave; and 'twas the greatest storm that ever I saw, in which though I knew not whether to go, nor what to do, my horse had two or three musket bullets in him presently, which made him tremble under me at that rate, that I could hardly with spurs keep him from lying down; but he did me the service to carry me off to a lead horse, and then died: 

The treeline beyond the stone indicates the top of the crest over which the Royalist troops advanced to be met by a hail of shot and successive cavalry assaults by Waller's troops.

The monument to the Sir Bevill Grenville, killed whilst leading the Cornish pikemen in column as they assaulted the Parliamentary position via Freezinghill Lane assaulted by Haselrigg's Lobsters during which Grenville was struck a mortal blow to the head during the third attack


By that time I came up to the hill again, the heat of the battle was over, and the sun set, but still pelting at one another half musket shot off: The enemy had a huge advantage of ground upon our men, for their foot were in a large sheep-cot, which had a stone wall about it as good a defence against anything but cannon as could be, and ours upon the edge of the hill, so steep that they could hardly draw up; 'tis true there were shelves near the place like Romish (Roman) works, where we quartered that night, but to shallow that my horse had a bullet in his neck: 


An interpretation of Haselrigg's 'Lobsters' by Richard Scollins, who made three counter-charges against Grenville's Cornish pike as they crested the ridge into the open ground


We pelted at one another till half an hour before day, and then we heard not any noise, but saw light matches upon the wall, which our commanders observing sent one to discover whether they had quit the field or not, who brought news that they were gone.'



As darkness brought the battle to a close leaving the exhausted Royalist army clinging precariously to its hard fought for gains atop the ridge, Waller's army departed for Bath whilst Royalist Commanders considered what to do should they suffer another counterattack with, it seems, little confidence that the army would stand.

They were not put to the test, and with the Cornish foot scornfully referring to their mounted comrades as 'runaway horse', having suffered the loss not only of their commander but 200 dead and perhaps 300 wounded, compared to reportedly just twenty men lost in Parliamentary ranks, the Royalist had to cope with one final drama to end a somewhat Pyrrhic victory, if you could even call it that.

As the Royalists comforted themselves with having captured 400 arms and ten barrels of powder after the Parliamentary retreat, despite being no nearer to capturing Bath, they had the final drama of the next morning and the injuring of their commanding general, caught in the explosion of an ammunition cart as he was close by.

Richard Atkyns described the affair;

'Lord Hopton, who was then viewing the prisoners taken, some of which, were carried upon a cart wherein was our ammunition; and (as I heard) had match to light their tobacco; ... I had no sooner turn'd my horse, and was gone 3 horse lengths from him, but the ammunition was blown up, and the prisoners in the cart with it; together with the Lord Hopton, Major Sheldon, and Cornet Washnage, who were near the cart on horse back, and several others: It made a very great noise, and darkened the air for a time, and the hurt men made lamentable screeches. As soon as the air was clear , I went to see what the matter was: there I found his Lordship miserably burnt, his horse sing'd like parch'd leather, and Thomas Sheldon (that was 2 horse lengths further from the blast) complaining that the fire was got within his breeches, which I tore off as soon as I could, and from as long flaxen head of hair as ever I saw, in the twinkling of an eye, his head was like a blackamoor; his horse was hurt, and runaway like mad, so that I put him upon my horse, and got two troopers to hold him up on both sides, and bring him to the head quarters, whilst I march'd after with the Regiment.'

Sir Ralph Hopton was described as 'a miserable spectacle, his head swollen as big as two heads and his eyes near burnt out.'

With Lansdown so close to the popular Spa town of Regency Bath it is not surprising that the area was probably a popular place to promenade and picnic, certainly if the gracious graffiti of the early nineteenth century is any indication

Not only well carved initials placed high up on the monument, but a most notable date, 1809, a very turbulent year in British and European history, with Napoleon waging war against Austria and Wellington making his mark in the Spanish peninsula

Just forward of the monument and a short walk through the trees, the Freezinghill Lane up which Grenville's Cornish pikemen advanced with Freezinghill and the former Royalist position across the valley

The route up from the road on the forward edge of the hill is heavily wooded before the ground opens up by the monument beyond the trees in the background of this picture

A view from Waller's line at the opposite hill held by the Royalists before their counterattack

Point 2 - The Extreme Parliamentary Right Flank and the Open Ground Behind


After a short walk following the path through the trees, we came out on the extreme right of the Parliamentary line with the tree line held by them before they pulled back across the open field. The parked cars can be seen on Freezinghill Lane, left background, and the Grenville monument is centre-left background, in among the trees

Looking to the right flank of Waller's line with the valley beyond the wooden fence over which the Royalist flanking force advanced



Point 3 - The Rearward Wall and Waller's Fall-back Line


Following the path along the field behind the tree line we arrive at the wall position along which Waller's army fell back to firing into the Royalists that attempted to follow across the open ground.

It was in this field that the Royalist advance halted with the Parliamentary army leaving lit matches on pike staffs against the wall over night to delay any potential advance as they retired to Bath


The view down the valley to Batheaston and Bath beyond the River Avon, this route being a possible avenue of retreat for Waller's army with his wagons and guns, likely staying on the road to Bath, that follows the ridge line to the right of picture.

Point 4 - The Parliamentary Centre


 Steve and I follow the path of the Cotswold Way that makes its way along the back of the tree line and Waller's centre and left flank

It's been a great summer for blackberries this year

And a good one for crickets!

Amid the thick woods on this part of the line, the ground is disturbed with undulations and banks, perhaps indicating the works built by Waller's troops. 

The path is well marked, directing the walker to the left flank of Waller's position and Hanging Hill that overlooks the Severn Valley and the City of Bristol beyond.

One of the maps we used during our walk to interpret the ground as we saw it


Point 5 - The Extreme Left Flank of the Parliamentary Line


The tree line gives way on the left flank of Waller's line offering stunning views of the country beyond and a great place to stop for a bite of lunch.

The city of Bristol with the River Severn and South Wales beyond.

This part of the hill with its open vistas really gives a good impression of how steep an incline Hopton's army had to deal with when they assaulted up it and the exhaustion they felt at the end of a hard fought day.

Maps suggest that the undulations in the open ground here near Hanging Hill are the remains of quarry pits



With a very pleasant break for lunch gazing out from Hanging Hill towards Bristol and the River Severn we decided to work our way around Bath to see if we could discover the place on the River Avon close to Claverton where Waller's men crossed to intercept and ambush the Royalist army as it marched north around the city from Bradford on Avon on the 2nd July 1643. 

The Reverend T W Jex Blake, Dean of Wells account (link included in the sources below) made interesting reading in describing the events that led to the skirmishing between Monkton Farleigh and Claverton.

Point 6 - Monkton Farleigh and Claverton, The Skirmish on the Avon, 2nd July 1643


Lord Hopton's Account of the Movements of the Royalist army 1643.

'Upon Sunday, the 2nd July, the army advanced to Bradford, where they had a passe over the River Avon at their command, and were on either side within 4 miles of the enemy's quarters. The same night Sr Wm. Waller advanced a great part of his army, both horse, foot and dragoons over the River under Claverton-house, where besides the ford, he had made a bridge, and a redoubt on his side to defend both, reserving the other part of his army with his ordnance in Battalio on Claverton-Down. 

With this part of the army so drawn over the river, he advanced in the night and possessed himself of the high-ground at Munckton-Farly and laid an ambuscade in a woodland-walled ground in the foot of the hill, and so in the morning he advanced strong parties of horse; upon their out guards of horse, which being then strong and well commanded by Major Lower, he held them up till the whole army drew forth, which then in good order both horse and foot advanced towards the enemy.

The overview of the possible crossing point over the Avon between Claverton Down and Monkton Farleigh as described in Hopton's account. The circled area is a potential crossing point where Waller built his bridge and redoubt, with the rest of his army drawn up close by on the open ground of Claverton Down above the position.

The Cornish foot in an hour or two beat the enemy out of their ambuscade, and then both foot and horse advanced upon their main-body on the top of Munckton-Farley hill, where they durst not to stand them and so they had the chase of them as far as Bathe-Easton. In which chase and not before they discovered Sr Wm. Waller with his main body on the other side of the water on the top of Claverton Down with his bridge and his work before mentioned.

Hereupon Prince Maurice turn'd the main of the force of foot to gain that pass which he did just as it was night, and so Sr Wm. Waller in the dark retreated into Bath.

The view of the crossing point close to the weir, a likely shallow her on the Avon, picture taken from Point 6 on the map above with a close up below.

Driving to the hamlet of Monkton Farleigh where the Parliamentary force laid in wait among the woodland for the Royalist army we followed the road aptly named 'Sally in the Wood' down into the valley of the River Avon towards Claverton.

Over this ground the Cornishmen chased the ambush party of Colonel Robert Burghill back to the bridge and redoubt, before Prince Maurice called a halt to matters and turned the Royalist army back to Monkton Farleigh and the race north to beat Waller's army to the dominating high ground of Lansdown Hill, a race they lost.


The Roman Marching Fort - Bath Race Course


With the afternoon drawing on and a two hour drive home we decided to make our way back to the motorway via Bath race course, close to which can be seen the remains of a Roman marching fort in the ploughed field beyond.

Bath is very much a Roman town who took great delight in their discovery of hot water springs in the Avon valley that provided naturally sourced hot spa water to their own purpose built bath house built around 60-70 AD in what was known to the Romans as Aquae Sulis in deference to the Celtic goddess of the spring, adopted by them as Sulis Minerva.


Thus with an early Roman presence in the area it should be no surprise to discover the remains of their military activity and the classic playing card shape of a typical Roman marching fort proved too good a distraction to our journey home to be missed.

After circuitously making our way around the edge of the race course we managed to find an access point to our target field with the view of the clearly defined earthwork boundary obvious set among the yellowing wheat.
 
Our first view of the embanked Roman marching fort as we entered the wheat field. 

On carefully following vehicle tracks through the field so as not to damage the crop we made it over to the embankment where I took the pictures you can see of the interior which we estimated would likely accommodate a cohort sized unit of about 4-500 men and their supporting vehicles and equipment.
 
The size of the interior is really impressive together with its well delineated lines  

Its so pleasing to see that this ancient monument lies so well preserved in the agricultural landscape, giving a marked impression on the size of this sort of field work, together with the skill taken in its creation with straight sides still evident today and the remains of the fosse and embankment well defined.



So there we are, our first walk of a somewhat unusual 2020 and with plans to get another one in for next month.

Sources referred to in this post:
The Civil War in the South West - John Barratt, Pen & Sword Books
Roundhead General, Campaigns of Sir William Waller