Battle of Nantwich
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Nantwich was fought during the First English Civil War
, between the forces of Parliament
and of King Charles I
, northwest of the town of Nantwich
in Cheshire
on 25 January 1644. The Parliamentarians won a victory which halted a run of Royalist successes in the area, and which was a major setback to King Charles's plan of campaign for the year.
. This allowed him to recall several English regiments which had been sent to Ireland after the Irish Rebellion of 1641
, to reinforce his armies. In November 1643, several of these regiments were sent to Cheshire where a new field army was being raised, commanded at first by Lord Capell. Capell was replaced in December by Lord John Byron
, who had been a successful cavalry brigade commander in the King's main "Oxford Army".
Byron launched an offensive from the south with 5,000 men against the Parliamentarian garrisons in Cheshire, most of which were quickly captured. The troops recently returned from Ireland behaved with a degree of ruthlessness not previously displayed in the English Civil War. At Barthomley Church on 26 December, the Parliamentarian garrison surrendered after being smoked out when the Royalists lit a fire against the doors. At least twelve of the prisoners, mostly local militia, were executed in cold blood, with Byron's approval.
On 27 December, Sir William Brereton
, the Parliamentarian commander in Cheshire and Lancashire
, attempted to concentrate his forces to confront Byron, but was defeated by a sudden Royalist attack at the Second Battle of Middlewich
. He retreated with the remnants of his force to Manchester
, in Lancashire.
Nantwich was the only town in Cheshire still held by the Parliamentarians. Its garrison numbered 2,000 men under Colonel George Booth, and were well supplied. Byron launched an attack against the town on 18 January 1644, but was defeated with 500 casualties. Together with the casualties from earlier fighting in Cheshire, and sickness and desertions, Byron's forces were reduced to a total of about 3,500 men. He nevertheless maintained a siege of Nantwich.
, together with his father Lord Fairfax
, had been besieged in Hull
in the second half of 1643. As Sir Thomas's cavalry were of little use in a siege, they were ferried across the Humber
to reinforce Parliamentarian cavalry from the Eastern Association
of counties, commanded by Oliver Cromwell
. Together, they had won several victories, culminating in the Battle of Winceby
, which secured most of Lincolnshire
for Parliament.
In response to Brereton's urgent appeal for reinforcements, the Committee of Both Kingdoms
(the Parliamentarian body responsible for the conduct of the war) ordered Sir Thomas Fairfax to proceed to Manchester. On 29 December 1643, Sir Thomas set out to cross the Pennines in harsh winter weather, with 1,800 cavalry. On arriving at Manchester, he found the infantry of the Parliamentarian garrison to be so ragged that he was supposed to have burst into tears. Nevertheless, he set out from Manchester on 21 January 1644 to relieve Nantwich. He was accompanied by Brereton, and their force eventually numbered 1,800 cavalry, 500 dragoon
s, 2,500 infantry and a few hundred poorly-equipped "cudgellers".
, which normally was a stream 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. The Parliamentarians held the Chester Road bridge in the town, but the Royalists could use a bridge across the river at Beam Bridge, about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) to the north. Byron's headquarters were at Acton
, about 1 miles (1.6 km) to the west of Nantwich. His regiments were quartered in a circle around the town sheltering where they could in countryside covered in snow.
On 24 January, Fairfax's force scattered a small Royalist force which attempted to bar the road to Nantwich at Delamere Forest
. Byron decided to maintain the siege, but the next day there was a sudden thaw which caused the Weaver to rise in spate. Byron ordered his infantry and artillery to move to the west bank of the Weaver around Acton, where the ground was drier, but the bridge at Beam Bridge (and a ferry to its north) were then swept away by the floodwater while Byron himself and his 1,800 cavalry were still on the east bank. He was forced to make a march of 6 miles (9.7 km) via another bridge at Minshull
to support his infantry at Acton.
As Fairfax approached Acton, Colonel Richard Gibson (deputising for Byron's Sergeant-Major General Sir Michael Erneley, who was ill), deployed four regiments of infantry (three of which were "Irish") to face Fairfax. Sir Fulk Hunke's locally-raised regiment protected the rear against Booth's garrison in Nantwich. Most of the Royalist artillery was massed in Acton churchyard, on the left of Gibson's line.
Despite the heavy rain and the numerous ditches and hedges which broke up the ground in front of Gibson's position, Fairfax's force attacked at about 2 pm. Fairfax was informed that Byron was approaching his left rear from the direction of Minshull, but he deployed only two regiments of infantry and his own troop of cavalry to face them, while his main body pushed forward against Gibson. Although Gibson's men repulsed the first Parliamentarian attack, the Parliamentarian cavalry commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax's brother William outflanked the Royalist right wing and forced it to retreat. In the Royalist centre, Colonel Henry Warren's "Irish" regiment broke, and Erneley's own regiment retreated. Behind Gibson's position, Colonel George Booth led a sortie from Nantwich by 600 musketeers which overcame Hunke's regiment and reached Acton churchyard, overrunning the Royalist artillery and wagon park.
By 4:30 pm, only the regiments of Gibson and Sir Robert Byron (younger brother of Lord John) were still fighting on the Royalist flanks. As the Parliamentarians broke through the Royalist centre, these two regiments were overwhelmed. Byron retreated to Chester with the cavalry, which had been unable to break through Fairfax's flanking detachment. Many Royalist soldiers defected to the Parliamentarians, the remainder surrendered or fled. About 1,500 were taken prisoner. Many of the officers took refuge in Acton Church, and were also taken prisoner after surrendering on terms.
wrote of some "Irish" units which joined his army in the South of England at about the same time:
One Royalist officer taken prisoner at Nantwich was Colonel George Monck
(in command of Michael Warren's regiment), who later changed sides and was to play a prominent part in the Commonwealth of England
and the Restoration.
on 25 January. The commemorative day of the battle is celebrated by the local people as Holy Holly Day.
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
, between the forces of Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
and of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, northwest of the town of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
on 25 January 1644. The Parliamentarians won a victory which halted a run of Royalist successes in the area, and which was a major setback to King Charles's plan of campaign for the year.
Campaign
In 1643, King Charles had signed a "cessation" with the Irish ConfederatesConfederate Ireland
Confederate Ireland refers to the period of Irish self-government between the Rebellion of 1641 and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1649. During this time, two-thirds of Ireland was governed by the Irish Catholic Confederation, also known as the "Confederation of Kilkenny"...
. This allowed him to recall several English regiments which had been sent to Ireland after the Irish Rebellion of 1641
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 began as an attempted coup d'état by Irish Catholic gentry, who tried to seize control of the English administration in Ireland to force concessions for the Catholics living under English rule...
, to reinforce his armies. In November 1643, several of these regiments were sent to Cheshire where a new field army was being raised, commanded at first by Lord Capell. Capell was replaced in December by Lord John Byron
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron
John Byron, 1st Baron Byron was an English Royalist and supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War.-Life:...
, who had been a successful cavalry brigade commander in the King's main "Oxford Army".
Byron launched an offensive from the south with 5,000 men against the Parliamentarian garrisons in Cheshire, most of which were quickly captured. The troops recently returned from Ireland behaved with a degree of ruthlessness not previously displayed in the English Civil War. At Barthomley Church on 26 December, the Parliamentarian garrison surrendered after being smoked out when the Royalists lit a fire against the doors. At least twelve of the prisoners, mostly local militia, were executed in cold blood, with Byron's approval.
On 27 December, Sir William Brereton
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet
Sir William Brereton, 1st Baronet was an English writer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1659. He was a commander in the Parliamentary army in the English Civil War....
, the Parliamentarian commander in Cheshire and Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, attempted to concentrate his forces to confront Byron, but was defeated by a sudden Royalist attack at the Second Battle of Middlewich
Second Battle of Middlewich
The Second Battle of Middlewich took place on the 26 December 1643. In the battle around 200 Parliamentarians were killed, along with a number of Royalists under the command of Lord Byron.According to Ormerod's history of Cheshire:"December 2nd, 1643...
. He retreated with the remnants of his force to Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, in Lancashire.
Nantwich was the only town in Cheshire still held by the Parliamentarians. Its garrison numbered 2,000 men under Colonel George Booth, and were well supplied. Byron launched an attack against the town on 18 January 1644, but was defeated with 500 casualties. Together with the casualties from earlier fighting in Cheshire, and sickness and desertions, Byron's forces were reduced to a total of about 3,500 men. He nevertheless maintained a siege of Nantwich.
Parliamentarian moves
Sir Thomas FairfaxThomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...
, together with his father Lord Fairfax
Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron
Ferdinando Fairfax, 2nd Lord Fairfax of Cameron , English parliamentary general.-Early life:He was born in Yorkshire the eldest son of Thomas Fairfax, whom Charles I in 1627 created Lord Fairfax of Cameron in the Peerage of Scotland and received a military education in the Netherlands. Two of his...
, had been besieged in Hull
Siege of Hull (1643)
The unsuccessful second Siege of Hull by the Royalist Earl of Newcastle in 1643 was a victory for Parliament at the high point of the Royalist campaign in the First English Civil War...
in the second half of 1643. As Sir Thomas's cavalry were of little use in a siege, they were ferried across the Humber
Humber
The Humber is a large tidal estuary on the east coast of Northern England. It is formed at Trent Falls, Faxfleet, by the confluence of the tidal River Ouse and the tidal River Trent. From here to the North Sea, it forms part of the boundary between the East Riding of Yorkshire on the north bank...
to reinforce Parliamentarian cavalry from the Eastern Association
Eastern Association
The Eastern Association of counties was a Parliamentarian or 'Roundhead' army during the English Civil War. It was formed from a number of pro-Parliamentary militias in the east of England in 1642, including a troop of cavalry led by Oliver Cromwell...
of counties, commanded by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. Together, they had won several victories, culminating in the Battle of Winceby
Battle of Winceby
The Battle of Winceby took place on 11 October 1643 during the English Civil War near the village of Winceby, Lincolnshire about 4 miles east of Horncastle.-Prelude:...
, which secured most of Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
for Parliament.
In response to Brereton's urgent appeal for reinforcements, the Committee of Both Kingdoms
Committee of Both Kingdoms
The Committee of Both Kingdoms, , was a committee set up during the English Civil War by the Parliamentarian faction in association with representatives from the Scottish Covenanters, to oversee the conduct of the War and Foreign Policy...
(the Parliamentarian body responsible for the conduct of the war) ordered Sir Thomas Fairfax to proceed to Manchester. On 29 December 1643, Sir Thomas set out to cross the Pennines in harsh winter weather, with 1,800 cavalry. On arriving at Manchester, he found the infantry of the Parliamentarian garrison to be so ragged that he was supposed to have burst into tears. Nevertheless, he set out from Manchester on 21 January 1644 to relieve Nantwich. He was accompanied by Brereton, and their force eventually numbered 1,800 cavalry, 500 dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s, 2,500 infantry and a few hundred poorly-equipped "cudgellers".
Battle
At the time, Nantwich was little more than a large village which lay astride the River WeaverRiver Weaver
The River Weaver is a river, navigable in its lower reaches, running in a curving route anti-clockwise across west Cheshire, northern England. Improvements to the river to make it navigable were authorised in 1720 and the work, which included eleven locks, was completed in 1732...
, which normally was a stream 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. The Parliamentarians held the Chester Road bridge in the town, but the Royalists could use a bridge across the river at Beam Bridge, about 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) to the north. Byron's headquarters were at Acton
Acton, Cheshire
Acton is a small village and civil parish lying immediately west of the town of Nantwich in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of...
, about 1 miles (1.6 km) to the west of Nantwich. His regiments were quartered in a circle around the town sheltering where they could in countryside covered in snow.
On 24 January, Fairfax's force scattered a small Royalist force which attempted to bar the road to Nantwich at Delamere Forest
Delamere Forest
Delamere Forest or Delamere Forest Park is a wood in the Cheshire West and Chester area of Cheshire, England, near the town of Frodsham. It includes of mixed deciduous and evergreen woodland, centred at around , making it the largest area of woodland in Cheshire...
. Byron decided to maintain the siege, but the next day there was a sudden thaw which caused the Weaver to rise in spate. Byron ordered his infantry and artillery to move to the west bank of the Weaver around Acton, where the ground was drier, but the bridge at Beam Bridge (and a ferry to its north) were then swept away by the floodwater while Byron himself and his 1,800 cavalry were still on the east bank. He was forced to make a march of 6 miles (9.7 km) via another bridge at Minshull
Minshull Vernon
Minshull Vernon is a hamlet and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The hamlet lies to the north west of Crewe, south east of Winsford and south west of Middlewich. The parish also includes the small settlements of Bradfield Green,...
to support his infantry at Acton.
As Fairfax approached Acton, Colonel Richard Gibson (deputising for Byron's Sergeant-Major General Sir Michael Erneley, who was ill), deployed four regiments of infantry (three of which were "Irish") to face Fairfax. Sir Fulk Hunke's locally-raised regiment protected the rear against Booth's garrison in Nantwich. Most of the Royalist artillery was massed in Acton churchyard, on the left of Gibson's line.
Despite the heavy rain and the numerous ditches and hedges which broke up the ground in front of Gibson's position, Fairfax's force attacked at about 2 pm. Fairfax was informed that Byron was approaching his left rear from the direction of Minshull, but he deployed only two regiments of infantry and his own troop of cavalry to face them, while his main body pushed forward against Gibson. Although Gibson's men repulsed the first Parliamentarian attack, the Parliamentarian cavalry commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax's brother William outflanked the Royalist right wing and forced it to retreat. In the Royalist centre, Colonel Henry Warren's "Irish" regiment broke, and Erneley's own regiment retreated. Behind Gibson's position, Colonel George Booth led a sortie from Nantwich by 600 musketeers which overcame Hunke's regiment and reached Acton churchyard, overrunning the Royalist artillery and wagon park.
By 4:30 pm, only the regiments of Gibson and Sir Robert Byron (younger brother of Lord John) were still fighting on the Royalist flanks. As the Parliamentarians broke through the Royalist centre, these two regiments were overwhelmed. Byron retreated to Chester with the cavalry, which had been unable to break through Fairfax's flanking detachment. Many Royalist soldiers defected to the Parliamentarians, the remainder surrendered or fled. About 1,500 were taken prisoner. Many of the officers took refuge in Acton Church, and were also taken prisoner after surrendering on terms.
Aftermath
The defeat at Nantwich thwarted King Charles's plan to create a field army in the Northwest based on regiments returned from Ireland. The Parliamentarians mistakenly thought that the "Irish" regiments were Catholics and feared their professionalism, but in fact the Royalist general Sir Ralph HoptonRalph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton
Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton was a Royalist commander in the English Civil War.-Life:Hopton was the son of Robert Hopton of Witham Somerset. He was apparently educated at Lincoln College, Oxford and served in the army of Frederick V, Elector Palatine in the early campaigns of the Thirty...
wrote of some "Irish" units which joined his army in the South of England at about the same time:
...bold, hardy men, and excellently well officer'd, but the common-men verie mutenous and shrewdly infected with the rebellious humour of England being brought over meerly by the vertue and loyalty of theire officers and large promesses, which there was then but smale meanes to performe.
One Royalist officer taken prisoner at Nantwich was Colonel George Monck
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
(in command of Michael Warren's regiment), who later changed sides and was to play a prominent part in the Commonwealth of England
Commonwealth of England
The Commonwealth of England was the republic which ruled first England, and then Ireland and Scotland from 1649 to 1660. Between 1653–1659 it was known as the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland...
and the Restoration.
Re-enactments
There is an annual re-enactment of the battle by The Sealed KnotThe Sealed Knot (reenactment)
The Sealed Knot is a British historical association and charity, dedicated to costumed reenactment of battles and events surrounding the English Civil War.-About:...
on 25 January. The commemorative day of the battle is celebrated by the local people as Holy Holly Day.
Sources
- Colonel H.C.B. Rodgers, Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars, Seeley Service & Co. Ltd, 1968, hardback, 327 pages.
External links
- The official Battle of Nantwich web site
- Battle of Nantwich on the Battlefields Trust website