Battle of St. Fagans
Encyclopedia
The Battle of St. Fagans was a pitched battle
in the Second English Civil War
in 1648. A detachment from the New Model Army
defeated an army of former Parliamentarian soldiers who had rebelled and were now fighting against Parliament.
, who had not been paid for a long time and feared that they were about to be disbanded without their arrears of pay, staged a Royalist
rebellion under the command of Colonel John Poyer
, the Governor of Pembroke Castle
. He was joined by Major-General Rowland Laugharne
, his district commander, and Colonel Rice Powell
.
Colonel Thomas Horton with a detachment of just under 3,000 well-disciplined troops from the New Model Army
, was sent by Sir Thomas Fairfax
to secure south Wales
for Parliament and to crush the rebellion. He had one and a half regiments of Horse (cavalry
), most of Colonel Okey's regiment of Dragoon
s and most of a regiment of Foot (infantry
). Horton at first advanced westwards through Wales towards Carmarthen
, but then had to march hastily to Brecon
to forestall an uprising there. From Brecon, he then marched south to Cardiff, occupying the city before the Royalists could do so. His force took up quarters in and around St. Fagans, west of the city.
Another army under Oliver Cromwell
himself was also marching towards Wales. Laugharne was anxious to defeat Horton before Cromwell could reinforce Horton's detachment. After a brief skirmish on 4 May, he launched an attack on 8 May. Laugharne's army consisted of about 7,500 infantry but only 500 cavalry.
The battle now became general in the open area to the north west of the village. In the centre, high hedges hampered Horton's horsemen, but Okey's dragoons forced both Royalist wings back. Eventually, Parliamentarian horse under Major Bethel were able to make a charge against the Royalist left and rear. The Royalists panicked and broke. Over 200 of Laugharne's men were killed and another 3,000 were taken prisoner.
The legend that the river Ely
ran red with blood may be an exaggeration given the casualties, but the veteran parliamentarian advantage in horses meant they were able to repeatedly rout numerically superior numbers on the Royalist side .
while Colonel Horton marched to besiege Tenby
Castle
which was held by about 500 Royalists under the command of Colonel Rice Powell
.
Cromwell, with another detachment of three regiments of foot and two regiments of horse of the New Model Army, had reached Gloucester
on the day of the battle and proceeded to cross into South Wales shortly afterwards. He left Colonel Isaac Ewer
in command of a small force to besiege the Royalist garrison of Chepstow Castle
which was under the command of Sir Nicholas Kemeys
, and pressed on to join Horton at Tenby
, arriving on 15 May. Leaving Horton with enough men to deal with Powel, Cromwell marched the rest of the army to lay siege to Pembroke
.
When these fortresses fell, Cromwell was able to march back into England to defeat an invading Scottish army at the decisive Battle of Preston
. Although they had imposed considerable delay, they would have been able to do so even longer if Laugharne's field army had not been effectively destroyed at St. Fagans.
Pitched battle
A pitched battle is a battle where both sides choose to fight at a chosen location and time and where either side has the option to disengage either before the battle starts, or shortly after the first armed exchanges....
in the Second English Civil War
Second English Civil War
The Second English Civil War was the second of three wars known as the English Civil War which refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1652 and also include the First English Civil War and the...
in 1648. A detachment from the New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
defeated an army of former Parliamentarian soldiers who had rebelled and were now fighting against Parliament.
Background
In April 1648, Parliamentarian troops in WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, who had not been paid for a long time and feared that they were about to be disbanded without their arrears of pay, staged a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
rebellion under the command of Colonel John Poyer
John Poyer
John Poyer was a soldier in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War in South Wales. He later rebelled and was executed for treason.- Background :...
, the Governor of Pembroke Castle
Pembroke Castle
Pembroke Castle is a medieval castle in Pembroke, West Wales. Standing beside the River Cleddau, it underwent major restoration work in the early 20th century. The castle was the original seat of the Earldom of Pembroke....
. He was joined by Major-General Rowland Laugharne
Rowland Laugharne
Major General Rowland Laugharne was a soldier in the English Civil War.His family came from St. Brides House, Pembrokeshire, Wales.Major-General Laugharne, Parliament's commander in south Wales during the First Civil War, sided with the insurgents and took command of the rebel army...
, his district commander, and Colonel Rice Powell
Rice Powell
Rice Powell was a Colonel in the Parliamentary army during the First English Civil War. In the Second English Civil War he allied himself with the Royalist cause. English Civil Wars. He fought in South Wales and played a significant part in events between 1642 and 1649 including a senior role...
.
Colonel Thomas Horton with a detachment of just under 3,000 well-disciplined troops from the New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
, was sent by Sir Thomas Fairfax
Thomas 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...
to secure south Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
for Parliament and to crush the rebellion. He had one and a half regiments of Horse (cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
), most of Colonel Okey's regiment of 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 and most of a regiment of Foot (infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
). Horton at first advanced westwards through Wales towards Carmarthen
Carmarthen
Carmarthen is a community in, and the county town of, Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is sited on the River Towy north of its mouth at Carmarthen Bay. In 2001, the population was 14,648....
, but then had to march hastily to Brecon
Brecon
Brecon is a long-established market town and community in southern Powys, Mid Wales, with a population of 7,901. It was the county town of the historic county of Brecknockshire; although its role as such was eclipsed with the formation of Powys, it remains an important local centre...
to forestall an uprising there. From Brecon, he then marched south to Cardiff, occupying the city before the Royalists could do so. His force took up quarters in and around St. Fagans, west of the city.
Another army under 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....
himself was also marching towards Wales. Laugharne was anxious to defeat Horton before Cromwell could reinforce Horton's detachment. After a brief skirmish on 4 May, he launched an attack on 8 May. Laugharne's army consisted of about 7,500 infantry but only 500 cavalry.
The Battle
A stream known as the Nant Dowlais separated the two armies. In the early morning, Laugharne sent 500 infantry across the stream to attack Horton's centre, hoping to take the Parliamentarians by surprise inside the village. This advance guard was routed by a charge by some of Horton's cavalry, and the Parliamentarians were able to deploy in the open.The battle now became general in the open area to the north west of the village. In the centre, high hedges hampered Horton's horsemen, but Okey's dragoons forced both Royalist wings back. Eventually, Parliamentarian horse under Major Bethel were able to make a charge against the Royalist left and rear. The Royalists panicked and broke. Over 200 of Laugharne's men were killed and another 3,000 were taken prisoner.
The legend that the river Ely
River Ely
The River Ely is a river in South Wales flowing generally south east, from Tonyrefail to the capital city of Cardiff.-Course of the river:...
ran red with blood may be an exaggeration given the casualties, but the veteran parliamentarian advantage in horses meant they were able to repeatedly rout numerically superior numbers on the Royalist side .
Aftermath
Laugharne retreated with what was left of his army to join Colonel Poyer at PembrokePembroke, Pembrokeshire
Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".-History:The main point of...
while Colonel Horton marched to besiege Tenby
Tenby
Tenby is a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, lying on Carmarthen Bay.Notable features of Tenby include of sandy beaches; the 13th century medieval town walls, including the Five Arches barbican gatehouse ; 15th century St...
Castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
which was held by about 500 Royalists under the command of Colonel Rice Powell
Rice Powell
Rice Powell was a Colonel in the Parliamentary army during the First English Civil War. In the Second English Civil War he allied himself with the Royalist cause. English Civil Wars. He fought in South Wales and played a significant part in events between 1642 and 1649 including a senior role...
.
Cromwell, with another detachment of three regiments of foot and two regiments of horse of the New Model Army, had reached Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
on the day of the battle and proceeded to cross into South Wales shortly afterwards. He left Colonel Isaac Ewer
Isaac Ewer
Isaac Ewer was an English soldier and one of the Regicides of King Charles I of England.-Biography:He was probably born in Essex; in his will he describes himself as of Hatfield Broad Oak and before the Civil War was "but a serving-man"....
in command of a small force to besiege the Royalist garrison of Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle
Chepstow Castle , located in Chepstow, Monmouthshire in Wales, on top of cliffs overlooking the River Wye, is the oldest surviving post-Roman stone fortification in Britain...
which was under the command of Sir Nicholas Kemeys
Sir Nicholas Kemeys, 1st Baronet
Sir Nicholas Kemeys, 1st Baronet was a Welsh landowner and soldier during the English Civil War in South Wales and played a key part in events in the region during that conflict.- Lineage :...
, and pressed on to join Horton at Tenby
Tenby
Tenby is a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales, lying on Carmarthen Bay.Notable features of Tenby include of sandy beaches; the 13th century medieval town walls, including the Five Arches barbican gatehouse ; 15th century St...
, arriving on 15 May. Leaving Horton with enough men to deal with Powel, Cromwell marched the rest of the army to lay siege to Pembroke
Siege of Pembroke
The Siege of Pembroke took place in 1648 during the Second English Civil War.- Background :In April 1648, Parliamentarian troops in Wales, who had not been paid for a long time, staged a Royalist rebellion under the command of the Colonel John Poyer, the Parliamentarian Governor of Pembroke Castle...
.
When these fortresses fell, Cromwell was able to march back into England to defeat an invading Scottish army at the decisive Battle of Preston
Battle of Preston (1648)
The Battle of Preston , fought largely at Walton-le-Dale near Preston in Lancashire, resulted in a victory by the troops of Oliver Cromwell over the Royalists and Scots commanded by the Duke of Hamilton...
. Although they had imposed considerable delay, they would have been able to do so even longer if Laugharne's field army had not been effectively destroyed at St. Fagans.