Braddock, Cornwall
Encyclopedia
Braddock is a village and (by the name of Broadoak) a civil parish in Cornwall
, England
, United Kingdom
. The village is situated about seven miles west of Liskeard
, and five miles south-east of Bodmin
.
Broadock parish
is rural in character and is well wooded, especially in the north. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population
of 124.
have been united since 1742. Braddock church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin: the earliest parts of the building are Norman but an aisle and a tower were added in the 15th century.. The font is Norman and there are many good examples of woodcarving in the church: these include the bench ends, part of the rood screen, wagon roofs, an Elizabethan pulpit and two carved panels perhaps of the 18th century.
which occurred on 19 January 1643 and was a crushing defeat for the parliamentarian army. Sir Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton
's royalist forces had been camped the night before the battle at nearby Boconnoc
and were surprised when, in the morning on breaking camp, their vanguard of dragoons encountered enemy parliamentarian cavalry already deployed on the east side of Braddock Down. General Ruthvin, the parliamentarian
commander, had been unwilling to wait for the Earl of Stamford’s reinforcements to arrive at Liskeard
and, perhaps wishing to claim the expected defeat of Hopton as his own, had marched out to challenge the royalist army.
Braddock Down was in terms of scale a battle, but in terms of action was in some senses little more than a skirmish. The defeat of the parliamentarians was achieved with apparently little effort to the Royalists but at great cost to the enemy. Cornwall was placed back under Royalist control and Hopton’s reputation was secured.
There is some dispute over the exact location of the battlefield. The traditional site is partly within the parkland of Boconnoc, partly under pasture. Although the Down was open common grazing land at the time of the battle, the land to the west around Braddock church appears already to have been enclosed by 1643. There one can see examples of the typical Cornish hedge
s, stone faced banks surmounted by hedges, that bounded such enclosures in the 17th century. Today, access to the site is difficult because there are no public footpaths and the roads that traverse the battlefield are narrow with high hedges.
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The village is situated about seven miles west of Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
, and five miles south-east of Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
.
Broadock parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
is rural in character and is well wooded, especially in the north. According to the 2001 census, the parish had a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 124.
Parish Church
The ecclesiastical parishes of Braddock and BoconnocBoconnoc
Boconnoc is a civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of Lostwithiel. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 121.The parish is rural in character and is fairly well wooded...
have been united since 1742. Braddock church is dedicated to St Mary the Virgin: the earliest parts of the building are Norman but an aisle and a tower were added in the 15th century.. The font is Norman and there are many good examples of woodcarving in the church: these include the bench ends, part of the rood screen, wagon roofs, an Elizabethan pulpit and two carved panels perhaps of the 18th century.
Braddock Down battle
The Battle of Braddock Down was a battle of the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
which occurred on 19 January 1643 and was a crushing defeat for the parliamentarian army. Sir Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton
Ralph 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...
's royalist forces had been camped the night before the battle at nearby Boconnoc
Boconnoc
Boconnoc is a civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of Lostwithiel. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 121.The parish is rural in character and is fairly well wooded...
and were surprised when, in the morning on breaking camp, their vanguard of dragoons encountered enemy parliamentarian cavalry already deployed on the east side of Braddock Down. General Ruthvin, the parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
commander, had been unwilling to wait for the Earl of Stamford’s reinforcements to arrive at Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
and, perhaps wishing to claim the expected defeat of Hopton as his own, had marched out to challenge the royalist army.
Braddock Down was in terms of scale a battle, but in terms of action was in some senses little more than a skirmish. The defeat of the parliamentarians was achieved with apparently little effort to the Royalists but at great cost to the enemy. Cornwall was placed back under Royalist control and Hopton’s reputation was secured.
There is some dispute over the exact location of the battlefield. The traditional site is partly within the parkland of Boconnoc, partly under pasture. Although the Down was open common grazing land at the time of the battle, the land to the west around Braddock church appears already to have been enclosed by 1643. There one can see examples of the typical Cornish hedge
Cornish hedge
A Cornish hedge is a style of hedge built of stone and earth found in Cornwall, south-west England. Sometimes hedging plants or trees are planted on the hedge to increase its windbreaking height. A rich flora develops over the lifespan of a Cornish hedge...
s, stone faced banks surmounted by hedges, that bounded such enclosures in the 17th century. Today, access to the site is difficult because there are no public footpaths and the roads that traverse the battlefield are narrow with high hedges.