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THE BATTLE OF ROUNDWAY DOWN.1

By the REV. E. J. BODINGTON.

[Read at the Meeting of the Society at Devizes, July 10th, 1912.]

June and July, 1643, were among the most critical moments of the war. As so often happens, war had revealed the weaknesses of the military system on both sides. On neither side as yet had any great military genius arisen to create a new organisation. That side on which he first appeared would have the best chance of victory. As everyone knows it was Cromwell's genius which ultimately emerged and decided the war by creating that new military method and machine known as the "New Model." It was the failure, more conspicuous on the Parliamentary than on the Royalist side up to the beginning of August, 1643, which prepared the way for Cromwell's rise to supreme command. Roundway Down Fight, small as were the numbers engaged in it, was one of the final and decisive series of events leading up to this failure and new beginning; and in itself it was to a very considerable degree final and decisive to the campaign in the West, which, by bringing about the fall of Bristol, it ended in the King's favour. The position at this time (July, 1643) was as follows. Yorkshire and the North, where Newcastle commanded, had already, to a great extent, fallen under the power of the King. In the centre, Essex, the best of the Parliamentary generals, facing the King and his main army at Oxford had been pushed to a standstill apparently helpless for some time at Aylesbury or Thame. In the West, Sir Ralph Hopton coming up from Cornwall and Devon had effected a junction with Hertford and Maurice at Chard; and thus had been formed under the command of Hertford the third part or right flank of a threatened converging attack on London and its commerce, which was probably the King's plan at this time. And

This paper, without the notes, was printed in the Wiltshire Gazette, July 11th, 1912.

VOL. XXXVII.-NO. CXVIII.

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the Battle of Roundway Down marks in this Western campaign the failure of Sir William Waller, on behalf of the Parliament, to get between the main body of the King's army at Oxford and this now united Western Division of Royalist troops under Hertford, Maurice and Hopton, who on their side had endeavoured to cut off Waller from London. At Wells these leaders found themselves confronted by Waller at Bath, who, therefore, lay between them and Bristol, which above all things they wanted to capture. Swinging round by Frome, they therefrom endeavoured to approach Bath by way of the Avon Valley, thus achieving the double object of threatening Waller's communications with London and attacking him on his weakest side. But Waller, a good man at choosing ground, lay warily under Claverton Down; so again the Royalists had to make a second swing to the right flank, and getting on to the Chippenham-Bristol main road about Marshfield, they attacked him from the north at Tog Hill (5th July). Waller, however, drew in his men in time on to the north face of Lansdown Hill, and getting his guns on to the northern ridge, inflicted, in spite of the splendid gallantry of Hopton's Cornishmen, such severe losses on the stormers (only 600 out of 2000 of their cavalry remaining unhurt) that though they established themselves on the height, they were unable, especially as they were now short of ammunition, to remain there; and at nightfall, while Waller thought it prudent strategy to retire to Bath, the Royalist commanders felt it necessary to retire to Marshfield (one night), and thence again to Chippenham (two nights), to avoid being cut off from Oxford by Waller, should he move out from Bath by direct road to Chippenham.1

This is what he did, and though the Royalists on Sunday, 9th July, at noon retreated from Chippenham quickly enough to save their communications, yet, as they made for Oxford by Devizes, which was the safest way if they would keep between Oxford and Waller, their rear was hard pressed by the Parliamentarians, and all along the road and fields from Chippenham, through Bromham and Netherstreet and Rowde to Devizes, rear-guard fighting was

1 See Letter of Sir W. Waller and Sir A. Haselrigge to Lenthall, 12th July, 1643. MS. Tanner 62, fol. 164.

going on throughout that Sunday afternoon, in particular two severe actions being fought, the one at three1 miles the other at one mile from Devizes. Of the latter we have an interesting account from Hopton himself, who was leading the infantry. "My horse," he says, "made too much haste to the Towne. Prince Maurice2 therefore ordered my Lord Mohan's regiment then commanded by your servant [i.e., Hopton] to stay att a ffoord about a mile from the towne and to keepe that passe till hee had drawn up the army upon the hill by the Towne which was done in halfe an hower

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and then the Regiment... was drawn off having endured muche shott nothing sheltering them they were exposed too openly, a brooke only running between the enemy and them: that Regiment left odde of 40 dead in that place and carry'd off 17 wounded of which Captain Bluett and Lieut. May were recovered only, the one shott into the very bosom, the other through the shoulder."3 In these operations two hundred prisoners had been taken from the Royalists. So they reached the town, pursuers and pursued, Sunday, 9th July, 1643, night alone parting them, as we learn from both sides.

Next day, while Waller in the morning occupied the hill called Roundway Down, or Bagnall Hill,5 well on the Royalists' communications with Oxford, the Royalist cavalry under Maurice and Hertford made off during the night, at first by Salisbury Plain towards Salisbury, then wheeling round straight for Oxford ineffectually pursued by Waller's cavalry; and Hopton, wounded

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3 Hopton's narrative in Chadwick Healy's Bellum Civile; Somerset Records. 4 Letter of Waller and Hazelrigge, quoted above.

From a True Relation of the Late Fight between Sir W. Waller's Forces and those sent from Oxford etc. sent from a Colonell in that Army now in Bristoll to a friend of his in London. [London, Dexter & Co., 1643.] (Reprinted in Washbourne's Bibliotheca Gloucestriensis,) "it being late we [the Parliamentarians] durst not enter the Towne, but still kept the field in a green near Rowde. The next morning being Monday we drew up to Bagnall Hill with our whole body; that night wee sent out many parties and drew downe to Runway."

6 W. and H. Also A True Relation, etc.

(he had been "miserably burned of powder" by the explosion of an ammunition waggon, at Lansdown)1 and wearied but indomitable, was left with his Cornish and other infantry and his guns, but with little or no ammunition, to defend himself against the siege that was now certain. Hopton had to command the defence from his sick bed. He used the hedgerows as field-trenches, "than which there was no better workes," blocked up the roads and approaches ("advenues") with "great trunkes and other ponderous material,2 so that their horse could not charge in upon us, neither durst their foot attempt us;" stripped the townfolks' beds of "rossel bedcords" for match and the church roofs for lead for bullets, but was hard put to for powder, or his superior numbers and quality might have told decisively.3 "Lord Crafford coming that Monday night, 10th July, with ammunition from Oxford, four waynes of powder and one of bullet and match," was captured with two hundred men at Alton by a strong party sent out by Waller under Major Dowell (Dowett?) and Captain Saunderson. Thereupon Waller, apparently on Tuesday morning, "offered conditions" to Sir Ralph Hopton, which, not being "honourable enough," were refused.5 Waller then attacked, but was repulsed. Had Waller on arriving attacked at once with all his force, it is almost certain the whole Royalist force would have been annihilated. But Waller was slow. In the afternoon (11th July) it seems Hopton obtained delay by offering to treat.6

At 6 p.m. that day Waller at length "fel on but had not time to gayne it. The Cornish defended bravely." Possibly Waller was in no state to attack decisively. So at least he himself says,

1 W. and H.

The Kingdom's Weekly Intelligencer, 11th July, to 18th July, 1643. "We being about twice their number and better foote." Narrative.

Ib. and K. W. J. 5 Hopton's Narrative.

Hopton's

6 I take this to be a second negotiation. See A True Relation of the late Fight between Sir W. Waller's forces and those sent from Oxford, etc.

"Waller and Haselrigge to Speaker Lenthall. The " Colonel " in " A True Relation, etc., says they "fel on coldly."

pointing out that he and his men had been fighting continuously for ten days and ten nights. At all events, all next day, Wednesday, 12th July, he only "continued our assault beating them from all their out workes and guards." "That day and night being extreme wet hindered us much." 1

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All three days, in fact, he had worried his enemy, but had failed to come to close grips with him. He had left the hill top since Monday (except at night) lying in the valley between it and the town, drawing often within carbine shot of the town, stretching his besieging arm round the northern and eastern semi-circle of it, reaching with his cavalry as far as to Potterne. He had planted his batteries on Coatefield, and incessantly day and night poured great and small shott into us," says Hopton. But it was for the night of Thursday, 13th July, that he had planned the full-dress assault, in the time-honoured English way good-naturedly giving (all unwittingly) to his enemy ample notice of his intentions, so that Hopton managed to send an urgent message to Oxford begging for help. At 2 p.m. on the afternoon of that Thursday, 13th July, Waller heard (it could not surely have been with surprise) that the advanced guard of a cavalry force was two miles off him on the high ground of "Bagnall Hill," coming from Oxford. It sounded trumpets" and fired two guns as a signal to Hopton, who, by the Earl of Marlborough, answered “from the old Castle where the Trayne was." It proved to be a cavalry force 2000 to 2500 strong, and to be commanded by Wilmot. Waller hastened "without drum or trumpet" to move his cavalry up to Bagnall Hill to meet him. At 3 p.m. Wilmot, leaving, it is said, seven hundred dragoons in ambush in

1 A True Relation, etc.

2 Hopton's Narrative.

3 Waller tells us the day before "he was looking for an attack in great strength." See Waller and Haselrigg, etc.

A True Relation, etc. I can find or obtain no further topographica details than I have given.

5 A True Relation, etc.

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