Battle of Roundway Down 1643 – the Cavalier Victory
The Battle of Roundway Down on 13 July 1643 was the most decisive royalist victory of the English Civil War. It was also a ‘cavalier victory’, a victory won by the King’s horse regiments alone, against a numerically superior force.
The battle saw the total defeat of Parliament’s Western Association army. It left Bristol – England’s second city and port – open to attack. However, had the King’s Western Army foot failed to hold on in Devizes, there would have been no Battle of Roundway Down. The West Country might have remained under parliamentary control and the English Civil War might have taken a very different course.
This page aims to provide historical notes to accompany The Keys of Hell and Death, a historical novel by Charles Cordell. The notes are in order roughly matching the text. They cover the Battle of Roundway Down in 1643. This website also includes notes on the battles of Lansdown Hill, the Siege of Devizes and Storming of Bristol. Articles on The General Crisis of the 17th Century, English Revolution, Pike and Shot Warfare and causes of conflict are also available to read.
The King’s Western Army
In early 1643, the King’s Western Army fought its way from Cornwall to Bath. This website includes notes that explain the latter part of that advance. These include an article on the Battle of Lansdown Hill, fought outside Bath on 5 July 1643. It was an extraordinary, brutal battle.
The core of the King’s Western Army consisted of five Cornish foot regiments. Richard Atkyns describes them as, ‘the very best foot I ever saw for marching and fighting; but so mutinous withal, that nothing but an alarm could keep them from falling foul upon their officers.’ To them were added another four and a half West Country foot regiments and a mixed bag of horse.
The Parliamentary Western Association Army
Sir William Waller commanded the parliamentary army of the Western Association. This consisted of a relatively strong force of horse and dragoons. At Bath, Waller also concentrated three to four battalions of foot drawn from garrisons, including Bristol.
The two armies were quite mismatched. Although stronger in its foot soldiers, the King’s Western Army could not match Waller’s horsemen. Critically, they lacked enough good cavalry to counter Waller’s horsemen on the open Wiltshire downs. This would be a critical factor on their march to join the King at Oxford.
The Siege of Devizes – 9-13 July 1643
Despite their victory at the Battle of Lansdown Hill, the King’s Western Army found themselves trapped in the Wiltshire market town of Devizes. Lacking ammunition and enough good cavalry to face Waller, they prepared to defend the town against siege.
However, Devizes was not well suited or prepared to withstand a siege. The Western Army foot dug out the old town ditch and barricaded the streets to form a perimeter. But they lacked gunpowder. Only two barrels remained after an explosion that badly burned Sir Ralph Hopton.
Equally importantly, Devizes lacked fodder to feed the Western Army’s horses. The defenders decided that Prince Maurice would break out with 300 cavaliers. He would attempt to reach Oxford and reinforcements.
The King’s March North from Oxford in July 1643
This was a key moment in the English Civil War. For the first time in the war, the King looked to have the advantage. In the north, only Hull stood between his Northern Army and East Anglia. In the Midlands, the Queen was marching south with her own army. She carried with her a convoy of munitions that would re-equip his expanded Oxford Army.
If the King could bring together those munitions with his main Oxford Army, the Queen’s army and the Western Army, he would have an overwhelming force. He would potentially have the forces needed to make an attempt to seize London. Alternatively, he could take Bristol, England’s second city and a port capable of landing his army then in Ireland.
But the queen’s march south was not uncontested. She had to fight her way across Burton Bridge in Staffordshire, on 4 July 1643. Prince Rupert moved north with the Oxford Army to meet her at Stratford-upon-Avon. The King joined them in a reunion, on the battlefield of Edgehill, on Thursday 13 July 1643. In the meantime, Oxford was almost empty of troops.
Ammunition and Ambush at Silbury Hill – 9-10 July 1643
At Oxford, the royalists understood the Western Army’s need for powder and match. The King dispatched an ammunition convoy to Devizes. Two horse regiments under the Earl of Crawford and Colonel James Long guarded that convoy.
As the convoy neared Devizes, Waller received ‘intelligence that the Earl of Crawford was coming with supplies and ammunition.’ Waller immediately dispatched two regiments of horse, his own under Major Francis Duett (a Frenchman) and Colonel Burghill’s to intercept the convoy.
We do not know the exact site of the skirmish that followed. Beckhampton, where the road from Avebury descends a low hill, is one option. The other possibility is Silbury Hill. Here, the road crosses the River Kennett before skirting the hill to crest a bend. It is a reasonable site for an ambush.
Before making contact with Crawford and the convoy there was some confusion and the parliamentarians fired on each other in the darkness. However, they soon rallied and discerning Crawford’s men coming along they charged the convoy.
According to a parliamentarian account: ‘Sergeant Major Jowett [Duett], who is a very gallant man, took my troop and another, and with them alone charged the enemy. When we presently routed and pursued a great way, none of the other troops came to second us, and brought away their ammunition.’
The surprise was complete. Both Crawford’s and Long’s regiments were badly cut up and dispersed. Waller’s horsemen captured the entire convoy, including ‘four wains of powder and one of bullet and match and 200 prisoner.’
Prince Maurice’s Breakout – 10 July 1643
Prince Maurice with the Marquis of Hertford and 300 cavaliers departed Devizes at midnight on Monday 10 July 1643. They crossed the Pewsey Downs and made for Marlborough. This was the same night that the Earl of Crawford’s force was ambushed, on the same downs.
The exact route Maurice took is not recorded. Richard Atkyns (Maurice’s major) tells us in his True Relations that they slipped out of Devizes to the south-east, before heading for Marlborough. He also tells us that Waller caught up with the rear guard. A clash ensued and 18 cavaliers were taken prisoner. One possible route for Maurice’s escaped would be via Etchilhampton and All Cannings.
By daybreak (03:40) on Tuesday 11 July, Maurice was eight miles from Devizes. As he entered Marlborough, he was suddenly fired upon. Those shooting turned out to be members of Crawford’s force that had escaped Duett’s ambush. They were probably an outpost stationed near what is now Marlborough College.
Prince Maurice did not stop at Marlborough. With an escort, he rode on, galloping to Oxford. He arrived that afternoon. This was an extraordinary long day’s ride across the downs, via Lambourn. Atkyns describes being so exhausted that he fell off his horse twice. He rode into Farringdon ‘where I reeled upon my horse so extremely that the people of the town took me to be dead drunk’.
Waller Assaults Devizes – Civil War in the West in the balance – 12 July 1643
On the morning of Wednesday 12 July 1643, Waller assaulted Devizes. A bombardment from Coatefield Hill preceded the attack. Waller’s foot battalions overran the royalist outworks, from the east. Almost certainly, this is when two cannon balls punctured the tower of St James’s Church, Devizes. Waller’s assault breached the town perimeter and is said to have penetrated as far as Morris Lane. There are suggestions that some of Waller’s men made it as far as Long Street.
Either way, the defence of Devizes must have hung in the balance. If Waller had succeeded in taking the town, Hopton would have had no option but to surrender. Prince Maurice’s ride to relieve Devizes would have been too late. There would have been no royalist victory at Roundway Down. The West Country would almost certainly have remained under parliamentary control.
As it was, after several hours of fierce hand-to-hand combat, the Western Army foot regained their precarious perimeter. Some of Waller’s officers blamed their defeat on the weather. The day and night were described as ‘extremely wet’. A more detailed account of this action and those that surrounded it can be found on this website at the Siege of Devizes 1643.
Wilmot and Maurice’s Relief March – 12-13 July 1643
On reaching Oxford, Prince Maurice found the city almost empty of troops. However, he did find Henry Wilmot, the newly appointed royalist lieutenant-general of horse. Wilmot immediately dispatched orders for a number of scattered royalist horse regiments to rendezvous at Marlborough.
Wilmot set out for Devizes with Prince Maurice the next day, Wednesday 12 July. Riding through the night, they reached Marlborough early the next day. Here, Sir John Byron joined them with his own brigade of royalist horsemen.
The Earl of Crawford and those of the Western Army cavaliers that could still ride prepared to march with them. Atkyns tells us that they numbered about 1,800 royalist horse and two small cannons, probably gallopers.
Prince Maurice’s feat is remarkable. He, Atkyns and their escort made the extraordinary round trip, riding almost 100 miles in 60 hours. They then charged into battle.
The Battle of Roundway Down – 13 July 1643
Next morning, Thursday 13 July 1643, Prince Maurice and Henry Wilmot’s relief force neared Roundway Down. They fired their two cannon as a signal to Hopton in Devizes of their approach. They probably fired their signal from Roughridge Hill.
The old way from Marlborough to Devizes was not direct. It followed the Great Road from London to Bristol (the A4 today) as far as Beckhampton. But, from Beckhampton, it did not follow the route of today’s A361 direct to Devizes. This is a newer way.
In 1643, the route followed the old Bath Road. This climbed North Down to cross the Wansdyke between Morgan’s Hill and Roughridge Hill. It then crossed Roundway Down before descending the slope between King’s Play Hill and Beacon Hill. A byway led down through Roundway to Devizes.
Waller Marches to Beacon Hill – ‘Without Drum or Trumpet’
Warned of the royalist approach, Waller abandoned his siege of Devizes and marched north to intercept them. The Parliamentary True Relation of the Late Fight, between Sir William Waller’s Forces, and those sent from Oxford gives an account.
‘Thursday night we had resolved on a general assault. But this resolution was scarce taken, but news came that the enemy from Oxford was within two miles, with two thousand horse, which made us draw up to Bagnall [Beacon] Hill, without drum or trumpet, where we found the enemy in sight, marching towards us.’
Waller’s Position on Roundway Down
Waller almost certainly deployed his troops in an arc running along the higher western rim of Roundway Down, from Roundway Hill to King’s Play Hill. This blocked both the old Bath Road and the way down through Roundway to Devizes.
It seems likely that the Western Association foot deployed in the centre under Colonel James Carr. Byron states these were 2,500 strong in five regiments. The battalions were probably based on Sir Robert Cooke’s regiment, Alexander Popham’s, Lord St John’s (Tom Essex’s) and Nathaniel Fiennes’ Foot from Bristol. A combined battalion included companies from Horatio Carey’s Foot, Stephen’s Foot and Sir John Merrick’s ‘London Greycoats’.
Sir Arthur Hesilrigge’s ‘Lobsters’ took the right wing. These were cuirassiers, armoured from head to knee. Atkyns states that they were deployed ‘six deep, in close order’. With them were William Gould’s ‘Devon Horse’. Together, they were probably about 8-900 horsemen.
The Left wing was commanded by Sir Edward Hungerford. It probably included Waller’s own regiment, Robert Burghill’s, Nathaniel Fiennes, Popham’s Horse and a mix of Gloucestershire and Somerset horse. In total, this wing was probably a little over 1,000 strong. They almost certainly occupied the southern slope of King’s Play Hill, astride the old Bath Road.
We also know that Waller had seven brass guns on Roundway Down. These were deployed in front of the foot battalions. It is not clear where Waller’s and Carr’s dragoons were stationed. However, they were probably on the flanks, possibly covering the approach from Devizes.
Finally, we know that Waller also had with him a body of 113 royalist prisoners. These would have been held somewhere to the rear, possibly within the earthworks of Oliver’s Camp. Byron also describes ‘country people’ being present. They had come to watch the show.
The King’s Western Army Foot wait in Devizes
In Devizes, Sir Ralph Hopton learnt that Waller had abandoned his siege of the town and drawn his army up onto Roundway Down. In the town, he heard Wilmot’s two signal guns and answered with cannon shots of precious gunpowder from Devizes Castle.
Hopton tells us in his Bellum Civile that he ordered his foot regiments to ready themselves to march out to join Prince Maurice on the down. However, others were more cautious.
‘But the major part of the principal officers apprehending, reasonably enough, that all that was seen might be but a stratagem of Sir Wm. Waller’s to get the forces out of the twon, prevailed with him to delay, until some officer came down from the Prince.’
The Cavalier Advance – Forlorn Hopes on Roundway Down
The royalist horse did not wait for their foot. They did not even halt to deploy. They continued their advance in three brigades. Wilmot took the left wing, almost certainly swinging south from the line of march along the old Bath Road across Roundway Down. Byron’s brigade took the centre. Crawford and the Western Army horse followed to the right and rear, probably on the road.
At about 3 o’clock in afternoon, the two forces collided. Sir John Byron’s Relation to the Secretary of the Last Western Action gives us a useful report.
‘It was resolved that we should immediately march towards them, and my Lord Willmott very discreetly ordered it, that only his brigade and mine should charge (which both together made not above 1,200 horse), and that the other troops (because they had lately taken an affright, and had been put to the worse by Waller’s Men) should only stand as a reserve and not be employed till it should please God to renew their courage with our success.
‘As we marched towards the rebels, they sent down some troops [a forlorn hope] towards us, which were gallantly encountered by Serjeant Major Paul Smith (who led our Forlorn Hope, consisting of 300 commanded men) and forced them to turn their backs.’
Wilmot Charges Hesilrigge’s Lobsters
Byron continues his report. ‘Sir Arthur Haslerigge seconded these [the parliamentary forlorn hope] with his Formidable Regiment of Lobsters, I mean his Curassiers whom the Lieutenant General [Wilmot] inter-mined with his brigade, and forced them to retreat.
‘Not so, but that they rallied themselves again and charged the second time, but with worse success; for then my brigade being drawn up to second my Lord Willmott, they all ran away that could, and from that time Sir Arthur Haslerig appeared no more in the battle.’
Atkyns Engages Sir Arthur Hesilrigge
Atkyns tells us that ‘the charge was so sudden that I had hardly time to put on my arms. We advanced a full trot 3 deep, and kept in order.’ He was stationed with Prince Maurice on the extreme left of Wilmot’s brigade and found himself beyond the Lobsters’ flank and charging against Sir Arthur Hesilrigge himself. Atkyns relates their engagement.
‘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 missed with both. I then immediately struck into him, and touched him before I discharged mine; and I am sure I hit him, for he staggered and presently wheeled off from his party and ran.’
Atkyns describes his pursuit of Hesilrigge. Unable to wound the armoured man, he stabbed his horse repeatedly until Hesilrigge halted and accepted quarter. Hesilrigge was in the process of handing over his sword when he was rescued by some of his own fleeing cuirassiers. This probably took place somewhere to the rear of Waller’s foot battalions as Hesilrigge’s right wing fled towards Beacon Hill and the old Bath Road.
Byron Charges Waller’s Horse
Byron’s report continues. ‘Waller drew his whole army down the hill, and advanced with his own brigade of horse, with two pieces of cannon before it, and two great bodies of foot on the left flank of it [from Byron’s perspective]. These it fell to my share to charge with my brigade, my Lord Willmott in the meantime rallying his men together to second me if occasion should be.
‘As I marched towards them up the hill, their cannon played upon me at a very near distance, but with very small loss, killing but two in Colonel Sandy’s Regiment. Their musketeers all this while played upon our flank, and hurt and killed some; and another regiment of their horse was watching an opportunity to charge us either in the rear or in the flank, but were hindered by Lord Crawford.
‘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 a pistol till the enemy had spent all his shot, which was punctually observed, so that 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.’
Waller’s Horse Routed – Bloody Ditch
Byron gives us his eyewitness account. ‘Yet they would not quit their ground but stood pushing for it a pretty space, till it pleased God, (I think) 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, and so swept their whole body of horse out of the field, and left their foot naked.
[We] ‘pursued them near three miles [this distance is not born out by the archaeological evidence] over the downs in Bristol way till they came to a precipice, where their fear made them so valiant that they galloped down as if it had been plain ground, and many of them broke both their own and their horses’ necks.’
The steep slope between Oliver’s Camp and Beacon Hill is known today as ‘Bloody Ditch’. This is where many of Waller’s horsemen and their horses fell to their deaths. It would appear that those trying to flee the royalist charge were making for the old Bath Road.
However, they almost certainly lost control of their mounts as herd instinct swept them on and over the precipice. The situation would have been made more confused with the clouds of dust raised by 1,000 horses galloping across the down in summer.
The Breaking of the Western Association Foot
Again, Byron’s report gives the clearest account of what followed. ‘In my return from the chase, I took two pieces of their cannon, and divers waggons laden with ammunition, and then rallied together our scattered troops, which were as much broken as the enemy, by reason of their hot pursuit.
‘In the meantime, my Lord Willmott charged their foot with the horse he had with him, but could not break them. And in the charge Dudley Smith was slain, and Lieutenant Colonel Weston hurt, and many others.
‘But when they saw my horse rallied together again before them, and the Lieutenant General [Wilmot] continuing still in the rear of them, and that the Cornish Foot began to sally out of the town [Devizes], they thought it not fit to stay any longer.
‘They began first gently to march off, their officers marching before them, amongst which (as I have been told since) Sir William Waller himself was, and Popham. With that I advanced toward them with those troops I had rallied, and 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, and too fast for us to overtake them, and the rest blew up their powder, and threw down their arms and betook themselves to their heels.
Our Horse fell in amongst them, and killed 600 of them, and hurt many more, and took 800 prisoners, and all their colours, and this was the success of their great Conqueror.’
The Cavalier Victory
The Battle of Roundway Down was a humiliating defeat for Waller. He called it ‘the most heavy stroke that ever did befall me’. The battle was an outstanding royalist victory. They called it ‘Runaway Down’. Despite having ridden almost 40 miles, a force of 1,800 cavalry defeated a superior mixed force of 5,000 cavalry, infantry and artillery.
The royalists were helped by the high quality of Wilmot’s force, which contained some of the most experienced regiments in the King’s Oxford Army. Against them, Hesilrigge employed outdated tactics, attempting to break Wilmot’s charge with carbine fire. Byron’s report gives the final tally.
‘All their Army absolutely Defeated. Killed upon the Place 600. Prisoners 800. Colours of Foot taken 28. Colours of Horse taken 8. Brass pieces taken 7. All their Ammunition, Baggage, and most of their Arms. … Of ours Killed very few, of note only Dudley Smith. But many Officers and Gentlemen hurt.’
Prisoners and ‘Parsons’
Almost the last line of Byron’s report of the battle provides the following unusual note. ‘Redelivered of ours that were prisoners with them 113 and Mistress Parsons.’
The number of prisoners is not exceptional. However, the inclusion in the report of a ‘Mistress Parsons’ is interesting. Byron must have expected Sir Edward Walker, Secretary at War to Charles I, to know who Mistress Parsons was. He must also have felt that she was important enough to include in his official report.
So, who was she? And why was she on the battlefield of Roundway Down?
No clear record exists of a Mistress Parsons associated with the royalist cause at this time. However, it is possible that ‘Mistress Parsons’ was a pseudonym.
The newspaper Mercurius Civicus – London’s Intelligencer (copy Number 7, dated 13 July 1643) describes ‘lewd strumpets which go under the name of parsons’ in Oxford. It was said that one ‘goes most comely in man’s apparel’, that they ‘lie with the great commanders, sometimes with one and sometimes with other’ … ‘if the walls of Saint Mary’s parish [Oxford] could speak, they would cry out to God for vengeance upon these and the like sodomitish actions’.
Prince Maurice was wounded with a cut to the head at Chewton Mendip on 12 June 1643. Could ‘Mistress Parsons’ have been his mistress? Could she have been travelling to tend him and been captured with the Earl of Crawford’s convoy just three days before the Battle of Roundway Down?
If so, who was she? One possibility is a Misses Kirk. She is described as mistress to Prince Maurice at this time. If so, perhaps ‘Mistress Parsons’ was a play on ecclesiastical words and a reference to Misses Kirk.
The Storming of Bristol 1643
Following the Battle of Roundway Down, Wilmot, Byron and their victorious cavaliers returned to Oxford. The King and Queen arrived in the city to rapturous celebrations two days later, on Saturday 15 July 1643. The King’s Western Army occupied Bath. Walter Slingsby takes up the story.
‘From hence the King’s [Western] Army marched to Bath, which place with some castles and petty garrisons near adjoining was quickly surrendered into our hands. From thence after some days the Army removed to Keynsham, and from thence to the leaguer of Bristol, lying down on the west side of the city.’
With the King’s Oxford Army, they stormed the defences of Bristol on 26 July 1643. Together they seized England’s second city and port for the King. It all but cleared the West Country of Parliamentary forces. Only Gloucester still stood defiant. And it opened a harbour for the King’s forces in Ireland to land in England.
However, the taking of Bristol came at a terrible cost. The King’s Western Army foot regiments hurled themselves at the city walls, only to be cut down on Bristol Temple Meads. The King’s Oxford Army also suffered badly in its assault. An account of the Storming of Bristol follows these notes on this website.
Archaeological Evidence of the Battle of Roundway Down
We are lucky enough to have a good deal of archaeological evidence to definitively place much of the action on Roundway Down. This is made available through the work of Keith Genever who painstakingly mapped his finds on the down over almost 40 years of research. His book, The Battle of Roundway Down, includes marked maps of his finds and is an invaluable research aid. Copies are available from Devizes Books.
On the western slope of Beacons Hill, beside the old Bath Road, lies a burial mound within a chalk pit. The chalk pit dates to 1553 when it provided building material for Bromham House, the home of the Baynton family. Royalists burnt the house in 1645. It was said to be almost as big as Whitehall Palace, which stood on 24 acres.
The burial mound is 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. It is covered by 16 yew trees, one of which is estimated to be over 350 years old. Another 60 yew trees grow on the eastern edge of the chalk pit. One is an Irish yew. These trees are almost certainly grave markers. The site sits on the old parish boundary between Bromham and Heddington. Civil War battlefield burials can often be found on parish boundaries, including at Edgehill.
The site was excavated in 1924. The bodies within the mound were placed in a gully, covered with chalk gravel, then 30 inches of fine soil. A record of the site exists as Wiltshire Council Sites and Monuments Record SMR NOST96NE529. The complete ten-acre chalk pit (at OS grid ref: NGRST995865568) is now protected as a triple SSSI, Site of Special Scientific Interest.
More English Civil War historical notes & maps
I hope you found these notes on the Battle of Roundway Down in 1643 useful. If you are planning to visit the locations in these notes, please do also check out the resources on the Battlefields Hub. This is a site run by the Battlefields Trust, a volunteer organisation dedicated to protecting and promoting Britain’s battlefields. Their guided battlefield walks are excellent.
You may also want to check out more of my English Civil War notes on the website. These include articles on the Battle of Edgehill, the Battle of Lansdown Hill, the Siege of Devizes and the Storming of Bristol.
You can also read about Pike and Shot Warfare. This article explains the clash between Dutch and Swedish military doctrines at Edgehill in 1642. This website also includes articles on The General Crisis of the 17th Century and the backdrop of The Thirty Years War. You can also read about the English Revolution and the Great Rebellion of 1642.
The Keys of Hell and Death – English Civil War novel
These historical notes accompany the text of God’s Vindictive Wrath, a Divided Kingdom novel by Charles Cordell. The story opens at the Battle of Lansdown Hill and closes with the Storming of Bristol in 1643. It includes accounts of the Siege of Devizes and the Battle of Roundway Down.
The Divided Kingdom books take a fresh approach. They are not based on a single hero. They do not take sides. Their voices – ordinary men and women – face each other in the chaos of Britain in civil war. They are both relatable and sharply relevant today. They are also as historically accurate as is possible.
Please do check out some of the writing at Divided Kingdom Books, including book tasters and a FREE ebook short story.
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