Battle of Lostwithiel 1644 – battlefield walk & talk
2025-08-31 10:30 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Lostwithiel Community Centre, Pleyber Christ Way, Lostwithiel, PL22 0HA, United Kingdom
Battle of Lostwithiel 1644 – the King’s decisive victory
The Battle of Lostwithiel 1644 was an English Civil War battle involving four armies and a navy, fought across ten square miles over ten long days. This is an opportunity to explore this nationally significance Cornish battlespace with two walks in one day.
Lostwithiel & Castle Dore – battlefield walks & talks
A morning walk (10:30-12:30) around Lostwithiel will outline the tightening royalist siege. It will cover the breakout of Essex’s horse and the explosion that destroyed St Bartholomew’s Church and much of the town.
An afternoon walk (14:00-16:00) to Castle Dore will discuss the parliamentarian withdrawal into the Fowey peninsula. It will consider navy re-supply and the battle across Tywardreath – Castle Dore – Gollant. It will end with the final surrender of Essex’s army.
Please check out the Battlefield Trust website for details. And sign up if you would like to join either of these walks. Unfortunately, the trust must limit the number of walkers it can take.
The Battlefields Trust – protecting Britain’s battlefields
These Battle of Lostwithiel 1644 walks will be free for Battlefield Trust members. Non-members will be asked to make a (small) donation to the trust to support its work in protecting and promoting understanding of Britain’s battlefields.
For more author talks and battlefield walks with Charles Cordell, please check out Charles Cordell Events.

Writing Historical Fiction – Delapre Abbey author talk
2025-09-25 19:30 - 21:00 | Delapre Abbey, London Road, Northampton, NN4 8AW, United Kingdom
Writing Historical Fiction – author talk
Writing historical fiction – an author talk. Charles Cordell will be talking about writing historical fiction and Divided Kingdom book #2 – The Keys of Hell and Death. He will describe his journey from Army to Author and writing historical fiction set within the English Civil War. Q&A and a book signing will follow the talk.
Divided Kingdom – English Civil War historical fiction series
Charles Cordell is the author of English Civil War historical fiction series Divided Kingdom. His writing has received praise and editorial reviews from The Times. The likes of Ben Kane (bestselling author), David Gilman (award winning author), Professor Ronald Hutton CBE (TV historian) and others have given their endorsements.
Divided Kingdom book #2 – The Keys of Hell and Death – follows the Western campaign of 1643. The story opens with the brutal Battle of Lansdown Hill. Its characters – ordinary men and women – face each other and the terrible reality of war. Amongst them, a pair of Northampton shoemaker’s apprentices must survive the Siege of Devizes, the Battle of Roundway Down and the ferocious Storming of Bristol.
Northamptonshire Battlefields Society – Delapré Abbey
To join this Writing Historical Fiction author talk, please do check details on the Northamptonshire Battlefields Society website. The event will be at Delapré Abbey and will be open to the public as well as members. Tickets will be available online via TicketSource from midday on the 1st of August. If you can, come along and join the debate.

Charles Cordell – books, talks & battlefield walks

If you can’t make this event, copies of Charles Cordell’s books are available from Waterstones, Foyles, and good independent bookshops, including The Oundle Bookshop. They are also available online from Amazon, Bookshop.org and Booktopia. Please do check out the book pages for reviews and links at Charles Cordell Books. You can also loan copies from UK libraries, including Northampton Central Library.
For more author talks and battlefield walks with Charles Cordell, please check out Charles Cordell Events.

Battle of Stratton 1643 - battlefield walk & talk
2026-05-10 10:30 - 12:30 | Preston Gate Inn, Poughill Road, Poughill, Bude, EX23 9ET, United Kingdom
Battle of Stratton 1643 – English Civil War turning point
The Battle of Stratton 1643 – a battle that turned the tide of the English Civil War in the West. This is an opportunity to explore a nationally significant Cornish battlefield. Join Charles Cordell on Sunday 10 May 2026 – ahead of the 382nd anniversary, 16 May 1643.
Battle of Stratton 1643 – Stamford Hill walk
The royalist victory at Stratton was hard-won. The Cornish foot defeated a well-positioned and numerically superior parliamentarian force on Stamford Hill outside Bude in Cornwall. The victorious Cornish Army then fought its way to Bath and the brutal Battle of Lansdown Hill. Sadly, it went on to sustain terrible losses at the Storming Bristol on 26 July 1643.
A morning walk will follow the lanes up which the Cornish foot fought. It will end at the Battle of Stratton memorial on Stamford Hill. The walk will last approximately two hours and will include discussion of the key role played by Cornwall in the English Civil War. Stout footwear is recommended.
The meeting point for the walk will be at the Preston Gate Inn in Poughill near Bude EX23 9ET (OS: SS 223078), at 10:30 on Sunday 10 May. Car parking at the pub is limited (please check with staff). However, there is a free village carpark at the cemetery, off Northcott Mouth Road (OS: SS 222079).
Although not part of this Battlefields Trust walk, those interested may wish to also visit St Andrew’s Church and/or the Tree Inn in Stratton. The church includes a good display of artifacts from the battlefield. The Tree Inn was the home of Anthony Payne the ‘Cornish Giant’. As steward and ensign to Sir Bevil Grenville, he fought at the battles of both Stratton and Lansdown Hill in 1643.
Please check out the Battlefield Trust website for more details. If you can, please do sign up ahead of this walk to give an indication of numbers.

The Battlefields Trust – protecting Britain’s battlefields

This Battle of Stratton 1643 walk will be free for Battlefield Trust members. Non-members are asked to make a (small) donation to the trust. This will support its work in protecting and promoting understanding of Britain’s battlefields. Donations (cash or online) can be made on the day of the walk.

For more author talks and battlefield walks with Charles Cordell, please check out Charles Cordell Events.
