Battle of Roundway Down, 13th July 1643

-
After a hiatus, the adventures of William Waller's Southern Association continue... 

After the battlefield defeat (and campaign stalemate) of Lansdowne the now reinforced Southern Association shadowed Hopton's army and took position on Roundway Down, above Devizes on the 8th July.

Hopton's army had been joined by Prince Maurice's and the Marquis of Hertford's forces to form The Army of The West. As Hopton had been temporarily blinded the Royalist command decided to retreat and regroup in Oxford.

Waller put the town under siege; Maurice's cavalry, of little use in a siege broke out and he headed to Oxford, whilst the Regiments of Horse dispersed over Wiltshire. Waller stepped up the pressure and brought his artillery to bear upon the town.

Charles was not in Oxford; Lord Wilmot decided to relieve the siege with just a cavalry force made up of two brigades of Oxford Horse; this was joined in Marlborough by another brigade of horse under Crawford and some of the Western Horse who had escaped from the town. Wilmot's force now consisted of 1800 cavalry.

Waller faced Wilmot with 2500 foot, 2500 horse and 8 guns; most importantly to the rear of his lines was the precipitous escarpment that has Oliver's Castle on it's southern end, and Beacon Hill to it's north.

After some initial skirmishing Wilmot charged, taking Waller's artillery; many of the Southern Association fled for their lives, the vast majority of their cavalry casualties riding over the steep face of the escarpment to their deaths. 

Looking down the escarpment towards Bloody Ditch

For a sense of size and steepness of the slope here's a short video of drone footage of the escarpment via Hedley Thorne on Twitter @thoneh . The escarpment also appears in the film version of 1984 staring John Hurt - it is Winston Smith's dream landscape, and where he first meets up with Julia.

Roundway is where Captain Atkyns famously shot Sir Arthur Hessilrigge at point blank range (Atkyns' pistol was touching Hesilrigge's cuirass). Sir Arthur was dazed but unharmed. Atkyns wrote

Twas my fortune in a direct line to charge their General of Horse, which I suppos'd to be so by his place; 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 mist with both: I then immediately struck in to him, and touchd him before I discharged mine; and I'm sure I hit him, for he staggerd, and presently wheel'd off from his Party and ran.

Those members of the Southern Association that successfully fled the battlefield escaped because of a forlorn hope rearguard action at Beacon Hill.

What's There Now?

Two cannon ball holes in St James's tower

St James's Church 

Damage close to the Beauchamp window,
west end of St John's

and St John's Church both bear scars from Waller's artillery bombardment.

View of the traditional battlefield site

The battlefield itself - there is some speculation as to where exactly on the Down the battle took place; traditionally the two sides are positioned north and south of one another, with the Southern Association having Devizes to their backs. This site is best viewed from the Millenium White Horse parking area.

More recent studies, along with analysis of cannon balls, shot and skeletal remains moves the action further west with the fighting centring upon the car park for Oliver's Castle - such a location would also lend itself to Waller's men having their backs to the steep escarpment face.

The escarpment which plays such a large part in the battle is normally the site of Battlefields Trust interpretation panels. But sadly they were recently vandalised and have now been removed.


One is located close to the car park, from here follow the path west towards


Oliver's Castle, now follow the path that skirts around the fields close to the western edge of the escarpment northwards...


...towards Beacon Hill, from here follow the lane eastwards towards Hill Cottage, you come to a crossroads: a footpath turning on your left (northwards) the lane becomes a made road (eastwards) and a lane turns right (southwards) back to the carpark. This where the fourth board is normally located 

For a view of the  traditional battle site the car park of the Millennium White Horse gives the best views.

Looking down the escarpment face one can clearly see how so many Parliamentarian horse lost their lives: the ditch at the bottom is locally called Bloody Ditch, and it is believed many soldiers and their horse still lie on the slopes of the escarpment. A possible burial pit awaits further archaeological investigation. With approximately 600 men dying in this area, you can understand why the Bloody Ditch appears in many 'most haunted' lists.

Cannon balls found at St James's Church, now on display at Devizes Museum

Down in Devizes itself is the Wiltshire Museum which has a number of artefacts relating to the Battle.

Selected Bibliography 
The Most Heavy Stroke: The Battle of Roundway Down 1643 Chris Scott, Helion Press

Postcodes for SatNavs
Parking for the Oliver's Castle SN10 2JF

Battlefield Interpretation Board sites
  • Car Park OS grid SU004647
  • Oliver's Castle OS grid SU001646
  • Beacon Hill OS grid SU001653
  • Crossroad fourth board OS grid SU005653

Parking for Millenium White Horse SN10 2HY OS grid SU014641
St James's Church, Church Walk SN10 3AA
St John The Baptist, Long Street SN10 1NP
Wiltshire Museum, Long Street SN10 1 NS



If you enjoyed reading this, or any of the other posts, please consider supporting the blog. 
Thanks.


Comments

  1. Dex McHenry21 March 2022 at 18:09

    Interesting as ever. The number of times I've driven through Devizes on the A361 and not clocked that Roundway Down was so close...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Radar21 March 2022 at 18:31

      Thanks Dex. Might be useful keeping an eye on the Battlefields Trust website/Twitter and visiting once the new information boards are in position. (I believe that they are hoping to replace them soon.)

      Delete
  2. Alistair21 March 2022 at 23:05

    Richard Atkyns' frustrated attempt to slay Sir Arthur led to King Charles' one good joke...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Steve-the-Wargamer24 March 2022 at 12:58

    Have to say that those old ECW generals had the unerring ability to pick the most picturesque battle fields.. and Roundway is certainly one of my favourites - it is beautiful up there on a sunny summer day... must get back soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Radar24 March 2022 at 17:24

      I know what you mean Steve. My own favourite is Cropredy Bridge. I remember sitting near Slat mill thinking how tranquil and calm it was there, quite poignant for somewhere that saw so much blood shed.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Colonel Philip O’Reilly of Ballynacargy’s Troop of Horse

-
Image
Somehow, despite the best efforts of real life trying to hinder my painting of little men, I've managed to make some more progress on my Catholic Confederation army. Here's the second of two units of cavalry. Philip MacHugh O'Reilly was the son of Hugh O'Reilly of Ballynacargy, County Cavan, and Katherine MacMahon. The family were deemed to be one of the ‘deserving’ native Irish families whose land was not taken during the Ulster plantation. Not to be confused with Hugh O'Reilly, the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh. Contemporary sources refer to him as a lawyer, but there's no existing evidence of him having attended Inns of Court in England. He may well have received legal training on the Continent, prior to accepting a command in the French army.  Philip inherited the family estate on his return to Ireland. He would play an active role in local politics, holding a number of important roles, before being elected as MP for County Cavan in the 1640 parliament. As M...
Read more

Royalist Harquebusiers on Foot

-
Image
  Bit of an eye candy post today; where I finally get around to painting the Royalist harquebusiers on foot (they've only been sat in the 'to do' pile for nine months or so). For those of you new to KeepYourPowderDry, or the Civil Wars in general, you might be wondering why anyone would want dismounted cavalry. In a nutshell regiments of horse joined in the besieging of houses, but as horses weren't particularly useful when attacking a house, their riders dismounted to fight. They were often in the first wave of assault troops as their buff coats and armour afforded them considerable protection (in comparison to infantry). Plus it also gave them a share of any spoils if the assault was successful. For more information about the role of harquebusiers in sieges, and a look at my existing assault parties see  here . These are Steel Fist figures from pack ECWF 09, but as I have zero faith in Steel Fist swords (they are much too slender to be practical) I have replaced th...
Read more

General Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill’s Regiment of Foot

-
Image
Who? You might be more familiar if I write Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill as Owen Roe O'Neill. But I won't because he was Irish, not English. Although there is some confusion if he was Eoghan Rua or Eoghan Ruadh. I'll stick with Eoghan Ruadh. Now please bear with me, as there's rather a lot of Ó Néills running around Ireland in the 1640s. Eoghan Ruadh had at least eight brothers and four sisters; and was connected through marriage to many of the leading native Irish families of Ulster. His nephews included Daniel O'Neill  and Hugh Dubh O'Neill both of whom were important figures in 1640s Ireland, as well as Conor, Lord Maguire, one of the original plotters of the 1641 rebellion, and his brother Ruari , who commanded a regiment in the Ulster army during the 1640s. In Spanish service, 1605–41 Eoghan Ruadh was accompanied by three of hisbrothers: Phelim, Art Óg, and Cormac. He secured himself a position as captain in the regiment of Henry O'Neill, son of the Earl of Tyro...
Read more

Firenze

-
Image
Firenze/Florence? Well known exile location or has the ECWtravelogue decided to embark upon the grand tour? And what exactly has the birthplace of the renaissance got to do with the Wars of the Three Kingdoms? In all fairness, your immediate reaction of 'well that's got nothing to do with the Wars of the Three Kingdoms' would be correct. What Firenze did have was a ridiculously wealthy Edwardian Anglo-Italian gentleman, called Frederick Stibbert. An English pot Museo Stibbert.  Stibbert's family was incredibly wealthy, his grandfather making a fortune from his role as General Commander of the East India Company, and governor of Bengal.  You can get very close to many of the exhibits, possibly too close; but this brilliant to be able to see details that we normally see through a glass display cabinet  Stibbert's father would be a colonel in the Coldstream Guards; and, through a series of deaths in the family, Frederick would inherit the entire vast fortune. On the hi...
Read more

Novelty and Change

-
Image
The weather is rubbish: it doesn't feel right painting in the summer, but it is much too cold and wet to go on a big ECWtravelogue day out... so expect rather a lot of book related posts of the coming weeks. Helion curate a number of regular conferences linked to their extensive book series. I was lucky to attend the most recent Century of the Soldier conference as a guest of series editor Charles Singleton. The lectures given by the speakers are collated and published  by Helion with the subtitle of "Proceedings of the... Helion and Company 'Century of the Soldier' Conference". I must be clear and point out that Helion sent me this copy for review. So, what is this? A nice souvenir for everyone who attended? Or the 'handouts' for everyone who couldn't be bothered taking notes? If you didn't attend, is it worth splashing the cash? Clearly, at a very facetious level it is both a nice souvenir, and the 'handouts' from the lectures, for those ...
Read more

Soldiers' Clothing of the Early 17th Century

-
Image
The latest tome from Helion focuses on an issue that is right up there in the list of favourite topics at Château KeepYourPowderDry. Occasionally Helion send me books to review, for clarity I bought my copy. I might not be the intended audience for this book, as I know a little bit about the subject, and my bookshelves groan with the weight of Civil War books. But I bought it none the less. Laurence Spring is one of those Civil War historians/researchers whose books will always make me sit up and take notice.  This volume, unsurprisingly, takes a long hard look at clothing issues to soldiers both in Britain and also on the continent. I'm going to be honest, I've not read the 30YW chapters (plus I feel unqualified to comment upon their accuracy), but I have read the 'British' chapters four times. Yes, four. I'm that sad. On the subject of my copy being well thumbed, the cover is, somewhat disappointingly, already delaminating. Not good. This book is chock-full of acc...
Read more

Amsterdam

-
Image
 Amsterdam? English Civil War? Surely a questionable/tenuous link... or an excuse for a 'jolly'. Amsterdam, party capital of the low countries, is not too synonymous with the Civil Wars, standing in the shadows of Breda and The Hague. Detail from 'Militia Company...Bicker' Breda's claim is strong, where many adventuring young gentlemen learned soldiering before the outbreak of the Wars; The Hague, where so many Royalists exiled themselves during the Interregnum/Protectorate.  Amsterdam wasn't too popular with exiled Royalists; however, it did become home for many exiled republicans once the Restoration had returned the monarch to the throne. These exiled republicans would help build Amsterdam's wealth. What Amsterdam does have is a city landscape that very much entered its golden age during the mid seventeenth century. Amongst the pungent aroma of cafes, stroopwafels, extortionate chocolate shops, frites and ladies whose virtue can be easily bought, are a wh...
Read more

Comments. Again (!)

-
Image
Sorry regular readers, once again comments and the contact form have temporarily been turned off. Why? Someone on Twitter has got their knickers in a twist about an information panel at Newark Castle.  Why has she done that? Because the information board features an image of a man of African descent.  The man pictured is an actor, portraying a man called John Americanus, who fought for the King at Newark. John's role in the defence of Newark is well documented. And yes, John was of African descent. The National Civil War Centre created a Civil War Trail around the town, information panels are located at points of interest. These panels feature QR codes which accessed features on a now defunct smartphone app. Each location also featured an eye witness account - stories from real people who witnessed the events in Newark. Each information panel has a photographic representation of the person whose story was told in the app. The Castle's eyewitness account was John Americanus. Un...
Read more

Prison Wagon

-
Image
I've watched enough nonsense on the telly box to know that every historical/supernatural setting requires a prison wagon (effectively a cage on wheels) in which the good people round up witches/monsters, or alternatively the evil henchmen (who are all, almost certainly, called Igor) round up innocent civilians to aid their master's fiendish plans. (delete as appropriate). In fact, spurred on by a regular reader (hello), and their questions about Witchfinder General they asked me where my prison wagon was. Well, as I didn't have on, nor any excuse to not have one, I was spurred into action. I decided to utilise the chassis of Donnington Miniatures' CB14 Open 4 Wheel Wagon. The wagon comes as a kit, flat bed, separate sides and baggage. I ditched the sides, and will utilise the baggage elsewhere. Four Museum Miniatures' draught horses from my spares box will pull the cart. But how to fabricate the 'cage'? A few test pieces proved that I could utilise matches a...
Read more

Houses of Interest: West Yorkshire

-
Image
For more Yorkshire 'related stuff' you can find North Yorkshire here ,  South Yorkshire here ,   East Riding here . See also the Rupert Travelogue  entry for Yorkshire, and the entry for Adwalton Moor Oakwell Hall    was the inspiration for Charlotte Brontë's Fieldhead in "Shirley". More recently it has been used a number of times as a film set, including "Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell". Located close to the M62 and the Leeds branch of purgatory on Earth (aka Ikea), this Tudor manor house is beautifully maintained by Kirklees Borough Council. The hall is presented as a seventeenth century home. I really like this approach, as so often historic houses have different rooms decorated for different eras, so it is really nice to see a house presented from one era in it's entirety. Oakwell was in the ownership of the Batt family, who supported the King; John Batt was a captain and most probably fought at Adwalton Moor. The retreating Parli...
Read more