The English Civil War --The Battle of Edgehill (Sunday October 23, 1642)
Hostilities had begun when King Charles I had effectively declared war by raising his standard at Nottingham on August 22, 1642, the first battle was on September 23 of that year at Powick Bridge, the a bridge over the River Teme is on one of the main roads Worcester.
The first time the two sides met was at the bridge near Powick, it was considered too small an action to be officially referred to as a battle The skirmish of Powick Bridge, occurred when Prince Rupert of the Rhine, with a force of 1,000 horse, attacked and routed similar number of Parliamentary horse commanded by Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes. Powick bridge still stands today and can be visited 52.170°N 2.2425°W .
The first battle of the Civil War was destined to be Edgehill, a battle that was so inconclusive that both sides claimed it as a victory.
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| Location | Edgehill - County - Warwickshire, England.Nearest settlements the villages of Edgehill and Kineton. |
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| Leaders | Parliament | Royalist |
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| - King Charles I
The cavalry units under the command of
- Prince Rupert of the Rhine
- Lord Byron
The dragoons were commanded by
- Wilmot
The foot companies were commanded by
- Wentworth
- M Byron
- Fellding
- Belacyse
- Gerrard
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| Deployment | PARLIAMENT FORCES | ROYALIST FORCES |
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- Estimates give the force at 15,000.
- Horse - Regular cavalry.
- Foot - Pike and Musket.
- Ordinance - 7
- Other forces - Dragoons.
| - Estimates give the force at 15,000.
- Horse - Regular cavalry.
- Foot - Pike and Musket.
- Ordinance - 6
- Other forces - None recorded.
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| Battlefield Character | - Weather conditions. Light rain, wet.
- Visibility. Fair to good.
- Ground conditions. Soft average for cavalry.
- Natural obstacles. The field was fairly flat and was overlooked by Edge Hill in the south east.
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| Tactical Advantage | - The advantage was on the Royalist side as Prince Rupert had taken position of the Edge Hill. Neither side had numerical advantage in troops and most they were unused to battle. Soldiers paid and lacked training. The officers were professional as some of them had served in the continental wars. The daily rate of pay was just over subsistence with the cavalry being better paid, and at this point in the war neither side knew what to expect.
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| The Battle | - The battle began around 3 pm and was to last until just after dusk.
Battle Positions- The royalist lines were approximately 6 miles wide, on the right and drawn up against the Radway hamlet. To the left of the royalist line were horse commanded by Wilmol. The foot companies were commanded by Wentworth, M Byron, Fellding, Belacyse and Gerrard. the horse on the right were commanded by Lord Byron and Prince Rupert.
- King Charles I took position with the Lifeguard of cavalry and foot at the rear.
- with an estimated strength .
- The Parliamentary lines were almost 6 miles wide. Their forces were drawn up on Naseby ridge. Sergeant-Major General took the center and left of parliaments line .
The Battle Begins- Initially the battle went well for the royalist army, at one point they managed to push the parliamentary forces back.
- After
Cromwells Attack- Cromwell.
The Stalemate- The
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| Casualties | Parliament losses 500. | Royalist losses 500. |
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| Result | |
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| Important Notes | |
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