Syon 1 Brentford THE BATTLES of Battlefield House 2 Bridge Trail Panels River Brent BRENTFORD BRENTFORD & Find the six 3 County Court information TURNHAM GREEN panels in KEW Brentford and River Thames Battlefield Trail Chiswick ROYALISTS V PARLIAMENTARIANS CHISWICK V Barley Mow 5 6 Acton Green

Turnham Green 4 Terrace

Battlefields Trust Top row, left to right: King Charles I, General Sir Patrick The Battlefields Trust aims to preserve and interpret Ruthven, and Prince Rupert. Bottom row, left to right: battlefields as educational and historical resources. Major General Philip Skippon, Colonel John Hampden Registered charity number 1017387 and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.

For more information contact: General Sir Patrick Ruthven, then aged 69, was a very Battlefields Trust experienced soldier who commanded the royalist army 33 High Green, Brooke, with Prince Rupert. He was made Earl of Brentford in 1644. Norwich NR15 1HR Prince Rupert commanded the royalist cavalry. He was email: [email protected] the King’s nephew and had been involved in military actions since the age of 14. Major General Philip Skippon, a professional soldier Project supported by who had fought in Europe during the Thirty Years’ War, the Brentford & Chiswick commanded the London militia at Turnham Green. Local History Society, Follow in the footsteps Hounslow Heritage Colonel John Hampden was one of the five MPs 1642 Charles I tried to arrest in January 1642, and led a Guides , Syon Park and the of the Civil War soldiers John Hampden Society regiment of foot at the battles. The Earl of Essex was one of the highest ranking who fought here Designed by Toni Marshall noblemen to support Parliament. He became Captain General of the Parliamentarian armies at the start of www.battlefieldstrust.com/brentfordandturnhamgreen www.battlefieldstrust.com/brentfordandturnhamgreen the English Civil War. What was the THE ENGLISH Civil war?

Strained relations between the King The Battlefields in 1642 and Parliament, over the constitution, taxation and control of the army, came to The prosperous market town of Brentford had one main street lined with houses and shops, a head when Charles I tried to arrest five with a number of alleys running between them. On the north side of the street stood the MPs. Parliament began recruiting soldiers market place and many properties had enclosed gardens behind them. On the south the in July and by August the Civil War had buildings backed onto the Brent and the Thames. St Lawrence’s church stood, as now, on the begun. Everyone thought it would be south side of the road. West of Brentford was Syon House and fields bounded by hedges and over quickly but between 1642 and 1646 ditches. To the north-east of the town was the open common field, but along the road about a quarter of English men became toward Turnham Green were further enclosures. soldiers and one in 25 of the population had died. In the 1640s, 100 acres of Turnham Green lay within the parish of Chiswick and a further 30 acres in Acton. The modern open spaces of Turnham Green, Chiswick Back Common, Why do the battles matter? Acton Common and Acton Green are the remnants of ancient common land which then These battles, which took place over a cold extended as far east as Stamford Brook. On the north side were hedged fields on the and foggy weekend early in the Civil War, rising ground towards Acton’s common fields, and there were also enclosures on the west represent a defining moment in the develop- and east side of the Green. To the south was Chiswick common field, extending almost to ment of parliamentary democracy in England. the walled gardens of the Jacobean Chiswick House. They were the closest the royalists, the King’s supporters, came to taking London, which would have won them the war.

What happened before the battles? After fighting an inconclusive battle at Edgehill on 23 October, the parliamentarian army under the Earl of Essex retreated to London, arriving there on 7 November. The King’s army advanced on the capital and by 11 November they were west of London. Parliament opened peace negotiations with the King, who agreed to talks at Windsor. But before the meeting, he had already decided to march on London the next day. Battle of After once firing [we] advanced to Brentford PUSH OF PIKE and the butt-end JOHN GWYN, A ROYALIST of MUSKETS... SOLDIER,WHO FOUGHT AT BRENTFORD

Second Barricade Pressing on, the royalists were faced with Guildhall Library, City of London a second barricade, defended by troops House of the royalist, Sir Richard Wynn. from Lord Brooke’s parliamentary Wynn’s House regiment of foot. The royalists were The Royalists advanced from Hounslow delayed for two or three hours until Heath on the morning of 12 November. parliament’s soldiers, by now almost Their cavalry first encountered the surrounded, were routed. Some ran back red-coated soldiers of Denzil Holles’ towards London, but others tried to swim parliamentary regiment at Sir Richard the River Thames; many drowned. Wynn’s house, west of Brentford. They had to wait until foot soldiers came up to Aftermath clear Holles’ men from behind a hedge. John Hampden’s parliamentarian regiment covered the retreat of their fleeing Brentford Bridge comrades, probably on Turnham Green. Pursuing the retreating parliamentarians, Around 50 parliamentarian soldiers, the royalists next met a barricade at including many officers, were killed and Brentford bridge defended by more of more drowned during the rout. A further Holles’ soldiers. It took about an hour for 327 were captured. Royalist losses were the royalists to overcome this position. less than 20. After the battle, Brentford

John Hassall painted this reconstruction of the scene in 1928. This map was drawn by Moses Glover in 1635. was severely looted by the royalists. Syon House On the night of 12/13 November, parliament tried to move cannon and ammunition from Kingston-upon-Thames to London by barge down the Thames. But these vessels were scuttled after being fired upon from Syon House and threatened by royalist cannon located near to the modern day Kew Bridge. which has nowbeenbuilt over. Green, Acton Greenand ChiswickCommon Field,much of The twoarmies formedupovertheopenspaces ofTurnham Turnham Green London’s soldierssupportedparliament. militia andshowedtheroyaliststhat troops inthecentre.Thisbolstered were withEssex’s moreseasonedfoot that theinexperiencedmilitiafootregiments Skippon andEssexarrangedthearmyso both housesofparliament. and volunteers,someofwhomcamefrom under MajorGeneralPhilipSkippon,sailors by theEarlofEssex,Londonmilitia regiments ofthefieldarmycommanded Chiswick commonfield.Itconsistedof on theopenlandofTurnham Greenand 24,000 parliamentarianshadformedup By 8amon13 Novemberanarmyof Parliament’s Army Battle of

Royalists Parliamentarians battles werefought. commons, fields,orchards andgardens,acrosswhichthe after thebattles.Howeveritshowswelllandscapeof John Rocque’s 1741-45, mapwassurveyed acentury us Come myboys PRAY further fouryears. and sothe Civil War draggedonfor a a negotiated settlementoraswift victory, Turnham Greenendedprospectsofeither of hisstrongposition. Forbothsides criticised forfailingto take advantage half-heartedly. Essexwas Afterwards Hounslow Heath.Essex’s men pursued withdrew skilfullythroughBrentfordto Late intheafternoon,royalists Aftermath break ranks. inexperienced parliamentariantroopsto and failedroyalistattemptstoprovokethe fire punctuated byexchangesofartillery The battlesettledintoastalemate, Stalemate army, hesoonrecalledtheseregiments. ofsplittinghis the royalists.But,fearful horsemen tomarch to Acton to four regimentsoffootsoldiersandtwo wounded onbothsides.Essexthenordered out ofthehedges, The parliamentariansdrovetheroyalists Outflanking Move on therisinggroundtowardsActon. royalists senttroopsintothehedgerows at Brentford.To protecttheirleftflank,the had takenpartinthepreviousday’s battle The royalistarmyofabout12,000 men The RoyalArmy heartily and , I ROSA TURNHAMGREEN AT TROOPS HIS ENCOURAGING MAJOR GENERALPHILIPSKIPPON, YBAEBOYS BRAVE MY leaving afewkilledand FIGHT outflank heartily. , let