Charles I and the Civil War Trail
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CHARLES I AND THE CIVIL WAR TRAIL Northamptonshire was much affected by the Civil War and was the site of one of the most important battles at Naseby. Below is set out a chronology with references to the principal Northamptonshire sites where significant events took place. For those interested in a guided tour of the sites and buildings associated with this period please contact Mike Ingram at mikeingramhistorian.weebly.com/tours The trail should start at Northampton became a nursery of sends a rabble of Watermen to Northampton FAWSLEY HALL which was the seat ‘Independency’ or Congregationalism (the to raid Wellingborough and bring back a of the powerful Knightley family whose initial religion of Oliver Cromwell). Archbishop Laud considerable number of prisoners including a fortune came from wool and who lived here remarked, “In no other county In England lame Rev. Thomas Jones. from 1415 to 1913. Their Tudor house was there probably the same extreme was begun by Richard Knightley defiance of rubrics, order and doctrine, as (d. 1534) and completed by his son Edward was the case of some of the parishes in (d. 1542). Its great hall survives to this day Northants”. whereas the rooms that ran off it were remodelled in the 18th century by Smith In August 1642 The King decided to of Warwick, by Thomas Cundy in 1815 send three troops of horse - about 300 men and finally by Anthony Salvin in the 1860’s. - under the command of Sir John Byron The great hall, with it’s oriel window once (the poet’s ancestor), from Nottingham to contained splendid 16th century armorial the Royalist centre of Oxford. Byron’s men 6 May 1643 The governor of Banbury glass which is now Burrell Collection, carried a large sum of money and other garrison - James Compton, 3rd Earl of Glasgow. Fortunately similar fine glass is to valuables which were intended for the launch Northampton, received information that 700 be found in the church here which lies in the of the Royalist effort in the south. Byron’s Parliamentarian infantry with 300 cavalry were middle of a Capability Brown park. route took him through Brackley, where he at Culworth northamptonshiresurprise. See Fawsley church for the Knightley tombs arrived on the evening of 28th August. com./organisation/culworth-st-mary- there: northamptonshiresurprise.com/ As supper was prepared, Byron was the-virgin who were preparing to attack organisation/fawsley-st-mary attacked by a force of some five hundred Banbury. The Earl sent a detachment locals wielding pikes, bills and pitchforks - commanded by a Captain Trist to face them the numbers are large enough to suggest a and keep them in action, whilst he advanced planned ambush. Byron and about half his with approximately 500-600 cavalry. men made their escape towards Oxford. The others were caught unprepared and routed. The booty was enormous. Northampton was also attacked from Queen Eleanor’s Cross by a party of Royalists in August 1642, but two pieces of ordnance drove them off with the loss of twenty men. Fawsley Hall is now a country house hotel: 14 September 1642 Earl of Essex northamptonshiresurprise.com/ reviews the Parliamentarian army which had He found the enemy in close formation in the organisation/fawsley-hall-hotel-spa assembled at Northampton. It was 15,000 ‘Town Field’ of Middleton Cheney (near to the - 20,000 strong. By 22 October, the Royalist present day Moors Drive) where they made a The Hall lay at the heart of the connection army was quartered in the villages around stand - firing their brass cannon and volleys of Puritan nobles and gentlemen from the Edgcote northamptonshiresurprise. of musket shot in a coordinated movement. Oxford - Norhampton - Warwick border area com/organisation/edgcote-st-james The Earl then charged them from the front, who were leading opponents of Charles I’s and was threatening the Parliamentarian with Captain Trist on his left wing and religious and financial policies. John Pym post at Banbury. The garrison of Banbury Sergeant Major Daniel on his right and routed took refuge at Fawsley in 1637. A meeting sent messengers pleading for help to the them. In order to avoid former mistakes by of the Providence Island Company held Parliamentarian garrison at Warwick Castle. too rashly pursuing the fugitive cavalry, the at Preston Copes (adjoining Fawsley, and The first major battle of the Civil War followed Earl immediately followed up by charging also owned by Richard Knightley) saw the just over the county border at Edgehill on their infantry - completely defeating them. formulation of concerted tactics to challenge 23 October 1642. Three hundred prisoners, killed over a the legality of the king’s levy of ship money. hundred and wounded most of the rest, took There were present among others, Lord Saye December 1642 Zouche Tate of Delapre the cannon, all the ammunition, as many and Sele. Lord Brooke, Richard Knightley, Abbey www.northamptonshiresurprise. arms gathered up as four carts could bring. Sir Arthur Haselrig and John Pym. com/organisation/delapre-abbey 2 July 1643 Parliamentarian horse out of forced contributions reckoned at £1000 daily. manor house which was destroyed during Northampton under Captain Samuel, attack Constant skirmishes took place between the the 1643 siege had been built by Henry Vlll. the Rev. William Losse in his church at Lois two sides. On one occasion, a party of the The present manor house, now a residential Weedon, capture him, but he escapes back Newport horse, headed by Colonel Harvey, home, seems to contain some of the original into church and takes refuge in the bell tower. surprised Towcester in the night, slew the 16th century fireplaces. Wounded, taken for dead, he is left there. sentinels, killed about 30 men, took 2 colours The soldiers rode up and down the church and 20 prisoners, whom they brought to 21 February 1644 Parliament ‘spurring and twitching their horses purposely Newport Pagnell without the loss of a single take and fortify Castle Ashby. to endanger the people.’ Weedon Loise man, and only two slightly wounded. northamptonshiresurprise.com/ church, dedicated to St Marys is normally organisation/castle-ashby-gardens open. It dates back to the 14th / 15th century 2nd November 1643 Skirmishes although the crossing beneath the great at Alderton and Stowe Nine Churches tower is Norman. Architecturally this is little northamptonshiresurprise.com/ changed since the Rev. Losse escaped up organisation/church-stowe-st- into the bell tower. The unusual name of the michaels-church 15 men were killed, village may be on account of a shrine here 22 were taken prisoners and the Royalist to St Lucien reflecting the fact that the village horses were taken. “A horse fayre was kept belonged to St Lucien Beauvais. at Newport that day, and horses sold cheape for ready money”. 14 October 1643 Prince Rupert with 2000 horse and 700 foot launch a raid Prince Rupert, having made Towcester very 18 April 1644 Some 50ft from towards Northampton via Long Buckby. strong by constructing water filled ditches Northampton occupy Dryden’s house at Parliamentarian cavalry are sent out to meet and using the remains of the Roman walls, Canon’s Ashby northamptonshiresurprise. them at Kingsthorpe. Advance guards moved to Oxford but left a strong force at com/organisation/canons-ashby/ in order clash at Brampton Bridge. The main Towcester. northamptonshiresurprise. to gather money and supplies from locality. Parliamentarian force retires into the town, com/organisation/towcester The Earl of Northampton’s horse and some chased by Rupert’s cavalry. It is a moonlight 200 foot from Banbury attack, driving them night. The gates are opened to let the cavalry into the church and up the steeple from in, musketeers lining the walls fire on their which they are ejected by threat of burning. pursuers. Exchanges of fire until cannon Whetham offers to exchange prisoners, but are brought to bear. The Royalists move off this was rejected. through Kingsthorpe Hollow and Moulton Park to Billing Bridge and into Bedfordshire. 26 April 1644 A party of horse ride November 1643, Prince Rupert, through the night to rescue the 32 prisoners based at Easton Neston, taken at Canon’s Ashby from a barn next to northamptonshiresurprise.com/ the walls of Banbury Castle the next day and organisation/easton-neston 20 December 1643 Northampton forces defeat a Royalist counter-attack, taking 32 then attacked quarters at Duncote killed 20 men prisoner and returning to Northampton. and returned with 30 prisoners. Skippon, advanced from Newport to Grafton Regis 29th June 1644 Battle of Cropredy Bridge with two troops of horse and 400 foot joining takes place on both sides of the county border. with Colonel Whitam from Northampton with 1400 horse and foot. November 1644 Kilsby ransacked for provisions by Northampton’s men from Siege of Grafton Manor - December Banbury and 24 men taken away. The 1643 The siege seemed to have lasted women of Kilsby march on Banbury and sent out a proclamation to all the local about a week and the house finally demand their men, their 200 cattle and 80 villages demanding labourers with shovels to surrendered on Christmas Day 1643. The horses back. They agree to pay the arrears fortify Towcester based around Bury Mount manor at Grafton originally belonged to the of ‘contribution’, £300, and forfeit the horses where two guns are placed. The forces powerful Woodville family and the village was but get the rest. were increased by a further 14 regiments then, in the 15th century, known as Grafton from Oxford. Towcester was mainly cavalry Woodville. It became Royal property through The first ‘self-denying ordinance’ was put whereas Northampton was mainly infantry.