Chalgrove Field, battle of, 1643. Prince Rupert disrupted Essex's advance on Oxford in the summer of 1643 with a series of brilliant sorties. On 17 June he set out with nearly 2, 000 men, mainly cavalry, and surprised several parliamentary garrisons. On the way back the following day, he turned on his pursuers at Chalgrove, between Watlington and Oxford, and inflicted a severe defeat. Fatally wounded in the battle was John Hampden, of ship money fame.
Battle of Chalgrove Field
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| Battle of Chalgrove Field | |||||||
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| Part of the First English Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Royalists | Parliamentarians | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Prince Rupert | Sir Philip Stapleton Colonel John Hampden + |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 1000 cavalry [1] | 1150 cavalry and dragoons [1] | ||||||
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The Battle of Chalgrove was a skirmish during the English Civil War in the county of Oxfordshire. It took place around 09:00 hours on the morning of 18 June 1643 in Chalgrove Field, northeast of Chalgrove in Oxfordshire. It was a minor Royalist victory and is notable for the mortal wounding of Parliamentarian Colonel John Hampden, who died six days later of his wounds.
Contents |
Prelude
Acting on information from Colonel John Hurry, who had recently defected from the Parliamentarians, Prince Rupert took 1,800 men on the night of 17 June on a raid to harass the Earl of Essex's army and attempt to capture his payroll of £21,000.[2] On the morning of 18 June, Prince Rupert's force surprised and destroyed Parliamentarian garrisons at Postcombe and Chinnor.[3] The pay convoy evaded Rupert, and Parliamentarian troops led by Sir Philip Stapleton and Colonel John Hampden pursued Rupert back towards Oxford. At Chalgrove, 10 miles (16 km) southeast of the city, Rupert ordered his infantry ahead while his cavalry set an ambush.
The battle
The Parliamentarian horse closed quickly before the ambush could be set, leaving the two sides separated only by a large hedge. Leading the charge, Rupert
... set spurs to his horse, and first of all, in the very face of the [enemy], lept the hedge that parted [him] from the Rebells[4]
The Royalist troopers quickly followed and routed the Parliamentarians in the short, sharp skirmish that followed. During this fight, John Hampden's pistol exploded in his hand and he was mortally wounded.[4]
Aftermath
John Hampden retired to Thame where he died six days later.[3]
Poor Hampden is dead ... I have scarce strength to pronounce that word.—Anthony Nichol, M.P., on hearing the news[5]
Following Chalgrove, Colonel Hurry led another raid a week later which swept around Essex's army and plundered Wycombe. This led to sharp criticism of Essex in London, and he offered his resignation, which was refused.
References
- ^ a b Battle of Chalgrove Battlefield Trust, Accessed 16 June 2008
- ^ English Heritage Battlefield Report: Chalgrove 1643, English Heritage, 1995
- ^ a b "1643: The siege of Reading and Chalgrove Field". http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/military/1643-reading.htm.
- ^ a b Guest, Ken & Denise (1997). British Battles. ISBN 0-00-47-968-3.
- ^ John Adair.The death of John Hampden, John Hampden Society. Accessed 16 June 2008
Further reading
- Chalgrove Field, Buckinghamshire, 18 June 1643 on the British Civil Wars & Commonwealth website
- Chalgrove 1643 website of www.thevickerage.worldonline.co.uk]
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
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