Battle of Rowton Heath

Battle of Rowton Heath
Part of English Civil War
Rowton Moor Battle Site
Date 24 September 1645 Location near Chester, Cheshire 53°10′31″N 2°49′43″W / 53.1753°N 2.8286°W / 53.1753; -2.8286Coordinates: 53°10′31″N 2°49′43″W / 53.1753°N 2.8286°W / 53.1753; -2.8286 Result Parliamentarian victory
Belligerents
Parliamentarians	Royalists
Commanders
Sydenham Poyntz Col. Michael Jones	Marmaduke Langdale Lord Bernard Stewart †
Strength
3000 horse 300 musketeers	1500 horse unknown number of foot
Casualties and losses
unknown	600 killed 800 prisoners

The Battle of Rowton Heath took place on 24 September 1645, in the vicinity of the city of Chester in England, late in the English Civil War. It resulted in a decisive Parliamentarian victory over a Royalist army commanded in person by King Charles. As a result of his defeat, King Charles was prevented from relieving the besieged city of Chester, and subsequently marching north to join the Royalists in Scotland under Montrose (a move which would in any case have proved fruitless).

The Campaign

After the destruction of his main army at the decisive Battle of Naseby on 14 June 1645, King Charles made several unavailing attempts to break through an encirclement by Parliamentarian and Scots Covenanter armies into the north of England. On 18 September, Charles and his remaining forces were at Raglan Castle in South Wales. He learned that Chester, the only port remaining to him through which he could communicate with potential allies in Ireland, was closely besieged, and that Scots and Parliamentarians under Sydenham Poyntz were closing in on him. With the objects of avoiding encirclement, relieving Chester and eventually reaching Scotland, Charles marched north through the Welsh borderland.

At Chester, the Parliamentarian besieging force under Colonel Michael Jones had stormed the eastern suburbs of Boughton on 20 September but an assault on the city walls had been repulsed on 22 September. Charles entered Chester with his Lifeguard of Horse on 23 September via the open west side, while 1500 "Northern Horse" (from the northern counties of England which were now occupied by Scots and Parliamentarians) under Sir Marmaduke Langdale crossed the River Dee by a ford some 10 miles to the south and occupied Rowton Heath south east of the city, intending to attack the besiegers from the rear.

The battle

Poyntz had been pursuing the King's army. Hearing of the King's arrival at Chester from Jones, he made a forced march with his cavalry through the night and was two miles east of Langdale by the morning. Langdale and Poyntz both formed up for an attack, but the Heath was bad country for cavalry; flat but obstructed by hedges, ditches and woods. Neither force wished to make the first charge and thereby disorder themselves. Eventually, Poyntz did so and drove Langdale back, but the Northern Horse rallied and in turn drove back the Parliamentarians.

Poyntz had sent a message to Jones asking for reinforcements, and he received 500 horse and 300 musketeers. In the close country, the musketeers threw Langdale's men into disorder, and Poyntz drove them back on the eastern suburbs. Langdale had also sent a message to Chester, but even though the officer carrying it succeeded in crossing the River Dee using a tub as a makeshift boat, he was too late to allow reinforcements to be sent to Langdale before the retreating Royalist horse were completely mixed up with the besieging forces.

Some of the garrison together with the King's Lifeguard of Horse under Lord Bernard Stewart sortied from Chester to aid Langdale, but were unable to affect matters. Stewart was killed, and the Royalists were driven from the battlefield, watched by the King who was on the city walls. A tower on the walls at that point was subsequently named in his honour. Also slain at the same time was court composer and musician William Lawes.

Results

On 25 September, King Charles withdrew to Denbigh with his remaining horse. Shortly afterwards, Chester was completely invested (although it did not surrender until 3 February 1646, having lost its strategic value).

Even as King Charles retreated, Lord Byron, the Governor of Chester, reported that the Parliamentarians were celebrating news of the Scots Covenanters' victory over Montrose at the Battle of Philiphaugh.

Music

Ballad of Rowton Moor by Bill Malkin

Pictures

William Lawes, Farndon Parish Church Civil War Memorial Window

Rowton Moor Memorial Stone

Rowton Moor Plan

External links

• British Civil War site
• Sealed Knot web page

References

• Colonel H.C.B. Rodgers, Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars, Seeley Service & Co. Ltd, 1968, hardback, 327 pages.
• This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.