The Battle of Rowton Heath was a Parliamentarian victory late in the
English Civil War. As a result of his defeat, King Charles I was prevented from marching north to join the Royalist army in Scotland under Montrose (a move which would in
any case have proved fruitless), and was also unable to relieve the besieged city of Chester.
The Campaign
After the destruction of his main army at the decisive Battle of Naseby on
June 14 1645, King Charles made several unavailing attempts to
break through an encirclement by Parliamentarian and Scots Covenanter armies into
the north of England.
On September 18, 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
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 September
20 but an assault on the city walls had been repulsed on September 22. Charles
entered Chester with his Lifeguard of Horse on September 23 via the open west side, while
1500 "Northern Horse" 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 Royalist horse were completely mixed up with the
besieging forces.
Some of the garrison together with the King's Lifeguard of Horse under the 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 September 25, King Charles withdrew to Denbigh with
his remaining horse. Shortly afterwards, Chester was completely invested (although it did not surrender until February 3 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 Philiphaugh.
Music
Ballad of Rowton Moor by Bill
Malkin
Pictures
Image:Rowtonmoormemorial.jpg
Rowton Moor Memorial Stone
External links
References
- Colonel H.C.B. Rodgers, Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars, Seeley Service & Co. Ltd, 1968, hardback, 327
pages.
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