Second Battle of Newbury

The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the English Civil War fought on 27 October, 1644, in Speen, adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury, which took place in late September the previous year.

The combined armies of Parliament inflicted a tactical defeat on the Royalists, but failed to gain any strategic advantage.

Campaign

After forcing the surrender of much of the Earl of Essex's army at Lostwithiel in Cornwall, King Charles marched across the southern counties of England to relieve several garrisons (Banbury, Basing House and Donnington Castle, near Newbury), which had been isolated while he had been campaigning in the west.^[1]

Meanwhile, Parliament had been alarmed by the surrender at Lostwithiel, and other reverses suffered by the Army of the Southern Association under Sir William Waller. However, Essex's paroled units were re-equipped, and the Parliamentarian forces in southern England were reinforced by the Army of the Eastern Association under the Earl of Manchester, which had taken part in the victory at Marston Moor and had been released for further service by the surrender of York.

Charles was joined briefly by Prince Rupert, who gave his account of his defeat at Marston Moor. Charles ordered Rupert to march into Gloucestershire, in an attempt to draw some of the Parliamentarian armies after him. The Earl of Essex kept his three armies together (although Manchester was slow to join the other two armies) and the result of Rupert's manoeuvre was to divide the Royalist forces, rather than those of Parliament.

On 22 October, Charles relieved Donnington Castle. He knighted John Boys, the commander of its garrison, and promoted him to Colonel.^[2] He hoped to relieve Basing House next, but the combined Parliamentarian armies were too strong for him to risk an advance. He therefore waited around Newbury for Rupert, and another detachment under the Earl of Northampton which had been sent to relieve Banbury, to rejoin him.

Dispositions and plans

Charles's army held three strong points: Donnington Castle north of Newbury, Shaw House east of the town and the village of Speen to the west. The River Kennet prevented the Parliamentarians making any outflanking move to the south, but the small River Lambourn divided the Royalists at Speen and Newbury from those at Shaw and Donnington Castle.

Shaw House and its grounds, which included some Iron Age embankments which were incorporated into the defences, were defended by Lord Astley, with three "tertias" or brigades of infantry under his son, Sir Bernard Astley, Colonel Thomas Blagge and Colonel George Lisle.^[3] Speen was held by Rupert's brother Prince Maurice, with a mixed detachment from the Royalist forces from the west country. Charles's cavalry under George, Lord Goring were in reserve. They were divided into four brigades under Goring himself, Lord Wentworth, the Earl of Cleveland and Sir Humphrey Bennett.^[3] The Earl of Brentford was the Lord General, and Charles's deputy Lord Hopton commanded the artillery.

Early on 26 October, the combined Parliamentarian armies advanced to Clay Hill, a few miles east of Newbury, where they set up an artillery battery. Intermittent exchanges of cannon fire took place throughout the day. Essex had been taken ill, and Waller and Manchester decided that a frontal attack on Donnington Castle and Shaw House would be too costly. They opted instead to divide their forces. Waller took 12,000 men (including the infantry from the Earl of Essex's army, a brigade of the London Trained Bands and most of the cavalry) on a long march of 13 miles (21 km) around the Royalist position to fall on Speen from the west, while Manchester demonstrated with the remaining 7,000. On hearing the opening cannonade from Waller's guns, Manchester would then put in a full-scale attack on Shaw House.

The battle

The ruins of Donnington Castle

Waller set off late on 26 October and camped overnight far to the north. His force broke camp and resumed its advance on 27 October while Manchester launched a diversionary attack on Shaw House. Although the Royalists at Donnington Castle observed Waller's move, and even sent a small detachment of cavalry to harry his rearguard, the troops at Speen were not warned of the danger.^[4] Waller's force crossed to the south bank of the Lambourne at Boxford, and formed up and attacked at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, with cavalry under Oliver Cromwell on his left flank, infantry under Philip Skippon in the centre and cavalry under Sir William Balfour on the right.

Maurice's forces had been dispersed to forage, and were caught unprepared. Although they repelled the first attack on Speen, the Parliamentarian infantry rallied and stormed the village, capturing several cannon (including some which the Royalists had captured at Lostwithiel).^[5] Sir William Balfour routed Maurice's cavalry and also defeated the Earl of Cleveland's brigade, but was then checked by the fresh Queen's Regiment of horse and musketeers under Sir Thomas Blagge lining hedges east of Speen.^[6] Oliver Cromwell was uncharacteristically slow in coming into action and his wing was thrown back by a charge by Goring's remaining cavalry under Goring himself.

The Earl of Manchester was slow to throw in his own attack, pleading that the noise of Waller's guns had not been heard over the exchanges of artillery fire at Shaw House. Just before dark, he made a determined attack on Shaw House, but was beaten back.^[5]

Casualties in the day's fighting were heavy, but roughly even on both sides.

Aftermath

The Royalists had held off the Parliamentarian forces but Charles knew his army was not up to another day's fighting. He was outnumbered and with the loss of Speen, his forces were vulnerable to another attack the next morning. He hastily retreated north, leaving his wounded and most of his guns and baggage in Donnington Castle. Much of the Royalist army withdrew over a bridge over the Lambourne which was an obvious line of retreat, but no Parliamentarian troops blocked their path, and the Royalists were free to withdraw.^[7]

The following day, the Parliamentarian commanders held a council of war at Speen. Cromwell, Balfour and Sir Arthur Hesilrige eventually were allowed to take cavalry in pursuit of the King's army, but soon found that the Royalists had already crossed the River Thames at Wallingford and had reached the safety of the neighbourhood of Oxford. The Parliamentarians called off the pursuit and instead made a hasty attack on Donnington Castle, which was easily defeated with heavy casualties.^[8]

By 1 November, Charles had been reinforced by Rupert, Northampton and other forces to a strength of 15,000 men, and was able to relieve Donnington Castle again on 9 November. The Parliamentarians declined to contest the second relief of Donnington, and the Royalists found on 19 November that they had also raised the siege of Basing House. Charles thus ended the campaigning season with a notable success.

The Parliamentarian army's unwieldy council of war was divided. When the King offered battle on 9 November, Manchester made his famous remark that "The King need not care how oft he fights... If we fight 100 times and beat him 99 he will be King still, but if he beats us but once, or the last time, we shall be hanged, we shall lose our estates, and our posterities be undone." Cromwell, his Lieutenant General, made the equally famous rejoinder, "If this be so, why did we take up arms at first? This is against fighting ever hereafter. If so, let us make peace, be it never so base."^[9]

The dissatisfaction expressed by Cromwell and other Parliamentarians over the failure to trap Charles and the subsequent half-hearted operations, eventually resulted in the passing of the Self-denying Ordinance, which deprived Essex and Manchester of their commands, and the formation of the New Model Army, with which Parliament gained victory the next year.

Newbury was one of the few battles of the English Civil War in which an army attempted a wide outflanking move. Waller and Manchester took a risk in dividing their army, but were aware that they enjoyed superiority of numbers.

References

Sources

• Rodgers, Colonel H.C.B. (1968). Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars. London: Seeley Service & Co. Ltd. OCLC 38806. 
• Young, Peter; Richard Holmes (1974). The English Civil War. Wordsworth Military Library. ISBN 1-84022-222-0. 

External links

• British Civil War site
• Earl Rivers Regiment Of Foote, Newbury in the English Civil War
• Ancient Places TV: HD Video of Donnington Castle

Coordinates: 51°24′50″N 1°20′06″W / 51.414°N 1.335°W / 51.414; -1.335