Battle of Kings Norton
Encyclopedia
The battle of Kings Norton
was fought on 17 October 1642. The Parliamentarian
s won the skirmish, which developed out of a chance encounter between Royalist
s under the command of Prince Rupert
and Parliamentarians under the command of Lord Willoughby of Parham
. Both forces had been on their way to join their respective armies which were destined to meet at Edgehill
in the first pitched battle
of the English Civil War
, and after the skirmish both proceeded to join their respective armies.
was marching south through Birmingham. While passing through the town some of the Royal carriages were pillaged and the contents sent to Warwick Castle
a parliamentary stronghold.
Rupert, whose soldiers had been cantoned
in Stourbridge
after Rupert's victory at the Battle of Powick Bridge
during his successful expedition to Worcester in September, left the town on 17 October to join Charles with 9 troops of horse and about 300 foot.
If any reliance is to be placed on one surviving tract of the encounter, Rupert's march crossed the path of a Parliamentary party under the command of Lord Willoughby of Parham
on his way to Join the Earl of Essex's
parliamentary army.
area.
The resulting battle was "very fierce and cruel". It was the Royalists who disengaged having lost between 50 and 80 killed with twenty taken prisoner. The Roundhead
s kept possession of the battlefield and lost between seventeen and twenty men.
speculated that it may have been Willoughby who provided the information on Rupert's (and the King's) movements, which lead Essex to move his army towards Worcester on 19 October.
Kings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
was fought on 17 October 1642. The Parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
s won the skirmish, which developed out of a chance encounter between Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
s under the command of Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
and Parliamentarians under the command of Lord Willoughby of Parham
Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham
Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English peer of the House of Lords.He succeeded to the title 14 October 1617 on the death in infancy of his elder brother Henry Willoughby, 4th Lord Willoughby of Parham...
. Both forces had been on their way to join their respective armies which were destined to meet at Edgehill
Battle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642....
in the first pitched battle
Pitched battle
A pitched battle is a battle where both sides choose to fight at a chosen location and time and where either side has the option to disengage either before the battle starts, or shortly after the first armed exchanges....
of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and after the skirmish both proceeded to join their respective armies.
Prelude
On Monday 17 October 1642 King Charles ICharles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
was marching south through Birmingham. While passing through the town some of the Royal carriages were pillaged and the contents sent to Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century,...
a parliamentary stronghold.
Rupert, whose soldiers had been cantoned
Cantonment
A cantonment is a temporary or semi-permanent military or police quarters. The word cantonment is derived from the French word canton meaning corner or district, as is the name of the Cantons of Switzerland. In South Asia, the term cantonment also describes permanent military stations...
in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
after Rupert's victory at the Battle of Powick Bridge
Battle of Powick Bridge
The Battle of Powick Bridge, fought on 23 September 1642, was the first major cavalry engagement of the English Civil War and it was a victory for the Royalists who overthrew the Parliamentary cavalry. According to Hugh Peters it was "where England's sorrows began".-Prelude:King Charles I of...
during his successful expedition to Worcester in September, left the town on 17 October to join Charles with 9 troops of horse and about 300 foot.
If any reliance is to be placed on one surviving tract of the encounter, Rupert's march crossed the path of a Parliamentary party under the command of Lord Willoughby of Parham
Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham
Francis Willoughby, 5th Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English peer of the House of Lords.He succeeded to the title 14 October 1617 on the death in infancy of his elder brother Henry Willoughby, 4th Lord Willoughby of Parham...
on his way to Join the Earl of Essex's
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the seventeenth century. With the start of the English Civil War in 1642 he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army, also known as the Roundheads...
parliamentary army.
Battle
Lord Willoughby who was in command of about 800 horse and foot met Prince Rupert somewhere between Stourbridge and Birmingham probably in the Kings NortonKings Norton
Kings Norton is an area of Birmingham, England. It is also a Birmingham City Council ward within the formal district of Northfield.-History:...
area.
The resulting battle was "very fierce and cruel". It was the Royalists who disengaged having lost between 50 and 80 killed with twenty taken prisoner. The Roundhead
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
s kept possession of the battlefield and lost between seventeen and twenty men.
Aftermath
Both parties continued on to their destinations: Rupert joined King Charles, while Lord Willoughby joined Essex. The historian J. W. Willis-BundJohn William Willis-Bund
John William Bund Willis-Bund was an historian and local Worcestershire politician.Willis-Bund was born in 1843 at Wick Episcopi, Worcestershire, the son of John Walpole Willis and his second wife Ann Susanna Kent Bund. The adoption of his mother's surname was necessary in order to inherit from...
speculated that it may have been Willoughby who provided the information on Rupert's (and the King's) movements, which lead Essex to move his army towards Worcester on 19 October.