Battle of Sourton Down
Encyclopedia
Battle of Sourton Down was a battle of the first English civil war
that took place on 25 April 1643. Sourton Down lies on the edge of Dartmoor
west of Okehampton
in Devon
.
The battle involved Cornish
Royalist
troops under Sir Ralph Hopton who were ambushed by Major-General James Chudleigh with his cavalry. Captain Drake also led a charge against Royalist dragoons.
Other Royalist commanders included Lord Mohun, Sir Bevil Grenville
and Sir Nicholas Slanning
.
The Parliamentarians attacked but were eventually driven back and the Royalists took up defensive positions among ancient earthworks on the moor. Reinforcements of infantry came from Okehampton
and Chudleigh
and continued to threaten the Royalists, but as skirmishing continued into the night, a violent rain storm broke over the battlefield with added to the confusion and terror.
Grenvile played a key part in a stand amongst the Royalist guns that saved the Cornish army from destruction but eventually the Royalists were routed and left behind their weapons, stores and gunpowder. Hopton's portmanteau was also captured. It contained letters from the King ordering the Cornish army to join forces with the Earl of Hertford
and Prince Maurice
in Somerset.
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
that took place on 25 April 1643. Sourton Down lies on the edge of Dartmoor
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an area of moorland in south Devon, England. Protected by National Park status, it covers .The granite upland dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. The moorland is capped with many exposed granite hilltops known as tors, providing habitats for Dartmoor wildlife. The...
west of Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
.
The battle involved Cornish
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
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...
troops under Sir Ralph Hopton who were ambushed by Major-General James Chudleigh with his cavalry. Captain Drake also led a charge against Royalist dragoons.
Other Royalist commanders included Lord Mohun, Sir Bevil Grenville
Bevil Grenville
Sir Bevil Grenville was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England between 1621 and 1642. He was a Royalist soldier in the English Civil War and was killed in action at the Battle of Lansdowne.-Backgound:...
and Sir Nicholas Slanning
Nicholas Slanning
Sir Nicholas Slanning was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1642. He was a Royalist army officer active in the West of England, during the English Civil War.-Background:...
.
The Parliamentarians attacked but were eventually driven back and the Royalists took up defensive positions among ancient earthworks on the moor. Reinforcements of infantry came from Okehampton
Okehampton
Okehampton is a town and civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and has an estimated population of 7,155.-History:...
and Chudleigh
Chudleigh
Chudleigh is a small town in Devon, England located between the towns of Newton Abbot and Exeter.Chudleigh is very close to the edge of Dartmoor and bypassed by the A38 road in 1972. It began life as a small wool market town, though the nearby Castle Dyke is an Iron Age Hill Fort which demonstrates...
and continued to threaten the Royalists, but as skirmishing continued into the night, a violent rain storm broke over the battlefield with added to the confusion and terror.
Grenvile played a key part in a stand amongst the Royalist guns that saved the Cornish army from destruction but eventually the Royalists were routed and left behind their weapons, stores and gunpowder. Hopton's portmanteau was also captured. It contained letters from the King ordering the Cornish army to join forces with the Earl of Hertford
William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset
Sir William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War....
and Prince Maurice
Prince Maurice von Simmern
Prince Maurice of the Palatinate KG , Count Palatine of the Rhine, was the fourth son of Frederick V, Elector Palatine and Princess Elizabeth, only daughter of James I, King of England and Scotland and Anne of Denmark....
in Somerset.