Battle of Wigan Lane
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Wigan Lane was fought on 25 August 1651 during the Third English Civil War
, between Royalists under the command of the Earl of Derby
and elements of the New Model Army
under the command of Colonel Robert Lilburne
. The Royalists were defeated, losing nearly half their officers and men.
accepted the Scottish throne which lead to an invasion of Scotland by the New Model Army
under the command of Oliver Cromwell
. Although Cromwell defeated a Scottish army at the Battle of Dunbar
, Cromwell could not prevent Charles II from marching from Scotland deep into England at the head of another Royalist army
. The Royalists marched to the west of England where Royalist sympathies were strongest arriving at Worcester on 22 August 1651. He planned to rest his predominantly Scottish army there and await English reinforcements before pressing on to London. One Royalist contingent from the Isle of Man and Lancashire under the command of Earl of Derby, was heading towards Worcester, and it was the duty of Colonel Robert Lilburne to stop them.
On the day Charles II arrived in Worcester, Lilburne with a company of foot
from Manchester, two more from Chester, and fifty or sixty dragoon
s marched to Wigan, where the enemy was gathering, hoping to surprise them but found they had moved off to Chorley
. The next day, on hearing that the Royalists were at Preston, Lilburne set off in pursuit. He bivouacked
within two miles of the town and sent out patrols to harass the enemy. The next afternoon they retaliated. "A party of the enemy's horse fell smartly amongst us, where our horse was grazing, and for some space put us pretty hard to it : but at the last it pleased the Lord to strengthen us, that we put them to the flight, and pursued them to Ribble bridge (this was something like our business at Mussleburg) and killed and took about thirty prisoners."
Lilburne heard Cromwell's regiment of foot was approaching Manchester. Cromwell had detached the regiment with a troop of horse
from Rutherford Abbey in Nottinghamshire on the 20th or 21st. Lilburne halted on the Ribble
, thinking the foot would join him but though it had marched very rapidly as far as Manchester, was now obliged to advance with great caution as Royalists were reported to have 500 men in Manchester and some of Derby's levies lying between them and Lilburne.
Digby, aware of Lilburne's inferiority in strength, wheeled about and marched back through the town to defeat the Parliamentary
forces piecemeal before they could combine. In spite of the unfavourable nature of the ground, Lilburne decided to accept the proffered battle. Lilburne placed his horse in Wigan Lane, and lined the hedges with infantry. As the Royalists approached they were met with a volley of musket
ry. A fierce fight ensued in the same lanes through which Cromwell had chased the Scots in 1648. Derby divided his force into two equal divisions. Derby took command of the vanguard and gave the rear guard
command to Sir Thomas Tyldesley
. Three times Derby lead charges against Lilburne's cavalry and failed to break them. By the third charge, the ranks of the Royalists were severely depleted and they were overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Parliamentarians, and after an hour's fighting the remaining Royalists fled the field.
Lord William Witherington, Sir William Throgmorton (the Knight Marshal
), Sir Thomas Tyldesley and Colonel Baynton were killed or died of their wounds, with 60 others and 400 prisoners were taken. Cromwell's regiment, which had advanced to join Lilburne picked up many stragglers. Derby escaped badly wounded, and joined Charles at Worcester with only 30 horsemen.
and enlisted ten men from each parish on the Isle of Man
, a total of 170 men. David Craine, in Manannan's Isle states "those who did not fall in the fighting [were] hunted to their death through the countryside."
The defeat was a blow to Charles as this was the only English Royalist force of any size to attempt to ride to his standard in Worcester. Without large numbers of English Royalists to support him, his position was untenable and nine days later his predominantly Scottish army of about 15,000 men was decisively beaten at the Battle of Worcester
by a Parliamentary army nearly twice the size under the command of Cromwell. This victory brought to an end Third English Civil War
and ushered in nine years of republican rule. Charles escaped to France and lived in exile until his return at the Restoration in 1660.
Third English Civil War
The Third English Civil War was the last of the English Civil Wars , a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists....
, between Royalists under the command of the Earl of Derby
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby KG was a supporter of the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.Born at Knowsley, he is sometimes styled the Great Earl of Derby, eldest son of William Stanley, 6th Earl of Derby and Lady Elizabeth de Vere. During his father's life he was known as Lord Strange...
and elements of the New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
under the command of Colonel Robert Lilburne
Robert Lilburne
thumb|right|Robert LilburneColonel Robert Lilburne was the older brother of John Lilburne, the well known Leveller, but unlike his brother who severed his relationship with Oliver Cromwell, Robert Lilburne remained in the army...
. The Royalists were defeated, losing nearly half their officers and men.
Prelude
King Charles IICharles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
accepted the Scottish throne which lead to an invasion of Scotland by the New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
under the command of Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. Although Cromwell defeated a Scottish army at the Battle of Dunbar
Battle of Dunbar (1650)
The Battle of Dunbar was a battle of the Third English Civil War. The English Parliamentarian forces under Oliver Cromwell defeated a Scottish army commanded by David Leslie which was loyal to King Charles II, who had been proclaimed King of Scots on 5 February 1649.-Background:The English...
, Cromwell could not prevent Charles II from marching from Scotland deep into England at the head of another Royalist army
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...
. The Royalists marched to the west of England where Royalist sympathies were strongest arriving at Worcester on 22 August 1651. He planned to rest his predominantly Scottish army there and await English reinforcements before pressing on to London. One Royalist contingent from the Isle of Man and Lancashire under the command of Earl of Derby, was heading towards Worcester, and it was the duty of Colonel Robert Lilburne to stop them.
On the day Charles II arrived in Worcester, Lilburne with a company of foot
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
from Manchester, two more from Chester, and fifty or sixty dragoon
Dragoon
The word dragoon originally meant mounted infantry, who were trained in horse riding as well as infantry fighting skills. However, usage altered over time and during the 18th century, dragoons evolved into conventional light cavalry units and personnel...
s marched to Wigan, where the enemy was gathering, hoping to surprise them but found they had moved off to Chorley
Chorley
Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...
. The next day, on hearing that the Royalists were at Preston, Lilburne set off in pursuit. He bivouacked
Military camp
A military camp or bivouac is a semi-permanent facility for the lodging of an army. Camps are erected when a military force travels away from a major installation or fort during training or operations, and often have the form of large campsites. In the Roman era the military camp had highly...
within two miles of the town and sent out patrols to harass the enemy. The next afternoon they retaliated. "A party of the enemy's horse fell smartly amongst us, where our horse was grazing, and for some space put us pretty hard to it : but at the last it pleased the Lord to strengthen us, that we put them to the flight, and pursued them to Ribble bridge (this was something like our business at Mussleburg) and killed and took about thirty prisoners."
Lilburne heard Cromwell's regiment of foot was approaching Manchester. Cromwell had detached the regiment with a troop of horse
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
from Rutherford Abbey in Nottinghamshire on the 20th or 21st. Lilburne halted on the Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
, thinking the foot would join him but though it had marched very rapidly as far as Manchester, was now obliged to advance with great caution as Royalists were reported to have 500 men in Manchester and some of Derby's levies lying between them and Lilburne.
Battle
On the 25th, Lilburne heard Digby was marching towards Wigan, retiring, he supposed. He followed. However it was Derby's intention to fall on Cromwell's regiment before the horse could join it. When Lilburne reached Wigan, he found the enemy in considerable force, both horse and foot, marching out of the town towards Manchester. Being very short of foot, and the country much enclosed and unfavourable for cavalry, Lilburne determined to avoid a fight. He intended to flank the Royalists in Wigan and join the foot regiment before the Royalists could attack.Digby, aware of Lilburne's inferiority in strength, wheeled about and marched back through the town to defeat the Parliamentary
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...
forces piecemeal before they could combine. In spite of the unfavourable nature of the ground, Lilburne decided to accept the proffered battle. Lilburne placed his horse in Wigan Lane, and lined the hedges with infantry. As the Royalists approached they were met with a volley of musket
Musket
A musket is a muzzle-loaded, smooth bore long gun, fired from the shoulder. Muskets were designed for use by infantry. A soldier armed with a musket had the designation musketman or musketeer....
ry. A fierce fight ensued in the same lanes through which Cromwell had chased the Scots in 1648. Derby divided his force into two equal divisions. Derby took command of the vanguard and gave the rear guard
Rear guard
A rear guard or rearguard is that part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal...
command to Sir Thomas Tyldesley
Thomas Tyldesley
Sir Thomas Tyldesley was a supporter of Charles I and a Royalist commander during the English Civil War.Thomas Tyldesley was born on 3 September 1612 at Woodplumpton, the eldest of the six children of Edward Tyldesley of Morleys Hall, Astley, in the parish of Leigh and his wife Elizabeth Preston...
. Three times Derby lead charges against Lilburne's cavalry and failed to break them. By the third charge, the ranks of the Royalists were severely depleted and they were overwhelmed by the superior numbers of Parliamentarians, and after an hour's fighting the remaining Royalists fled the field.
Lord William Witherington, Sir William Throgmorton (the Knight Marshal
Knight Marshal
The Knight Marshal is a former office in the British Royal Household established by King Henry III in 1236. The position later became a Deputy to the Earl Marshal from the reign of Henry VIII until the office was abolished in 1846 ....
), Sir Thomas Tyldesley and Colonel Baynton were killed or died of their wounds, with 60 others and 400 prisoners were taken. Cromwell's regiment, which had advanced to join Lilburne picked up many stragglers. Derby escaped badly wounded, and joined Charles at Worcester with only 30 horsemen.
Aftermath
The Earl of Derby, the Lord of MannLord of Mann
The title Lord of Mann is used on the Isle of Man to refer to Queen Elizabeth II, who is the island's Lord Proprietor and head of state.-Relationship with the Crown:The title is not correctly used on its own...
and enlisted ten men from each parish on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
, a total of 170 men. David Craine, in Manannan's Isle states "those who did not fall in the fighting [were] hunted to their death through the countryside."
The defeat was a blow to Charles as this was the only English Royalist force of any size to attempt to ride to his standard in Worcester. Without large numbers of English Royalists to support him, his position was untenable and nine days later his predominantly Scottish army of about 15,000 men was decisively beaten at the Battle of Worcester
Battle of Worcester
The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651 at Worcester, England and was the final battle of the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians defeated the Royalist, predominantly Scottish, forces of King Charles II...
by a Parliamentary army nearly twice the size under the command of Cromwell. This victory brought to an end Third English Civil War
Third English Civil War
The Third English Civil War was the last of the English Civil Wars , a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists....
and ushered in nine years of republican rule. Charles escaped to France and lived in exile until his return at the Restoration in 1660.
Further reading
- Beamont, William (1864 editor). Remains, Historical and Literary: Connected with the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chest Volume 62. Published by Chetham Society.pp. 70–78. Publication of a history written just after the Civil War called Discourse of the Lancashire Warr by Anon, although the Chetham Society surmised it was written by Major Edward Robinson (see preface xxiv-xxx) and it is written from the perspective of an ardent Parliamentarian.
- Morris, Adrian. Report of Wigan Lane by Robert Lilburne, Wigan Archaeological Society. Cites "A History of Wigan" vol II by David Sinclair 1883, Reprinted as "The Battle of Wigan Lane" by Smiths Books 1987
- Slingsby, Henry; Hodgson, John (1806) Original memoirs written during the great Civil war, the life of sir H. Slingsby [written by himself] and memoirs of capt. Hodgson, with notes [by sir W. Scott. Followed by] Relations of the campaigns of Oliver Cromwell in Scotland, 1650, Arch. Constable and Co. Edinburgh, and John Murray, 32 Fleet-Street, London. p. 152,153. Account by an Officer in Cromwell's own regiment.
- Wyke, Terry (2004). Public Sculpture of Greater Manchester, Liverpool University Press, ISBN 0-85323-567-8 Page 425 "Wigan Lane Tyldesley Monument"
- Sir Thomas Tyldesley 1612-1651, Tyldesley Family History
- Sir Thomas Tyldesley's Regiment of Foote, Being part of The King's Army The English Civil War SocietyThe English Civil War SocietyThe English Civil War Society was founded in 1980 and is the umbrella organization for the King's Army and the Roundhead Association. The purpose of the Society is to raise awareness of the conflict between King Charles I of England and his supporters and their opponents in Parliament and Scotland...
.