Cornwall in the English Civil War
Encyclopedia
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...
enclave in the generally Parliamentarian south-west.
Civil War military actions in Cornwall and the South West
The English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
lasted nearly nine years, having begun with the battle of 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 Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, on Sunday, 23 October 1642, and ended with 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...
, on 3 September 1651. The principal events in Cornwall happened in the following order.
1642
In 1642 Cornwall, WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and the Marches were Royalist strongholds whilst South East England was held by Parliament, and the remainders of the country were in dispute. The Cornish-Royalist Army was formed by Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton
Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton
Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton was a Royalist commander in the English Civil War.-Life:Hopton was the son of Robert Hopton of Witham Somerset. He was apparently educated at Lincoln College, Oxford and served in the army of Frederick V, Elector Palatine in the early campaigns of the Thirty...
in 1642 and although their first invasion of 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...
in November - December 1642 ended in failure the army secured the Cornish side of Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a bay at Plymouth in England.Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point on Devon, a distance of about 3 nautical miles . Its northern limit is Plymouth Hoe giving a north-south distance of nearly 3 nautical miles...
which marked a serious reverse for Parliamentarian forces.
The Battle of Braddock Down
The Battle of Braddock DownBattle of Braddock Down
The Battle of Braddock Down was a battle of the south-western campaign of the First English Civil War. It was fought on open ground in Cornwall, on 19 January 1643...
near Boconnoc
Boconnoc
Boconnoc is a civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of Lostwithiel. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 121.The parish is rural in character and is fairly well wooded...
on 19 January 1643 resulted from a parliamentarian counter-invasion of Cornwall. It ended in defeat for Col. Ruthin's Parliamentarian troops by Sir Ralph Hopton. Hopton's victory secured Cornwall for the King and the Royalists resumed the siege of Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
with their forces occupying surrounding towns to seal off the city by land.
The Battle of Stratton
The Battle of StrattonBattle of Stratton
The Battle of Stratton was a battle of the south-western campaign of the First English Civil War. Fought on 16 May 1643, the resulting victory for Hopton confirmed Royalist control of Cornwall and destroyed Parliament's field army in Devon.-Prelude:...
occurred on 15 May 1643. The Earl of Stamford's Parliamentarian force was repelled by Hopton's men after day-long fighting, with 300 men killed and 1700 captured, and retreated to Bideford
Bideford
Bideford is a small port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is also the main town of the Torridge local government district.-History:...
. The victories for Hopton with the New Cornish Tertia army
New Cornish Tertia army
The New Cornish Tertia was the Cornish army raised to defend Cornwall during the English Civil War or "War of Five Nations" as it is sometimes known. Cornwalland Wales were staunch Royalist strongholds whilst South East England was held by Parliament, and the remainders of England were in dispute....
provided the impetus for campaigns in Devon and Somerset. Taunton and Bridgwater were taken by the Cornish army, but 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:...
was killed in the moment of victory at the Battle of Lansdown in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and Hopton was seriously wounded. Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
fell to Hopton's Royalist troops, followed by Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
.
On December 13, the Royalists began a heavy bombardment of the northern defences of Plymouth but with little effect. Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet
Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet
Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet was a Cornish Royalist leader during the English Civil War.He was the third son of Sir Bernard Grenville , and a grandson of the famous seaman, Sir Richard Grenville...
, having previously declared for Parliament, invited his troops to follow him into the King's service and parliament proclaimed him a traitor.
Siege of Plymouth
Sir Richard Grenville arrived in Plymouth in March 1644 to maintain a blockade, but it resulted in a stalemate as the inhabitants obtained enough provisions to survive. Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of EssexRobert 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...
, arrived in command of 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...
army of 8000 men and forced Grenville to retreat to Cornwall across the River Tamar.
The Battle of Lostwithiel
- see main article Battle of LostwithielBattle of LostwithielThe Battles of Lostwithiel or Lostwithiel Campaign, took place near Lostwithiel and Fowey during the First English Civil War in 1644.After defeating the Army of Sir William Waller at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge, King Charles marched west in pursuit of the Parliamentarian army of the Earl of...
After relieving Plymouth, Essex advanced into Cornwall, reaching Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
on 28 July. King Charles meanwhile led the main Royalist army against him, blocking his line of retreat. Caught between Charles and Grenville, Essex took up positions at Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
and Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
, hoping for support or evacuation by the Parliamentarian fleet. The Royalists cut off his escape routes by land and on 13 August Charles began his attack. On 21 August, the Royalists took Restormel Castle
Restormel Castle
Restormel Castle is situated on the River Fowey near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is one of the four chief Norman castles of Cornwall, the others being Launceston, Tintagel and Trematon. The castle is notable for its perfectly circular design...
and Beacon Hill, Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel
Lostwithiel is a civil parish and small town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom at the head of the estuary of the River Fowey. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,739...
. After further sporadic fighting they pushed the Parliamentarians back to Castle Dore
Castle Dore
Castle Dore is an Iron Age and early mediaeval hill fort near Fowey in Cornwall, United Kingdom located at .- Description and History :It consists of circular bank and ditch enclosure with a second enclosure nearby thought to have been an animal corral...
above the Fowey
Fowey
Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 2,273.-Early history:...
river on 31 August. That night the Parliamentarian cavalry broke through the encircling Royalists and escaped to Plymouth. On 1 September the Royalists took Castle Dore and Essex escaped by sea, leaving his 6000 infantry, artillery and baggage train under the command of Sir Philip Skippon
Philip Skippon
Philip Skippon was an English soldier, who fought in the English Civil War.-To 1638:...
, who surrendered the following day. The Royalists confiscated the Parliamentarians' weapons and then allowed them to return to Portsmouth. Afflicted by bad weather, hunger, disease and attacks from local people, 1000 of the disarmed soldiers died along the way. Their time in Lostwithiel saw the vandalism of Lostwithiel Stannary Palace
Lostwithiel Stannary Palace
The Stannary Palace, circa 1265–1300, is reputed to be the oldest non-ecclesiastical building in Cornwall and was said to have been built as a replica of the Great Hall of Westminster. Its original function was as a Court dealing with the Cornish tin industry...
, Jonathan Rashleigh's Menabilly
Menabilly
Menabilly is an Elizabethan house on the south coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, on the Rashleigh Estate, seat of the Rashleigh family. Menabilly is situated on the Gribben peninsula about west of Fowey...
House, the destruction of all the constitutional Charters and Stannary
Stannary
The word stannary is historically applied to:*A tin mine, especially in Cornwall or Devon, South West England*A region containing tin works *A chartered entity comprising such a region, its works, and its workers...
records placed in Luxulyan
Luxulyan
Luxulyan , also spelled Luxullian or Luxulian, is a village and civil parish in central Cornwall, United Kingdom. The village lies four miles northeast of St Austell and six miles south of Bodmin...
church for safety. The ensuing debate in London about the unsatisfactory manner of the war led to the passage of the Self-Denying Ordinance
Self-denying Ordinance
The first Self-denying Ordinance was a bill moved on 9 December 1644 to deprive members of the Parliament of England from holding command in the army or the navy during the English Civil War. It failed to pass the House of Lords. A second Self-denying Ordinance was agreed to on 3 April 1645,...
. This was the prompt for a professional English army with a unified command, 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...
.
1645
In 1645 Sir Thomas Fairfax was appointed the commander of the New Model Army. The Royalist army was also reorganised with Prince Charles becoming the Commander-in-Chief. The Royalists suffered a notable loss at NasebyNaseby
Naseby is a small village in the District of Daventry in Northamptonshire, England.The village is 14 mi north of Northampton, 13.3 mi northeast of Daventry, and 7 mi south of Market Harborough. It is 2.4 mi from Junction 2 of the A14 road, giving it access to the national road system...
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
and there were further Parliamentarian gains in the south and west of England. Prince Charles, the war being mainly in the eastern counties, spent a great part of the autumn and winter in Cornwall, principally at Launceston and Truro. Sir Richard Grenville was committed by the Prince to Launceston Prison, for refusing to obey Lord Hopton: he had already quarrelled with General George Goring
George Goring, Lord Goring
George Goring, Lord Goring was an English Royalist soldier. He was known by the courtesy title Lord Goring as the eldest son of the 1st Earl of Norwich.- The Goring family :...
.
1646
In 1646 the Prince gave Lord Hopton command of the Royalist forces, with William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of StraffordWilliam Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford
William Wentworth, 2nd Earl of Strafford was a member of England's House of Lords.He was a son of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford and his second wife Arabella Holles. When his father, Thomas, was executed in 1641, William left the Kingdom of England for several years. In 1652 he was...
to command the horse and Grenville the foot. Grenville refused and was imprisoned on St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount
St Michael's Mount is a tidal island located off the Mount's Bay coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is a civil parish and is united with the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water....
. Hopton advanced from Stratton
Stratton, Cornwall
Stratton is a small town situated near the coastal resort of Bude in north Cornwall, UK. It was also the name of one of ten ancient administrative shires of Cornwall - see "Hundreds of Cornwall"...
towards Exeter, reaching Torrington but was confronted by Fairfax's men, and fell back to Stratton. The Roundheads proceeded into Cornwall reaching Launceston on February 25, 1646 and Bodmin on March 2. Hopton's army was in disarray but he refused to surrender. News at Bodmin of an imminent Irish invasion further damaged the Royalist cause locally and Fairfax offered Hopton terms. The surrender took place at Tresillian
Tresillian
Tresillian is a small village in central Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated three miles east of Truro on the A390 road.Tresillian was the home of Robert Tresilian, Chief Justice of the King's Bench between 1381 and 1387. A famous event of the English Civil War took place here in 1645...
Bridge, Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, on March 15, 1646.
The Gear Rout
The Gear RoutThe Gear Rout
The Gear Rout was a Cornish insurrection of 1648 following the end of the English Civil War. It involved some 500 Cornish rebels who fought on the Royalist side against the Parliamentarian forces of Sir Hardress Waller....
was a Cornish insurrection of 1648 following the end of the First English Civil War
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War began the series of three wars known as the English Civil War . "The English Civil War" was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations that took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651, and includes the Second English Civil War and...
. The killing of 70 Cornish Royalists in Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
on May 16, 1648 prompted a failed rebellion by some 500 Cornish rebels who fought against the Parliamentarian forces of Sir Hardress Waller
Hardress Waller
Sir Hardress Waller , cousin of Sir William Waller, was an English parliamentarian of note.-Life:Born in Groombridge, Kent, and descendant of Sir Richard Waller of Groombridge Place, Waller was knighted by Charles I in 1629...
at a site near the Helford River
Helford River
The Helford River is a ria located in Cornwall, England, UK, and not a true river. It is fed by a number of small streams into its numerous creeks...
.
Military figures of the Cornish campaigns
- Jacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of ReadingJacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of ReadingJacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of Reading was a Royalist commander in the English Civil War.-Life:He came from an established Norfolk family, and was born at Melton Constable. His first experiences of war were at the age of 18 when he joined the Islands Voyage expedition in 1597 under the Earl of...
- Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell
- Prince Charles, Duke of Cornwall
- William CorytonWilliam CorytonWilliam Coryton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1641. He was expelled from parliament for falsyfying returns....
- Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of EssexRobert Devereux, 3rd Earl of EssexRobert 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...
(Parliamentarian) - Thomas FairfaxThomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of CameronThomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron was a general and parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War...
(Parliamentarian) - George Goring, Lord GoringGeorge Goring, Lord GoringGeorge Goring, Lord Goring was an English Royalist soldier. He was known by the courtesy title Lord Goring as the eldest son of the 1st Earl of Norwich.- The Goring family :...
- Bevil GrenvilleBevil GrenvilleSir 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:...
- Richard GrenvilleRichard GrenvilleSir Richard Grenville was an English sailor, sea captain and explorer. He took part in the early English attempts to settle the New World, and also participated in the fight against the Spanish Armada...
- Henry Grey, 1st Earl of StamfordHenry Grey, 1st Earl of StamfordHenry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford , known as the Lord Grey of Groby from 1614 to 1628, was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Sir John Grey and Elizabeth Nevill...
(Parliamentarian) - Ralph Hopton
- Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of WarwickRobert Rich, 2nd Earl of WarwickRobert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick was an English colonial administrator, admiral, and puritan.Rich was the eldest son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick and his wife Penelope Devereux, Lady Rich, and succeeded to his father's title in 1619...
(Parliamentarian) - Patrick Ruthven, 1st Earl of BrentfordPatrick Ruthven, 1st Earl of BrentfordPatrick Ruthven, 1st Earl of Brentford and 1st Earl of Forth was a Scottish nobleman, general, and diplomat.Patrick Ruthven distinguished himself in the service of Sweden, which he entered about 1609 and left 1637...
- John Robartes, 1st Earl of RadnorJohn Robartes, 1st Earl of RadnorJohn Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor PC , known as The Lord Robartes between 1634 and 1679, was an English politician, who fought for the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War...
(Parliamentarian) - William ScawenWilliam ScawenWilliam Scawen was a one of the pioneers in the revival of the Cornish Language in England. He was a politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and fought for the Royalist cause in the English Civil War....
- Philip SkipponPhilip SkipponPhilip Skippon was an English soldier, who fought in the English Civil War.-To 1638:...
- Nicholas SlanningNicholas SlanningSir 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:...
- John TrevanionJohn TrevanionJohn Trevanion was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1640 to 1643. He was a royalist officer who was killed in action in the English Civil War....
Further reading
- Barratt, John (2005) The Civil War in the South-West Barnsley: Pen & Sword Military ISBN 9781844151462
- Brown, H. Miles (1982) Battles Royal: Charles I and the Civil War in Cornwall and the West Libra Books ISBN 0950800902
- Coate, Mary (1933) Cornwall in the Great Civil War and Interregnum 1642-1660 Oxford: Clarendon Press. 2nd ed. 1963
- Duffin, Anne (1996) Faction and Faith: politics and religion of the Cornish gentry before the Civil War. University of Exeter ISBN 9780859894357
- Holmes, RichardRichard Holmes (military historian)Brigadier Edward Richard Holmes, CBE, TD, JP , known as Richard Holmes, was a British soldier and noted military historian, particularly well-known through his many television appearances...
(1989) Civil War Battles in Cornwall, 1642 to 1646 Mercia ISBN 0948087323 - Peachey, Stuart (1993) Stuart Press
- The Battle of Braddock Down 1643 ISBN 1858040213
- The Battles of Launceston and Sourton Down ISBN 1858040191
- The Battle of Stratton 1643 ISBN 1858040183
- Russell, Dennis (2001) Carew: a story of Civil War in the West Country. London: Aidan Ellis Publishing ISBN 0856282987
External links
- http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/conBattleField.39