The Race for Newbury
The Race for Newbury
18-19th September 1643
18-19th September 1643
King Charles I and the Earl of Forth, the Captain-General of the King's Armies, had arrived at Wantage 15 miles away from Newbury in a loose column of infantry regiments, guns and supply train. This column tailed back towards the Cotswold Hills some 40 miles to the north-west. Royalist reinforcements from Worcester, Bristol and the garrisons surrounding Oxford received orders to join the army either at Wantage or Newbury.
Prince Rupert’s Cavalry Regiments were 8 miles south-west of Newbury, in open fields at Lambourn where he had stayed the night before. Intelligence came from a detachment of horse whom were stationed 8 miles to the south at Hungerford that Essex’s army had arrive in Hungerford. Lieutenant Colonel George Lisle, who served under Rupert in the Dutch Wars, was in close proximity supporting Rupert’s Cavalry Regiment with around 1,000 musketeers.
Lisle received a letter which stated that ‘the king will take up his quarters at or about Wantage so as to reach Newbury’. Rupert rode with great haste towards Newbury well ahead of Essex’s army to arrange food for his men and horse and to find the King accommodation for the night.
Meanwhile the parliamentarian army briefly stopped at 6:00am in Hungerford to take care of their soldiers that were injured at Aldbourne. As the parliamentarian vanguard entered the town they met a royalist horse detachment stationed there. There was a brief skirmish in which one of the royalists were killed and 25 taken prisoner, the rest fled back to Lambourn to inform Prince Rupert of Essex’s exact whereabouts.
At Hungerford Essex issued his orders for the day, an element of the vanguard and a detachment of quartermasters rode with haste to Newbury (10 miles east). They arranged food, billets and forage for the army’s horse.
The route chosen by Essex and his commanders were to move his army away from the vicinity of Rupert’s horse regiments to the south bank of the River Kennet. Using the river to protect the army’s left flank then heading through Kintbury and Hamstead Marshall to Enborne, then they would join the higher dryer road that ran across Greenham Common to London via Reading. It was unlikely that the King would risk confrontation near to the strong garrison at Reading, also knowing that William Waller’s new army would be nearby.
The Earl was ignorant of the King’s intention to cross the Kennet at Newbury and block his way to London.
Prince Rupert’s Cavalry Regiments were 8 miles south-west of Newbury, in open fields at Lambourn where he had stayed the night before. Intelligence came from a detachment of horse whom were stationed 8 miles to the south at Hungerford that Essex’s army had arrive in Hungerford. Lieutenant Colonel George Lisle, who served under Rupert in the Dutch Wars, was in close proximity supporting Rupert’s Cavalry Regiment with around 1,000 musketeers.
Lisle received a letter which stated that ‘the king will take up his quarters at or about Wantage so as to reach Newbury’. Rupert rode with great haste towards Newbury well ahead of Essex’s army to arrange food for his men and horse and to find the King accommodation for the night.
Meanwhile the parliamentarian army briefly stopped at 6:00am in Hungerford to take care of their soldiers that were injured at Aldbourne. As the parliamentarian vanguard entered the town they met a royalist horse detachment stationed there. There was a brief skirmish in which one of the royalists were killed and 25 taken prisoner, the rest fled back to Lambourn to inform Prince Rupert of Essex’s exact whereabouts.
At Hungerford Essex issued his orders for the day, an element of the vanguard and a detachment of quartermasters rode with haste to Newbury (10 miles east). They arranged food, billets and forage for the army’s horse.
The route chosen by Essex and his commanders were to move his army away from the vicinity of Rupert’s horse regiments to the south bank of the River Kennet. Using the river to protect the army’s left flank then heading through Kintbury and Hamstead Marshall to Enborne, then they would join the higher dryer road that ran across Greenham Common to London via Reading. It was unlikely that the King would risk confrontation near to the strong garrison at Reading, also knowing that William Waller’s new army would be nearby.
The Earl was ignorant of the King’s intention to cross the Kennet at Newbury and block his way to London.
© The Newbury Battlefield Project 2009