Roundway Down may have one the most dramatic geographical features of any battleground, bar the cliffs at Pont du Hoc on the Normandy coast. The escarpment that falls away from the back of Roundway Hill is a sheer drop off and was the scene of a desperate retreat that ended with many cavalrymen going over the cliff.

After the stalemate at Lansdowne Hill a few days earlier, Waller wanted a decisive engagement with the Royalists that were working the area, so he set siege on Devizes in Wiltshire. Royalist Hopton, who had been injured in an accidental gunpowder explosion after the Lansdown Hill battle, knew he needed help, so he sent Prince Maurice on a end run to Oxford to get more forces to come to his aid. Those forces, under Lord Wilmot and Sir John Byron, approached from Oxford and Waller met them on the sweeping expanse of Roundway Down with a numerically superior force. Waller had what he wanted.
The battle opened with a cavalry charge by Sir Arthur Haselrige's cuirassiers or "lobster" cavalry that was beaten back on the Parliamentary right flank after two tries. Haselrige was lucky to have his beating early when several escape routes were still available to him and he took one from the field. The other flank was just as decisively engaged with charges and counter-charges swirling around the flanks of Waller's lines. Waller's infantry could only watch as their cavalry flanks were decimated by determined Royalist charges. Finally, to the horror of everyone watching, Parliamentary forces were cornered and fled over the cliff to their deaths in "Bloody Ditch," the steep escarpment off the back of Roundway Hill. Some Royalists were in such hot pursuit that they followed the Roundhead cavalry over. After such a fight, Waller's infantry was left stunned and almost defenceless to the Royalist cavalry and a large detachment from Devizes that had marched to the sound of the guns, but arrived late.
What had begun as an overwhelmingly favourable position for Waller, ended up with one the most decisive Royalist victories of the war. Roundway Down would affect Waller for years to come and made him overly cautious in future battles, especially those with his old friend, Hopton.

Recommended Ride

23.5 miles, depending on the options chosen. Take the A361 Northeast out of Devizes to Beckhampton, where you turn left onto the A4 and go to Calne. Take a left onto the A3102 to Chittoe. Near Chittoe, take a left on the A342 and go to Rowde. Just after Rowde take the lane to Roundway. At Roundway, take the farm lane north to a "Y" and take the left fork. This fork will give away to a very good, solid gravel road where you can view the whole of the battlefield on the down. You can also park up and walk about 500 yards to Oliver's castle and look over the edge into "Bloody Ditch." If you have the time, try the A360 from Devizes to Salisbury across the Salisbury Plain (additional 27 miles).

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Use Ordnance Survey Landranger 173. The battlefield is centred on SU 021655. If using a road map, the battlefield is located north of Devizes, Wiltshire.

Recommended Book and Map

Technorati Tags: 1600s 1640s 1643 A-342 A-360 A-361 A-4 bloody ditch Calne cavalry cliff Devizes English Civil War Hopton Maurice Roundway Rowde Salisbury SU 021655 Waller Wiltshire motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields

The Royalists had been gathering strength throughout the west in early 1643, but there were still several Parliamentary strong points that needed to be neutralised, before the Royalist rear would be secure enough to mount an all out assault on London. With this aim, Sir Ralph Hopton set out to draw his old friend William Waller out to battle, so that the Royalists could take the Parliamentary town of Bath. The two met north of Bath on Lansdown Hill.

Sir Bevill Grenvile's monument near the ancient quarry and site of main fighting

Waller had had time to prepare, so had used the existing Saxon-times quarry pits and embellished them into a formidable network of trenches and gun emplacements. Seeing Waller on top of a nearly impregnable position, Hopton thought better of the situation and retreated in good order. However, Waller wasn't having it and sent a substantial amount of cavalry down the hill to maul the Royalists as they retreated. The Parliamentary cavalry did a good job and almost broke the retreat, but Hopton held on and rallied his forces to reverse the attack and flank the attacking cavalry some ways back up the hill.
With their blood up, Hopton's infantry made their way up the hill and eventually took over the crest from Waller's infantry. Unusually, Hopton had sent the infantry up the hill to protect the cavalry flanks, but his cavalry had been pushed back and the infantry had to carry the attack. Hopton lost one of his troops' most beloved leaders in the melee, in Sir Bevill Grenvile. The Royalists now held the breastworks on top of the hill but could not really secure their flanks and were running low on ammunition. Waller's troops had reformed behind a stone wall about 400 yards south on the plateau. With darkness falling, neither side had the strength to close the battle.
Neither side had won a decisive victory. The Royalists had taken a tactical stronghold from the Parliamentarians by force, but they had lost their ability to threaten Bath, so strategically it had hurt them.

Rides Recommendation

This ride really comes into its own when all of the steep, curvy farm tracks are taken around the battlefield itself. Note, try to avoid Bath during heavy traffic and watch the debris on the farm tracks around the battlefield. It finishes off with a scoot over to the next (chronologically) battlefield of Roundway Down.
Use Ordnance Survey Landranger 172. The battlefield is centred on ST 723703. If using a road map, the battlfield is located north of Bath, near the racecourse.

Book Recommendation

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Just three days before the disaster of Marston Moor for the Royalists, King Charles himself directed a rebuff to a prowling Parliamentary army under William Waller at Cropredy Bridge, near Banbury.
Waller had been observing the King's movements for some time when he spotted an opportunity to strike over the River Cherwell near the present day Oxford Canal as it passes through the village of Cropredy. The King had allowed a gaping hole to develop between his lead / centre elements which were near Hays Bridge and his rear which was more than a mile behind. Seeing his chance to bite off a whole chunk of the King's rear end, Waller pounced.
Waller sent Lieutenant General Middleton's cavalry (including Battlefield Biker favourite, Haselrige's "lobsters") to make contact with the King's rear. This was a raging success, but as so often happened with successful cavalry charges of the time, the pursuit went too far. The Royalist rear guard commander, the Earl of Cleveland, took the opportunity to wade into the Parliamentary foot and guns which had been left behind by Middleton at Cropredy Bridge. Middleton's cavalry realised what had happened and returned to scatter Cleveland's cavalry, but not until after they captured the Roundhead guns and their commander Colonel Wemyss. Cleveland did not get all of his own way in Middleton's absence as the Roundhead infantry stood their ground, crucially keeping Cropredy Bridge.
In the meantime, Waller with cavalry crossed the Slat Mill ford and attacked uphill near Williamscott and was promptly sent packing by the Earl of Northampton's cavalry. Waller decided that discretion was the better part of valour and retired to Bourton Hill to over-watch continuing skirmishes around the bridge. Finally, the result was Parliamentary forces staring down the King's forces from Cropredy Bridge for the better part of two days. The King stole away when he learned of reenforcements coming to Waller.
Although a tactical stalemate, the King kept most of his Oxford army to fight another day and Waller's opportunity to hurt Charles significantly was lost as Waller's army disintegrated with mutiny and desertion soon thereafter.

Ride Recommendation

This ride rides takes in battlefield area around the eponymous town and bridge and then opens up into some great A roads to Daventry, Southam and Banbury. Finally, I've included a short finish on the farm lanes around the older battlefield of Edgcote, where a major battle of the War of the Roses was fought.

Use Ordnance Survey Landranger 151. The battlefield is centred on SP 477460. If using a road map, the battlefield is located east and northeast of Cropredy Bridge.

Technorati Tags: 1600s 1640s 1644 A-361 A-423 A-425 Banbury Banbury Daventry English Civil War Haselrige King Charles I Ordnance Survey SP 477460 Southam Waller Williamscott motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields