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).

View Larger Map


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

King Alfred of Wessex knew that he was too weak to fight off the Vikings that were on his territory in the 870s, so he made a series of treaties with them that they promptly broke. Guthrum, the Dane, knew that the Christian Alfred would be celebrating Epiphany on the 12th night (5/6 January) in 878, so Guthrum struck at Chippenham with the hopes of capturing Alfred as well as taking the important town of Chippenham. Some say Alfred was in Chippenham, others say he was in Dorchester. Either way, Alfred escaped and began his guerilla days fighting out of the marshes and bogs of the Somerset Levels near Athelney. If you are in the area of the Somerset Levels, check out this ride around the Battle of Langport (English Civil War).

Books from Amazon.co.uk

Motorcycle Ride

Try the circular ride from Chippenham to Box on the A4, then on to Melksham and Devizes on the A365 and back to Chippenham on the A 342. Good biking roads all. The route to Boxand Ashley is a likely route that Alfred could have taken out of Chippenham. When near Devizes, you can zip up to Roundway Down to see the site of the English Civil War Battle of that name.

Maps

Technorati Tags: A342 A365 A4 Alfred Ashley Box Britain Chippenham Devizes Guthrum Melksham Vikings Wessex Wiltshire motorcycle motorcycle-touring motorcycle touring military history military-history battlefields