Battle of Braddock Down

Battle of Braddock Down
Part of theFirst English Civil War
Historical re-enactment of the Battle of Braddock Down in England
Date 19 January 1643 Location Braddock Down, Cornwall Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
SirRalph Hopton	William Ruthven
Strength
5,000	4,000
Casualties and losses
Low	200 killed 1,500 captured
Braddock Down class=notpageimage| Cornwall

TheBattle of Braddock Downtook place during the south-western campaign of theFirst English Civil War.It was fought on open ground inCornwall,on 19 January 1643. An apparently easy victory for theRoyalistsunderSir Ralph Hoptonsecured Cornwall forKing Charlesand confirmed Hopton's reputation as a commander. Hopton also gained respect for the mercy shown to his foe, of whom 1,500 were captured during and after the battle. The precise location of the battlefield is a matter of dispute, thoughEnglish Heritagebelieve it to be within parkland atBoconnoc.

Prelude

Hopton had been attempting to march intoDevonfrom Cornwall but was prevented from doing so by the Parliamentarian force atPlymouthunder theEarl of Stamfordand William Ruthven. He retreated acrossBodmin Moorand on 17 January was able to replenish his food and ammunition stores from three Parliamentarian ships that sought refuge from a storm atFalmouthand were captured.

Sir Ralph Hopton's Royalist forces had been camped the night of 18/19 January atBoconnoc.On breaking camp, theirdragoonvanguardencountered Parliamentarian cavalry to the east, and discovered Ruthven's army deployed onBraddockDown. Ruthven had been unwilling to wait for reinforcements sent by Stamford to arrive and had marched to face the Royalists in the hope of a quick victory.Ruthven initially believed he was facing stragglers from Hopton's main army but was instead lured into facing the entire Royalist force.

Battle

Ruthven had more cavalry, but Hopton had more infantry and also two light cannons. These he kept concealed during the first two hours of the battle, which was largely a long-rangemusketduel. After deciding to attack, Hopton ordered hisCornishfoot underSir Bevil Grenvilleto charge.The defending Parliamentarians, drawn from newly raised and inexperienced forces, fired just one volley at the Cornish, causing two casualties, then turned and fled.

Aftermath

The defeated Parliamentarians were pursued intoLiskeardwhere over 1,200 were captured.In all, 1,500 Parliamentarians were captured and a further 200 killed with few losses on the Royalist side.Hopton drove another band of survivors out ofSaltash,where they had fled after the battle.The battle cost the Royalists little but had severe consequences for the Parliamentarians, who lost the prospect of controlling Cornwall.Hopton's reputation as a commander was bolstered by his victory here and he was also commended for the mercy shown to his surrendered foe.

Battlefield

The location of the battle is a matter of dispute.English Heritageconsiders the location to be slightly south ofMiddle Taphouse.However traditional opinion places the battle within Boconnoc Park. The exact location is not likely to be discovered without archaeological excavation.

A cross fromLanliverywas made into the upper section of "The Monument" on Druids Hill,St Winnow.It was brought from Lanlivery in 1846; this monument commemorates the loss of life in the Battle of Braddock Down.

See also

• Cornwall in the English Civil War

References

• Bennett, Martyn (2010).The A to Z of the British and Irish Civil Wars 1637–1660.Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN9780810876262.
• Foard, G.; Partida, T. (2005)."Battle of Braddock Down 19th January 1643".UK Battlefields Resource Centre.The Battlefields Trust.Retrieved27 April2020.
• Langdon, A.G. (2005).Stone Crosses in East Cornwall(2nd ed.). Federation of Old Cornwall Societies.
• Lodge, Edmund(1831).Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain.Harding and Lepard.
• Rickard, J. (11 April 2001)."Battle of Braddock Down, 19 January 1643".Military History Encyclopedia on the Web.Retrieved27 April2020.

Further reading

• Guest, Ken & Denise (1996),British Battles: the front lines of history in colour photographsLondon: HarperCollinsISBN0-00-470968-3
• Smurthwaite, David (1993),The Complete Guide to the Battlefields of Britain: with Ordnance Survey maps.London: Michael JosephISBN0-7181-3655-1.Previously published as: The Ordnance Survey complete guide to the battlefields of Britain: Exeter: Webb and Bower, 1984
• The UK Battlefields Resource Centre, The Battlefields Trust, Meadow Cottage, 33 High Green, Brooke, Norwich, NR15 1HR

External links

• Civil War: campaign in the South-West