Relief of Montgomery Castle
52°33′45″N3°09′02″W/ 52.56253°N 3.15061°W
| Battle of Montgomery | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofFirst English Civil War | |||||||
 View north from Montgomery Castle, towards the battlefield (in the level ground) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Royalists |
 Parliamentarians | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Lord Byron |
SirJohn Meldrum ColonelThomas Mytton | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
|
[1]2,800 infantry 1,400 cavalry 300 dragoons |
[1]2,000 infantry 1,500 cavalry | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
[1]500 killed 1,500 captured | 40 | ||||||
TheBattle of Montgomerytook place during theFirst English Civil Warof 1642–1646. On 17 September 1644, aParliamentarianforce commanded by SirJohn Meldrumadvanced to engage aRoyalistarmy led byLord Byronwhich was besiegingMontgomery Castlein mid Wales. The battle was fought the next day. After the Royalists gained an initial advantage, the Parliamentarians counter-attacked and destroyed Byron's army.
The Royalists retained a presence in North and Mid Wales after their defeat, but could not again gather a field army in the region until the end of the civil war.
Prelude
[edit]The Royalists enjoyed local support in much of Wales. During much of 1643, local Royalist commanders skirmished in theWelsh Marcheswith Parliamentarian forces based in theMidlandsand commanded by SirThomas Myddeltonand ColonelThomas Myttonamong others.[1]Late in 1643,King Charlesattempted to create a field army in North Wales and Cheshire under Lord Byron, using English regiments returned from Ireland following a negotiated armistice withConfederate Ireland,but Byron suffered a setback at theBattle of Nantwichin January 1644.
In the spring of 1644,Prince Rupert,the King's nephew and most popular field commander, established himself atShrewsbury.In May, he led his own and Byron's armies intoLancashire,on his way to relieve theSiege of York.Myddelton and other Parliamentarians under theEarl of Denbightook advantage of Rupert's and Byron's absence to captureOswestryon 22 June.
On 2 July, Rupert was defeated at theBattle of Marston Moor,outside York, and retreated with his surviving forces into Lancashire and subsequently into Cheshire. He was unable to raise fresh forces in North Wales or obtain further reinforcements from Ireland, and went south to rejoin Charles, leaving Byron's weakened forces to hold the area.[1]In August, Byron was driven from Lancashire, leavingLiverpoolas the only major Royalist position in the county, under siege by forces under Sir John Meldrum.
Early in September, Parliamentarians under Myddelton and Mytton advanced from Oswestry into the upperRiver Severnvalley and capturedNewtownby surprise. With the town, they also seized a vital convoy of gunpowder which the besieged Royalists at Liverpool desperately needed. They then advanced to Montgomery. The medieval defences of the town were in ruins but the castle, which stood on a hill to the west of the town, was a formidable position. However its commander and owner,Lord Herbert,was ill and apparently unwilling to play any part in the war. He surrendered on terms on 5 September.[2]
Royalist siege
[edit]
Three days later, Royalists under Sir Michael Erneley and SirWilliam Vaughanadvanced on the castle from Shrewsbury, taking the Parliamentarians by surprise while they were dispersed to forage. Mytton retreated into the castle with 500 infantry while Myddelton rode away with the cavalry to seek help. The Royalists began to dig trenches and construct earthworks around the castle, preparing for a formal siege. They were joined by Byron and other detachments, including possibly some "Northern Horse" under SirMarmaduke Langdale,eventually raising their forces to 2,800 infantry, 1,400 cavalry and 300 dragoons (mounted infantry).[1]
The Parliamentarians also collected an army from several sources to relieve the castle. In addition to Myddelton's 300 cavalry, SirWilliam Breretongathered infantry from Cheshire, Meldrum drew forces from the siege of Liverpool and SirWilliam Fairfax(cousin of SirThomas Fairfax) brought a contingent from the Parliamentarian army inYorkshire.They ultimately numbered 2,000 infantry and 1,500 cavalry, with Meldrum in overall command.[1]
Battle
[edit]The events of the battle are poorly documented.
On 17 September, as the Parliamentarians approached, Byron left a detachment to guard the siege works around the castle and formed up on a hill, crowned by ancient earthworks, northwest of the castle. Meldrum formed up on flat ground 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north near theRiver Camlad,with part ofOffa's Dykeprotecting his flank. There was no action that day. The next day, about a third of the Parliamentarian cavalry rode off to forage. Byron ordered an attack, intending to capture Salt Bridge over the Camlad and cut off Meldrum's retreat.
Colonel Marcus Trevor's regiment of cavalry drove back the Parliamentarian cavalry, but the Parliamentarian Cheshire foot rallied. The Royalists were discouraged by the Parliamentarian stand. It is also possible that the Parliamentarian foraging parties returned, giving the Parliamentarian cavalry parity or even superiority in numbers. When the Parliamentarians counter-attacked, Myddelton's cavalry routed the Royalist horsemen, and Brereton's infantry drove back the Royalist infantry. Behind Byron, Mytton sallied from Montgomery Castle to defeat the detachments left to defend the siege works.
Casualties
[edit]The Royalists were routed. 500 of them were killed, and 1,500 taken prisoner.[1]
Among the Parliamentarians, Sir William Fairfax was mortally wounded. It was said that after his Yorkshire infantry had been repulsed three times, he led them in a final victorious charge against Royalist pikemen, but received up to 15 wounds. He lingered for sixteen hours, and asked Brereton to tell Parliament he accounted his life well spent in Parliament's services and to look after his widow and children.[3]
Aftermath
[edit]
Although "slighted" in 1648,
its strength is apparent
After the battle, Meldrum returned to the siege of Liverpool, which surrendered on 1 November. He allowed the Irish soldiers in the garrison to depart to Ireland after they had undertaken not to serve the King again, despite Parliament having passed theOrdinance of no quarter to the Irish.
Many of Byron's defeated forces were already survivors of the defeat at Marston Moor. They included six regiments (including Vaughan's cavalry) which had returned from Ireland. Though the "Irish" regiments later joined the King's main "Oxford Army", the remnants of five regiments of infantry numbered barely 500 men when they took part in theBattle of Naseby.[4]
Byron continued to defend Chester and the Royalists retained other medieval castles and walled towns in North Wales (including Myddelton's own seat atChirk Castle). In April 1645, a Royalist detachment from the King's "Oxford Army" under Lieutenant GeneralCharles Gerardrecovered parts of Cheshire and recaptured Newtown. Gerard imposed harsh taxes and levies of troops before moving on toPembrokeshireand South Wales. However, Gerard rejoined the King in May 1645, having alienated many Welsh Royalists with his severe requisitions, and the Parliamentarians reoccupied much of the territory he had taken.[5]
Later in 1645, Byron wasbesieged in Chester.Charles, who was then based inRaglan Castlein South Wales, led his remaining forces to relieve Chester, but was defeated at theBattle of Rowton Heath,just outside the city. Although Byron held out in Chester, the Royalists in North Wales played little further active part in the war.
Citations
[edit]References
[edit]- Plant, David (22 June 2009)."Mid-Wales & the Battle of Montgomery, 1644".BCW Project.David Plant. Archived fromthe originalon 16 April 2013.Retrieved16 February2012.
- Plant, David."BCW Project: British Civil Wars, Commanwealth and Protectorate 1638 - 1660".David Plant.Retrieved2 February2021.
- Young, Peter(1970).Marston Moor 1644: The Campaign and the Battle.Kineton: Roundwood.ISBN1-900624-09-5.
Further reading
[edit]- Hackett, Martin (2005).Lost Battlefields of Britain.Stroud: Sutton. pp. 83–98.ISBN0-7509-4170-7.