Battle of Brentford (1642) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Brentford
Part of the First English Civil War
Date 12 November 1642 Location Brentford, Middlesex (present day Greater London) Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
Prince Rupert	Lord Holles Lord Brooke John Lilburne
Strength
4,600	1,300
Casualties and losses
Unknown	170 killed or wounded 400 captured 15 guns captured 11 colours captured

The Battle of Brentford was a small but important fight during the First English Civil War. It happened on November 12, 1642. This battle was between a part of the King's army, called the Royalists, and two groups of soldiers from the Parliament's army, known as the Parliamentarians. The Royalists won this battle.

Why the Battle of Brentford Happened

After a bigger battle called Battle of Edgehill, King Charles I and his Royalist army were doing well. The King took over a town called Banbury. Then, on October 29, he arrived in Oxford and was welcomed by many people.

Prince Rupert's Advance

Prince Rupert, a leader in the Royalist army, moved his troops quickly through the Thames Valley. He captured towns like Abingdon, Aylesbury, and Maidenhead. He tried to take Windsor too, but the Parliament's army there was too strong.

After these wins, some Royalist officers wanted to talk about peace. Prince Rupert, however, wanted to keep fighting and go straight to London. King Charles agreed with the officers to try for peace talks. This gave the Parliamentarian army, led by the Earl of Essex, time to get London ready for defense.

Getting Ready for Battle

While the King was in Reading, Berkshire, he decided that the peace talks weren't going anywhere. He thought that if he moved his army closer to London, he would have a stronger position to negotiate.

Royalist Moves Towards London

So, on November 11, King Charles moved his army to Colnbrook. This town was on the edge of Middlesex, close to London. To put more pressure on the Parliamentarians, the King ordered Prince Rupert to capture Brentford. Brentford was a small town about halfway across Middlesex.

Parliamentarian Defenses

Meanwhile, the Earl of Essex quickly placed his soldiers to protect London from the west. One group guarded a bridge at Kingston upon Thames. Another group, further down the river, built barricades in Brentford. They focused on protecting the bridge that connected Old Brentford to New Brentford. This bridge was important because it linked the Bath Road (which passed Colnbrook) to London.

The Battle Begins

On November 12, a thick mist covered the area in the early morning. Prince Rupert's cavalry (soldiers on horseback) and dragoons (soldiers who rode horses but fought on foot) attacked. They targeted two Parliamentarian foot soldier groups. These were the regiments of Denzil Holles and Lord Brooke.

Fighting in Brentford

The Parliamentarian soldiers had set up barricades inside Brentford. The Royalists first attacked an outpost west of Brentford, a house held by Holles's regiment. The Parliamentarians fought back and pushed the Royalists away.

Then, Prince Rupert ordered a Welsh regiment of foot soldiers to join the attack. With this extra help, the Royalists successfully captured the outpost. They then pushed their attack into Brentford itself. They forced Holles's men to retreat over the bridge. These soldiers ran into the defenses held by Lord Brooke's men. But Brooke's men were also pushed out of the town and into open fields.

Retreat and Capture

The fighting continued until late afternoon. The remaining soldiers from Holles's and Brooke's regiments managed to escape. They were helped by John Hampden's infantry brigade, which arrived from Uxbridge to cover their retreat. However, many of Holles's men drowned while trying to swim across the River Thames to escape.

The Royalists captured 15 cannons and 11 flags. They also took about 500 prisoners. One of the captured was John Lilburne, who was a captain in Brooke's regiment.

What Happened Next

After winning the battle, the Royalist forces took supplies from the town of Brentford. This action made many people in London worry about their own homes and belongings. Because of this, more Londoners decided to support the Parliamentarians.

Standoff at Turnham Green

On November 13, the main Parliamentarian army, led by the Earl of Essex, gathered on Chelsea Field. This army was much bigger now, with about 24,000 soldiers. Many of these were from the London Trained Bands (local citizen soldiers) and other London citizens. This large army then moved to Turnham Green, close to where the Royalist army was.

At Turnham Green, the two armies faced each other in a standoff. The Parliamentarian leaders decided not to attack. They didn't fully trust the training of their new soldiers in a big battle. King Charles also decided not to push his advance on London. He didn't want to fight against such a large force.

Since it was getting late in the year for fighting, the King decided to go back to Oxford. His army could stay there for the winter.

John Lilburne's Exchange

John Lilburne was one of the first important Parliamentarian leaders captured in the war. The Royalists planned to put him on trial. But Parliament warned that if they did, Parliament would execute Royalist prisoners in return. Because of this, Lilburne was later exchanged for a Royalist officer.