Battle of Lostwithiel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Lostwithiel |
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| Part of the First English Civil War | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Royalists |
 Parliamentarians |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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| Strength | |||||||
| 12,000 infantry 7,000 cavalry |
c.6,500 infantry c.3,000 cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| c. 500 | c. 700 c. 5,000 prisoners |
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The Battle of Lostwithiel was a big fight during the First English Civil War. It happened near Lostwithiel in Cornwall from August 21 to September 2, 1644. In this battle, the Royalist army, led by King Charles I, beat the Parliamentarian army. The Parliamentarian army was led by the Earl of Essex.
Even though Essex and most of his cavalry (soldiers on horseback) got away, about 5,000 to 6,000 Parliamentarian infantry (foot soldiers) had to give up. The Royalists couldn't feed so many prisoners. So, they let them go back to their own areas.
These Parliamentarian soldiers arrived in Southampton about a month later. Sadly, nearly half of them died on the way from sickness and leaving the army. This battle was one of the worst defeats for the Parliamentarian side. It helped the Royalists control South West England until early 1646.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In the spring of 1644, two Parliamentarian commanders, Sir William Waller and the Earl of Essex, joined their armies. They fought against King Charles and his Royalist forces around Oxford. Essex decided to let Waller handle the King in Oxfordshire.
On June 6, Essex took his army southwest. His goal was to help the town of Lyme in Dorset. Lyme had been under attack by King Charles's nephew, Prince Maurice, for almost two months.
Royalists Control the Southwest
Most of South-West England was controlled by the Royalists at this time. But Lyme was a strong Parliamentarian town. It was also an important port for the Parliamentarian navy. When Essex got close to Lyme in mid-June, Prince Maurice stopped his attack. He moved his troops west to Exeter.
Essex then went even further southwest towards Cornwall. He wanted to help Plymouth, another important Parliamentarian town. Plymouth was being attacked by Richard Grenville and his Cornish Royalists.
Essex's Plan for Plymouth
Lord Robartes, a rich politician from Cornwall, told Essex he would get a lot of support if he helped Plymouth. Because of this advice, Essex moved towards Plymouth. This made Grenville stop his attack on Plymouth.
Essex then went even further west. He believed he could take full control of the South-West from the Royalists. Meanwhile, King Charles had defeated Sir William Waller at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge on June 29.
King Charles Pursues Essex
On July 12, Royalist leaders told King Charles to deal with Essex before Essex could get more soldiers. King Charles agreed. He also wanted to go to Exeter because his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, was there. She had just had a baby, Princess Henrietta. Essex had not let her travel safely to Bath.
Essex Trapped in Cornwall
On July 26, King Charles arrived in Exeter. He joined his army with Prince Maurice's forces. On the same day, Essex and his Parliamentarian army entered Cornwall. A week later, Essex was camping with his army at Bodmin. He learned that King Charles had beaten Waller. He also found out King Charles had brought his army to the South-West and joined Prince Maurice.
Essex also realized he wasn't getting the military help from the people of Cornwall that Lord Robartes had promised. At this point, Essex understood that he and his army were stuck in Cornwall. His only hope was to get more soldiers or escape through the port of Fowey by sea.
Setting Up Defenses
Essex immediately marched his troops five miles south to Lostwithiel. They arrived on August 2. He quickly set up his men in a defensive line. He placed soldiers on high ground to the north at Restormel Castle and to the east at Beacon Hill.
Essex also sent a small group of foot soldiers south to secure the port of Fowey. He hoped to get his infantry out by sea. Essex had about 6,500 foot soldiers and 3,000 cavalry.
Royalists Close In
The people of Cornwall helped King Charles by giving him information. King Charles slowly and carefully followed Essex. He cut off all the possible escape routes Essex might try to use. On August 6, King Charles sent a message to Essex, asking him to surrender. Essex thought about it for several days but finally said no.
On August 11, Grenville and the Cornish Royalists entered Bodmin. They forced out Essex's cavalry. Grenville then went south to Respryn Bridge to meet King Charles and Prince Maurice. The Royalist forces now had about 12,000 foot soldiers and 7,000 cavalry.
Over the next two days, the Royalists placed soldiers along the east side of the River Fowey. This stopped the Parliamentarians from escaping across the land. Finally, the Royalists sent 200 foot soldiers with cannons to the fort at Polruan. This blocked the entrance to Fowey harbour. Around this time, Essex learned that more Parliamentarian soldiers were stopped by the Royalists at Bridgwater in Somerset.
First Attack: August 21–30, 1644
At 7:00 AM on August 21, King Charles launched his first attack on Essex at Lostwithiel. From the north, Grenville and the Cornish Royalists attacked Restormel Castle. They easily pushed back the Parliamentarians, who quickly retreated.
From the east, King Charles and his Oxford army captured Beacon Hill with little trouble. Prince Maurice and his force took Druid Hill. Few soldiers were hurt in these early attacks. By nightfall, the fighting stopped. The Royalists now held the high ground north and east of Lostwithiel.
Tightening the Circle
For the next few days, the two sides only had small fights. On August 24, King Charles tightened his hold around the Parliamentarians. He sent Lord Goring and Sir Thomas Bassett to take control of St Blazey. This area was southwest of Lostwithiel.
This made it harder for the Parliamentarians to find food. It also cut off their access to small bays near the port of Par. Essex and his Parliamentarians were now completely surrounded. They were stuck in a small area about two miles by five miles, from Lostwithiel in the north to Fowey in the south.
Essex's Escape Plan
Knowing he couldn't fight his way out, Essex made his final escape plans. Since his cavalry couldn't escape by sea, Essex ordered his cavalry commander, William Balfour, to try to break through to Plymouth.
For the infantry, Essex planned to retreat south. He hoped to meet Lord Warwick and the Parliamentarian fleet at Fowey. At 3:00 AM on August 31, Balfour and 2,000 cavalry successfully crossed the River Fowey. They escaped without fighting the Royalist defenders. This was the first part of Essex's plan.
Second Attack: August 31 – September 2, 1644
Early on the morning of August 31, the Parliamentarians looted Lostwithiel and began moving south. At 7:00 AM, the Royalists saw what was happening and immediately attacked. Grenville attacked from the north.
King Charles and Prince Maurice crossed the River Fowey. They joined Grenville and entered Lostwithiel. The Royalists fought the Parliamentarian rear-guards and quickly took the town. The Royalists also sent groups of soldiers along the east side of the River Fowey. They wanted to stop any more escapes and capture Polruan.
The Chase Down the Valley
The Royalists then chased Essex and the Parliamentarian infantry down the river valley. At first, the Royalists pushed the Parliamentarians almost three miles south. They fought through fields, hills, and valleys. At a narrow pass near St. Veep, Philip Skippon, Essex's infantry commander, fought back.
Skippon pushed the Royalists back several fields. He was trying to give Essex time to set up a new defense line further south. At 11:00 AM, the Royalist cavalry charged and won back the lost land. There was a short break in the battle at 12:00 PM. King Charles waited for his whole army to catch up and get ready.
Final Stand and Surrender
The fighting started again and continued through the afternoon. The Parliamentarians tried to break away and keep moving south. At 4:00 PM, the Parliamentarians tried to attack again with their remaining cavalry. But King Charles's Life Guard drove them back.
About a mile north of Castle Dore, the Parliamentarians' right side began to weaken. At 6:00 PM, the Parliamentarians were pushed back to Castle Dore. They made one last effort to fight but were pushed back and surrounded.
The fighting ended around this time. The Royalists were happy with what they had done that day. The Parliamentarians were tired and sad. They settled down for the night. Later that evening, under the cover of darkness, Essex and his main officers secretly went to the seashore. They used a fishing boat to escape to Plymouth, leaving Skippon in charge.
On September 1, Skippon met with his officers. He told them about Essex's escape and discussed what to do next. They decided to ask King Charles for terms of surrender. King Charles quickly agreed to generous terms on September 2. He was worried that more Parliamentarian soldiers might be on their way.
The battle was over. Six thousand Parliamentarians were taken prisoner. Their weapons were taken away, and they were marched to Southampton. They faced the anger of the Cornish people along the way. As many as 3,000 died from being exposed to the weather and from sickness. Those who survived the journey were eventually set free.
The total number of people hurt or killed in this battle was very high. About 700 Parliamentarians were killed or wounded during the fighting in Cornwall. Around 500 Royalists were also killed or wounded.
What Happened Next
The Battle of Lostwithiel was a huge victory for King Charles. It was the biggest loss for the Parliamentarians in the First English Civil War. For King Charles, this win secured the South-West for the rest of the war. It also stopped people from criticizing the Royalist war effort for a while.
For the Parliamentarians, this defeat caused a lot of blame. Middleton was blamed for not breaking through with more soldiers. The Parliamentarian loss at Lostwithiel, along with their failure to beat King Charles at the Second Battle of Newbury, led to big changes. Parliament decided to pass the Self-denying Ordinance. This led to the creation of the New Model Army, a new and more professional army.
See also
- Battle of Braddock Down which took place in January 1643 a few kilometers from Lostwithiel.
- Cornwall in the English Civil War
