Battle of Marshall's Elm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Marshall's Elm |
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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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Sir John Pyne |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 60–80 | 500–600 | ||||||
The Battle of Marshall's Elm was a small fight, called a skirmish, that happened on 4 August 1642. It took place near a village called Street in Somerset, South West England. This battle happened just before the official start of the First English Civil War on 22 August.
During this time, both the King's supporters (the Royalists) and Parliament's supporters (the Parliamentarians) were gathering soldiers. The Royalists had set up their main base in Wells. However, they were worried because the Parliamentarians had many more soldiers nearby. To deal with this, the Royalist commander sent out a group of 60 to 80 mounted soldiers, including cavalry and dragoons. This group found a much larger Parliamentarian force, about 500 to 600 new recruits, marching north. These Parliamentarians were led by Sir John Pyne.
The Royalists decided to set a trap, or ambush, at Marshall's Elm. This spot was where the road went up from the flat Somerset Levels into the Polden Hills. The leaders tried to talk things out, but they couldn't agree. The Parliamentarians then walked right into the ambush. They were met with musket fire from hidden dragoons and charged by Royalist cavalry. The Parliamentarians quickly ran away. The Royalists killed about 27 men and captured 60 others, including two Parliamentarian officers. Even though they won this fight, the Royalists had to leave Wells and later all of Somerset because they had too few soldiers.
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Why Did the Battle Happen?
For many years, there had been disagreements between the English Parliament and the King, King Charles. These arguments were about religion, money, and how the country should be run. Things got much worse in 1642 when the King tried to arrest five members of Parliament. He accused them of treason.
To get ready for a possible war, King Charles chose the Marquess of Hertford to lead his forces in the West Country. He was helped by Sir Ralph Hopton, a local Member of Parliament (MP) and an experienced army officer. Both sides tried to get people to join their armies. Parliament passed a new law, the Militia Ordinance, in March 1642. This law gave Parliament control over the local soldiers, called the militia, without the King's approval. In response, King Charles used an old way to gather soldiers called commissions of array.
Royalist Headquarters in Wells
The Royalists chose Wells in Somerset as their main base in the West Country. They arrived there on 28 July. Wells was chosen because it had the county's weapons storage, many people there supported the King, and it was in the middle of the area.
However, some historians think this was not a good choice. Wells was in a weak spot in the Mendip Hills. Also, most people in the countryside of Somerset supported Parliament, not the King. Sir Ralph Hopton had helped train the local militia before. This helped the Royalists get some new soldiers. But many people in Somerset were Calvinist Protestants or worked in industries that were struggling because of the King's rules. These people generally supported Parliament more.
The Royalists were better at getting cavalry (soldiers on horseback) and rich landowners, called the gentry, to join them. But they struggled to get foot soldiers. On the other hand, Parliament got many more men to join. However, many of these new soldiers were farmers who had no training or weapons.
A Near Fight at Shepton Mallet
On 30 July 1642, the Parliamentarians held a meeting to collect weapons at Shepton Mallet. This town was about 4 miles (6.4 km) east-southeast of Wells. William Strode, one of Parliament's leaders in Somerset, was in charge.
The Marquess of Hertford sent Hopton with his cavalry to Shepton on 1 August. He told Hopton to avoid fighting. When Hopton arrived, Strode refused to listen to him, and they had a small argument. A crowd of over 1,000 people had gathered. Hopton pulled back and rejoined his cavalry outside the town. The Royalists and the Parliamentarian supporters faced each other for several hours without fighting. Then, the Royalists went back to Wells.
Getting Ready for Battle
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The Parliamentarians were getting so many new soldiers that the Royalists in Wells were in danger of being surrounded. Sir John Pyne, a Member of Parliament, and Captain John Preston gathered about 400 men from Taunton. Captain Sands brought another 200 men from South Petherton. Pyne was ordered to bring these men, who were mostly farmers, to Street. There, they would meet up with Strode's forces.
Hertford knew his position was weak. So, on 4 August, he sent out a group of mounted soldiers led by Sir John Stawell. This group had three troops of cavalry and some dragoons, about 60 to 80 men in total. Several Royalist gentry and an experienced soldier named Henry Lunsford were also with them. They rode south through Glastonbury into the Polden Hills.
When they reached Marshall's Elm, about 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Street, they saw Pyne's force. The Parliamentarians were marching through cornfields about 2 miles (3.2 km) away.
The Battle of Marshall's Elm
The Royalists had arrived from the north, which gave them the advantage of being on higher ground. Marshall's Elm is in a dip between Ivy Thorn Hill and Collard Hill. This spot was like a pass where the road went up from the flat Somerset Levels into the hills.
Stawell tried to talk with the Parliamentarians. He told them they could avoid a fight if they stopped their march. But they refused. While Stawell was talking, Lunsford arranged the Royalist soldiers. The cavalry were hidden behind the top of the hill, so only their heads and weapons could be seen. This made it hard to guess how many there were. Fourteen dragoons got off their horses and hid in old quarry pits lower down the hill by the road. Lunsford told all his men to wait and not fire until he led the attack with the dragoons.
Pyne at first continued the Parliamentarian march, but then he changed his mind. His men complained, saying the Royalist force was "but a few horse and would run away." So, they kept moving up the hill. Pyne's men stopped sometimes to fire their weapons. But Lunsford waited until the enemy was very close, about 120 paces away. Then, the hidden dragoons fired their muskets and killed the leader of the Parliamentarian vanguard (the front part of their army).
The Parliamentarians were confused, not knowing where the attack came from. At that moment, Stawell led the cavalry charge down the hill. The Parliamentarians were completely defeated and ran away. Seven were killed right at Marshall's Elm. The Royalists chased some of the fleeing men for 3 miles (4.8 km), all the way to Somerton. They captured sixty prisoners there, including two officers, Preston and Sands. Besides the seven killed in the battle, about twenty more died later from their injuries.
What Happened Next
The Battle of Marshall's Elm was a victory for the Royalists. It gave Hertford a way to escape from Wells if he needed to. Historians say the Royalists won because of their strong cavalry and good leaders. Their leaders were used to giving orders and felt confident they could beat larger groups of untrained farmers. Henry Lunsford was especially praised for his experience. One of the Parliamentarian leaders, John Ashe, said the battle "very much daunted the honest countryman."
Even though they lost at Marshall's Elm, the Parliamentarians kept gathering soldiers around Wells. Groups came from Bristol, Gloucester, Wiltshire, and all over north-east Somerset. They had cavalry, musketeers, and countrymen with simple weapons like pitchforks. This large force, about 12,000 strong, crossed the Mendip Hills. They reached a slope overlooking Wells on the evening of 5 August. Pyne shared command of part of this force with Strode.
Hertford sent his cavalry to face them. Both groups agreed to stop fighting until the next day. Overnight, even more Parliamentarian soldiers arrived. Hertford pretended to negotiate in the morning to hide his escape. While Parliamentarian messengers were riding north with his 'offer', his men secretly fled south. Hopton's cavalry stayed behind to protect their retreat. After staying two nights in Somerton, the Royalists left Somerset completely. They then set up their base at Sherborne Castle in Dorset.
The First English Civil War officially began on 22 August when King Charles I raised his royal standard in Nottingham. The Battle of Marshall's Elm was not the only fight before the war officially started. But historian Peter Gaunt suggests it was the bloodiest. Another historian, Charles Carlton, called Marshall's Elm the "first real confrontation" of the war.
Images for kids
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The view from Collard Hill, towards Marshall's Elm. The Parliamentarian force approached from the left, while the Royalists positioned themselves on the hills.
