Battle of Nantwich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Nantwich
Part of First English Civil War
Date 25 January 1644 Location Nantwich, Cheshire Result Parliamentarian victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
Lord Byron Richard Gibson	Sir Thomas Fairfax Sir William Brereton Sir George Booth
Strength
1,800 horse ca. 2,000 foot	1,800 horse 500 dragoons 2,500+ foot
Casualties and losses
1,500 prisoners	Unknown

The Battle of Nantwich was an important fight during the First English Civil War. It happened on January 25, 1644, in Cheshire, England. In this battle, Sir Thomas Fairfax led the Parliamentarian army. They defeated the Royalist forces led by Lord Byron.

This victory for Parliament stopped the Royalists' winning streak in the area. It was a big problem for King Charles' plans for the war in 1644.

The War So Far

King Charles's Plan

In 1643, King Charles made a deal with the Irish Confederates. This allowed him to bring back English soldiers who were fighting in Ireland. These soldiers were needed to make his armies stronger. In November 1643, some of these regiments went to Cheshire. A new army was being put together there.

Lord Capell first commanded this army. But in December, Lord Byron took over. Byron was a very successful cavalry commander in the King's main army.

Royalist Attacks

Lord Byron started an attack from the south with 5,000 men. He targeted the Parliamentarian strongholds in Cheshire. Most of these places were quickly captured. The soldiers who had just returned from Ireland fought very fiercely.

On December 27, Sir William Brereton was the Parliamentarian leader in Cheshire. He tried to gather his forces to fight Byron. But Byron's Royalists attacked suddenly at the Second Battle of Middlewich. Brereton and his remaining soldiers had to retreat to Manchester.

Nantwich was the only town in Cheshire still held by the Parliamentarians. It had a strong group of 2,000 soldiers. Colonel George Booth led them. The town also had plenty of supplies. Byron began to surround Nantwich on January 18, 1644. He tried to attack but was pushed back. He lost about 500 soldiers. Many more were sick or ran away. This meant Byron's army shrank to about 3,800 men. Even so, Byron kept up the siege of Nantwich.

Parliamentarian Moves

Fairfax's March

Sir Thomas Fairfax and his father, Lord Fairfax, had been surrounded in Hull in late 1643. Thomas's cavalry (horse soldiers) were not very useful in a siege. So, they were sent across the River Humber. They joined other Parliamentarian cavalry. These were led by Oliver Cromwell. Together, they won several battles. This helped Parliament control most of Lincolnshire.

Sir William Brereton urgently asked for more soldiers. The Committee of Both Kingdoms then ordered Thomas Fairfax to go to Manchester. This committee was in charge of the war for Parliament. On December 29, 1643, Thomas set out. He crossed the Pennine mountains in bad winter weather. He had 1,800 cavalry with him. When he reached Manchester, the Parliamentarian foot soldiers looked very tired.

But Byron still left Manchester on January 21, 1644. His goal was to help Nantwich. Brereton joined him. Their force grew to 1,800 cavalry, 500 dragoons (soldiers who rode horses but fought on foot), and 2,500 foot soldiers. They also had a few hundred poorly armed "cudgellers."

The Battle of Nantwich

The Setting

Nantwich was a large village built along the River Weaver. The river was usually about 20 feet (6 meters) wide. The Parliamentarians controlled the Chester Road Bridge in the town. But the Beam Bridge, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) north, was open to the Royalists. Byron's main camp was at Acton, about 1 mile (1.6 km) west of Nantwich. His soldiers were spread out around the town. They found shelter where they could in the snowy countryside.

River Weaver Floods

On January 24, Fairfax's army scattered a small Royalist group. This group tried to block the road to Nantwich. Byron decided to continue surrounding the town. But the next day, the weather suddenly got warmer. This caused the River Weaver to flood. Byron ordered his foot soldiers and cannons to move to the west side of the river near Acton. The ground there was drier.

However, the Beam Bridge and a nearby ferry were swept away by the flood. Byron and his 1,800 cavalry were still on the east side. He had to march 6 miles (9.7 km) to another bridge at Minshull Vernon. This was so he could support his foot soldiers at Acton.

The Fight Begins

As Fairfax got closer to Acton, Colonel Richard Gibson prepared his soldiers. He was filling in for Byron's Sergeant-Major General, Sir Michael Erneley, who was sick. Gibson lined up four regiments of foot soldiers to face Fairfax. Most of the Royalist cannons were in Acton churchyard. This was on the left side of Gibson's line. Another Royalist regiment guarded the back against Booth's soldiers from Nantwich.

It was raining heavily. The ground in front of Gibson's position had many ditches and hedges. Despite this, Fairfax's army attacked around 2:00 PM. Fairfax learned that Byron was coming from Minshull Vernon. He sent two regiments of foot soldiers and his own cavalry to face them. His main army pushed forward against Gibson.

Royalist Collapse

Gibson's men fought back the first Parliamentarian attack. But Parliamentarian cavalry, led by Thomas Fairfax's cousin William Fairfax, went around the Royalist right side. This forced them to retreat. In the middle of the Royalist line, one regiment broke apart. Another regiment also retreated.

Behind Gibson's position, Booth led 600 musketeers out of Nantwich. They defeated the Royalist regiment guarding the rear. They reached Acton churchyard. There, they captured the Royalist cannons and supply wagons.

By 4:30 PM, only two Royalist regiments were still fighting. As the Parliamentarians broke through the Royalist center, these two regiments were overwhelmed. Many Royalist soldiers switched sides to the Parliamentarians. The rest surrendered or ran away. About 1,500 Royalists were taken prisoner. Many officers hid in Acton Church. They also surrendered and were taken prisoner. Byron retreated to Chester with his cavalry. They had not been able to break through Fairfax's soldiers.

Aftermath

The defeat at Nantwich ruined King Charles's plan. He wanted to create a strong army in the northwest using soldiers from Ireland. One Royalist officer captured at Nantwich was Colonel George Monck. He later changed sides. He became very important in the Commonwealth of England and the Restoration of the monarchy.

Re-enactments

Members of The Sealed Knot parade outside St Mary's parish church, Nantwich for the 2006 Holly Holy Day

Every year, there is a re-enactment of the battle. It is put on by The Sealed Knot. This happens on the Saturday closest to January 25. Local people celebrate the battle's anniversary as "Holly Holy Day."