Battle of Seacroft Moor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Seacroft Moor
Part of the First English Civil War
Date 30 March 1643 Location Whinmoor moor near Seacroft West Riding of Yorkshire 53°51′N 1°24′W / 53.85°N 1.40°W / 53.85; -1.40 Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Royalists	Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
George Goring	Sir Thomas Fairfax
Strength
c. 20 troops horse	c. 2 troops horse 4,000 foot
Casualties and losses
Unknown	100-200 killed 1000 captured

The Battle of Seacroft Moor happened on 30 March 1643. It took place on Whinmoor moor, which is near the village of Seacroft. This area is north-east of Leeds in West Riding. The battle was part of the First English Civil War. In this fight, a Parliamentarian army led by Lieutenant-General Thomas Fairfax was clearly defeated. They lost to a Royalist cavalry (horse riders) force. This Royalist force was commanded by George Goring.

Why the Battle Happened: The Background

In December 1642, the Earl of Newcastle led his Royalist army south. The Royalists were supporters of King Charles. Newcastle wanted to help the King's forces in Yorkshire. Within that month, Newcastle captured important towns like York, Tadcaster, and Leeds.

But in late January 1643, the Parliamentarians fought back. The Parliamentarians supported the Parliament. They managed to take back Leeds. This helped to balance the power in northern England.

Through the winter, the two armies faced each other. Newcastle's main army was at Clifford Moor, north-west of York. Ferdinando Lord Fairfax led the Parliamentarian army in the north. He had his main army 15 miles south of York, at Selby. In Yorkshire, Parliament also controlled important towns. These included Leeds, Bradford, and Halifax, which were known for wool. They also held the port of Hull.

On February 22, Queen Henrietta Maria arrived at Bridlington port in Yorkshire. She brought weapons, supplies, and English officers. These officers had returned to England to help the King. The Queen's arrival, along with the new supplies and officers, greatly helped the Royalists. It even convinced one Parliamentarian leader, Sir Hugh Cholmondeley, to join the King's side.

Because the Royalists were getting stronger, Lord Fairfax felt his army was too spread out. He thought it would be safer to move his main army from Selby to Leeds.

A Clever Plan: The Diversion

Lord Fairfax needed to move his army and their slow-moving cannons safely. He didn't want Newcastle's forces to attack them while they were moving. So, Lord Fairfax came up with a clever plan. He decided to create a diversion. This trick was meant to keep Newcastle's army busy. It would stop them from chasing the Parliamentarian convoy.

Lord Fairfax ordered his son, Lieutenant-General Thomas Fairfax, to lead a group of foot soldiers. They were joined by three groups of horse riders. Their mission was to attack Tadcaster. This would make the Royalists think York was in danger.

Thomas Fairfax followed his father's orders. Before he even reached Tadcaster, the Royalist soldiers guarding the town ran away. Fairfax and his men spent a few hours there. They broke down the Royalist defenses. Then, the Parliamentarians left. They marched west to meet Lord Fairfax in Leeds. Meanwhile, Newcastle sent his horse commander, Goring, and 20 groups of horse riders. Their job was to confront Fairfax's Parliamentarians.

The Battle Begins

Sir Thomas Fairfax

Goring and his Royalist force tracked Fairfax's army. They caught up with the last part of the Parliamentarian group before they reached Bramham Moor. Fairfax used his small group of horse riders and the narrow road. This helped him protect his foot soldiers who had gone ahead. After the Royalists were pushed back, Fairfax and his horse riders quickly rode to catch up with his foot soldiers.

When Fairfax reached Bramham Moor, he was upset. He found that his foot soldiers, who were mostly local people and not trained fighters, had stopped. They were waiting for orders to move forward. Fairfax got his foot soldiers marching again. But he had to defend them once more from Goring's horse riders. This happened as the Parliamentarian foot soldiers crossed Bramham Moor.

Once the Parliamentarian foot soldiers were across the moor, they reached an area with enclosed fields. These fields offered some protection from the Royalist horse riders. The soldiers thought they were safe. But ahead of them was another moor, which Fairfax would later call Seacroft Moor. The tired soldiers then broke ranks. They went looking for drinks in a small village.

Fairfax and his officers managed to get the soldiers back in order. They got them moving again through a moor on the road to Leeds. Meanwhile, Goring and the Royalist horse riders found a way to go north. They went around the enclosed fields without being seen. They then attacked the Parliamentarian foot soldiers as they marched. The final attack happened on the moor that Fairfax called Seacroft Moor. The real name of this moor, which Fairfax didn't know then, was Whinmoor.

At this point in the march, Fairfax's foot soldier lines were not close together. The tired soldiers had spread out. Their groups were stretched along the moor. Also, the Parliamentarian foot soldiers did not have many experienced pikemen. Pikemen could have helped hold off the Royalist horse riders while the musketeers reloaded their guns. The Royalists now attacked the Parliamentarian foot soldiers from behind and from the side. Fairfax's smaller group of horse riders could do little to protect such a long line of foot soldiers in the open moor.

Very quickly, the local soldiers threw down their weapons and ran away. Many were killed, and even more were captured. Some soldiers simply left and went back to their homes in Yorkshire. The Parliamentarian horse riders could not stop the Royalist charge. They escaped west, along with Lieutenant-General Fairfax. They eventually reached Leeds.

Fairfax later said the battle was "one of the greatest losses we ever received." It's thought that between 100 and 200 Parliamentarians were killed. About 1,000 were taken prisoner. The number of Royalist casualties is not known, but it was likely small.

What Happened Next

Lord Fairfax and the main Parliamentarian army, along with their cannons, reached Leeds safely. But this came at a very high cost because of all the losses at Seacroft Moor.

Lieutenant-General Fairfax faced a lot of criticism. The wives and families of the soldiers who died in the battle were very angry. The criticism was so strong that on May 21, Fairfax launched another attack. He attacked the Royalist soldiers at Wakefield. He hoped to capture Royalist soldiers there. Then he could trade them for the men lost at Seacroft Moor.