Battle of Tadcaster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Tadcaster |
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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 | |||||||
| Earl of Newcastle | Ferdinando Fairfax, Lord Fairfax | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| c. 4,000 | 900–1,500 | ||||||
The Battle of Tadcaster was a fight during the First English Civil War. It happened on 7 December 1642 in Tadcaster, Yorkshire. In this battle, the Royalist army attacked the town. Tadcaster was defended by Parliamentarian soldiers.
About 900 to 1,500 Parliamentarian soldiers were led by Lord Fairfax. The Royalist army, led by the Earl of Newcastle, had about 6,000 men. Newcastle planned a two-part attack. He would attack from the east with 4,000 soldiers. Another group, led by the Earl of Newport, would attack from the north-west.
The main Royalist attack began on the morning of 7 December. But Newport's group never arrived. Lord Fairfax's soldiers fought hard. However, they were running low on gunpowder. So, they had to leave Tadcaster during the night. The Earl of Newcastle took control of the town the next day. This victory helped the Royalists control more areas in Yorkshire.
Contents
Why Did the Battle of Tadcaster Happen?
The First English Civil War began in August 1642. It was a fight between King Charles I and Parliament. This war started because of many disagreements. These included arguments about religion, money, and how the country should be ruled. These problems had been growing for over 50 years.
The War in Yorkshire in 1642
Even before the war officially started, Yorkshire was an important area. In January 1642, King Charles I tried to arrest some members of Parliament. After this, important families in England began to choose sides. They also started getting ready for battle.
Sir John Hotham took control of Hull for Parliament. The King left London and set up his base in York in March. The King tried to take Hull twice in 1642, but he failed.
Later, King Charles went south. But his wife, Queen Henrietta Maria, went to the Netherlands. She wanted to buy weapons for the Royalist army. The Earl of Newcastle was in charge of making sure she returned safely. On the other side, Lord Fairfax became the leader of Parliament's forces in Yorkshire.
Getting Ready for the Battle
Royalist supporters in Yorkshire asked the Earl of Newcastle for help. So, Newcastle marched into Yorkshire with about 8,000 soldiers. He defeated Parliamentarian forces at the Battle of Piercebridge. Then, he set up his base in York on 3 December.
Lord Fairfax was also leading a Parliamentarian army towards York. But he heard about Newcastle's victory at Piercebridge. So, he stopped his army at Tadcaster. This town was about 10 miles south-west of York. Newcastle's advance had split the Parliamentarian forces. It also gave the Royalists more power in the area. Newcastle decided to attack Tadcaster. He wanted to defeat Fairfax's army while it was separated.
The Battle of Tadcaster
On 6 December, Newcastle's army moved towards Tadcaster. He had about 6,000 men. The main force, about 4,000 foot soldiers and some horsemen, went directly from York. They planned to attack Tadcaster from the east.
At the same time, the Earl of Newport led another group. This group had 1,500 horsemen and dragoons. They were supposed to go around through Wetherby. Their plan was to attack Fairfax from the north-west.
Lord Fairfax had between 900 and 1,500 soldiers in Tadcaster. Most of Tadcaster is on the west side of the River Wharfe. The main way to enter the town from York was over a stone bridge. Fairfax had built a small fort on the east side of the river to protect this bridge. He also removed some planks from the bridge. This made it harder for the enemy to cross quickly.
Fairfax and his officers held a meeting. They decided to leave the town on the morning of 7 December. But as they were getting ready, fighting started. The Royalist foot soldiers attacked the east side of the town. Parliamentarian soldiers were still defending it. Because of the attack, Fairfax's men could not retreat. He sent them back to defend the town.
The first Royalist attack failed. But some of Newcastle's men managed to get into the town. They took over some houses near the bridge. This threatened to cut off the Parliamentarian soldiers at the fort. Major-General Giffard led a counterattack. They took back the houses. Then, they burned the houses so the Royalists could not use them again. Both sides stayed in their positions. They fired muskets at each other for the rest of the day.
The second part of Newcastle's plan, Newport's attack, never happened. Historians think Newport's cannons might have slowed him down on the bad winter roads. One story says that a Parliamentarian officer, Captain John Hotham, wrote a fake letter. This letter, pretending to be from Newcastle, told Newport to stop.
When it got dark, Newcastle pulled his men back. They camped in nearby fields. They planned to attack again the next morning. The battle lasted from 11 AM to 5 PM. It is thought that about 40,000 musket balls were fired.
The Parliamentarians had a good defensive spot. But they were running out of gunpowder. So, they decided to leave the town during the night. They split their forces. Lord Fairfax took his men to Selby. Captain Hotham went to Cawood.
Who Was Hurt?
Lord Fairfax wrote a letter to Parliament about the battle. He said his side had seven soldiers killed. About 20 were wounded. No Parliamentarian soldiers were captured. He was not sure about the Royalist numbers. But he reported that local people said at least 100 Royalist soldiers were killed and burned. His forces also captured seventeen Royalist prisoners.
What Happened After the Battle?
After the Parliamentarians left, Newcastle's forces entered Tadcaster on the morning of 8 December. He then placed soldiers in Pontefract Castle and other nearby towns. This cut off Lord Fairfax from the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Newcastle sent Sir William Savile with 2,000 men. Their job was to secure the West Riding towns. These included Leeds, Wakefield, and Bradford. Savile took Leeds and Wakefield without a fight. But he had to split his force to try and capture Bradford on 18 December. There, his attack was stopped.
