Battle of Wigan Lane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Wigan Lane
Part of Third English Civil War
Monument to Sir Thomas Tyldesley at the site of the battle
Date 25 August 1651 Location Wigan, England Result Parliamentarian victory
Belligerents
Parliamentarians	Royalists
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Robert Lilburne Colonel Thomas Birch	Earl of Derby Lord Widdrington  † Sir William Throgmorton  † Sir Thomas Tyldesley  † Colonel Boynton  †
Strength
603 (Colonel Robert Lilburne Regiment of Horse) 30 horse (from Liverpool as well as volunteers with shotguns mounted as Dragoons) 200 (2 companies of Cheshire Trained Band of Foot) 100 (1 company of foot from Manchester) 100 (one company of John Birch's Regiment of Foot) 2,100 (Cromwell's 2 Regiments of Foot and detached company of horse) Total: 3,000	1,000 (Earl of Derby’s Regiment of Foot) 600 (Earl of Derby’s Regiment of Horse) Total: 600-1,500
Casualties and losses
1 killed 10 wounded (claim by Lilburne) 700 killed (Royalist claim)	64 killed 400 captured
The Earl of Derby's memoir gives alternate strengths of 1800 Dragoons in Lilburnes initial force and just 600 gentlemen in his own neglecting all mention of his own foot though these accounts of the war are exaggerated.

The Battle of Wigan Lane was a fight that happened on August 25, 1651. It was part of the Third English Civil War. In this battle, a Royalist army, led by the Earl of Derby, fought against forces loyal to the Commonwealth of England. These Commonwealth forces were led by Colonel Robert Lilburne. The Royalists lost the battle, and many of their soldiers and officers were killed or captured.

What Led to the Battle?

A New King for Scotland

After King Charles I was put to death in January 1649, the Scottish Covenanters (a group in Scotland) declared his son, Charles II, their new king. They agreed to help him become king of England again. This led to the Third English Civil War.

Cromwell's Plan

Oliver Cromwell and his army, called the New Model Army, had already won many battles against the Scots in 1650. Charles II was crowned king of Scotland on January 1, 1651. Cromwell decided to focus his main army in Scotland. He believed his forces in England could handle any invasion.

Charles II Invades England

On August 6, 1651, Charles II led a mostly Scottish Royalist army into England. They headed towards Lancashire, an area that strongly supported the Royalists. Charles II reached Worcester on August 22, 1651. He stopped there to wait for more English soldiers to join him before marching to London.

Intercepting the Royalists

One group of these new Royalist soldiers came from the Isle of Man and Lancashire. They were led by the Earl of Derby. Regular soldiers under Colonel Robert Lilburne, along with local fighters led by Colonel Thomas Birch, were ordered to stop them. They needed to prevent the Earl of Derby's group from reaching Worcester.

Lilburne's Pursuit

Colonel Lilburne marched with some foot soldiers (infantry) from Manchester, two more groups from Chester, and about 50 or 60 dragoons (soldiers who rode horses but fought on foot). They went to Wigan, where the enemy was gathering, hoping to surprise them. But the Royalists had already moved to Chorley.

The next day, Lilburne heard the Royalists were in Preston. He immediately went after them. He set up camp about two miles from Preston and sent out small groups to bother the enemy. The Royalists fought back. A group of their horsemen (cavalry) attacked Lilburne's men. It was a tough fight, but Lilburne's forces won. They chased the Royalists to Ribble bridge, killing or capturing about 30 prisoners.

Waiting for Reinforcements

Lilburne then heard that Cromwell's own foot soldiers were coming towards Manchester. Cromwell had sent these soldiers and a troop of horsemen from Rufford Abbey a few days earlier. Lilburne stopped by the Ribble, expecting the foot soldiers to join him. However, Cromwell's soldiers had to be careful because Royalists were reported to be in Manchester. Also, some of Derby's men were between Cromwell's soldiers and Lilburne's group.

The Battle Begins

Derby's Plan

On August 25, Lilburne learned that the Earl of Derby was marching towards Wigan. Lilburne thought Derby's force was retreating, so he chased them. But Derby actually planned to attack Cromwell's foot soldiers before Lilburne's horsemen could join them.

When Lilburne reached Wigan, he found a large enemy force, both foot soldiers and horsemen, leaving the town towards Manchester. Lilburne had arrived ahead of his own foot soldiers. The area around Wigan had many fields, hedges, and narrow country lanes. This kind of land was not good for horsemen to fight in. So, Lilburne decided to avoid a direct fight for a while.

Lilburne's Strategy

Lilburne wanted to wait for his foot soldiers to arrive. Then, he planned to go around the Royalists in Wigan. He would send his horsemen to the south of the town. His foot soldiers would enter the town from the north. This way, they could surround Derby's forces and stop them from escaping.

Royalist Commander, the Earl of Derby

The Fight in the Lanes

Derby knew that Lilburne had fewer soldiers. So, he turned around and marched back through Wigan. He hoped to defeat Lilburne's forces one by one before they could join up. Even though the ground was difficult, Lilburne decided to stand and fight.

Lilburne placed some of his horsemen on Wigan Lane. He also put dismounted horsemen (who would fight on foot) along the hedges on both sides of the road. This created a "choke point," a narrow area where the enemy would have to pass. As the Royalists came closer, they were met with a burst of musket fire. A fierce battle started in the same lanes where Cromwell had chased the Scots in 1648.

Royalist Charges

Derby split his horsemen into two groups of 300 men each. Derby led the first group, called the vanguard (the front part of an army). Sir Thomas Tyldesley led the second group, the rear guard (the back part of an army). Three times during the day, Derby led his horsemen in charges against the middle of Lilburne's line. They managed to break through a bit, but they couldn't completely break Lilburne's formation.

By the third charge, many Royalist soldiers had been lost. Lilburne's foot soldiers arrived, giving him more fighters. After about an hour of fighting, the remaining Royalists ran away.

Casualties and Escape

Many Royalist leaders were killed or died from their wounds, including Lord William Witherington, Sir William Throckmorton, Sir Thomas Tyldesley, and Colonel Matthew Boynton. About 60 other Royalists were also killed. Around 400 prisoners were taken. Cromwell's regiment, which had marched to join Lilburne but arrived too late for the main fight, captured many of the Royalists who were running away.

Derby himself was badly wounded but managed to escape. He joined Charles II at Worcester with only about 30 horsemen left.

What Happened Next?

A Blow to the King

The defeat at Wigan Lane was a big problem for King Charles II. This was the only large group of English Royalists that tried to join him at Worcester. Without many English Royalists to support him, Charles II's position was very weak.

Nine days later, his mostly Scottish army of about 15,000 men was completely defeated at the Battle of Worcester. This battle was fought against a Parliamentarian army nearly twice its size, led by Cromwell. This victory ended the Third English Civil War. It also started a period of nine years when England was ruled as a republic, without a king. Charles II escaped to France and lived there until he returned to England in 1660, when the monarchy was brought back.

Impact on the Isle of Man

The Royalist loss also had a big effect on the Isle of Man. Few of the 170 men who were forced to join the army from the island ever returned home. Many who didn't die in the battle were hunted down and killed in the countryside. This loss was much higher than the usual number of deaths on the island during that time.