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The Battle of Worcester

Say you have been at Worcester, where England's sorrows began, and where they are happily ended.
Hugh Peters (Parliamentary army chaplain at Worcester 1651)

Introduction

The battle of Worcester on 3 September 1651 was the final act in the series of Civil Wars that had begun in August 1642.
In January 1649 Charles I was executed by Parliament. A year later, Charles II decided to launch a bid to restore his throne by military might. He landed in Scotland and made an alliance with the Covenanters who had previously supported Parliament. Many on the Parliamentary side were reluctant to fight against their former allies: Fairfax, the original choice of commander refused to serve and Oliver Cromwell was appointed in his place. The Kidderminster preacher, Richard Baxter urged soldiers not to fight in Scotland. The campaign was dogged by sickness and Cromwell himself became seriously ill.

Lowland Scottish musketeer

Cromwell recovered in the Spring of 1651 and determined not to spend another winter in Scotland. He decided to draw the King's army into Scotland, gambling on the likelihood that few Englishmen would support an invading Scottish army, whatever their feelings for the monarchy. Cromwell was correct, very few Englishmen joined the 11,000 -13,000 strong Scottish army and waverers now flocked to join the parliamentary forces. Thousands joined the militias that were raised up and down the country. As a consequence, this was one of the few campaigns of the Civil Wars that showed any popular enthusiasm. The country knew that this was a chance to strike a decisive blow and restore the country to some form of stability.

The Worcester Campaign

As the Scottish army (now totaling up to 16,000 men) entered Worcestershire it was harassed by the local militia who desperately tried to slow up the advance in order to give the garrison of Worcester a chance to improve the defences of the City and to receive reinforcements.



Site of skirmish at Ombersley

Local troops under Andrew Yarranton fought a skirmish at Ombersley, just north of Worcester and continued to fight the advancing Scots to the very gates of Worcester. But the resolve of the citizens crumbled as they realised that no reinforcements were forthcoming. The City Council therefore decided to surrender and, to prove (somewhat belatedly) its loyalty to the Royalist cause they fired on the garrison as it retreated to Gloucester. Thus it was that the King entered Worcester on 22 August. But this was simply an act of pragmatism. Few local men joined the Royalist army and the militia joined the main Parliamentary army that then gathered around Worcester.

The Battle of Worcester

On August 28 part of the Parliamentary army crossed the River Severn at Upton. By nightfall, around 12,000 men had assembled there. Another 18,000 men began the march from Evesham to the outskirts of Worcester.

Cromwell was in no hurry and ensured that his men were properly rested and supplied before commencing the main battle. The battle may even have been delayed so that it fell anniversary of his other great victory against the Scots at Dunbar - on 3 September 1650.

At dawn on Wednesday 3 September, the army on the west bank of the Severn under General Fleetwood began their march towards Worcester, dragging with them pontoons to make bridges that would span the Rivers Teme and Severn. The Scots were unprepared and were slow to send reinforcements to the small number of Highlanders that defended the river plain to the south of Worcester. Even so, they held back the parliamentary army until c.3pm when Cromwell ordered his reserve of crack New Model Army troops across the bridge of boats that spanned the Severn. Retreat became a rout and the lane back to Worcester was lined with the Scottish dead.

View from the Parliamentary cannon positions towards the city. Hamilton led his counter-attack across this ground.

In an attempt to relieve the pressure on his men, King Charles attempted to counter-attack on the east side of the City. A mixed force of Highlanders, Lowlanders and English gentry managed to scale the high ground that overlooked the city and captured some of the Parliamentary gun positions. The parliamentary front line was composed of militia and for a time the battle looked to be in the balance. But the line held and once again Cromwell was able to save the situation with his New Model Army reserves. The militia now rose. They were determined to annihilate this foreign army that had brought the spectre of Civil war back to England. The Essex and Cheshire militias led the charge: the Scottish garrison at Fort Royal was massacred and the Cheshire militia entered the City.



The Parliamentary troops were in no mood to show mercy

By 6pm the battle was lost, although parties of Scottish troops and English gentry held out until around 10pm. The King made a narrow escape, with his retreat covered by two charges of troops under local gentry.

Fate of the prisoners

The story of the battle now passes into legend and the escape of the King to the south coast and thence to France has become part of English legend. less thought has been spared for the fate of the c.10,000 Scottish prisoners that were captured. Stripped of all possessions they were herded into prisons all over the country. Many were transported to new England, Virginia and the West Indies to work on the plantations and iron works. Others were sent to work on the drainage schemes of the fens. But, unable to maintain them in prison, eventually the government had simply to release the rest back to Scotland. Many of the English prisoners were conscripted into the army and were sent to Ireland.

A contemporary account of the battle

Back to Worcestershire in the English Civil War pages