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The Cavalier (Wrong but Wromantic) and The
Roundheads (Right but Repulsive) - '1066 And All That'
| 1992 is the 350th anniversary of the start
of the civil wars which caused Englishmen to slaughter Englishmen in the 17th century. It
is of particular interest to us, for the first engagement in that conflict was in
Warwickshire. The King set up his standard at Nottingham on August 22nd 1642 and the first engagement occurred at Edge Hill, near Kineton, on October 23rd. Sir William Dugdale (of 'Antiquities of Warwickshire' fame) has left us a list of Warwickshire gentry appearing at the Commission of Array for the King, together with those appearing at the Militia Muster for Parliament and those who were neutral. In our own district, the King's supporters included Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton who,though residing at Weston, Bucks., 'sent in his horse', Fulke Knotesford of Studley, William Skinner of Kinwarton, William Burnell of Exhall, Edward Green of Little Alne, Maurice Wareing of Oversley and Maurice Walsingham of Exhall. The list for Parliament included Lord Brooke of Warwick, lord of the manor of Alcester, and Thomas Fuliwood of Little Alne. Apparently, none of the gentry hereabouts was neutral. The list is dated August 1642. |
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The Battle of Edge Hill was not a decisive one: evidently, the Royalists squandered their chances. The battle was a noisy one, for the sound of the canon was heard in Alcester, causing the Rector, Samuel Clarke, and the famous divine, Baxter, to saddle their horses and visit the scene of the carnage.
The English Civil War had political causes but there were also underlying religious reasons. Those supporting Charles tended to favour episcopacy and the Prayer Book. Those of a puritan outlook tended to be pro-Parliament Many English people must have thought long and hard whom to support. The Revd.Sam Clarke, Rector of Alcester, episcopally ordained but puritan in outlook was not anti - monarchy, so his allegiance to either side must be in question.
The Alcester- Studley area was a kind of no man's land, set midway between Parliamentary Warwick and royalist Worcestershire.
Units of both forces crossed the area, demanding provisions, alternately occupying large houses such as Coughton Court and generally causing the local inhabitants to mutter 'A plague on both your houses'. Alcester paid off marauding soldiers with grain and wine to keep them from the town. There are some slight indications that the two sides fought small, local actions just outside Alcester but there are no reports of a large battle in this area. The town of Alcester was a natural reservoir of supply for the forces of the Parliament, for it was a centre of religious dissent, with strong Presbyterian and Baptist groups. There is little doubt where local sympathies lay, being in tune as they were with those of the manorial lord and the Bridges family who controlled the manor on his behalf. 350 years ago, few could foresee that their parliamentary stance would lead to regicide and many, no doubt, were eventually to question their motives.
Insert advert link to edgehill battle museum
© G.E. Saville 1992
