Battle of Hopton Heath

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The Battle of Hopton Heath, in Staffordshire, was a battle of the First English Civil War, fought on Sunday 19 March 1643 between Parliamentarian forces led by Sir John Gell, 1st Baronet and Sir William Brereton and a Royalist force under Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton. It was a Royalist victory.

[edit] Background

Gell had successfully taken the town of Lichfield in Staffordshire and was on his way with about 1,500 men and some artillery pieces to join Brereton in a projected attack on the town of Stafford.

[edit] The Battle

They met at Hopton Heath and were attacked there by the Royalists, whose force consisted of about 1,100 cavalry, 100 foot and artillery, including a large artillery piece called "Roaring Meg".

After an artillery barrage the Royalist cavalry charged the entrenched parliamentarians, putting Gell's dragoons and his and Brereton's horse to flight. A second charge was repelled by Gell's musketeers and Northampton was unhorsed. He refused to surrender and was killed.

[edit] Nightime Parliamentary Withdrawal

During the night the Parliamentarian troops withdrew, leaving a large part of Gell's artillery in Royalist hands. Brereton withdrew to Nantwich while Gell marched through Uttoxeter to Derby, taking Northampton's body with him. He attempted to ransom the Earl's body for the return of the captured artillery pieces, without success.

[edit] References

• Plant, David. Hopton Heath, Staffordshire, 19 March 1643, on The British Civil Wars & Commonwealth website

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