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The Battle of Braddock Down was a battle of the south-western campaign of the
First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Angl ...
. It was fought on open ground in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
, on 19 January 1643. An apparently easy victory for the Royalists under
Sir Ralph Hopton Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton, (159628 September 1652), was an English politician, soldier and landowner. During the 1642 to 1646 First English Civil War, he served as Royalist commander in the West Country, and was made Baron Hopton of Stra ...
secured Cornwall for King Charles and confirmed Hopton's reputation as a commander. Hopton also gained respect for the mercy shown to his foe, of whom 1,500 were captured during and after the battle. The precise location of the battlefield is a matter of dispute, though
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
believe it to be within parkland at
Boconnoc Boconnoc ( kw, Boskennek) is a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of the town of Lostwithiel. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 96. The parish is rural in character and i ...
.


Prelude

Hopton had been attempting to march into Devon from Cornwall but was prevented from doing so by the Parliamentarian force at
Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to ...
under the
Earl of Stamford Earl of Stamford was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1628 for Henry Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Groby. This Grey family descended through Lord John Grey, of Pirgo, Essex, younger son of Thomas Grey, 2nd Marquess of Dorset, ...
and William Ruthven. He retreated across
Bodmin Moor Bodmin Moor ( kw, Goon Brenn) is a granite moorland in north-eastern Cornwall, England. It is in size, and dates from the Carboniferous period of geological history. It includes Brown Willy, the highest point in Cornwall, and Rough Tor, a sl ...
and on 17 January was able to replenish his food and ammunition stores from three Parliamentarian ships that sought refuge from a storm at Falmouth and were captured. Sir Ralph Hopton's Royalist forces had been camped the night of 18/19 January at
Boconnoc Boconnoc ( kw, Boskennek) is a civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, approximately four miles east of the town of Lostwithiel. According to the 2011 census the parish had a population of 96. The parish is rural in character and i ...
. On breaking camp, their dragoon
vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...
encountered Parliamentarian cavalry to the east, and discovered Ruthven's army deployed on Braddock Down. Ruthven had been unwilling to wait for reinforcements sent by Stamford to arrive and had marched to face the Royalists in the hope of a quick victory. Ruthven initially believed he was facing stragglers from Hopton's main army but was instead lured into facing the entire Royalist force.


Battle

Ruthven had more cavalry, but Hopton had more infantry and also two light cannons. These he kept concealed during the first two hours of the battle, which was largely a long-range musket duel. After deciding to attack, Hopton ordered his Cornish foot under
Sir Bevil Grenville Sir Bevil Grenville (23 March 1596 - 5 July 1643) was an English landowner and soldier who sat as a Member of Parliament for various constituencies between 1620 to 1642, although during those years there were few parliamentary sessions. When t ...
to charge. The defending Parliamentarians, drawn from newly raised and inexperienced forces, fired just one volley at the Cornish, causing two casualties, then turned and fled.


Aftermath

The defeated Parliamentarians were pursued into
Liskeard Liskeard ( ; kw, Lyskerrys) is a small ancient stannary and market town in south-east Cornwall, South West England. It is situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth, west of the Devon border, and 12 miles (20 km) eas ...
where over 1,200 were captured. In all, 1,500 Parliamentarians were captured and a further 200 killed with few losses on the Royalist side. Hopton drove another band of survivors out of
Saltash Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Corn ...
, where they had fled after the battle. The battle cost the Royalists little but had severe consequences for the Parliamentarians, who lost the prospect of controlling Cornwall. Hopton's reputation as a commander was bolstered by his victory here and he was also commended for the mercy shown to his surrendered foe.


Battlefield

The location of the battle is a matter of dispute.
English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...
considers the location to be slightly south of Middle Taphouse. However traditional opinion places the battle within Boconnoc Park. The exact location is not likely to be discovered without archaeological excavation. A cross from Lanlivery was made into the upper section of "The Monument" on Druids Hill, St Winnow. It was brought from
Lanlivery Lanlivery ( kw, Lannlyvri) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is about west of Lostwithiel and five miles (8 km) south of Bodmin. The Saints' Way runs past Lanlivery. Helman Tor, Red Moor and ...
in 1846; this monument commemorates the loss of life in the Battle of Braddock Down.


See also

*
Cornwall in the English Civil War Cornwall played a significant role in the English Civil War, being a Royalist enclave in the generally Parliamentarian south-west. Civil War military actions in Cornwall and the South West The English Civil War lasted nearly nine years, having ...


Citations


References

* * * * *


Further reading

*Guest, Ken & Denise (1996), ''British Battles: the front lines of history in colour photographs'' London: HarperCollins *Smurthwaite, David (1993), ''The Complete Guide to the Battlefields of Britain: with Ordnance Survey maps''. London: Michael Joseph . Previously published as: The Ordnance Survey complete guide to the battlefields of Britain : Exeter : Webb and Bower, 1984 *The UK Battlefields Resource Centre, The Battlefields Trust, Meadow Cottage, 33 High Green, Brooke, Norwich, NR15 1HR


External links


Civil War: campaign in the South-West
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braddock Down, Battle of 1643 1643 in England Battles of the English Civil Wars History of Cornwall Military history of Cornwall Battles involving the Cornish Conflicts in 1643 Registered historic battlefields in England 17th century in Cornwall