Battle of St Fagans | |||||||
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Part of the Second English Civil War | |||||||
Royalist Royalist commander and former Parliamentarian, Rowland Laugharne | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Royalists | Parliamentarians | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Gen. Rowland Laugharne Col. John Poyer Col. Rice Powell | Col. Thomas Horton | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
7,500 infantry 500 cavalry | 900 horse 800 dragoons 1,000 foot | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
200+ killed 3,000+ captured | Unknown |
The Battle of St Fagans took place near the village of St Fagans in South Glamorgan on 8 May 1648 during the Second English Civil War. A detachment from the New Model Army defeated a Royalist force largely composed of mutinous former Parliamentarian soldiers. Victory largely ended significant Royalist resistance in Wales.
Wales was regarded as a sensitive area by Parliament, since most of it had been Royalist during the First English Civil War. [1] Their anxiety increased after the interception of messages from the Irish Confederacy offering support to Charles I. [2]
Royalist control of Cardiff and Milford Haven would potentially allow them to ship troops from Ireland to England. At the same time, the leaders of the New Model Army viewed the local commanders, John Poyer and Rowland Laugharne, as sympathetic to their opponents in Parliament, and thus unreliable. In July, Colonel Thomas Horton was sent with around 3,000 men to replace Laugharne, and secure these positions. [3]
The revolt began in Pembrokeshire, an area that had been controlled by Parliament since early 1643. Like their New Model colleagues, the soldiers had not been paid for months, and feared being disbanded without their wages. In early March 1648, both Poyer, Governor of Pembroke Castle, and Rice Powell, who held Tenby Castle, refused to hand them over to officers of the New Model, and were supported by Laugharne. [4]
What began as a dispute over pay turned political when the Parliamentarian mutineers made contact with Charles. Conversely, most former Royalists had been released after swearing not to bear arms against Parliament, and thus did not participate, one exception being Sir Nicholas Kemeys, who held Chepstow Castle for the king. By the end of April, Laugharne had assembled around 8,000 troops, and was marching on Cardiff. [5]
Horton initially moved on Carmarthen, but then had to put down an uprising in Brecon, before occupying Cardiff and quartering his troops in and around St Fagans, west of the town. [6] Learning that reinforcements led by Oliver Cromwell were on their way, Laugharne decided to attack Horton before they could arrive. Although Horton's 3,000 men were outnumbered, many of the 8,000 rebels were poorly trained and little match for experienced veterans. [7]
A stream known as the Nant Dowlais separated the two armies. In the early morning, Laugharne sent 500 infantry across the stream to attack Horton's centre, hoping to take the Parliamentarians by surprise inside the village. This advance guard was routed by a charge by some of Horton's cavalry, and the Parliamentarians were able to deploy in the open.
The battle now became general in the open area to the north west of the village. In the centre, high hedges hampered Horton's horsemen, but Okey's dragoons forced both Royalist wings back. Eventually, Parliamentarian horse under Major Bethel were able to make a charge against the Royalist left and rear. The Royalists panicked and broke. Over 200 of Laugharne's men were killed and another 3,000 were taken prisoner.
The legend that the river Ely ran red with blood may be an exaggeration given the casualties, but the veteran parliamentarian advantage in horses meant they were able to repeatedly rout numerically superior numbers on the Royalist side. [8]
Laugharne retreated with what was left of his army to join Poyer at Pembroke, while Horton besieged Rice Powell in Tenby Castle. Cromwell reached Gloucester on the day of the battle, then crossed into Wales shortly afterwards. Colonel Isaac Ewer and a small force were left to invest Chepstow Castle, while Cromwell joined Horton at Tenby on 15 May. Leaving Horton with enough men to deal with Powell, Cromwell marched the rest of the army to besiege Pembroke.
When these fortresses fell, Cromwell was able to march back into England to defeat an invading Scottish army at the decisive Battle of Preston. Cromwell had been considerably delayed dealing with Laugharne, but would have been even more so if Laugharne's field army had not been effectively destroyed at St Fagans.
The English Civil War refers to a series of civil wars and political machinations between Royalists and Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, the struggle consisted of the First English Civil War and the Second English Civil War. The Anglo-Scottish War of 1650 to 1652 is sometimes referred to as the Third English Civil War.
Pembroke Castle is a medieval castle in the centre of Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in Wales. The castle was the original family seat of the Earldom of Pembroke. A Grade I listed building since 1951, it underwent major restoration during the early 20th century.
Marmaduke Langdale, 1st Baron Langdale was an English landowner and soldier who fought with the Royalists during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.
The Second English Civil War took place between February and August 1648 in England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639–1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 1641–1653 Irish Confederate Wars, the 1639–1640 Bishops' Wars, and the 1649–1653 Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646. It is part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which also include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the 1650 to 1652 Anglo-Scottish War and the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Historians calculate some 15% to 20% of all adult males in England and Wales served in the military between 1639 and 1653, while around 4% of the total population died from war-related cause, versus 2.23% in World War I. These figures illustrate the impact of the conflict on society in general, and the bitterness it engendered.
Colonel Thomas Horton, January 1603 to October 1649, was a member of the minor gentry from Leicestershire who served in the Parliamentarian army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Like many other of those who approved the Execution of Charles I in January 1649, Horton was a religious Independent. His family was closely connected to Sir Arthur Haselrig, one of the Five Members whose attempted arrest by Charles I in January 1642 was a major step on the road to the First English Civil War.
The Battle of Maidstone was fought in the Second English Civil War and was a victory for the attacking Parliamentarian troops over the defending Royalist forces.
The siege of Pembroke took place in 1648 during the Second English Civil War. In the engagement, Parliamentarian troops led by Oliver Cromwell sieged Pembroke Castle in Wales. The Castle had become a refuge for rebellious Parliamentarian soldiers after the end of the First English Civil War.
Major General Rowland Laugharne was a member of the Welsh gentry, and a prominent soldier during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, in which he fought on both sides.
Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery KB, PC, styled The Honourable from 1621 to 1628 and then Lord Vaughan until 1634, was a Welsh soldier, peer and politician.
Events from the year 1648 in England. The Second English Civil War begins.
John Poyer was a Welsh soldier in the Parliamentary army during the English Civil War in South Wales. He later turned against the parliamentary cause and was executed for treason.
Sir Trevor Williams, 1st Baronet of Llangibby, Monmouthshire, was a Welsh gentry landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1660 and 1692. He played a significant part in events during and after the English Civil War in South Wales, siding first with King Charles, then with the Parliamentarians, before rejoining the Royalists in 1648.
Rice Powell was a Welsh Colonel in the Parliamentary army during the First English Civil War. In the Second English Civil War he allied himself with the Royalist cause. He fought in South Wales and played a significant part in events between 1642 and 1649 including a senior role during the Battle of St. Fagans.
The Battle of Preston, fought largely at Walton-le-Dale near Preston in Lancashire, resulted in a victory for the New Model Army under the command of Oliver Cromwell over the Royalists and Scots Engagers commanded by the Duke of Hamilton. The Parliamentarian victory presaged the end of the Second English Civil War.
Sir Hugh Owen, 1st Baronet was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1626 and 1660. He sided originally with the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War, but the strength of his allegiance was in doubt.
George Twisleton, 1618 to 12 May 1667, was a member of the landed gentry from Yorkshire and colonel in the Parliamentarian army during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Under the Commonwealth of England, he sat as MP for Anglesey from 1654 to 1659.
The Battle of Y Dalar Hir took place on 5 June 1648 in Caernarfonshire, North Wales, during the Second English Civil War. While little more than a skirmish, it had a significant effect on the local progress of the conflict.
The Battle of St Neots on 10 July 1648 was a skirmish during the Second English Civil War at St Neots in Cambridgeshire. A Royalist force led by the Earl of Holland and Colonel John Dalbier was defeated by 100 veteran troops from the New Model Army, commanded by Colonel Adrian Scrope.
The Battle of Winwick was fought on 19 August 1648 near the Lancashire village of Winwick between part of a Royalist army under Lieutenant General William Baillie and a Parliamentarian army commanded by Lieutenant General Oliver Cromwell. The Royalists were defeated with all of those who took part in the fighting, their army's entire infantry force, either killed or captured. The Royalist mounted component fled but surrendered five days after the battle. Winwick was the last battle of the Second English Civil War.