The Battle of Bramham

Rports are coming through on the Battle at Bramham. 3.3.1644 After the Royalists retook Selby, march and counter march took place until Fairfax and Manchester chose Bramham near Wetherby to await an attack by Rupert, Newcastle and Byron. 12,000 men on each side stood to arms After a brief lull to dress ranks, the battle commenced at 2pm with a slow and cautious advance across the line by the Royalists. the Roundheads stood and awaited the attack. The Cavaliers made heavy weather of clearing the central and left flank woods. Their dragoons are currently fleeing from the large wood on the left, musketeers are fighting some commanded shot but not being able to force their way through. In the central wood it is the same story with 200 commanded shot holding up 500 Royalists. To the Royalist right of the central wood, newcastle and Byron have been trying to launch a coordinated foot and horse attack. A foot firefight has seen Talbots regiment rout, with Dacre’s also on the verge of collapse. The parliamentary regiment of Walton was shot and routed though. It will remain to the remaining second line Royalist foot to hold off any Parliamentary advance. However on the far Royalist right the round head regiment of Crawford was shot and routed leaving a hole in the roundhead line. But the royalist loss of Mylot’s horse has balanced things there somewhat. This flank remains very much in the balance. Royalist horse are due to charge in during the next quarter of an hour. Things are also uncertain on the royalist left of the central wood. Royalist infantry are outnumbered and losing the firefight and it remains for the best three regiments of Newcastle’s horse to charge roundhead foot in the next quarter of an hour. The result of this charge could decide the fate of the roundheads on the royalist left. In the gap between woods on the royalist far left Rupert has taken the cream of the royalist cavalry and is about to charge through the tight gap into a solid line of parliamentary horse. Numbers favour the roundheads but quality favours the Prince. It’s 3.45pm and all along the line battle is about to be joined in hand to hand combat........ Photos and further reports to follow.. altho i fear it will be sunday when the battle will be able to be concluded. any further orders do let me know but i suspect the die is cast Darkness will begin to fall between 5 and 6pm so there remains an hour an a half of fighting to gain a result before both sides will break off I fear the next hour will however decide the fate of both armies 4pm On the royalist left Rupert’s gallant charge has not yet effected a breakthrough. parliamentary horse is wobbling but sheer numbers, in a tight space between the woods, are meaning they are holding on- leaving events elsewhere to decide the day. To the right of the inner left flank wood royalist horse has burst through and is into the last line of defence against some poor foot and the last reserves of roundhead cavalry... however royalist foot in this sector is outnumbered and outgunned and is going down... on the royalist far right tempest’s foot burst through only to be routed by cromwells last reserve cavalry unit. Newcastle himself joined tempests to help win the day but instead was wounded and had to be helped from the battlefield. charges and pursuits are many in this sector, royalist foot is wobbling but decisive charges are bout to happen the day looks like it is swinging the roundhead way but there is still much fighting to be done and whoever wins it looks like any pursuits will be limited by the darkness and fatigue 4.15pmruperts cavalry begin to effect a breakthrough on their left when the roundhead general boynton is wounded and all the roundhead cavalry disrupt in consequence. on the royalist right cavalier cavalry breakthough too. However counterattacks in the centre mean these victories are hard fought and may not be enough to hold back the now advancing roundheads. the next half an hour will decide whether there is a decisive outcome. more royalist than roundheads seem to be leaving the field 4.30pm well the end game is approaching the royalist infantry have collapsed in the centre and they have just a few remnants holding up the roundheads. The royalist cavalry on the right is pulling back to cover any retreat. on the left however Rupert’s cavalry have broken through and beginning to try chase down the remaining roundhead cavalry half an hour to go before it gets dark so things look nearly done! 5pm and darkness falls its all over looks like rupert’s cavalry swept the left flank and into the parliamentary rear too late ! the royalist centre fled but was covered but some stable foot regiments together with the remnants of newcastle’s horse will finalise the write up tomorrow and leave you to decide what happens next... but its dark but in the gloom it appears Fairfax and newcastle’s armies have been badly mauled. Both sides break contact and retreat, The Royalists to Wetherby and Roundheads to just south of Bramham battle photos are on my new flickr account – you may need to start at the last photo as i cant work out how to get views from the first pic http://www.flickr.com/photos/1644campaign/

from Newcastle's bed in York 9 March

A proclamation at York to the Royalist army there... Brave fellows, the king is grateful for your service in the victory at Bramham, on the third of this month. It was only nightfall that prevented Rupert from delivering Fairfax and Manchester to us in entirety. Although it fell to you men to endure the worst of the enemy’s work, do not be dispirited: you held well, against greater numbers, and if God chose nightfall to spare the traitors to their king the ultimate sentence it is surely only to give us another chance to gain even greater glory Newcastle

Selby changes hands again 1 March 1644

After the Roundhead storming of Selby under Fairfax, the Royalists in York marched cautiously to the town. Byron led and was supported by Newcastle At first light on the morning of 1 March Fairfax received the summons to surrender from Byron. Barracades and defences were made ready to withstand a siege but straightaway the Roundhead troops filed out of the town on the other side of the river from the Royalists. A daring overnight Royalist cavalry overnight failed to show as hoped for on the south of the town so the retreat of the parliament forces was not noticed immediately. By late morning Royalist cavalry entered the town from the south and eventually alerted the embarrased Byron and Newcastle north of the river. Through a fantastic feat of marching Fairfax's troops marched into Wetherby on the evening of 1 Mmarch- almost 17 miles in one day. It is thought that Royalist cavalry was just few miles behind - leaving the main Royalist army at Selby to ponder its next move.