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The English Civil War battle of Lansdowne (or Lansdown) was fought on July 5, 1643, near Bath. Although the Royalists under Lord Hopton forced the Parliamentarians under Sir William Waller to retreat from their hilltop position, they suffered so many casualties themselves and were left so disordered and short of ammunition that an injured Hopton was forced to retire.

By late May, 1643, Lord Hopton's royalist army had captured most of the south west of England. Joined by the Earl of Hertford, he now advanced eastward into Parliamentarian-held territory. Sir William Waller's army held Bath, to obstruct their further advance. On July 3, the Royalists crossed the River Avon and drove Waller from several positions south and east of Bath. Waller retired to a strong position on Lansdown Hill, northwest of Bath.

The battlefield now

Hopton's forces encountered this position on July 4 and were unpleasantly surprised at its strength. They withdrew five miles north-east to Marshfield, while their rearguard repulsed an attempt by Waller's cavalry to pursue. Early on July 5, Waller moved to the north end of Lansdown Hill, where he built crude breastworks for his infantry, and sent some of his horse against Hopton's outposts. They put to flight some badly-led Royalist cavalry, and the alarm caused all Hopton's army to form up and began advancing west, till they came in sight of Waller's position.

There was indecisive skirmishing for two hours, and Hopton again tried to withdraw. Waller once again sent his horse and dragoons against the enemy rearguard, and this time they routed the Royalist cavalry, although the infantry stood firm. Hopton's army turned about, and defeated the Roundhead cavalry in a confused action. With his Cornish foot regiments already advancing without orders, Hopton at last attacked Lansdown Hill.

Battlefield marker

As they charged up the steep slopes towards the Parliamentarian position on the crest, Hopton's cavalry suffered badly, and many panicked. 1,400 of them fled towards Oxford. Under Sir Bevil Grenville, Hopton's Cornish pikemen stormed Waller's breastworks, while Royalist musketeers outflanked Waller through the woods on each side of his position. Grenville was killed in hand-to-hand combat as Parliamentarian horse counter-attacked and were driven off. Waller's infantry fell back to a wall across the crest of the hill from where they kept up musket fire until dark fell. During the night, they withdrew silently.

Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument, at the place where he fell

The day after the battle, a Royalist ammunition cart exploded. Hopton was injured and temporarily blinded. The loss of the powder and the absence of most of their horse meant the Royalists could not fight another action. Meanwhile, Waller had retired to Bath, where he had been reinforced and was ready to attack again. Hopton's army retreated in low spirits to Devizes.

A Cornish officer describing the battle wrote that Waller was "... the best shifter and chooser of ground when hee was not Master of the field that ever I saw" (sic).

The site of the battle is marked by a monument to Sir Bevil Grenville, leader of the Cornish infantry on the Royalist side, who was killed in the battle.

• Colonel H.C.B. Rodgers, Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars, Seeley Service & Co. Ltd, 1968, hardback, 327 pages.

• The Battlefields Trust - Battle of Lansdown Hill
• British Civil War site