The site of a lost battlefield where King Charles I is supposed to have slept with his troops under a hedge during the 1644 Battle of Lostwithiel during that bloody campaign in which Parliament fought the King, known as the English Civil War, has been found.
The fighting lasted for ten days and took place close to Restormel Castle on the outskirts of Lostwithiel, Cornwall. The battle was a Royalist victory.
The victory for the Royalists (also known as Cavaliers) against the Parliamentarians (also known as Roundheads) prolonged the English Civil War for several more bloody years but, in the end, it would be the Parliamentarians who would be victorious.
Lost Civil War battleground where Charles I slept under hedge before defeating Parliamentarians discovered by researchers
- Royalists inflicted heavy defeat on Parliamentarians during two battles at Lostwithiel, Cornwall, in 1644
- Sites where fighting occurred were lost but they have now been located
[*]Battlefield added to English Heritage register which potentially blocks future development on the site
25 July 2013
Daily Mail
Daily Mail
A 'lost' site where the forces of Charles I won one of their biggest victories during the Civil War has been added to an English Heritage register of battlefields.
The Royalists inflicted a heavy defeat on the Parliamentarians at Lostwithiel, Cornwall, during two battles that took place in August and September 1644.
The exact sites where the fighting occurred, close to Restormel Castle, have been located by the Battlefields Trust following archaeological work and research in the archives.
Battle: Royalist forces clash with Parliamentarians during the Battle of Naseby in 1645. The Battle of Lostwithiel in 1644 was regarded as one of the key turning points in the war
Battlefield: The fighting, which happened over ten days in 1644, occurred close to Restormel Castle on the outskirts of Lostwithiel, Cornwall
They have now been added to the National Heritage List which protects historically significant sites from development.
The Royalists, who had around 12,000 footmen and 7,000 cavalry, pursued the outnumbered Parliamentarians to the outskirts of the town.
When the Earl of Essex invaded Cornwall, a Royalist stronghold, he wrongly believed that he would have significant support in the area.
Although he had around 10,000 men under his command, and at the end of the two battles which lasted 10 days, they were forced to surrender. The Earl eventually fled the site in a fishing boat.
Charles I was present during the battle and is said to have slept with his troops under a hedge.
Deborah Williams, an English Heritage designation team leader, said that the victory for Charles I was one of the key battles in the Civil War between 1642 and 1651.
Battlefield: A sign at Castle Dore which marks the victory of the Royalists over the Parliamentarians in the battle in 1644
Battlefields: The spots where fighting occurred during the two battles in 1644. The sites are now on an English Heritage register which helps protect them against future development
'The Lostwithiel campaign of 1644 was one of the most wide-ranging battles of the civil war, marking a turning point in the war by delivering a Royalist victory, thus prolonging the war for several more bloody years,' she said.
'We are pleased that the significance of this decisive battle, to the south west and the nation, is recognised through designation.
'It is appropriate that such an important battle becomes the first addition to the list for some years. '
The addition of the two sites takes the total number of sites on the English Heritage register to 45.
Frank Baldwin, chairman of the Battlefields Trust said: 'These are the first battlefields to be registered in England since 1995 and shows that the Register is a living document.
Fighting: The battles took place on land surrounding Restormel Castle (pictured) in 1644
Civil war: The battle took place near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, in 1644 as the Parliamentarians invaded the county which was loyal to the Royalists
'We have asked English Heritage to look at registering other battlefields, including the Wars of the Roses site at Edgcote.
'We hope English Heritage resolves these requests in the same positive way.'
The Lostwithiel sites were not originally included on the register because it was unclear exactly where the battles took place.
The registration of the battlefield does not mean development on the site is forbidden, but the status of the site must be taken into consideration.
Troops: Roundhead soldiers - troops loyal to the Parliamentarians - during the Civil War. At the Battle of Lostwithiel they had around 12,000 footmen
The Battlefields Trust explained that the government's National Planning Policy Framework says that development of historic battlefields should be 'wholly exceptional'.
Battlefields Trust development officer Julian Humphrys said: 'Development and unsystematic metal detecting without professional archaeological input are the main threats to battlefields in the UK.
'But designation (as a battlefield) offers no absolute protection from either.
'Battlefields are ultimately local issues and having people who who own or live near battlefields interested in them is the best form of protection and that's what the Battlefields Trust is all about.'
ENGLAND DIVIDED: A NATION DESCENDS INTO CIVIL WAR
When King Charles I took the throne in 1625, his reign was met with almost immediate murmurs of discontent
When King Charles I took the throne in 1625, his reign was met with almost immediate murmurs of discontent.
His was a style of governance defined by religious dogma and a stubborn opposition to parliamentary rule.
This bred feelings of alienation and deep mistrust in pockets of England, while in Scotland tensions with the English boiled over into bloody conflict.
The embattled king was forced to form a parliament in 1640, and within this a vocal and highly critical Puritan faction began to grow.
When a violent Catholic rebellion broke out in Ireland, disagreements over how to respond split England in two, and in 1642 the English Civil War broke out.
The Royalists, based largely in the north and west, fought for the king, while the Roundheads, also known as Parliamentarians, came mainly from the south and east.
They took their nickname from their preference for closely cropped hair, which set them apart from the ringlets of courtly Royalists.
The battles that followed saw Charles's forces, bolstered by the Welsh and Cornish, clash with a Roundhead army swollen with Londoners.
The Royalists looked to be on the brink of victory in 1643, until their enemies joined forces with the Scots.
In 1644, the king's men suffered a crushing defeat at Marston Moor, North Yorkshire, effectively conceding the north. A further loss at Naseby, Northamptonshire, was the final nail in the coffin.
The king gave himself up to the Scots and they promptly passed him on to their Roundhead allies, who were in the early stages of establishing a republican regime. England would be a republic until 1660.
He was executed in 1649, but not before inciting further clashes known as the Second Civil War.
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