Battle of Rowton Heath

The Battle of Rowton Heath was a Parliamentarian victory late in the English Civil War. As a result of his defeat, King Charles I was prevented from marching north to join the Royalist army in Scotland under Montrose (a move which would in any case have proved fruitless), and was also unable to relieve the besieged city of Chester.

The Campaign

After the destruction of his main army at the decisive Battle of Naseby on June 14 1645, King Charles made several unavailing attempts to break through an encirclement by Parliamentarian and Scots Covenanter armies into the north of England.

On September 18, Charles and his remaining forces were at Raglan Castle in South Wales. He learned that Chester, the only port remaining to him through which he could communicate with potential allies in Ireland, was closely besieged, and that Scots and Parliamentarians under Sydenham Poyntz were closing in on him. With the objects of avoiding encirclement, relieving Chester and reaching Scotland, Charles marched north through the Welsh borderland.

At Chester, the Parliamentarian besieging force under Colonel Michael Jones had stormed the eastern suburbs of Boughton on September 20 but an assault on the city walls had been repulsed on September 22. Charles entered Chester with his Lifeguard of Horse on September 23 via the open west side, while 1500 "Northern Horse" under Sir Marmaduke Langdale crossed the River Dee by a ford some 10 miles to the south and occupied Rowton Heath south east of the city, intending to attack the besiegers from the rear.

The battle

Poyntz had been pursuing the King's army. Hearing of the King's arrival at Chester from Jones, he made a forced march with his cavalry through the night and was two miles east of Langdale by the morning. Langdale and Poyntz both formed up for an attack, but the Heath was bad country for cavalry; flat but obstructed by hedges, ditches and woods. Neither force wished to make the first charge and thereby disorder themselves. Eventually, Poyntz did so and drove Langdale back, but the Northern Horse rallied and in turn drove back the Parliamentarians.

Poyntz had sent a message to Jones asking for reinforcements, and he received 500 horse and 300 musketeers. In the close country, the musketeers threw Langdale's men into disorder, and Poyntz drove them back on the eastern suburbs. Langdale had also sent a message to Chester, but even though the officer carrying it succeeded in crossing the River Dee using a tub as a makeshift boat, he was too late to allow reinforcements to be sent to Langdale before the Royalist horse were completely mixed up with the besieging forces.

Some of the garrison under the Lord Bernard Stewart sortied but were unable to affect matters. Stewart was killed, and the Royalists were driven from the battlefield, watched by the King who was on the city walls. Also slain at the same time was William Lawes.

Results

On September 25, King Charles withdrew to Denbigh with his remaining horse. Shortly afterwards, Chester was completely invested (although it did not surrender until February 3 1646, having lost its strategic value).

Even as King Charles retreated, Lord Byron, the Governor of Chester, reported that the Parliamentarians were celebrating news of the Scots Covenanters' victory over Montrose at Philiphaugh.

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