Keep Your Powder Dry

Cirencester, a town I knew quite well, having lived there for a short period of time in the early 90s. Little did I know at the time that the town had a role in the Civil War (the Roman connection, along with 'quaintness' were Ciren's indelible marks at the time). Cirencester changed hands a number of times during the Civil War due to it's strategic positioning on the approach to the West Country. Originally held by the Royalists it was taken by Parliamentarian forces in 1642. The most significant engagement took place on the 2nd February 1643 when Prince Rupert took the town. Rupert marched from Oxford and camped overnight at Cirencester Park. He attacked the next day at noon, the bloody battle lasting four hours. In the initial assault he bombarded the town from Ceciley Hill, and attacked and took the heavily defended Giffard's House. Rupert's army found that the buildings outside the town walls were still intact so were able to use the cover that they aff...

The battle of Stow-On-The Wold saw the King's last field army capitulate to the New Model Army, effectively ending the First Civil War. Sir Jacob Astley left Oxford in December 1645 to rally troops in the midlands to the King's cause; unfortunately, a lack of money and widespread flooding hampered his task. Early in 1646, Chester fell to Parliament, and Astley found himself at Worcester; the Parliamentarian Colonels Birch and Morgan were manoeuvring their separate forces forcing his route, and Brereton was advancing south from Cheshire closing the door on Astley's escape north. Another Parliamentarian force, under Fleetwood, was waiting near Stow blocking Astley's road to Oxford. Somehow Astley managed to outmanoeuvre Morgan and cross the Avon. Morgan would harry Astley's rear-guard delaying his progress, giving time for Birch and Brereton to catch up. Astley was able to make it to the fields north of Stow, where he would make a stand. Unfortunately for Astley, all ...

Bromesberrow Church is famous for being the home of the Yate cornets. (A cornet is the name given to the small, 60cm square cavalry flags used in the Civil Wars.) Two Civil War cavalry cornets, one believed to be Royalist, the other Parliamentarian were given to the church by the Yate family, they had been in the possession of Rice Yate (d.1690). Rice had been a Royalist cavalry officer - one cornet belonging to his squadron, the Parliamentarian cornet having been captured. Both cornets are believed to have been present at the Battle of Edgehill. The white cornet is attributed to Captain-Lieutenant Rice Yate and bears the motto “religio Protestantism leges Angliae libertates parlamentorum”, which translates as “Protestant religion, laws of England, freedom of Parliament”. On first reading this would seem a strange motto for a Royalist standard, however, those are the words of Charles I from "Declaration in Defence of the True Protestant Religion". The red corn...