Keep Your Powder Dry

A trip down south to that there London gave the ECWtravelogue an excuse to have a teeny detour on the way home to visit Chalgrove Field. April 1643, Reading falls to Parliament's field army led by the Earl of Essex: Oxford is now open to assault by Essex to the East; and Waller, and the Southern Association, who are in the Gloucester area. There is no love lost between Essex and Waller, which is fortunate for the King and Oxford, as if they had coordinated their armies on attacking Oxford the King would have been in very hot water. As it was, Waller became preoccupied by Hopton, and Essex was faced with the problems of  his men being sick, and disaffected due to not being paid. Then a stroke of luck for Charles: Sir John Hurry (often Urry) defects to the King (Sir John is oft described as a Scottish mercenary) providing details of Essex's garrisons and also a convoy carrying pay for Essex's men. Needless to say Prince Rupert is dispatched with a force of 1800 'hand pick...

Don't forget to have a look at the entry for Oxford , the King's capital;  Banbury ; the battle of Chalgrove Field (coming soon); and the battle of Middleton Cheney (also coming soon). The first entry in the Oxfordshire Houses of Interest post isn't a house, it's a castle. Broughton Castle to be precise, home of Lord Saye and Sele. And what a castle! Broughton is a fourteenth century moated manor house. William Fiennes, the 8th Lord Saye and Sele, emerged as one of the leaders of the Puritan Parliamentary group in the 1630s who were opposed to the autocratic (and religious) behaviour of Charles I. He earned the nickname 'Old Subtlety' because of his meticulousness in outwitting the King's advisors. Among the fine collection of miniatures on display is one of John Pym William was one of the founders of the Providence Island Company: the Company met frequently at the Castle - although those meetings were often a front for covert meetings of the ...

In the interests of varsity equal opportunities, after visiting Cambridge, it was only a matter of time before the ECW travelogue made a flask up and ventured south to... Oxford: ancient University city, home of dreaming spires, Inspector Morse, and where King Charles presided over his court after failing to secure London. Bradshaw's Hat, on display at the Ashmolean. Lord President, Bradshaw reputedly wore the reinforced hat during the trial of Charles I in case of an assassination attempt* Charles set up court at Christ Church in October 1642, and would ultimately set up a rival Parliament in the city in 1644. Besieged many times by Parliament, the city was significantly fortified, and the garrison far outnumbered the resident population.  What's There Today? Probably the best place to start is the  Ashmolean Museum : one of the world's great treasure houses there are a number of artefacts on display relating to the Civil War. The Ashmolean also has a self guided Civil ...