Saturday 25^th January 2020

The whole idea of coming to Nantwich was for the Battle of Nantwich Celebrations held today, to commemorate the Civil War Battle of 1644, which was an important battle and a turning point of the First Civil War.

The English Civil War lasted from 1642-1651 and was actually a series of three Wars. The country was divided between those supporting the King and those supporting Parliament. Unlike other civil wars in England, which focused on who should rule, these conflicts were more concerned with the manner in which the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland were governed. The war ended with Parliamentarian victory at the Battle of Worcester on 3^rd September 1651. The outcome was: the trial and execution of King Charles I in 1649; the exile of his son Charles II in 1651; and the replacement of the English Monarchy, first with the Commonwealth of England from 1649-1653, then the Protectorate under the personal rule of Oliver Cromwell from 1653-1658 and briefly his son, Richard, from 1658-1659. In England, the monopoly of the Church of England was ended and constitutionally, the wars established the precedent that an English monarch cannot govern without Parliament's consent.

In 1660, Charles was invited to return from exile and was crowned King Charles II in Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661. These events became known as the Restoration.

Although the monarchy was restored, it was still only with the consent of Parliament. So the Civil Wars effectively set England and Scotland on course towards a Parliamentary Monarchy form of Government. The outcome of this system was that the future Kingdom of Great Britain, formed in 1707 under the Acts of Union, managed to forestall the kind of often bloody revolution, typical of European republican movements, as seen with the French Revolution in 1789 and the later success of Napoleon, which generally resulted in total abolition of monarchy. Thus the United Kingdom was spared the wave of revolutions that occurred in Europe in the 1840s. Specifically, future monarchs became wary of pushing Parliament too hard, and Parliament effectively chose the line of Royal Succession in 1688 with the Glorious Revolution and in the 1701 Act of Settlement.

When the war first broke out, Nantwich declared for Parliament and, by 1644, was the only Parliamentarian garrison in Cheshire. It was under threat from Royalist forces under the command of Lord Byron, who had marched from Chester, defeated the Parliamentarian forces under the command of Sir William Brereton at Middlewich on Boxing Day 1643 and laid siege to Nantwich on 27^th December.

The 25^th January 1644 Battle of Nantwich raised the siege after which, the Royalists did not win a further battle during the First Civil War.

The Royalist forces were centred on the village of Acton, west of Nantwich, with their forces on both sides of the River Weaver, taking shelter wherever they could from the snow. The Parliamentarian forces, under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, were approaching from the north.

On the night of the 24^th January, a thaw set in which so swelled the river that the bridge connecting the Royalists was swept away, thus stranding the eastern forces and forcing them into a large detour to join with the rest of the army.

On the morning of the 25^th, Fairfax overwhelmed a small Royalist force waiting for him at Barbridge and continued towards Nantwich, stopping at Barbridge, where he could see the Royalist concentration between himself and Nantwich. He attempted to bypass Acton and cut his way through the hedgerows, but was attacked in the rear by Royalist Cavalry and in the front by Colonel Gibson’s Infantry, giving him no option but to turn and fight.

At first, the Parliamentarians were hard pressed, but the Royalists were unable to effect a proper charge due to the number of hedgerows in the area. At this point the Nantwich Garrison intervened, breaking out of the town down Welsh Row and attacking the Royalist centre from the rear, eventually isolating the two halves of the Royalist Army from each other. Byron fled back to Chester but the Royalist centre and right were trapped. Many retreated back to Acton where they barricaded themselves in the church, but by morning all had surrended.

We again walked into the town attempting to explore but there was so many people about, it was difficult. We called into the market, said to be one of the UK’s top ten. Don’t know why. It was only small and nothing particularly special.

The church of St. Mary’s was built between 1286 and 1390 with a 20-year interruption from 1349 to 1369 due to the Black Death. Due to its size and magnificence, it is often referred to as ‘The Cathedral of South Cheshire’, is placed within England’s top 100 churches and well worthy of a visit. There is much to see within the church, including the much graffitied tomb of Sir David Craddock who died in 1390 and the detailed tomb of Sir Thomas Smith and his wife, dated 1614. There are a number of wonderful windows and a Dole Bread Chest. Dated 1676, this chest was used to keep bread that was distributed to the poor on a Sunday, if they attended church. They gave rise to the terms ‘dole queue’, ‘on the bread line’ and ‘to dole out’. Don’t you just love the English language!

     

                          

                                                                                     St. Mary’s Church, Nantwich                                                       

                                                                          Tomb of Sir Thomas Smith died 1614

We tried to visit the town museum, but it was absolutely packed out and a return visit is a must. There was entertainment all morning in the town square and we listened to the ‘Funky Choir’ and the Cheshire Drums.

After a coffee in Subway, off the beaten track and relatively quiet, we found a position to watch the parade. The battle commemorations are attended by the Sealed Knot Society, a group that was formed in 1968 to arouse interest in the English Civil War and we had wanted to see one of their battle re-enactments for years. They wear uniforms and use weapons of the period and their re-enactments follow military tactics of the time. Throughout the day, we had been seeing members of the Society walking around the town and Cavaliers riding through. Quite surreal to see them mingling with the crowds, drinking coffee and eating burgers and hog roast. Cavalry was used extensively during the Battle of Nantwich, but the ground where the re-enactment takes place is too small for their use. 

The parade was extensive and took about 15 minutes to pass. All the members are in the particular uniforms of the different regiments that took part in the battle. With the odd pipe and drum and the parade, part marching and part shuffling past, you got the impression it wouldn’t have been too far removed from the actual event.

     

Sealed Knot Society Parade through Nantwich

Once the parade had past, we headed for Mill Island where the actual battle re-enactment was to take place after a wreath laying service in the town square. Once the opposing forces had formed up at opposite ends of the field, battle commenced. It was quite a spectacle. Lots of loud bangs and smoke from the cannon and muskets, lots of flag waving and shouting and the different regiments engaging and disengaging from each other, moving the length and breadth of the field and numerous pike pushing occurring. Again, you got the impression that it would not have been far removed from the actual event, albeit with an absence of cavalry which must have been a frightening experience, seeing these bearing down on you. A battle from these times must have been a chaotic, bloody and confusing affair.

     

Scenes from the Battle of Nantwich Re-Enactment

     

After the battle, we walked back to the boat and Kenny and Sue came in the evening for a Burns Supper Brenda had prepared. Mince and Haggis, Tatties and Neeps. Lovely.

Weather: a clear day, but cold.