Battle of Denbigh Green

The Royalist defeat at Naseby in June 1645 saw the destruction of their remaining large field army. After failing in an attempt to link up with Royalists in Scotland, and with his supporters increasingly confined to a series of small garrisons in the West of England and Wales, Charles I pinned his hopes on reinforcement from Ireland. This required holding the strategic port of Chester, where Lord Byron's garrison had been intermittently blockaded since December.[4] The siege resumed in earnest in September under Brereton; a Royalist attempt to relieve the city was defeated on 24th September at Rowton Heath. Following the defeat Charles ordered Sir William Vaughan, an experienced cavalryman who had served in Ireland until 1644, to return to Wales with the remains of his brigade and gather forces for another relief attempt.[5]

Corndon Hill, where Vaughan's force was observed marching north from Ludlow towards Pontesbury.

Vaughan hurriedly began to assemble men at Ludlow from a variety of sources, including the garrisons of Ludlow, Bridgnorth and High Ercall.[6] His force eventually included remnants of at least ten regiments, though the collapse in Royalist supply lines meant they were poorly armed: it was reported that of the cavalry "scarce a tenth man hath a pistol".[7] By mid-October he had a potential 2-3000 horse available, and issued an order for a general rendezvous with the foot within sight of Salesbury's Royalist garrison at Denbigh Castle.[5]

Vaughan's forces were seen as they marched north over Corndon Hill; their numbers and apparent destination were reported to Brereton, who sent 1,500 horse and a similar number of infantry under Colonel Michael Jones and Adjutant-General James Lothian across the Welsh border to engage them.[8][5] Jones reached Ruthin on 30th October, where Thomas Mytton, the Parliamentarian commander for North Wales, assumed overall command.[5]

Chester

Ruthin

Denbigh

Ludlow

Chirk

Vaughan's attempt to relieve Chester, October-November 1645; key locations

Vaughan's advance guard reached Chirk Castle, where they picked up a few additional infantry, on the morning of 23rd October, Vaughan himself arriving by 26th.[9] By 31st October, Vaughan had encamped on Denbigh Green, an open four-mile tract of commonland outside the town, where he received intelligence Mytton had left Ruthin.[1] The forces ordered to the rendezvous from North Wales had yet to arrive and diarist Richard Symonds, a volunteer with Vaughan, counted their available cavalry at just 700, although this may have been exclusive of several hundred lightly armed Irish cavalry.[2] Despite having the option of withdrawing to Rhuddlan Vaughan nevertheless chose to stand and fight, a "suicidal" decision given the odds.[2]

At noon the following day the alarm was sounded for Mytton's approach along the Ruthin road near the church of St. Marcella, or "Whitchurch".[1] Vaughan positioned his musketeers and dragoons along the roadside hedges near the church, while the main body of cavalry were drawn up on open ground to the west of the road; Mytton detached a "forlorn hope" of 40 musketeers to precede his advance guard.[5]

St Marcella's Church, or "Whitchurch", where the initial phase of the battle took place.

The battle opened with Mytton's forlorn hope and advance guard attempting to dislodge Vaughan's men from the hedges at Whitchurch.[5] Symonds noted that "their approach was handsomely disputed by our horse and foot above an howre in the hedges and lane".[1]

Finding that his men "could not breake in upon them, but trifled out the time",[10] Mytton decided to leave his advance guard in place while making a flanking manoeuvre with the rest of his forces.[11] This involved a "laborious detour" of several miles to reach the Green, but resulted in Vaughan pulling back some of his men to face the new threat.[11] Dislodged from their defensive positions, the Royalist infantry broke and fled towards Denbigh, where they were admitted to the castle. Salesbury later wrote to Vaughan "On your Foot being perceived under the Castle wall, I received them in [...] their valour and good service withall meriting my compassion".[6]

Mytton brought forward the Warwick and Derbyshire Horse, who charged the Royalist cavalry.[5] Vaughan managed to reform them on Denbigh Green around two miles from the church, where they were charged again. Some members of the High Ercall garrison, supported by troopers of Prince Maurice's Lifeguard, countercharged and briefly checked Mytton's advance, but following a third charge the Royalists broke.[5][1]

The pursuit of the defeated cavalry went on over 8 miles; over 100 Royalists were killed and 400 captured, and the remainder broken up into scattered groups.[5] One party was finally brought to bay at Llangernyw, where the dead were interred in a mass grave in the churchyard.[12] Vaughan and a large group reached Llanrwst before quartering at Gwydir, home of Richard Wynn, which they pillaged.[3]

In the interim Mytton occupied the town of Denbigh, though lacking siege equipment he could not take the castle; Salesbury was to continue to hold out until October 1646.[5] With his objective of scattering Vaughan's force complete, Mytton retired to continue the siege of Chester.[5]

Symonds, with the main group of Royalists, recorded that they reached Newtown by 10th November and Knighton, "a pretty towne", the next day.[13] On 12th the group broke up, "Prince M[aurice's] guards to Bewdley, Bridgnorth horse thither, the rest with Sir William V. to Lemster".[14]

Vaughan was to make one final attempt to rebuild a relief force for Chester,[15] but with supplies exhausted Byron was to capitulate in January 1746. Vaughan instead combined his remaining men with those of Jacob Astley; this last effective Royalist field army was eventually destroyed at Stow in March.

• Barratt, John (2000). Cavaliers: the Royalist Army at War 1642-1646. Sutton.
• Clark, David (2010). The English Civil War. Pocket Essentials.
• Dore, Robert (ed) (1990). The Letter Books of Sir William Brereton, Volume 2. Record Society of Lancashire and Cheshire.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
• Mangianello, Norman (2004). Concise Encyclopedia of the Revolutions and Wars of England, Scotland, and Ireland, 1639-1660. Scarecrow.
• Owen, Leonard (1962). "A Seventeenth Century Commonplace Book". Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion (Session 1962).
• Symonds, Richard (1859). Diary of the Marches of the Royal Army During the Great Civil War. Camden Society.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Tucker, Norman (1958). North Wales in the Civil War. Gee.
• Williams, John (1836). Ancient and Modern Denbigh. J. Williams.
• Worden, Blair (2012). God's Instruments: Political Conduct in the England of Oliver Cromwell. OUP.

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