THE BATTLE OF STOW

21^ST MARCH 1646

Brigadier Johnny Rickett

Stow-on-the-Wold commands no less than 8 important routes linking Gloucester, Worcester and Evesham to Oxford and London, including the Fosse Way, a Roman road, linking Cirencester with Lincoln and the north. In 1646 the significance of this position was paramount as troops loyal to the King (Charles 1^st) raced towards Oxford where Charles still cherished hopes of defeating Parliament and winning the Civil War. You will here understand, that although his forces had suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Naseby in Northamptonshire on June the 14^th in the preceding year, he was still not totally defeated in the true sense of the word. This must have been extremely frustrating for the Roundheads, as the Parliamentarians were called; every time that the King won a victory or a minor skirmish during the War the more difficult it was for the Parliamentarians to win the propaganda war as the King had beaten them. Conversely when the Roundheads won a victory the King was still the King and therefore de facto the situation was virtually the same.

Although Naseby effectively destroyed his war fighting capability he still had high hopes in retaining his power somehow. After this great battle, where the New Model Army for the Parliament, first showed its true colours, and which of course was the pre-cursor of our regular Army of today, the remnants of the Royalist Army dispersed, many of them to Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Shropshire and to parts of the Welsh borders, Brecon, Radnorshire and Monmouthshire. Sir Jacob Astley, whom you will probably remember was the Royalist Infantry Commander at the Battle of Edgehill, and was an old and experienced soldier, was charged to gather up these “desperate and valiant men” and deliver them to the King’s service in Oxford. You will doubtless remember his famous words before that battle “ O LORD THOU KNOWEST I SHALL BE VERY BUSY THIS DAY, I MAY FORGET THEE. DO NOT THOU FORGET ME.”

By early March 1646, Astley had managed to gather together an army of some 3,000 men, no mean achievement considering they were all so dispersed, comprising both cavalry and infantry and he had begun his advance on Oxford. Sadly for the Royalists the Parliamentry commanders had somehow managed to intercept Astley’s orders and troops were immediately dispatched to ensure that these were never carried out. The Roundhead Commander was Colonel Morgan with some 1,100 men, he was later joined at Gloucester on March 15^th by Colonel Birch, who had marched from Hereford with 1,060 men. From there Morgan led his growing force to Evesham where he was further reinforced by 600 men from the garrison there.

Meanwhile Astley had marched his force on Evesham and found his potential crossing point on the River Avon, which you will all remember no doubt, caused so much trouble for Simon de Montford’s Army, and where his Welsh archers were all drowned as they tried to flee! Astley therefore was forced to detour to the north to cross over this river obstacle and on Friday the 20^th March he crossed the Avon at Bidford, some 7 miles from Evesham on the Stratford on Avon road.

Morgan, the Roundhead Commander, who had withdrawn his men from guarding the river crossing at Bidford in order to lure Astley across, watched anxiously as Astley with all speed made for Broadway. Although Morgan was fairly confident about attacking Astley he felt reluctant to take him on then and there, preferring to wait for reinforcements from Sir William Brereton, who was hurrying down from Cheshire with 1,000 horsemen to join him. Both Commanders must have been acutely aware of that well known factor, “Time and Space”, when making their Appreciation; Astley had to push on with best possible speed and wanted the time to link up with the King; Morgan, despairing at Astley’s nimble advance had to intercept him sooner rather than later in order to prevent this.

Towards evening of March 20^th Astley’s men were beginning the steep climb up into the Cotswolds; their progress was further hampered by Morgan’s skirmishers who were attempting to delay the Royalists until Brereton’s men arrived. You can imagine the flash of Roundhead musketry behind the stone walls and in the tree-line as they tried in vain to delay Astley’s men. Undaunted, his men crested the hill and, in the gathering darkness, slipped past the Parliamentarians and pressed on for Stow.

Morgan continued to follow Astley but was reluctant to engage them until his reinforcements came up into line. Instead he continued to follow in pursuit until Brereton’s horse married up with him at around 1am on the morning of the 21^st March. Brereton’s men must have been totally exhausted but Morgan, who was the overall commander, was determined to press on after Astley’s men. He had just received reports that the King had sent out a strong body of Horse to RV with Astley to the East of Stow; time was therefore not on his side.

Morgan drew up his men into Battle formation. He placed his own men, consisting of 2,000 pikemen, musketeers and some cavalry, in the centre. On his left he placed Colonel Birch with his 1060 men from Gloucester and on his right, Brereton’s Horse; his idea being to mount a surprise attack on the rear of Astley’s column. However much to his confusion he found Astley’s men drawn up on the high ground near Donnington waiting for him at around 0500 hrs on the morning of the 21^st March.

Dawn came shortly afterwards and found both armies drawn up facing each other, the Roundheads having the hill to climb in front of them. After flurries of banners with drums beating and wild shouts the two sides clashed. “God be our guide” cried the Roundheads as they rushed up the hill towards the waiting Royalists. “George and England” came the Royalist reply above the din of battle. Volleys of musket fire tore into the opposing ranks as pikemen met and thrust their deadly shafts into each other; horsemen trampled over the fallen wounded whilst their riders slashed at and cut down the enemy with blood stained swords.

In the centre the Parliamentarians were twice repelled by the Royalist foot soldiers, who by this time must surely have felt that the battle was won. On the Royalist right wing Sir Charles Lucas, that veteran commander, drove off the Gloucester militia, but couldn’t finish them off as they regrouped in a disciplined manner. However a third attack by Brereton’s horse from the Roundhead right flank, supported by 200 musketeers, suddenly broke the weaker Royalist left wing who then broke and headed sharply for Oxford. This event forced the remainder of Astley’s army into a more than hasty withdrawal and, gradually, the beleaguered Royalists fell back in some sort of order on to Stow, leaving a trail of dead and dying bodies behind them.

Pouring into the town they found themselves entrapped here in the market place with their backs against the cross and with the Parliamentarians continuing the slaughter unabated. Down Digbeth street over there the bodies of the dead were laid out whilst the blood flowed freely after the terrible killing in the square. The blood flowed so freely it is said that the ducks bathed in it and the street was known as Duck-bath street, which changed its name to the present name of Digbeth street some years later. Sir Jacob Astley was at last captured and the remaining Royalists were forced to surrender their arms. Tired and despondent the old soldier sat on a drum and lamented his captors saying “GENTLEMEN YOU MAY NOW SIT AND PLAY, FOR YOU HAVE DONE ALL YOUR WORK, IF YOU FALL NOT OUT AMONG YOURSELVES.”

In a dramatic sequel to the sad events of the day Sir Charles Lucas, Astley’s 2IC, who had had two singular successes at Edgehill and Marston Moor; firstly the recovery of the King’s standard temporarily captured by the Roundheads at Edgehill, and secondly a brilliant envelopment of Roundhead cavalry opposite his wing at Marston Moor - was rescued by a party of Royalist musketeers and escaped into the surrounding woodland. Sadly for him his freedom was short lived as soon after the battle Colonel Fleetwood arrived at the head of a further 1,000 Parliamentarian cavalrymen. They scoured the surrounding area and recaptured Sir Charles along with a further 80 Royalist fugitives. Lucas was paroled later but died at the hands of a firing squad after his loyal defiance in the defence of Colchester during the Second Civil War of 1648.

When the slaughter in Stow was over the surviving Royalists were gathered together and locked into the church. During the battle Captain Hastings Keyt of the King’s forces drawn from Worcestershire was killed and his remains are buried in the middle of the chancel floor. We can see his tomb to this day there; on the slate tombstone he is dressed in full regalia. Of the remaining dead nothing is known except for the story of the ducks! Thus ended the last battle of the first Civil War. Shortly after Astley’s defeat the King escaped from Oxford and surrendered himself to the Scots at Newark.

To sum up, although it was a Parliamentarian victory, great credit must be given to the grand old soldier Sir Jacob Astley, who so nearly succeeded in his mission in linking up with the King. Interestingly Morgan, the Roundhead Commander, without realizing it, had almost aped another former Parliamentary Commander, the Earl of Essex, who had had the distinction of fighting three battles on the wrong side of his centre of communications and supply. (At Edgehill, Newbury and Lostwithiel). In this case Morgan should have fought this battle between Astley’s army and Stow, as he always ran the risk of not being able to prevent Astley linking up with the Royalist cavalry, which was waiting for him somewhere beyond the town. It was to be another 14 years before Charles the 2^nd was to take back the throne of England. Interestingly, Astley’s prophetic words spoken here in the centre of Stow-on-the-Wold, came true. The Parliamentarians did indeed fall out among themselves and, after years of fighting and civil unrest, returned Charles the 2^nd to his rightful throne.