The Battle of Marshall’s Elm took place in Somerset, South West England, on 4 August 1642. The Royalists had established their regional headquarters in Wells, but were threatened by superior Parliamentarian numbers in the vicinity. A Royalist patrol came across a force of between 500 and 600 Parliamentarian recruits travelling north across the Somerset Levels. After a parley between the leaders was unsuccessful, the Parliamentarians were caught in the ambush. Facing musket fire from the hidden dragoons, and being charged at by the Royalist cavalry, they were routed and killed.
About Battle of Marshall’s Elm in brief
The Battle of Marshall’s Elm took place in Somerset, South West England, on 4 August 1642. The Royalists had established their regional headquarters in Wells, but were threatened by superior Parliamentarian numbers in the vicinity. A Royalist patrol came across a force of between 500 and 600 Parliamentarian recruits travelling north across the Somerset Levels under the command of Sir John Pyne. After a parley between the leaders was unsuccessful, the Parliamentarians were caught in the ambush. Facing musket fire from the hidden dragoons, and being charged at by the Royalist cavalry, they were routed and killed. Despite their victory, the Royalists were forced to withdraw from Wells, and later from Somerset altogether, due to their inferior numbers. The engagement occurred during the build-up to formal beginning of the First English Civil War on 22 August. Both sides were attempting to recruit the existing militia and new men into their armies. Conflict between the English Parliament and its monarch on religious, fiscal and legislative matters had been ongoing since at least 1603.
The tension between Parliament and King Charles escalated sharply during 1642 after the King had attempted to arrest five Members of Parliament, who he accused of treason. In preparation for the likelihood of conflict with Parliament, Charles appointed the Marquess of Hertford as commander of his forces in the West Country, supported by Sir Ralph Hopton, a local Member of Parliament. Hopton had previously acted as one of the deputy lieutenants for Somerset, making him responsible for training and leading the county’s militia. In his 1973 book, Somerset in the Civil War, the historian David Underdown criticises the decision, citing Wells’ vulnerable position in the Mendip Hills, and the strong Parliamentarian views held by the majority of Somerset’s rural population. The decision was based on the fact that Wells housed the county magazine, had Royalist sympathies, and was geographically central within the area.
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This page is based on the article Battle of Marshall’s Elm published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
