Description:Amongst the correspondence of Sir Richard Leveson is an account of the famous battle of Hopton Heath which took place on 19th March 1643. This battle was extremely important for Staffordshire’s Royalist military campaign as the victory by Royalist forces over the Parliamentarian’s at this battle ‘reinforced their hold on Stafford, and further consolidated their position in the midlands at the time’.
The account provides an extremely valuable first hand insight into the battle, allowing the reader to experience being on the front line of a Civil War military campaign.
The account begins:
‘Vpon our march towarde Stafford on Fryday 17 March intelligence was brought vs that some 200 of the Rebells were takeinge vp their quarters in a place called Heywood whither wee marched’
The account explains the military tactics which the royalist forces used. The author states that troops entered the towne ‘by the way of the bridge, the rest of the army under the command of the Earle northamptonon & Generall Hastings kept above the towne in severall places vpon the hills thereby the better to intercept any that should offer to escape by flight’. That night they were attacked by Parliamentary forces but were victorious. The author writes that the foot soldiers ‘were all taken or slayne & above 50 persones sent away by our Generall to safe custody’.
He continues:
‘This night wee lodgeg in their quarter & the adiatent villages, the next day beinge satturday wee marched with our whole body of horse and foote to Stafford. Vpon the Sunday followeinge about 11 of the clocke intelligence was given vs of the Rebells beinge seene vpon Hopton heath not above 4 miles from Stafford, whereupon with all possible speed our horses drew out of the towne but it was neare three of the clocke ere wee could gett togeather from all our quarters, for that the towne of Stafford was not able to receave halfe our Army’.
It is exciting to imagine the atmosphere in Staffordshire at the time, and accounts such as these provide a fantastic insight into events in our county during the Civil War of the seventeenth century. The Sutherland Papers Collection includes a wide range of battle accounts for Staffordshire and the rest of the country.
(Quotation from George Yerby taken from http://www.oxforddnb.com/articles/4/4283-article.html)