Now! Then! Unable to distinguish Cavaliers from Roundheads, Lord Digby’s victorious Royalist army flees the battlefield at Sherburn in Elmet and is destroyed

15 October 1645: Unable to distinguish Cavaliers from Roundheads, Lord Digby’s victorious Royalist army flees the battlefield at Sherburn in Elmet and is destroyed

Earl of Clarendon. 1849. The History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, Vol. 4. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Get it:

Excerpt

The Lord Digby was informed, at his being at Doncaster, that there was, in a town two or three miles distant, and little out of the way of his next day’s march, 1,000 foot newly raised for the parliament. Which he resolved, the next morning, to fall upon, and did it so well, that they all threw down their arms, and dispersed. Whereupon he prosecuted his march to a town called Sherburn, where he stayed to refresh his troops. And whilst he stayed there, he had notice of the advance of some troops of horse towards him, under the command of Colonel Copley. Digby presently sounded to horse, and having gotten some few troops ready, marched with those out of the town. Finding Copley standing upon a convenient ground, he would not stay for his other companies, but immediately charged them with that courage that he routed most of their bodies. These, after a short resistance, fled, and were pursued by his horse through Sherburn, where the other troops were refreshing themselves, who, discerning the flight of horse in great consternation, concluded that they were their own fellows, who had been routed by the enemy. And so with equal confusion they mounted their horses, and fled as fast as the other, and such ways, as they severally conceived to be most for their safety. And by this means, a troop that remained upon the field unbroken fell upon the Lord Digby, and those officers and gentlemen who remained about him, and who had not pursued those who fled too far; who were compelled to make their retreat to Skipton; which they did with the loss of Sir Richard Hutton, and two or three other persons; and with the loss of his baggage; in which was his cabinet of papers; which, being published by the parliament, administered afterwards so much occasion of discourse. If it had not been for that extraordinary and unusual accident of the flying of his own troops, because the enemy fled, he had without doubt been master of York and of the whole north; the parliament having no other forces in all those parts, their garrisons excepted, than those foot which he first defeated, and those horses which he had so near broken.

Order the book

Subscribe to the free daily email

To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.

Abbreviations

Comment

A local historian repeats Clarendon’s account with additional detail (Wheater 1865), John Oldmixon calls it “as risible as affectation and insincerity can make it” (Oldmixon 1730), Henry Slingsby doesn’t mention this detail in his journal (Slingsby 1836).

Something to say? Get in touch

Original

No man contradicted any thing that was proposed; and so immediately upon the place a short commission was prepared, and signed by the king, to constitute the lord Digby lieutenant general of all the forces raised or to be raised for the king on the other side of Trent; and with this commission he immediately departed from the king, taking with him from the rendezvous all the northern horse, with sir Marmaduke Langdale, and sir Richard Hutton, high sheriff of Yorkshire, together with the earls of Carnewarth and Niddisdale, and several other Scottish gentlemen: he marched in the head of fifteen hundred horse; and so in a moment became a general, as well as secretary of state; and marched presently to Doncaster.

Because this expedition was in a short time at an end, it will not be amiss to [finish] the relation in this place; there being no occasion to resume it hereafter. The lord Digby was informed, at his being at Doncaster, that there was, in a town two or three miles distant, and little out of the way of his next day’s march, one thousand foot newly raised for the parliament; which he resolved, the next morning, to fall upon: and did it so well, that they all threw down their arms, and dispersed; whereupon he prosecuted his march to a town called Sherborne, where he stayed to refresh his troops; and whilst he stayed there, he had notice of the advance of some troops of horse towards him, under the command of colonel Copley. Digby presently sounded to horse, and having gotten some few troops ready, marched with those out of the town; and finding Copley standing upon a convenient ground, he would not stay for his other companies, but immediately charged them with that courage, that he routed most of their bodies; which, after a short resistance, fled, and were pursued by his horse through Sherborne; where the other troops were refreshing themselves; who discerning the flight of horse in great consternation, concluded that they were their own fellows, who had been routed by the enemy: and so with equal confusion they mounted their horses, and fled as fast as the other, and such ways, as they severally conceived to be most for their safety. And by this means, a troop that remained upon the field unbroken fell upon the lord Digby, and those officers and gentlemen who remained about him, and who had not pursued those who fled too far; who were compelled to make their retreat to Skipton; which they did with the loss of sir Richard Hutton, (a gallant and worthy gentleman, and the son and heir of a very venerable judge, who was a man famous in his generation,) and two or three other persons; and with the loss of his baggage; in which was his cabinet of papers; which, being published by the parliament, administered afterwards so much occasion of discourse.

At Skipton, most of the scattered troops came together again, with which he marched without any other misadventures through Cumberland and Westmoreland, as far as Dumfries in Scotland; and then, neither receiving directions which way to march, nor where Mountrose was, and less knowing how to retire without falling into the hands of the Scottish army upon the borders; so that in the highest despair the lord Digby, with sir Marmaduke Langdale, the two earls, and most of the other officers embarked themselves for the Isle of Man; and shortly after for Ireland; where we shall leave them, all the troops being left by them to shift for themselves. And thus those fifteen hundred horse, which marched northward from that rendezvous, within very few days were brought to nothing, and the generalship of the lord Digby to an end. But if it had not been for that extraordinary and unusual accident of the flying of his own troops, because the enemy fled, (as the greatest misfortunes which befell that noble person throughout the whole course of his life usually fell out in a conjuncture when he had [near] attained to what he could wish,) he had without doubt been master of York and of the whole north; the parliament having no other forces in all those parts, their garrisons excepted, than those foot which he first defeated, and those horses which he had so near broken. And the temper and composition of his mind was so admirable, that he was always more pleased and delighted that he had advanced so far, which he imputed to his [own] virtue and conduct, than broken or dejected that his success was not answerable, which he still charged upon second causes, for which he could not be accountable.

791 words.