|
Ludlow and The Marches - Heart of the King's War Effort Author: Mark Evans Orders of the day, Volume 32, Issue 2, April 2000
|
|
The first English Civil War (1642- c1646) was a confused affair. There were several theatres of war scattered across the British Isles, including Ireland, central and southern Scotland, the south-west and north of England, the Midlands and South Wales. No area was totally free of the war, although some suffered less than others. Given the fragmented nature of the conflict, it is a matter of opinion as to which area was the most important. Certainly London, political hub of Kings Charles' kingdom, and its economic centre, was the focus of Charles’ efforts for most of the war. It is not too simplistic to say that political control if not physical occupation of London was essential for the King to win. Campaigns to control the north and south-west of England were crucial to enabling the King to achieve his objective of re-entering his capital city in triumph. The West Midlands and the Thames Valley provided cockpits for much of the fighting intended to allow him to advance of London. Most of the King’s support and his actual resources came from Wales, the West Midlands, the North and Cornwall, although other areas made a significant contribution to his war effort. Following his unsuccessful attempt to rally major support by raising his standard at Nottingham on 22 August 1642, the King moved across country and set up his headquarters at Shrewsbury in the Marches county of Shropshire on 23 September. There was no coincidence in his choice of a Marches town. As a boy Charles had spent much time in Radnorshire, a county on the Welsh side of the Marches, where he was very popular. He would have had fond memories of Shropshire and the other Marches/Welsh border counties such as Herefordshire, Monmouthshire, Worcestershire and Montgomeryshire. His youthful presence in this area was during a period before the cares of state and worsening relations with his people and Parliament clouded his life. In addition, support for the King was strong in the Marches and in Wales. As elsewhere in the Kingdom there were divisions amongst the gentry and the merchant classes, but Royalism in the Marches was generally predominant. Pro-Parliament leading families were few - such as the Corbets of Morton Corbet, the Mores of Linley, the Myttons of Halston and the Harleys of Brampton Bryan. Generally most leading local families wished, perhaps like most people, to stay neutral. When it came to making a choice however, the majority of the community leaders in the Marches stayed loyal to the King and their communities followed suit. When the King arrived at Shrewsbury there were already several thousand recruits waiting for him, most of them Welsh. Other major towns and cities in the area had declared for him and were raising forces for their own defence, such as Bridgnorth, Chester, Hereford, Worcester, and Ludlow. Indeed Ludlow declared its allegiance to the King early on and had a formed a company for the defence of the town, paid for by leading families. There were no very large field battles in the Marches and surrounding Borders area on the scale of, for example, the two Newburys, Marston Moor or Naseby. However the first notable battle of the Civil War, Powick Bridge, which established Prince Rupert's military reputation early on, was fought just outside Worcester (September 1643). Engagements such as at Ripple (April 1643), Wem and Lee Bridge (October 1643), Montgomery (September 1644), Ledbury (April 1645) or Rowton Heath (September 1645) were important but, like Powick Bridge, all were smaller scale affairs. The larger engagements were sieges, particularly that of Hereford (July-September 1645) which was invested by 12,000 veteran Scots troops commanded by the veteran Lord Leven, fresh from victory at Marston Moor. However, despite their great strength, they failed to take the city. Failing to capture Hereford was significant because the value of the Marches and the Welsh border to the King lay in the resources which its towns and cities could provide and in their strategic location. The Marches were essential to the King’s war effort. It provided a buffer between the main Parliamentary forces in central and eastern England, and Wales. A chain of Royalist towns and cities running from Chester in the north via Holt, Montgomery, Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, Leominster, Hereford, Monmouth and Chepstow ensured that Welsh money continued to flow uninterrupted into the King’s coffers from very early on. Welsh troops could also be recruited and formed a major part of the King's forces. Indeed Wales was known as 'the nursery of the King's infantry'. In addition, Marches counties provided much money and material for the King's war effort. The Marches also provided a base from which the King could operate against north-west and south-west England and the Midlands. Ultimately the area also provided a potential bolt-hole should things go badly wrong elsewhere. In all these respects, the Marches could be said to he at the heart of the King's efforts to regain his throne. The town of Ludlow lies at the centre of the Marches area. Controlling an important crossing of the river Teme, approximately half-way between Shrewsbury and Hereford, Ludlow was for centuries the seat of English government of post-Conquest Wales. Traditionally Ludlow was the also home to the heir to the English throne. It was also the seat of the Lord President of the Council of Wales and the Marches. This was important for Ludlow as the holding of regular assizes and other courts brought in much trade. Consequently support for the King was enhanced by Parliament's abolition of the Council in the Marches in 1641. Sheep and cattle trading and associated industries, such as wool-milling and leather-working were major businesses in Ludlow. They also made Ludlow very important for the Welsh economy. The main hard currency earner for Wales was the export of animals and animal products, and much of this export trade was conducted through Marches towns like Ludlow. Although there was a strong Puritan influence in Ludlow, essentially it was a conservative and traditional town. There was some popular violence against Parliamentarians in Ludlow in June 1642 but occasionally the other side gave as good as it got. In one instance a puritan preacher, William Littleton, came out of Ludlow church and was abused by a Royalist, who he promptly seized a stick from and beat with it. It was quiet in Ludlow for a while afterwards! During the first Civil War Ludlow was solidly pro-King and provided a secure base for operations against local Parliamentary garrisons such as those at Hopton Castle and Brampton Bryan. The King and his nephews, Prince Rupert and Prince Maurice, who held high command in the area at various times, all came to Ludlow during the Civil War. There were occasional small Parliamentary raids in the vicinity of Ludlow but it was not until late on in the first Civil War that the town was significantly threatened. The fall of Shrewsbury and Hereford in 1645, both to clever ruses, isolated it. It was only a matter of time before the inevitable blow was struck. In mid-April 1646 Colonel John Birch was ordered to capture Ludlow. On 24 April 1645 he arrived with 600 infantry and 450 cavalry supplied by Parliamentary forces in Hereford, Radnorshire and Shropshire. He faced a Royalist garrison of 250 infantry and 100 cavalry under Sir Michael Woodhouse. Birch had sent for siege artillery from Gloucester but apparently hoped not to have to use it. The suburbs of Ludlow were stormed and the walled town and castle put under siege. Birch rode to Leominster to meet the artillery which was en route from Gloucester. He put his field guns in Leominster churchyard and threatened to bombard the town unless it surrendered. Leominster's only protection was a ditch and it promptly capitulated. Meanwhile Sir Michael Woodhouse slipped out of Ludlow with a raiding force planning to attack Birch at night. Birch heard of this and fell on the raiders at nearby Eyton, cutting them up badly. A later attempt by Sir Michael’s horse to break out failed, and after extensive negotiations Ludlow surrendered and was occupied by Birch’s troops on 1 June 1646. The siege artillery had not been used. In fact, it never arrived, although positions were prepared for guns on high ground overlooking the town on Whitcliffe Common. What seem to be a few remains of these earthworks can still be seen today. The position is not one ideal for assaulting the town, being on top of sheer cliffs on the wrong side of the river Teme from the Castle. However, it is an ideal position from which to threaten to bombard the Castle and the town centre. This is similar to what Birch did at Leominster. The fact that the artillery were turned back from Ludlow well before the town surrendered, but after their approach had been made known to the garrison, fits in well with Birch’s predilection for 'tricks of war', one of which he used to capture Hereford almost bloodlessly in December 1645. Ludlow is today a picturesque town retaining the medieval town centre it had during the struggles between King Charles and his Parliament. It has a typical Marches town position, being situated in a defensible location, in this case on the top of a hill in the bend of a river. One end of the town is the magnificent castle, now ruined, with a medieval planned burgh street-plan based on burgage plots around a central market square. There are a lot of fine old buildings remaining, including Castle Lodge which visitors can view. Portions of the old wall which defended Ludlow until its fall in 1646, still exist. Knotters who are attending a muster at Ludlow for the first time on 20/21 May are in for a treat. Those who came in 1998 will know what is meant by that remark. Whether you are returning to this 'centre of the Marches’ or going for the first time, however, it is very worthwhile taking some time before and afterwards to visit the local area which is packed with heritage and beautiful scenery - and with sites which played an important part in the tragic struggle between King Charles and his Parliament three hundred and fifty years ago. Principal Sources
|
|
|
