Battle of Adwalton Moor

Battle Plaque at Adwalton Moor

Date	30 June 1643
Location	Adwalton, Yorkshire, England 53°45′04″N 1°39′50″W / 53.751°N 1.664°W / 53.751; -1.664Coordinates: 53°45′04″N 1°39′50″W / 53.751°N 1.664°W / 53.751; -1.664
Result	Royalist Victory

Belligerents

Royalists

Parliamentarians

Commanders and leaders

Earl of Newcastle

Sir Thomas Fairfax
Major General Gifford

Strength

10,000

3,500

First English Civil War

The Battle of Adwalton Moor was a battle in the English Civil War on 30 June 1643.

Background

The site of the battle is high ground in Adwalton (now commonly considered to be part of Drighlington) near Bradford, which is now in an area of rural-urban fringe, (map reference SE2228). Parts of the site are protected as "green belt" or other types of open space. It is the only battlefield recognised by Bradford Metropolitan District Council as falling within its boundaries but it actually lies within the Leeds City Council boundary. There are plaques interpreting the battlefield for visitors.

Battle

The Earl of Newcastle, the Royalist commander, was marching on Bradford (which was Parliamentarian in sympathy) with 10,000 men. Fairfax, the Parliamentary commander, had 3,000-4,000 men in Bradford. However, despite his inferior numbers, Fairfax came to intercept the Royalist army as Bradford was ill-prepared to resist a siege. The strong Royalists defeated the Parliamentarians. The battle was of medium term significance, consolidating Royalist control of Yorkshire.

Museum displays

There is a display relating to the battle at Bolling Hall, Bradford, a museum which lies a few miles from the site and was itself a Royalist base. Oakwell Hall is another museum which throws light on the civil war in Yorkshire: although the hall is situated within walking distance from the battlefield, it falls outside the boundaries of Bradford and within those of Kirklees.

Notes

References

The Battlefields Trust; Fletcher, Craig; Jones, Christopher (2004), Battle of Adwalton Moor 30 June 1643, Battlefields Trust, retrieved 28 October 2013
Crossby, Owen (3 June 2003), Adwalton Moor, Self published, retrieved 28 October 2013
Rickard, J. (24 August 2000), Adwalton Moor, battle of, 30 June 1643, Military History Encyclopedia on the Web, retrieved 28 October 2013
Gaunt, P. (1987), The Cromwellian Gazetteer : An Illustrated Guide to Britain in the Civil War & Commonwealth, A. Sutton, p. 168, ISBN 9780862992910
English Heritage (1995), Battlefield Report: Adwalton Moor 1643 (PDF), retrieved 28 October 2013
English Heritage, Battle of Adwalton Moor, National Heritage List for England, retrieved 28 October 2013 recommended reading:
- Duchess of Newcastle, Margaret (1907), Firth, C H, ed., The life of William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle (2nd ed.)
- Parsons, D., ed. (1836), The life of Sir Henry Slingsby of Scriven, Bt.