The Ghosts of Edgehill
The first battle of the English Civil War was a cautious affair, but rumours persisted that it went on long after it had finished.
1642
King Charles I 1625-1649
The first battle of the English Civil War was a cautious affair, but rumours persisted that it went on long after it had finished.
1642
King Charles I 1625-1649
The Battle of Edgehill in Warwickshire on October 23rd, 1642, marked the opening exchanges in the English Civil War. It was indecisive, and neither side could have foreseen the military coup in December 1648 that would lead so quickly to a brief Republic. Indeed, following the skirmish King Charles was more interested in paranormal activity.
THE Battle of Edgehill in Warwickshire was the first pitched battle in the English Civil War. The two sides met on October 23rd, 1642, the Royalists commanded by King Charles I himself, and the Parliamentarians by Robert Devereux, Third Earl of Essex.
A miserable battle dragged on fitfully for two days.* For many, it was their first taste of war, and the Royalists in particular were more interested in looting the other side’s baggage. At length, Essex withdrew, and the King removed to Oxford, which he made his capital for the rest of the war. Neither side could claim to have won.
It was soon rumoured, however, that ghostly cries could still be heard, and swords, horses and guns sometimes seen, on the battlefield site, a tale that persists to this day. Intrigued, Charles set up a Royal Commission to investigate. The inspectors found the evidence overwhelming, and the shades of Edgehill remain the country’s only officially recognised ghosts.
The battle was not without heroism on both sides, however. See The Love of the Lindseys.
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Who fought the battle of Edgehill in 1642?