This inconclusive skirmish allowed Royalist forces to reach Newbury before Essex, compelling the Parliamentarians into a major confrontation at the Second Battle of Newbury.
Key Facts
- Date
- 18 September 1643
- Conflict
- First English Civil War
- Location
- Aldbourne Chase, Wiltshire
- Royalist commander
- Prince Rupert
- Parliamentarian commander
- Earl of Essex
- Outcome
- Inconclusive; strategic Royalist advantage
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Earl of Essex was marching his Parliamentarian army in extended columns through Wiltshire, attempting to return to London. Prince Rupert identified an opportunity to strike the stretched and vulnerable Parliamentarian column at Aldbourne Chase.
On 18 September 1643, Royalist cavalry under Prince Rupert attacked the extended columns of Essex's Parliamentarian army at Aldbourne Chase, Wiltshire. The engagement was relatively small and ended without a decisive battlefield result for either side.
Although tactically inconclusive, the skirmish slowed Essex's march sufficiently to allow the Royalist army to reach Newbury before the Parliamentarians, cutting off their route to London and forcing Essex into the major engagement known as the First Battle of Newbury.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Prince Rupert.
Side B
1 belligerent
Earl of Essex.