A Parliamentarian surprise attack at Bovey Heath disrupted Royalist cavalry and led to the replacement of Lord Wentworth as commander in the West.
Key Facts
- Date
- 9 January 1646
- Location
- Bovey Tracey, Devon, ~10 miles SW of Exeter
- Parliamentarian commander
- Oliver Cromwell
- Royalist commander
- Lord Wentworth
- Outcome
- Royalist cavalry routed; Wentworth relieved of command
- Successor commander (Royalist West)
- Lord Hopton
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following a series of Royalist defeats in southwest England, Royalist forces had retreated toward Exeter. The Parliamentarian New Model Army laid siege to Exeter, prompting the Royalists to assemble a relief army. Parliamentarian commander Sir Thomas Fairfax decided on a preemptive strike to prevent the relief force from forming.
On 9 January 1646, Oliver Cromwell led a Parliamentarian cavalry detachment in a surprise attack on Lord Wentworth's Royalist cavalry encamped at Bovey Heath, near Bovey Tracey in Devon. The unprepared Royalists were routed, though Wentworth and most senior officers managed to escape.
The defeat discredited Lord Wentworth, who was stripped of command of the Royalist army in the West. Command passed to Lord Hopton. The action further weakened the Royalist ability to relieve the siege of Exeter and undermined their strategic position in the southwest.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Oliver Cromwell, Sir Thomas Fairfax.
Side B
1 belligerent
Lord Wentworth, Lord Hopton (successor).