An early Civil War skirmish in which a small Royalist force routed a much larger Parliamentarian body before ultimately withdrawing from Somerset.
Key Facts
- Date
- 4 August 1642
- Royalist patrol size
- 60–80 cavalry and dragoons
- Parliamentarian force size
- 500–600 recruits
- Parliamentarian killed
- ~27
- Prisoners taken
- 60
- Parliamentarian commander
- Sir John Pyne
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In August 1642, before the formal start of the First English Civil War, both Royalists and Parliamentarians were competing to recruit men in Somerset. The Royalists, headquartered in Wells but outnumbered, sent out a mounted patrol of 60 to 80 cavalry and dragoons to monitor Parliamentarian movements in the area.
The Royalist patrol set an ambush at Marshall's Elm, where the road rose from the Somerset Levels into the Polden Hills. After a parley failed, the hidden dragoons opened fire on 500 to 600 Parliamentarian recruits led by Sir John Pyne. Royalist cavalry then charged, routing the Parliamentarians and killing around 27 while taking 60 prisoners.
Despite the tactical success, the Royalists could not exploit their victory owing to their numerically inferior position in the county. They were compelled to withdraw first from Wells and then from Somerset entirely, leaving the region effectively under Parliamentarian control in the early stages of the conflict.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Sir John Pyne.