Shaw house and it's involvement in the second battle of Newbury
The next event that the company will be attending is a training event with our partner regiment Earl Rivers. Warwick has provided us with a short historical piece on it's significance during the civil war.
By late 1644, despite Prince Rupert and the Marquis of Newcastle’s defeat at Marston Moor, Royalist favour was still in the ascendancy. The defeat of the Earl of Essex at Lostwithiel, with the capitulation of Sir William Waller at Cropredy Bridge, meant Parliamentarian opposition was at an all time low. Marching out of Cornwall to rendezvous with Rupert, it became increasingly clear that the King might relieve first Basing House, Donnington and then make an attempt on London. With the first two objectives sealed, Parliament needed to make a stand and thus, reluctantly a tripartite army was formed around Manchester’s, Essex and Waller’s armies. It could have been the knockout blow needed to end the war. (Pictured Left: Edward Montagu, 2ndEarl of Manchester Maj. Gen Eastern Association Artist unknown)
Unfortunately, the preservation of the Newbury battlefield, is in poor condition, modernised and flattened due to the A4 Newbury bypass, negating the possibility of any archaeological resource being definable. As such, this article will focus on the best preserved area of the battlefield around Shaw House and its village. (Pictured Right: Shaw House South West front)
Positioned on Sir Jacob Astley’s divisions left flank on the Royalist right, Shaw House acts as the Royalist Eastern anchor. Prior to the battle this had been heavily defended, with the house and its surrounding environs ensconced within earthen banks around the gardens rising 8-10ft and encompassing the eastern salient around the house, a series of wickerwork and timber abatis forming a palisade, converted from significant Elizabethan landscape gardening, now the lawn upon which we drill and troop the colours (a factor that now negates further archaeological analysis). The surrounding trees were not in place due to the relative age of the Elizabethan manor and design of the gardens, so more likely encompassed an ornamental box hedge. A dry moat enclosed the house, defined by the 80ft wide car park and berm. However, as a means of moving troops, it is extremely ineffective, as it sits on the Lambourne’s Northern bank to their rear.
Above: Shaw House looking from the East, orange line denoting extent of rampart, blue line, line of dry moat, Red line showing extent of garden wall (Original research by Serena Jones; Jones, 2016)
Shaw village was garrisoned by the brigades of Sirs George Lisle and Bernard Astley. Col. Richard Page had
200 commanded shot and leather guns, armed with case shot, lining the dry moat. Behind the house in reserve were the Prince of Wales and Sir John Browne’s Horse and Prince Rupert’s dragoons, extending out into the sunken Brick Kiln Lane, with further troops garrisoning buildings, in the village, the expectation being there would be little opposition due to flooding to their front. However to Parliament on Clay Hill, it obstructed the frontal line of site between Waller’s diversionary attack towards Donnington and Manchester. At 7am, Manchester launched his first attack on Shaw with the London Trained Bands and Birches, the mist covering his advance, crossing the Lambourne at Ham Mill, a mile east of the house. Catching them by surprise, the village was lost and Manchester broke into the house grounds approximately where the car park is today. Page kept up fire to all sides and it was only the arrival of Astley with 400 shot from Sir Thomas Wentworth’s foot, that the house held. Manchester lost 200 men in the initial assault and was forced to retire northwards.
(Pictured Right: Col. Sir George Lisle by Michiel Van der Gucht)
(Below: View from Love Lane up Clay Hill)
Meanwhile, Waller and the house had started an artillery duel, meaning Waller was unable to hear Essex’s signal gun resulting in an attack by Prince Maurice. Consolidating for a flank attack on the house, in the closing stages of the battle, 4-4:15pm, Manchester launched a further attack on the house with Crawford’s brigade, while Sir Edmund Ludlow’s horse attacked the North, trying to cut off relief from Newbury. The former was met by a forlorn hope of 40 shot in the cemetery, repulsing Crawford with a Swedish volley, which like a Newton’s cradle attacked repeatedly with more artillery support, to the same effect. Hand to hand fighting had broken out with the horse along the sunken road, reinforced by the King and Queen’s Lifeguard of Horse, but with enfilading fire from the walls and a sally, this had the same effect. The terrible ferocity of this action is highlighted through the discovery of two bodies and a saker ball, as well as numbers of musket shot in the hedgerows during the 19th century. As darkness fell, a parley was called, in which a lone officer approached the ramparts asking for terms. He was given short shrift and shot in the belly as his forces took the works. By this point loopholes had been placed in all the windows, the loft and roof. It is said that in one of the rooms, the king came close to being shot through a shutter, despite never setting foot in the house. With collapse imminent, Lisle threw off his buffcoat (as the Royalist field sign was untucked shirts) and proclaimed “For the Crown! For Prince Charles! For the Duke of York” charging forward. Manchester’s forces were pushed back, with the loss of all his guns and Crawford’s colours, losing the village and ending the day in stalemate, losing 500 men. Both sides lost similar numbers, but with command and control disorganised and with odds threatening him for another day, Charles quit the field, leaving lighted match as if pickets were in the hedgerows. By 5th November, the King’s army was back to full strength, allowing them to relieve Donnington. Dissatisfaction had been sewn amongst the parliamentarian officer class, leading directly to the formation of the New Model Army.
Special Thanks to Serena Jones of Tyger’s Head Books for use of Shaw House landscape appraisal from forthcoming Helion and Co. Century of the Soldier Publication.
Bibliography
Jones, Serena No Armour But Courage - Colonel Sir George Lisle, 1615-1648 (Birmingham, forthcoming publication 15 September 2016)
Money, Walter and Richardson, Terry (ed.) Newbury during the English Civil War http://battlesofnewbury.weebly.com/index.html DOI: 12:04 23/02/2016
Scott, Christopher L. The Battles of Newbury: Crosroads of the English Civil War (Barnsley, 2008)
