Getting into the research for this years project. It's an historical build of the battle of Torrington. The last Royalist stand against Fairfax and the New Model Army in the Westcountry during the English Civil War.
The shopping list for terrain is high needing a church and a castle as well as river with bridges and a village. The numbers were big with Hopton/Royalistwith 6800 men, mainly locals and tin miners from Cornwall, 3300 of which were horse defending the town against Fairfax (parliamentarian) and his 1000 musketeers, 500 horse and 50 dragons.
Now I'm not a complete madmen so I won't be matching the models like for like so as with any reinactment set up units will represent a huge number of men. I'll use 28mm.
The set up lends itself to a smaller scale perhaps 15mm. I shall paint what I have and bolster if needed at a later date. I'm looking forward to setting the terrain. Pike and Shotte rules will be used if I ever get to 'play' the setting. Overall it will be a hobby piece designed to set up on a full Black Powder sized board.
The Army under Cromwell on the march.
Fairfax.
Royalist fashion in the later stages of the war.
The reconstructed church after it was destroyed by gunpowder at the end of the battle.
A bit of history to this small focus of the English Civil War. (Updated).
Langport 1645:
George, Lord Goring, commander of the Royalist army of the South West in 1645.
The Campaign for the South West 1645-6
By July 1645 the Royalists had lost control of much of the country, having suffered two successive summers of major defeats. In 1644 the north of England was lost as a result of defeat at Marston Moor and then, in June 1645, the parliamentarians destroyed the main royalist field army in the decisive victory at Naseby. The King now had only one effective field army, the Western army, consisting of some 7,000 troops under General George Goring. Parliament had the formidable New Model Army commanded by Sir Thomas Fairfax, as well as the smaller force of the Western association under Major-General Edward Massey; the Northern association under Colonel-General Sydenham Poyntz; as well as the support of a large Scottish Covenanter army in the north.
For the Royalists to maintain a presence in the field it was essential for the forces which remained with the King following Naseby, and those under Goring to combine. However, in July Goring was laying siege to a fiercely resistant Taunton and was in no position to march to the King, and Charles, at Raglan in South Wales, inexplicably made no attempt to join him.
Towards the end of June, once the town of Leicester had been retaken from the royalists in the days after Naseby, Fairfax began a march into the South West to the relief of Taunton. This was the last region almost wholly under royalist control and by far the wealthiest and most populous. Fairfax had first to challenge and destroy the last Royalist field army to both relieve the pressure on Taunton and open up the Royalist garrisons in the region to parliamentarian assault.
Obliged to take an indirect route to avoid Royalist garrisons, Fairfax forced marched his army south as far as Dorchester before turning north-east to approach Taunton. Arriving at Beaminster on 4th July Fairfax was informed that Goring had raised the siege at Taunton and was marching for Yeovil. Goring may have chosen to abandon the siege on hearing of the approach of Fairfax’s army, now some 14,000 strong having been joined by Massey’s troops. If so it is questionable why he chose to approach Yeovil, which was so much closer to Fairfax’s position. But Goring was a resourceful commander and feigning a return to Taunton he persuade Fairfax to divide his forces sending 4,000 troops towards the town, thus ensuring that when an engagement occurred Goring, though still out numbered, was in a far more competitive position. But this was not enough to avoid defeat.
Following the success at Langport the New Model could work systematically through the South West, reducing Royalist garrisons and thus removing the King's ability to continue the war.
After Lord Wentworth's defeat at Bovey Tracey, Sir Ralph Hopton was appointed Royalist commander in the west, with Wentworth commanding the horse and Sir Richard Grenville the foot. Grenville refused to recognise Hopton's command and was arrested for insubordination and imprisoned on St Michael's Mount.
Hopton's army, numbering only 2,000 foot and 3,000 horse, advanced into Devon and occupied Torrington, where defensive works were thrown up.
The battle
The parliamentarians approached from the east on the evening of 16 February 1646. In heavy rain and with night falling, they ran into Royalist dragoons and fighting broke out to the east of Torrington. The Roundhead commander, Sir Thomas Fairfax, decided to wait until morning to reconnoitre the Royalists' defences. However, when he sent his dragoons were forward to test the defences and they came under fire, Fairfax pushed more troops forward in support and a general fight developed.
The fighting at the barricades lasted two hours at push of pike. At last the Cornish infantry gave way and retreated into the town, where bitter fighting continued. A stray spark ignited the Royalist magazine in Torrington church, where eighty barrels of gunpowder were stored. The explosion destroyed the church, killed all the prisoners held there and narrowly missed killing General Fairfax.[2]
Aftermath
The explosion effectively ended the battle, the remaining Royalist troops escaping.
Memorial
The anniversary of the battle is remembered in February each year, with a torch-lit procession and re-enactment.
Brushes and bench at the ready. Hope to have it under way or finished at best by Christmas. No rush on this one. I'll update as and when I make progress. Thanks for reading.
Anyone who has Pike and Shotte minis and wants to bolster a particular side, or both by all means get involved.
