23/10/2026
Today marks 384 years since the first battle of the English Civil Wars: the Battle of Edgehill.
On 23 October 1642, after years of building tension between Charles I and Parliament, conflict finally erupted. Following the raising of the Royal Standard in Nottingham earlier that year, the two armies would meet just outside the small Warwickshire village of Edgehill.
Roughly 13,000 to 15,000 men on both sides took the field; the Royalists under the command of Charles I, and the Parliamentarians under the command of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex.
Both armies consisted largely of inexperienced and, in many cases, ill-equipped troops. The Civil War could have nearly ended there and then. Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Charles's nephew and daring cavalry commander, won a decisive victory against the Parliamentarian cavalry on the Royalist right flank. Historians have long debated whether, had Rupert turned and ridden down the flank of the Parliamentarian army, Charles might have been able to crush Essex's force and end the war before it had truly begun, relegating it to little more than a footnote rebellion in English and British history.
Instead, Rupert pursued the retreating enemy and later plundered the Parliamentary baggage train. The absence of his cavalry left the Royalist centre dangerously under-supported, allowing a strong Parliamentarian counterattack that nearly broke the Royalist line. Most famously, the King's Guard suffered heavy losses, losing 11 of their 13 colours, including the personal standard of Charles himself, although it was eventually recovered.
Northampton's Regiment was present at the battle. Whilst we do not know exactly what role they played, we know they were there through contemporary accounts and personal memoirs written by junior officers.
The battle ended inconclusively. As night fell, neither side was able to claim a decisive victory, and the following morning the Parliamentarian army withdrew towards Warwick. This was the point of no return. Any realistic hope of a political settlement to the issues dividing the kingdom had failed. From this moment on, the future of the nation would be decided in steel, shot, and blood.
Roughly 1,500 men died on the field that day, with a further 2,000 to 3,000 wounded across both armies. What followed over the next four years would become known as the First of three conflicts that made up the English Civil War, and mark the beginning of nearly two decades of conflict that would shape the future of these islands.
Northampton's Regiment is dedicated to preserving the history and stories of this turbulent period. If you would like to learn more about the history, or about joining us, send us a message.
