Battle of Ripple Field

The Battle of Ripple Field, fought on 13 April 1643, was an important engagement in the English Civil War. It was a Royalist victory, with the routing of a combined cavalry and infantry Parliamentarian force by a predominantly cavalry force led by Prince Maurice of the Palatinate. After marching north from Tewkesbury, Sir William Waller tried to contain the cavalry forces of Maurice on the western bank of the Severn, cutting this substantial force off from the rest of the Royalist army. Maurice successfully crossed the Severn at Upton-Upon-Severn, and quickly proceeded south through Ryall to meet with Waller's men who had taken a defensive position in Ripple Field. An initial cavalry charge by Waller was easily repelled by the Royalists, and the Parliamentarians retreated into the lanes of Ripple village, where a rout then took place. Parliament losses were considerable. The Haselrigges Lobsters Regiment lost around 70% of their men defending the retreating Parliament army which retreated en masse towards Tewkesbury. The Royalists were then checked on the Mythe Hill just north of Tewkesbury by Parliament reinforcements, before returning North.