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Battle of Naseby
14th June 1645
The battle of Naseby was fought on the morning of the 14th June 1645. In the open fields of that small Northamptonshire village, parliament's New Model Army destroyed King Charles I's main field army. After nearly three years of conflict, this was the decisive battle of the Civil War. Only about 4000 Royalists escaped the field, most of whom were either cavalry or senior officers, some seriously wounded. The main royalist field army had been quite literally destroyed.
In the following days Leicester was recaptured. The next month the New Model went on to defeat the last significant royalist field army, at Langport. Thereafter it was largely a matter of clearing the remaining royalist garrisons.
After Hastings and the Battle of Britain, which respectively began and ended the last millennium, Naseby was arguably the most important and decisive battle ever fought in England. Where those other battles were the result of challenges to the very basis of the kingdom by foreign foes, Naseby was the culmination of a bloody Civil War and the stepping stone for a political revolution.
Despite the construction of the A14 road in 1992, Naseby is relatively well preserved and one of the best understood of all British battlefields. It is well worth visiting, for it is easily accessible on minor roads, from which one can gain a good feel for the character of the landscape. However there are few rights of way and thus little opportunity to explore the battlefield on foot. Sadly the interpretation at Naseby does not match the national significance of the battle. This is why the Battlefields Trust is currently developing a staged programme to enhance the on site interpretation of this key English battle.
KEY FACTS
Name: Battle of Naseby
Type: battle
Campaign: Naseby
War period: Civil War
Outcome: parliamentarian victory
Country: England
County: Northamptonshire
Place: Naseby/Sibbertoft/Clipston
Location: exact
Terrain: open field
Date: 14th June 1645
Start: about 9:00am
Duration: about 3 hours
Armies: Royalist army: nominally under Charles I but effectively commanded by Prince Rupert; Parliamentarian army: under Sir Thomas Fairfax
Numbers: Royalist: about 12,000; Parliamentarian: about 15,000
Losses: Royalist: circa 1000; Parliamentarian: less than 150
Grid Reference: SP684799 (468490,279990)
OS Landranger map: 141
OS Explorer map: 223
English Heritage Battlefields Register report CLICK HERE
A major new initialtive has been taken on the development of interpretive facilities at Naseby. For further information about the Naseby project CLICK HERE
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