Battle of Seacroft Moor - 30th March 1643

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buffaloskinner
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Joined: Sun 01 Apr, 2007 6:02 pm
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Post by buffaloskinner »

I know its been glanced over previously in one small paragraph, but I wondered if anyone had any more info on this battle, as an ex Seacroft lad I would be most interested as to where the battle took place.Below is all the info I am able to find, however no locationsBattle of Seacroft Moor30th March 1643Sir Thomas Fairfax had marched to Tadcaster to destroy the bridge over the river Wharfe, which controlled the main road westward. He failed and so fell back into the West Riding, pursued by a large body of royalist horse sent unde the command of George Goring to intercept him.Fairfax's force was from the enclosed landscape of West Yorkshire and so was strong in musketeers. In an enclosed landscape they were a fromidable force but in an open landscape they were very vulnerable to cavalry attack. Although they managed to cross Bramham Moor safely, Fairfax's men began to straggle as they crossed Seacroft Moor, marching on the main road towards Leeds. Goring, rather than following the Parliamentary force, had moved onto Seacroft Moor via a more northerly route. Twenty troops of royalist horse descended on the smaller parliamentarian force and with only three troops of horse and few, if any, pikemen to protect his musketeers and clubmen from cavalry attack they were defeated. Fairfax lost as many as 1000 of his infantry at Seacroft and in later years he would describe this as his worst ever defeat, with only a few cavalry reaching the safety of his father's main army at Leeds.KEY FACTS Name: Battle of Seacroft Moor    Type: major skirmishCampaign: 1643 campaign for the northWar period: First Civil War    Outcome: royalist victory    Country: EnglandCounty: West Yorkshire (Yorkshire: West Riding)Place: SeacroftLocation: approximateTerrain: unenclosed upland moorCurrent land use: intensively built upDate: 30th March 1643    Start:    Duration: Armies: Royalist: cavalry under George Goring; Parliamentarian: a mainly infantry force under Sir Thomas FairfaxNumbers: Parliamentarian: mainly musketeers and just 3 troops of horse; Royalist: 20 troops of horse
Is this the end of the story ...or the beginning of a legend?

The Parksider
Posts: 1581
Joined: Sat 10 Nov, 2007 3:55 am

Post by The Parksider »

buffaloskinner wrote: I know its been glanced over previously in one small paragraph, but I wondered if anyone had any more info on this battle, as an ex Seacroft lad I would be most interested as to where the battle took place.Below is all the info I am able to find, however no locationsBattle of Seacroft Moor30th March 1643Sir Thomas Fairfax had marched to Tadcaster to destroy the bridge over the river Wharfe, which controlled the main road westward. He failed and so fell back into the West Riding, pursued by a large body of royalist horse sent unde the command of George Goring to intercept him.Fairfax's force was from the enclosed landscape of West Yorkshire and so was strong in musketeers. In an enclosed landscape they were a fromidable force but in an open landscape they were very vulnerable to cavalry attack. Although they managed to cross Bramham Moor safely, Fairfax's men began to straggle as they crossed Seacroft Moor, marching on the main road towards Leeds. Goring, rather than following the Parliamentary force, had moved onto Seacroft Moor via a more northerly route. Twenty troops of royalist horse descended on the smaller parliamentarian force and with only three troops of horse and few, if any, pikemen to protect his musketeers and clubmen from cavalry attack they were defeated. Fairfax lost as many as 1000 of his infantry at Seacroft and in later years he would describe this as his worst ever defeat, with only a few cavalry reaching the safety of his father's main army at Leeds.KEY FACTS Name: Battle of Seacroft Moor    Type: major skirmishCampaign: 1643 campaign for the northWar period: First Civil War    Outcome: royalist victory    Country: EnglandCounty: West Yorkshire (Yorkshire: West Riding)Place: SeacroftLocation: approximateTerrain: unenclosed upland moorCurrent land use: intensively built upDate: 30th March 1643    Start:    Duration: Armies: Royalist: cavalry under George Goring; Parliamentarian: a mainly infantry force under Sir Thomas FairfaxNumbers: Parliamentarian: mainly musketeers and just 3 troops of horse; Royalist: 20 troops of horse Seacroft Moor stretched from York Road across to Barwick Road south of the village so I assume the troops were marching down York Road towards Leeds

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