Battles & Campaigns · 1643
Battle of Lansdowne
Lansdown Hill, near Bath, England, UK
What happened
Waller held a strong position on Lansdown Hill. Hopton's Cornish foot soldiers attacked uphill and drove Waller's men from the top. During the night Waller's troops slipped away, leaving burning matches on a wall to make it look as if they were still there.
Why it matters
Hopton won the hill, but his army was too badly damaged to go on. The next day an ammunition cart exploded, injuring Hopton and destroying much of his gunpowder.
What came next
Hopton fell back to Devizes, where Royalist cavalry rescued him at Roundway Down a week later.
Did you know?
A Cornish officer called Waller 'the best shifter and chooser of ground' he had ever seen.
Timeline
- 16 May 1643Battle of Stratton.
- 5 Jul 1643Battle of Lansdowne.
- 6 Jul 1643Ammunition explosion injures Hopton.
- 13 Jul 1643Battle of Roundway Down.