News

Battlefields Trust publishes battle of Stow on the Wold (1646) research

20 December 2023

Seven years of research work on the battle of Stow on the Wold has recently been published by the Battlefields Trust. 

The research involved an examination of primary documentary accounts of the battle, an extensive archaeological survey, and a landscape study commissioned from the eminent battlefield landscape archaeologist, Dr Tracey Partida.

The research results indicate that the battle was not fought on the site currently registered by Historic England, but took place further south, near the town of Stow itself. Historic England has been notified about the conclusions reached.

Battlefields Trust Research Coordinator, Simon Marsh, said ‘this has been a hugely rewarding project and our thanks go out to the local landowners and people in Stow who supported these investigations.’

‘Such research is vital in improving our knowledge about how and where battles were fought, which is key to the Battlefields Trust’s efforts to preserve and promote the importance of these historic landscapes’.

Battlefields Trust Archaeological Advisor Sam Wilson added, ‘we were fortunate to benefit from the exceptional support of experienced battlefield metal detectorists throughout the project and without whom it is unlikely we would have achieved as much as we have’.

The battle of Stow on the Wold was fought early in the morning on 21 March 1646 between local parliamentarian forces and a cobbled together royalist army created from soldiers from garrisons in the West Midlands. The defeat of the royalists at the battle marked the last field action of the first Civil War.

Further details about the battle and the research reports published by the Battlefields Trust can be found at The Battlefields Hub → The Civil Wars → Stow on the Wold campaign 1646 → The Battle of Battle of Stow on the Wold (battlefieldstrust.com)