On the morning of 28 July, Lord Russell led his army from Honiton to confront the rebels gathered three miles away at Fenny Bridges, hoping to drive them back and clear the way to Exeter. In preparation for the inevitable attack, the insurgents had left a detachment at the bridge itself to defend the crossing, while the mainstay of their army was arrayed in a meadow a short distance away. Russell’s initial attempt to seize the bridge, probably by dismounted horsemen, was repulsed by the archery of the rebels’ guard force, which caused several casualties including Sir Gawen Carew, struck by an arrow in the arm, and the insurgents only withdrew when flanking cavalry units forded the shallow waters.

Once in control of the crossing, the loyalists were able to bring the bulk of their army over the river unopposed, allowing them to fall upon the outnumbered rebels and swiftly break their formation through overwhelming force. Nonetheless, the insurgents were not yet defeated and, when Russell’s victorious troops began the customary pillaging and pursuit that accompanied any successful offensive they were taken unawares by a surprise counterattack. Rather than join the other survivors fleeing the battle, Robert Smyth, one of the rebel captains, had led his band of several hundred Cornish fighters back into action, using the area’s steep-sided embanked lanes to screen their approach before emerging in the midst of the disordered loyalists. Although far too few to turn the tide singlehandedly, the Cornishmen pushed the enemy troops back out of the meadow and were only defeated once Russell’s forces could close ranks and advance once more.

This action not only brought time for the retreating rebels, doubtlessly allowing many to escape the immediate rout who would otherwise not have done so, but it also significantly contributed to Russell’s decision to curtail his pursuit after two or three miles for fears of further attacks. With their initial enthusiasm for the pursuit thus considerably dampened, the King’s army subsequently returned to Honiton and allowed the insurgents to disengage.