Battle of Marston Moor 1644

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Battlefield
List Entry Number:: 1000020
Date first listed:: 06-Jun-1995

User submitted image — Uploaded by Ged Bonner This photo may not represent the current condition of the site
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions.

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

🏠 Buildings
🏰 Scheduled monuments
🌳 Parks and gardens
⚔️ Battlefields
⚓ Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Historic England Archive

Search over 1 million photographs and drawings from the 1850s to the present day using our images archive.

Find Photos

Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Battlefield
List Entry Number:: 1000020
Date first listed:: 06-Jun-1995
Location Description:: MARSTON MOOR

This list entry identifies a battlefield which is registered because of its special historic interest.

Understanding registered battlefields

Corrections and minor amendments

This list entry identifies a battlefield which is registered because of its special historic interest.

Understanding registered battlefields

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Bilton-in-Ainsty with Bickerton
District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Long Marston
District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Tockwith
District:: North Yorkshire (Unitary Authority)
Parish:: Wilstrop
National Grid Reference:: SE 48727 52446

Details

BATTLE OF MARSTON MOOR 1644

The Civil Wars of the mid seventeenth century were a reflection of profound political, constitutional, religious and social conflict which was expressed in a struggle for control between King and Parliament.

With the Royalist stronghold of York under siege by allied Parliamentarian and Scottish forces, Prince Rupert led a relieving force from the main Royalist army in the midlands. Having successfully raised the siege, Prince Rupert offered battle on 2 July on Marston Moor.

It was 7o'clock in the evening when the Parliamentarian army suddenly rushed forward. Oliver Cromwell's cavalry beat both the first line of Royalist cavalry and reinforcements under Prince Rupert himself. Circling behind the Royalists, Cromwell created chaos and disorder until the King's forces scattered, except for a defiant last stand by the best of the Royalist infantry, the Whitecoats.

Marston Moor was enclosed only after 1766; before then it was too wet for anything but summer pasture and only the land south of the Tockwith-Long Marston road was suitable for cultivation in largely hedgeless open fields. The boundary ditch and hedge between wet and dry ground however, was an important feature in the battle.

AMENITY FEATURES The battlefield obelisk on the Marston-Tockwith road is centrally placed and features an interpretation panel. Greater public access to the remainder of the battlefield would be desirable. The curving E-W hedge leading westwards from Atterwith Lane is of historical importance. Fox Covert, where there are ancient hedgerows, has been identified as the site of the Whitecoats' last stand.

OTHER DESIGNATIONS Most of the battlefield is subject to policies relating to Open Countryside in the emerging Local Plan. Tockwith is a Conservation Area and Wilstrop Wood is Ancient Woodland. The eastern part of the battlefield lies with the York Green Belt.

KEY SOURCES Newman, P, 1981, The Battle of Marston Moor 1644 Young, P, 1970, Marston Moor, the campaign and battle

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment to the Selected Sources on 10/04/2019

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: 21
Legacy System:: Battlefields

Sources

Websites
English Heritage Battlefield Report: Battle of Marston Moor 1644 (Published 1995), accessed 10th April 2019 from https://historicengland.org.uk/content/docs/listing/battlefields/marston-moor/