Battle of Rowton Heath 1645
List Entry Summary
This battlefield is registered within the Register of Historic Battlefields by English Heritage for its special historic interest.
Name: Battle of Rowton Heath 1645
List entry Number: 1000031
Location
ROWTON HEATH
The battlefield may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
County:
District: Cheshire West and Chester
District Type: Unitary Authority
Parish: Hatton
County:
District: Cheshire West and Chester
District Type: Unitary Authority
Parish: Saighton
County:
District: Cheshire West and Chester
District Type: Unitary Authority
Parish: Waverton
National Park: Not applicable to this List entry.
Grade: Not Applicable to this List Entry
Date first registered: 06-Jun-1995
Date of most recent amendment: Not applicable to this List entry.
Legacy System Information
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System: Battlefields
UID: 32
Asset Groupings
This list entry does not comprise part of an Asset Grouping. Asset Groupings are not part of the official record but are added later for information.
List entry Description
Summary of Battlefield
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
Reasons for Designation
Legacy Record - This information may be included in the List Entry Details.
History
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Details
BATTLE OF ROWTON HEATH (S)
1645
The Civil Wars of the mid seventeenth century were a reflection of profound political, constitutional, religious and social conflict which was expresses in a struggle for control between King and Parliament.
In September 1645, after the catastrophic defeat at Naseby in June, King Charles I turned north in an attempt to join forces with the Marquis of Montrose in Scotland. His forces diverted to assist the Royalist garrison at Chester which was under siege. The Royalists, however, were being pursued by up to 3,000 Parliamentarian cavalry. The Royalists decided to take on their pursuers before attempting to free Chester.
The battle on Rowton Heath lasted all day on 24 September, but took place in several locations as the tide of fortune ebbed and flowed. The battlefield south of Rowton is the most clearly identified. Here, early in the morning, the Royalists blocked the advance of Parliament's forces and threw them back before themselves being forced to retreat closer to Chester.
By the end of the day the Royalists had been defeated, suffering such losses that any hopes of resurrecting a royalist army that were held after Naseby were crushed. The end of the first Civil War could not be long postponed.
The battle took place on part of an extensive heath with cultivated land only around the villages. Hedge-lined lanes divided the heath, and it was along such a lane that the battle was fought.
AMENITY FEATURES
The railway bridge, on a former line of the A41, provides a publicly accessible viewpoint over the battlefield.
OTHER DESIGNATIONS
The battlefield lies within the Chester Green Belt. Policies GB1 and GB2 of the Local Plan are relevant.
KEY SOURCES
Barratt, J, 1976, 'The Battle of Rowton Heath, 1645', in Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research, LIV
Selected Sources
Websites
English Heritage, 1995, Battlefield Report: Rowton Heath (South) 1645, accessed 11-JUN-2015 from https://content.HistoricEngland.org.uk/content/docs/battlefields/rowton.pdf
National Grid Reference: SJ 45574 63038
Map
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End of official listing