King Stephen was caught by surprise near Wilton Abbey while his army was dispersed. Earl Robert of Gloucester launched a sudden attack that nearly captured him. Stephen escaped by a rearguard action led by William Martel, who was himself captured in the fighting. The episode demonstrated the instability of Stephen's position in the southwest.
Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.
Research a location near Wiltshire