BattlefieldsPenruddock Rising — Salisbury Seizure 1655
English Civil War

Penruddock Rising — Salisbury Seizure 1655

1655
Wiltshire, England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Wiltshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalist insurgents
Forces
Wiltshire Parliamentary garrison
VS
Victor
Parliamentary forces
Forces
Royalist insurgents under Colonel Penruddock and Sir Joseph Wagstaffe approximately 400
Outcome
Penruddock held Salisbury for several hours then marched west hoping to raise Dorset, Devon and Cornwall; Parliamentary cavalry set out in pursuit.
The Battle

History & Significance

Colonel John Penruddock led a Royalist rising in Wiltshire on 12 March 1655, seizing Salisbury at dawn. The insurgents interrupted the assizes, released prisoners from the gaol, and briefly held the city before Parliamentary horse was summoned. The Salisbury seizure was the most dramatic moment of the Western Association Royalist plot made actual.

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