BattlefieldsBraydon Forest Riots 1630-1631
English Civil War

Braydon Forest Riots 1630-1631

1630
Wiltshire, England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Wiltshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Forces
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Crown patent holders
VS
Victor
Not recorded in historical accounts
Forces
Braydon commoners
Outcome
Rioters prosecuted in Star Chamber; enclosures damaged; crown authority asserted but popular resistance continued
The Battle

History & Significance

Braydon Forest in north Wiltshire was enclosed and disafforested under a royal patent in the late 1620s, provoking riots in 1630-1631. Foresters calling themselves by the symbolic name Lady Skimmington pulled down enclosure ditches and threatened the patent holders officers. The Braydon riots were prosecuted in Star Chamber and the ringleaders fined and imprisoned, but the disturbances continued intermittently.

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