BattlefieldsBletchingdon House Cromwell Surprise 1645
English Civil War

Bletchingdon House Cromwell Surprise 1645

1645
England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalist
Forces
Royalist garrison under Colonel Windebank approximately 200
VS
Victor
Parliamentary
Forces
Parliamentary New Model cavalry under Cromwell approximately 1,000
Outcome
Parliamentary bloodless capture; Windebank surrendered Bletchingdon House immediately; he was subsequently shot by Royalists for cowardice; Cromwell secured a valuable outpost north of Oxford.
The Battle

History & Significance

Cromwell with a force of New Model cavalry surprised Bletchingdon House near Woodstock on 24 April 1645, arriving before dawn and demanding immediate surrender. The governor Colonel Francis Windebank, entertaining guests including women, panicked and surrendered without resistance. The bloodless capture yielded 200 prisoners and stores; Windebank was court-martialled and shot for cowardice by the Royalists.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around this battlefield

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 this battlefield