Battlefields›Battle of Culham Bridge (Royalist Raid on Abingdon), 1645
English Civil War

Battle of Culham Bridge (Royalist Raid on Abingdon), 1645

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

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalist
VS
Victor
Parliament
Outcome
Royalist forces from Oxford, including a January 1645 attack of roughly 3,000 men with artillery from the Culham side, tried to recapture and demolish Culham Bridge and force the Thames/Swift Ditch crossing near Abingdon; Parliamentarian defenders waded through flooded meadows to attack the Royalists from behind and repelled the assault. Royalist commander Colonel (Sir) Henry Gage, recently appointed Governor of Oxford, was killed leading a third assault on 11 January 1645. Parliament retained control of the crossing.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Culham Bridge (Royalist Raid on Abingdon), 1645 was a Civil War skirmish, fought in England in 1645. The victor was Parliament. Royalist forces from Oxford, including a January 1645 attack of roughly 3,000 men with artillery from the Culham side, tried to recapture and demolish Culham Bridge and force the Thames/Swift Ditch crossing near Abingdon; Parliamentarian defenders waded through flooded meadows to attack the Royalists from behind and repelled the assault. Royalist commander Colonel (Sir) Henry Gage, recently appointed Governor of Oxford, was killed leading a third assault on 11 January 1645. Parliament retained control of the crossing.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Culham Bridge (Royalist Raid on Abingdon), 1645 lies on West Walton Formation, Ampthill Clay Formation And Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Kimmeridgian. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Culham Bridge (Royalist Raid on Abingdon), 1645

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Overview
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Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
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Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Culham Bridge (Royalist Raid on Abingdon), 1645

Culham Bridge
Culham Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~0 mi

Culham Bridge is a stone bridge crossing the River Thames near Culham in Oxfordshire, dating from the medieval period. The bridge comprises multiple arches of ashlar construction and represents an important crossing point on the Thames that has served local traffic and communication routes for ce…

Claire Ward / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Abingdon Bridge including Maud Hale's Bridge
Abingdon Bridge including Maud Hale's Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~0.7 mi

Abingdon Bridge is a medieval stone bridge spanning the River Thames at Abingdon in Oxfordshire, with origins dating to the twelfth century. The structure was substantially rebuilt and modified during the fifteenth century, reflecting changing engineering practices and the bridge's importance as…

Simon Burchell / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Abingdon Abbey (remains of)
Abingdon Abbey (remains of)
Scheduled monument · ~0.8 mi

Abingdon Abbey is a ruined Benedictine monastery founded in the seventh century, traditionally attributed to 676, making it one of England's oldest religious houses. The abbey became one of the wealthiest and most influential monasteries in medieval England, holding substantial lands across Berks…

Claire Ward / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ock Bridge
Ock Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

Ock Bridge is a medieval bridge crossing the River Ock in Abingdon, Berkshire. The structure dates from the thirteenth century and represents an important example of early English bridge engineering. The bridge is constructed of stone and retains its original arched design, which would have serve…

Steve Daniels / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Barton (remains of)
Barton (remains of)
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 mi

Barton (remains of) is a prehistoric monument located in Berkshire, England. The site represents archaeological remains of settlement activity dating to antiquity, though the precise chronology and extent of occupation require archaeological investigation. The monument is registered on the Nation…

Alan Iwi / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Carfax Conduit, 540m south west of Nuneham House
Carfax Conduit, 540m south west of Nuneham House
Scheduled monument · ~2.5 mi

Carfax Conduit is a sixteenth-century water supply structure located in the parish of Nuneham Courtenay in Oxfordshire. Built during the reign of Elizabeth I, it originally served to distribute water from a spring source to the town of Oxford, functioning as part of an early modern infrastructure…

Motmit / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Dovecote at Culham Manor, 110m south west of St Paul's Church
Scheduled monument · ~0.5 miles
Sutton Wick settlement site
Scheduled monument · ~1.1 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Culham Bridge (Royalist Raid on Abingdon), 1645

Siege of Wallingford Castle
1646
~7.6 miles away
Anarchy: Wallingford Siege Sub-actions 1153
1153
~7.6 miles away
Siege of Wallingford Castle (1139)
1139
~7.7 miles away
Siege of Wallingford Castle (Civil War)
1646
~7.7 miles away
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