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Medieval

Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141

Q: When did Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141 take place?

Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141 took place in 1141, England. Robert of Gloucester's attempt to fortify Wherwell Abbey to relieve the siege of Winchester was defeated by William of Ypres with heavy Angevin losses; the abbey was subsequently burned, contributing to the Angevin decision to abandon the siege and retreat, which led to the Rout of Winchester.

Q: Who won Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141?

William of Ypres was victorious. The defeated side was Robert of Gloucester's Angevin forces (rearguard). Robert of Gloucester's attempt to fortify Wherwell Abbey to relieve the siege of Winchester was defeated by William of Ypres with heavy Angevin losses; the abbey was subsequently burned, contributing to the Angevin decision to abandon the siege and retreat, which led to the Rout of Winchester.

1141

England

Era

Medieval

Battle Type

ambush

Location

England

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Robert of Gloucester's Angevin forces (rearguard)

Victor

William of Ypres

Outcome

Robert of Gloucester's attempt to fortify Wherwell Abbey to relieve the siege of Winchester was defeated by William of Ypres with heavy Angevin losses; the abbey was subsequently burned, contributing to the Angevin decision to abandon the siege and retreat, which led to the Rout of Winchester.

The Battle

History & Significance

Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141 was a medieval ambush, fought in England in 1141. William of Ypres prevailed over Robert of Gloucester's Angevin forces (rearguard). Robert of Gloucester's attempt to fortify Wherwell Abbey to relieve the siege of Winchester was defeated by William of Ypres with heavy Angevin losses; the abbey was subsequently burned, contributing to the Angevin decision to abandon the siege and retreat, which led to the Rout of Winchester.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141 lies on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

Casualties & Losses

Described only as 'heavy losses' for the Angevin force; no specific numbers recorded

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141

This page covers Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141. A full Aubrey report for the area pulls together this battle alongside scheduled monuments and everything else the record holds within a few miles:

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

Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.

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.

Spotlight

A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.

Target Zones

For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.

Timeline

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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Anarchy, Wherwell Ambush, 1141

The Moat

Scheduled monument · ~1.4 mi

The Moat is a medieval earthwork monument located in Hampshire, England. The site consists of a substantial mounded enclosure surrounded by a ditch, characteristic of high-status medieval settlements of the 11th to 13th centuries. Such moated sites typically served as the focal points of manorial…

Dave.Dunford / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Woolbury Ring, Stockbridge

Scheduled monument · ~1.9 mi

Woolbury Ring is a univallate Iron Age hillfort located near Stockbridge in Hampshire. The monument comprises a single defensive bank and ditch enclosing an approximately circular interior, typical of the Iron Age period, likely dating to the first millennium BC. The site occupies a commanding po…

Jim Champion / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Bowl barrow 100m NNW of The Plantation: one of a dispersed group of barrows on Stockbridge Down

Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Bowl barrow 100m NNW of The Plantation is a Bronze Age burial mound located on Stockbridge Down in Hampshire, England. The monument is one of a dispersed group of barrows characteristic of the ceremonial and funerary landscape of the South Chalk Downs during the second millennium BCE. The barrow…

Dave.Dunford / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Bowl barrow 400m south of Waters Down Farm

Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

Bowl barrow 400m south of Waters Down Farm is a Bronze Age burial monument located in Hampshire. The barrow survives as a round mound characteristic of bowl barrow form, a common funerary structure of the Bronze Age period. Such monuments typically contained inhumation or cremation burials, often…

Dave.Dunford / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Danebury Hill camp

Scheduled monument · ~3.6 mi

Danebury Hill camp is an Iron Age hillfort located near Nether Wallop in Hampshire, England. The site comprises a substantial single bank and ditch enclosure crowning the hilltop, enclosing an area of approximately 5.3 hectares, and dates to the Middle Iron Age, with occupation evidence spanning…

Hampshire Hub and University of Southampton / OGL v1.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Bury Hill camp

Scheduled monument · ~3.9 mi

Bury Hill camp is a univallate Iron Age hillfort located near Morestead in Hampshire. The monument is defined by a single defensive bank and ditch encircling an oval hilltop enclosure of approximately 3.2 hectares. Pottery and artefactual evidence indicate occupation during the Iron Age, placing…

Chris Talbot / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Cropmark enclosures 500m south east of Ivy Farm

Scheduled monument · ~0.6 miles

Field system on Hazel Down 850m north of Hazeldown Farm

Scheduled monument · ~1.1 miles

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1429

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Siege of Paris (1435–1436)

1435

~4.9 miles away

Siege of Paris (1590)

1590

~4.9 miles away

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