Battle of Bramber Bridge
Who Fought
History & Significance
The Battle of Bramber Bridge was a minor skirmish that took place on 13 December 1643, during the First English Civil War. A Royalist detachment from Arundel attempted to secure the bridge over the River Adur at Bramber in West Sussex, but found a Parliamentarian force already in possession.
The Royalists attempted to find another crossing point, but were ordered back to Arundel, after learning of the loss of Alton the same night.
At the start of the war in August 1642, Parliamentarian forces controlled most of southern England, including the ports of Southampton and Dover, as well as the bulk of the Royal Navy. When Portsmouth surrendered to William Waller after the siege in September, they controlled every major port from Plymouth to Hull, preventing the Royalists importing arms and men from Europe.
However, in 1643, the main Parliamentarian army under the Earl of Essex remained stuck in front of Oxford. On 13 July 1643, Ralph Hopton, Royalist commander in the south-west, inflicted a serious defeat on Waller's Army of the Southern Association at Roundway Down, near Devizes. The combined result was to isolate Parliamentarian garrisons in the west; on 26 July, the Royalists captured Bristol, opening a link with Ireland.
At the same time, Waller's Plot in May showed many Parliamentary moderates favoured a negotiated peace. To keep up the pressure, the Royalist high command agreed to first capture Gloucester, cementing their control of the west, then move against London. Hopton would simultaneously threaten London from the south by advancing into Hampshire and Sussex, potentially disrupting the Wealden iron industry, main source of armaments for the Parliamentarian forces.
Lack of money, supplies, and delays in transporting the Irish troops who formed the bulk of his infantry meant Hopton was unable to move until mid October. By then, the Royalists had retreated from Gloucester, while their advance on London was checked at First Battle of Newbury on 20 September.
On reaching Winchester in early November, Hopton's troops mutinied, and order was restored only after several exemplary executions. This provided Waller time to assemble a new army at Farnham Castle, composed of Trained bands from London, as well as the South-Eastern Association of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire.
Hopton advanced on Farnham, but failed to tempt Waller into giving battle, and withdrew. The Royalists established winter quarters at various points in West Sussex and Hampshire, including Alresford, Alton, Petersfield and Midhurst, although his officers warned Hopton they were too far apart for mutual support. In early December, the small garrison at Arundel Castle surrendered to a Royalist force under Colonel Joseph Bampfield, and Edward Ford, former Sheriff of Sussex.
The ground they fought on
The site of Battle of Bramber Bridge lies on Grey Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Cenomanian. The rock here is chalk.
- Royalists: 8–9 killed
- Parliamentarians: 1 killed; 1 captured
Frequently Asked Questions
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- Battle of Bramber Bridge · Wikidata
- Battle_of_Bramber_Bridge · Wikipedia