Battlefields›Battle of Cirencester
Early Medieval

Battle of Cirencester

628
England
Era
Early Medieval
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Gewisse
VS
Victor
Mercia
Outcome
Mercian victory; Mercia takes control of the Severn Valley and the territory of the Hwicce.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Cirencester was fought in 628 at Cirencester in the minor kingdom of the Hwicce. This conflict involved the armies of Mercia, under King Penda, and of Wessex under Kings Cynegils and Cwichelm.

628. Here Cynegils and Cwichelm fought against Penda at Cirencester, and then came to an agreement.

The Chronicle suggests a battle between Anglo-Saxons, in which Wessex was defeated and Mercia took control of the region. However, this is not the first time Anglo-Saxons were recorded in the area : The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle states that Cirencester was under Anglo-Saxon influence since the Battle of Dyrham in 577. However archaeological evidence has not proven a battle on the site took place and suggests gradual absorption with possible Anglo-Saxon settlement near the Roman town from the mid sixth century.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Cirencester lies on Great Oolite Group, bedrock that formed in the Bathonian. The rock here is sandstone, limestone and argillaceous rocks.

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Cirencester

This page covers Battle of Cirencester. 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
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
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
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Cirencester

Churchyard cross
Churchyard cross
Scheduled monument · ~0.1 mi

Churchyard Cross is a medieval cross located in Gloucestershire, England. Such crosses typically served as focal points within churchyards, functioning as markers for burial grounds, gathering places, and sites of religious significance during the medieval period. The monument reflects the archit…

OrangeStarling1997 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Long barrow and Roman amphitheatre and cemetery
Long barrow and Roman amphitheatre and cemetery
Scheduled monument · ~0.5 mi

Long barrow and Roman amphitheatre and cemetery is a Neolithic burial monument in Gloucestershire that comprises a substantial earthwork mound constructed during the later fourth or third millennium before Christ. The site incorporates evidence of later Roman period activity, including structural…

Chris McKenna (user:Thryduulf) / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Churchyard cross in Holy Rood churchyard
Churchyard cross in Holy Rood churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~2.6 mi

Churchyard cross in Holy Rood churchyard is a medieval stone cross located in Gloucestershire. The monument dates from the medieval period and represents a type of ecclesiastical structure commonly erected in English churchyards from the thirteenth century onwards. Such crosses typically served c…

RichTea / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Wayside Cross at Ampney Crucis
Wayside Cross at Ampney Crucis
Scheduled monument · ~2.7 mi

Wayside Cross at Ampney Crucis is a medieval stone cross situated in the village of Ampney Crucis in Gloucestershire. The monument dates from the medieval period and represents the type of wayside or village cross that served both religious and secular functions in English parish communities. The…

Jayne Tovey / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Churchyard cross in St Michael's churchyard
Churchyard cross in St Michael's churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

The churchyard cross in St Michael's churchyard is a medieval monument of masonry construction located in Gloucestershire. The cross dates from the medieval period and would have served as a focal point within the churchyard, typical of parish churches throughout England where such monuments func…

Christopher Hilton / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Wayside cross at Calmsden
Wayside cross at Calmsden
Scheduled monument · ~4.2 mi

Wayside Cross at Calmsden is a medieval stone cross located in Gloucestershire. The monument survives as a substantial stone structure, characteristic of the wayside crosses that punctuated medieval routes and served functions ranging from waymarking to preaching stations and focal points for com…

Jonathan Billinger / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
St John's Hospital chantry
Scheduled monument · ~0.1 miles
Corinium Roman town
Scheduled monument · ~0.4 miles
More from this era

Other Early Medieval Battles

Battle of Wippedesfleot
466
England
Battle of Crayford (457)
457
Kent, England
Battle of Aylesford
455
England
Anglian Assault on Roman York (c.450-500 AD)
450
Yorkshire, England
In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Cirencester

Skirmish at Cirencester
1471
~0.1 miles away
Capture of Cirencester Castle 1142
1142
~0.2 miles away
Aethelwold's Raid into Mercia and Wessex 902
902
~7 miles away
Battle of Arques
1589
~7.4 miles away
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Sources
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