Battle of Reading (1688)

Who Fought

History & Significance

The battle of Reading (also known as the battle of Broad Street, Reading Skirmish or Reading Fight) took place on 9 December 1688 in Reading, Berkshire during the 1688 invasion of England. Dutch States Army dragoons, led by Hans Bentinck and supported by Williamite civilians, routed an Irish Army detachment under Patrick Sarsfield from the town in one of only two substantial battles fought in England during the Glorious Revolution. The engagement was celebrated in Reading for many years afterwards.

On 5 November 1688, William of Orange, the stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, landed in Torbay, Devon at the head of a Williamite army to overthrow the unpopular James II of England. Five weeks later, on 7 December, William reached Hungerford, where numerous English Williamites came to visit him, including several hundred cavalrymen under the command of Williamite noblemen from Northern England.

After retreating from Salisbury, James' main army was stationed on Hounslow Heath. On 8 December, James sent Lord Halifax, Lord Nottingham and Lord Godolphin to confer with William. Halifax presented James' proposals, which included agreeing that their points of dispute would be laid before the Parliament of England, and while Parliament deliberated William's army would not come closer than 30 miles from London. Halifax then handed a personal letter from James to William, who conferred with his English advisors to discuss the proposals. Chaired by Lord Oxford, after a long debate the advisors informed William he should reject James' proposals. William decided to negotiate and put forth several counter-proposals for Halifax to deliver to James.

James had posted an advance guard of 600 Irish Army troops under Patrick Sarsfield in Reading, Berkshire to stop the march of William's army towards London. As wild rumours, known as the Irish Fright, asserted that Sarsfield's men were planning to massacre the residents of Reading, they sent word to William requesting help.

On 9 December, a relief force of 280 Dutch States Army dragoons under Hans Bentinck were sent to Reading. Warned of the Irish army's positions, the Dutch attacked them from an unexpected direction, making their way into the town centre via Broad Street. Local civilians supported the attackers by firing at Sarsfield's troops from their windows. The Irish retreated in confusion, leaving an unknown number of dead behind, with reports varying widely from six to fifty killed, depending on the account. Bentinck's dragoons suffered at least two men killed. Many of the battle's casualties were buried in the churchyard of St Giles' Church.

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Reading (1688) lies on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Reading (1688)

High Bridge

Scheduled monument · ~0.2 mi

High Bridge is a medieval masonry bridge in Berkshire, England, constructed in the thirteenth century to carry traffic across a local watercourse. The structure is built of stone and represents characteristic engineering of the period, with its arch and coursed masonry construction reflecting the…

don cload / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Reading Abbey: a Cluniac and Benedictine monastery and Civil War earthwork.

Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

Reading Abbey is a Cluniac and later Benedictine monastery founded in 1121 by King Henry I in Berkshire, England, which became one of the wealthiest and most influential religious houses in medieval England. The abbey was established as a daughter house of the Cluniac order and housed the reliqua…

Chris Wood (User:chris_j_wood). / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Site of St Bartholomew's Church

Scheduled monument · ~4 mi

Site of St Bartholomew's Church is a medieval ecclesiastical monument located in Berkshire, England. The site represents the remains of a parish church that served a local community during the medieval period, with evidence suggesting occupation and use spanning several centuries. The monument su…

Michael FORD / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Sheffield (or Shenfield) Lock

Scheduled monument · ~4.5 mi

Sheffield Lock is a canal lock situated on the Kennet and Avon Canal in Berkshire. The lock dates from the early nineteenth century and forms part of the engineering infrastructure associated with the canal's construction and operation between 1794 and 1810. As a surviving example of Georgian can…

Traveler100 / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Castle Grove camp

Scheduled monument · ~5.1 mi

Castle Grove camp is a prehistoric earthwork monument located in Oxfordshire, England. The site consists of a defended enclosure with banks and ditches characteristic of Iron Age hillforts or camps, representing settlement and defensive structures typical of the first millennium BCE. The monument…

ian freeman / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Greys Court; castle wall, towers and well house

Scheduled monument · ~6.2 mi

Greys Court is a medieval fortified house in Oxfordshire with origins in the late twelfth century, though the surviving structures largely date from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The site retains substantial remnants of its defensive works, including castle walls and towers that exempli…

Dennis Jackson / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

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Battles near Battle of Reading (1688)

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• Battle of Reading · Wikidata
• Battle of Reading (1688) · Wikipedia