Battlefields›Battle of Ripple Field
English Civil War

Battle of Ripple Field

1643
England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Victor
Royalists
Strength
2,000
VS
Defeated
Parliamentarians
Strength
2,000
Outcome
Royalist victory.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Ripple Field, fought on 13 April 1643, was an engagement in the First English Civil War. In the battle, a Royalist cavalry force led by Prince Maurice routed Parliamentarian cavalry and infantry forces led by Sir William Waller.

After marching north from Tewkesbury, Waller tried to block the cavalry forces of Prince Maurice and the Royalists by containing them on the western bank of the River Severn. Prince Maurice, however, successfully crossed the Severn at Upton-Upon-Severn and quickly proceeded south through Ryall to confront Waller's men who had taken a defensive position in Ripple Field.

An initial cavalry charge by Waller was easily repelled by the Royalists. The Parliamentarians then retreated into the lanes of the village of Ripple where they were overrun and routed. Haselrigge's Lobsters (one of the few proper cuirassier regiments fielded during the war) lost around 70% of their men defending the retreating Parliament army which was attempting to return to Tewkesbury. At the end, Parliamentary reinforcements checked the Royalists at Mythe Hill just north of Tewkesbury.

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Ripple Field lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Casualties & Losses
  • Royalists: Light
  • Parliamentarians: 50 cavalry; Unknown infantry.
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Ripple Field

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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.
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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Ripple Field

Ripple village cross
Ripple village cross
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

Ripple village cross is a medieval monument located in the village of Ripple, Worcestershire. The cross dates from the medieval period and represents an important example of the village cross tradition that characterised English settlements during the Middle Ages. Village crosses of this type typ…

Philip Halling / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Cross north of St Mary's Church
Cross north of St Mary's Church
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 mi

Cross north of St Mary's Church is a medieval stone cross located in Worcestershire. The monument dates from the medieval period and stands as a testament to the religious and community significance of the locality during the Middle Ages. Such crosses commonly served as focal points for parishes…

Philip Halling / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Moated site at Manor Farm
Moated site at Manor Farm
Scheduled monument · ~1.9 mi

The moated site at Manor Farm is a medieval manorial enclosure located in Worcestershire. The monument comprises a substantial moat surrounding the former house platform, representing a defensive and status-affirming earthwork typical of the 12th to 16th centuries. Such moated sites were common a…

Trevor Rickard / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Upton cross in old churchyard
Upton cross in old churchyard
Scheduled monument · ~2 mi

Upton Cross is a medieval stone cross located in the churchyard at Upton in Worcestershire. The monument dates to the medieval period, though precise dating requires specialist examination of its architectural form and style. Such crosses were commonly erected in churchyards across England during…

Secretary2006 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Tower of old church
Tower of old church
Scheduled monument · ~2 mi

Tower of Old Church is a surviving medieval tower located in Worcestershire, England. The structure dates to the medieval period and represents the remains of an earlier church building, preserving an important record of local ecclesiastical architecture. The tower's physical fabric demonstrates…

Secretary2006 / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ringwork known as Hanley Castle 520m south of the Church of St. Mary
Ringwork known as Hanley Castle 520m south of the Church of St. Mary
Scheduled monument · ~2.9 mi

Hanley Castle is a ringwork located approximately 520 metres south of the Church of St. Mary in Worcestershire, England. The site comprises a substantial circular earthwork enclosed by a ditch, representing a form of fortified residence typical of the Norman period and the early medieval centurie…

Bob Embleton / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Uckinghall cross
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
Towbury Hill camp
Scheduled monument · ~0.9 miles
More from this era

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Iona — Chiefs Signing Under Duress 1609
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Ripple Field

Battle of Upton
1651
~2.1 miles away
Skirmish at Tewkesbury Ford
1471
~3.2 miles away
Battle of Tewkesbury (1471)
1471
~4.2 miles away
Battle of Merville Gun Battery
1944
~10.8 miles away
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Sources
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