Battle of Sedgemoor 1685

Who Fought

History & Significance

The Battle of Sedgemoor was the final and decisive engagement of the Monmouth Rebellion, between forces loyal to James II and rebel forces led by the Duke of Monmouth. It was fought on 6 July 1685 at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England.

The battle followed a series of skirmishes around south-west England between these two forces. King James' forces won the battle, and took about 500 prisoners. Monmouth escaped from the battlefield but was captured, taken to London and executed nine days later. Many of Monmouth's supporters were tried during the Bloody Assizes. Many were transported abroad, while others were executed by drawing and quartering.

It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion, by which the rebel James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, attempted to seize the English throne from his uncle James II of England. James II had succeeded to the throne on the death of his brother Charles II on 2 February 1685; James Scott was Charles's illegitimate son.

After Monmouth landed from the Dutch Republic at Lyme Regis in Dorset, there had been a series of marches and skirmishes throughout Dorset and Somerset. Eventually Monmouth's poorly equipped army was pushed back to the Somerset Levels, becoming hemmed in at Bridgwater on 3 July. He ordered his troops to fortify the town. The force was made up of around 3,500, mostly nonconformist, artisans and farm workers armed with farm tools (such as pitchforks).

500 men of the 1st Regiment of Foot (the Royal Scots), known as Dumbarton's Regiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Douglas;

two battalions of the 1st or King's Royal Regiment of Guards (Grenadier Guards), respectively led by Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, and Major Eaton;

600 men of the Second Regiment of Guards (later the Coldstream Guards) under Lieutenant-Colonel Sackville;

five companies of the Queen Dowager's or the Tangier Regiment (later 2nd Foot), known as "Kirke's Lambs"; and

five companies of the Queen Consort's Regiment (Kings Own Royal Regiment), also known as Trelawny's Regiment, which was commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Churchill, Colonel John Churchill's younger brother.

The Horse and Foot, the Royal Train of Artillery was camped along the road to Bridgwater.

The Royal Cavalry, with seven troops of 420 men of the Earl of Oxford's,

The Kings Regiment of Horse (Blues and Royals), led by Colonel Sir Francis Compton

Royal Regiment of Horse, commanded by Lieutenant General Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford KG

Queen's Regiment of Horse, commanded by Lieutenant General Sir John Lanier

King's Own Royal Regiment of Dragoons, commanded by General John Churchill

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Sedgemoor 1685 lies on Triassic Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Triassic. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Sedgemoor 1685

Telescopic rail bridge over the River Parrett, 270m south east of Bridgwater Dock lock

Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

Telescopic rail bridge over the River Parrett is a nineteenth-century iron railway bridge located near Bridgwater in Somerset. The bridge is notable for its telescopic design, a mechanical innovation that allowed the structure to extend and retract to permit river traffic to pass whilst maintaini…

Geof Sheppard / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Chandos Glass Cone, at the junction of Northgate and Valetta Place

Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

Chandos Glass Cone is a Grade I listed industrial monument dating from the eighteenth century, located at the junction of Northgate and Valetta Place in Nailsea, Somerset. The structure is a conical kiln of brick construction, characteristic of glassmaking operations of the period, and represents…

Neil Owen / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Burrow Mump: a motte castle, later chapel and associated earthworks

Scheduled monument · ~3.4 mi

Burrow Mump is a motte castle located near South Petherton in Somerset, England, consisting of a prominent artificial mound with associated earthworks that rises steeply from the surrounding landscape. The site dates to the Norman period, likely established in the eleventh or twelfth century as p…

Simon Burchell / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Churchyard cross in St George's churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~4 mi

The churchyard cross in St George's churchyard is a medieval stone monument located in Somerset, England. The structure belongs to the category of parish churchyard crosses, which typically served as gathering points and focal markers within the religious and civic life of medieval communities. L…

Churchyard cross in St Mary the Virgin's churchyard

Scheduled monument · ~4.1 mi

The churchyard cross in the churchyard of St Mary the Virgin in Somerset is a medieval monument of considerable local significance. The cross stands as a substantial stone structure characteristic of the fifteenth-century period, when such monuments were commonly erected in churchyards throughout…

Motte with two baileys immediately east of Bristol Road, Down End

Scheduled monument · ~4.3 mi

Motte with two baileys immediately east of Bristol Road, Down End is a Norman fortification of the eleventh or twelfth century. The monument comprises a motte, or artificial mound, accompanied by two baileys, the defended enclosures characteristic of motte-and-bailey castles, which represent a di…

Rodw / CC0 / Wikimedia Commons

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• Battle of Sedgemoor 1685 · Historic England
• Battle of Sedgemoor · Wikidata
• Battle_of_Sedgemoor · Wikipedia
• Battle of Sedgemoor · Battlefields Trust