Battlefields›Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD)
English Civil War

Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD)

1645
West Riding, England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
West Riding, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Royalists (Lord Digby's Northern Horse, under Digby and Sir Marmaduke Langdale)
VS
Victor
Parliamentarians (Sydnam Poyntz, with Colonel Copley and John Lilburne)
Forces involved

Royalists approximately 1,600 Northern Horse; Parliamentarians approximately 1,250.

Outcome
Digby's Royalist force, having briefly overrun the Parliamentarian garrison and taken prisoners, panicked in the dark after mistaking fleeing comrades for the enemy; reinforcing Parliamentarian cavalry under Copley and Lilburne counterattacked and routed them, ending the last significant Royalist field force in the North during the First Civil War.
The Battle

History & Significance

Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD) was a Civil War pitched battle between opposing field armies, fought at West Riding, England in 1645. Parliamentarians (Sydnam Poyntz, with Colonel Copley and John Lilburne) prevailed over Royalists (Lord Digby's Northern Horse, under Digby and Sir Marmaduke Langdale). Digby's Royalist force, having briefly overrun the Parliamentarian garrison and taken prisoners, panicked in the dark after mistaking fleeing comrades for the enemy; reinforcing Parliamentarian cavalry under Copley and Lilburne counterattacked and routed them, ending the last significant Royalist field force in the North during the First Civil War.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD) lies on Zechstein Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Permian. The rock here is dolomitised limestone and dolomite.

Casualties & Losses
  • Royalists about 40 killed and 300 to 400 captured, with around 600 horses lost; Parliamentarians about 10 killed.
Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Everything a full report reveals about Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD)

This page covers Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD). 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 Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD)

Lord Dacre's Cross or Towton Cross on the west side of the B1217, 1km south west of Towton
Lord Dacre's Cross or Towton Cross on the west side of the B1217, 1km south west of Towton
Scheduled monument · ~3.3 mi

Lord Dacre's Cross is a medieval wayside cross located west of the B1217 near Towton in Yorkshire. The monument stands as a reminder of the Battle of Towton fought in 1461, one of the bloodiest engagements of the Wars of the Roses, and is traditionally associated with Thomas Dacre, 1st Baron Dacr…

Chemical Engineer / Public domain / Wikimedia Commons
Manor Garth Hill ringwork
Manor Garth Hill ringwork
Scheduled monument · ~4.8 mi

Manor Garth Hill ringwork is a defended enclosure situated in Yorkshire, England, that dates to the medieval period. The monument comprises a circular or sub-circular earthwork formed by a substantial bank and external ditch, characteristic of ringwork fortifications constructed during the 11th a…

Stephen Craven / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Ferrybridge near Knottingley
Ferrybridge near Knottingley
Scheduled monument · ~5.5 mi

Ferrybridge is a crossing point of the River Aire near Knottingley in West Yorkshire with medieval origins. The site has long served as an important ford and ferry location facilitating communication and trade across the river, with evidence of its use persisting through the medieval period and i…

D Gore / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Tithe barn
Tithe barn
Scheduled monument · ~5.6 mi

Tithe barn is a medieval agricultural building located in Yorkshire, England. The structure dates from the medieval period and served the practical function of storing agricultural produce, particularly grain and other crops collected as tithes owed to the Church. As a tithe barn, it represents a…

Cawood Castle and Castle Garth: residence of the medieval Archbishops of York and associated enclosure containing gardens, five fishponds and a quarry pit
Cawood Castle and Castle Garth: residence of the medieval Archbishops of York and associated enclosure containing gardens, five fishponds and a quarry pit
Scheduled monument · ~6 mi

Cawood Castle is a medieval residence of the Archbishops of York, located in the village of Cawood in North Yorkshire. The castle and its associated enclosure, known as Castle Garth, date primarily from the fifteenth century, though the site has earlier medieval origins. The complex is notable fo…

Gordon Hatton / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Roman Bath House, Castleford
Roman Bath House, Castleford
Scheduled monument · ~6 mi

Roman Bath House, Castleford is a substantial remain of bathing facilities dating to the Roman occupation of Britain, situated within the fortress settlement at Castleford in West Yorkshire. The structure represents evidence of the infrastructure and daily life maintained at this important milita…

Lajmmoore / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Site of 'King Athelstan's Palace', immediately north of the church
Scheduled monument · ~0.2 miles
Steeton Hall medieval magnate's residence and manorial centre
Scheduled monument · ~1.2 miles
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In the same landscape

Battles near Battle of Sherburn-in-Elmet (1645 AD)

Battle of Sherburn in Elmet
~0 miles away
Battle of Towton, 1461
1461
~3 miles away
Battle of Ferrybridge (1461)
1461
~5.7 miles away
Battle of Bramham Moor
1408
~5.8 miles away
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