Battlefields›Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655
English Civil War

Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655

1655
Wiltshire, England
Era
English Civil War
Battle Type
Raid
Location
Wiltshire, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Parliamentary/Protectorate authorities in Salisbury
VS
Victor
Royalist insurgents (seized the town, but rising ultimately failed)
Outcome
Penruddock and Wagstaffe led about 150 men into Salisbury before dawn, seized Assize judges Chief Justice Rolle and Baron Nicholas plus High Sheriff Colonel John Dove, freed prisoners from the gaol, proclaimed Charles II, and left the next morning (numbers grown to about 400) marching west via Blandford and Sherborne toward Yeovil, hoping to raise the West Country. The rising was defeated at South Molton on 14 March 1655; Penruddock was later beheaded at Exeter.
The Battle

History & Significance

Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655 was a Civil War raid, fought at Wiltshire, England in 1655. Royalist insurgents (seized the town, but rising ultimately failed) prevailed over Parliamentary/Protectorate authorities in Salisbury. Penruddock and Wagstaffe led about 150 men into Salisbury before dawn, seized Assize judges Chief Justice Rolle and Baron Nicholas plus High Sheriff Colonel John Dove, freed prisoners from the gaol, proclaimed Charles II, and left the next morning (numbers grown to about 400) marching west via Blandford and Sherborne toward Yeovil, hoping to raise the West Country. The rising was defeated at South Molton on 14 March 1655; Penruddock was later beheaded at Exeter.

Confirmed battlefield location
The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655 lies on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

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Everything a full report reveals about Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655

This page covers Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655. 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 Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655

The Poultry Cross
The Poultry Cross
Scheduled monument · ~0.1 mi

The Poultry Cross is a medieval market cross located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, which dates from the late fourteenth century. The structure stands as one of the finest examples of English Perpendicular Gothic architecture, characterised by its octagonal plan and elaborate carved stone detailing. Or…

Peter Facey / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Harnham Bridge
Harnham Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~0.6 mi

Harnham Bridge is a medieval stone bridge spanning the River Nadder near Salisbury in Wiltshire. The bridge dates from the thirteenth century and represents an important example of medieval river crossing infrastructure serving the local community and through-traffic in the region. It is construc…

Ron Strutt / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Milford Hill Bridge
Milford Hill Bridge
Scheduled monument · ~0.8 mi

Milford Hill Bridge is a scheduled ancient monument located in Wiltshire, England. The bridge dates from the medieval period and represents an important crossing point in the local landscape. It is constructed in stone and reflects the engineering practices of its era, serving as evidence of medi…

Graham Horn / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Old Sarum
Old Sarum
Scheduled monument · ~1.7 mi

Old Sarum is a hillforted settlement occupying a commanding position on a chalk downland near Salisbury in Wiltshire, whose occupation spans from the Iron Age through to the medieval period. The site comprises a substantial multivallate hillfort with concentric defensive earthworks, within which…

MARKEDWARDS / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Churchyard cross
Churchyard cross
Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Churchyard Cross is a medieval stone cross located in Wiltshire, England. The monument represents a type of ecclesiastical marker common in English churchyards from the medieval period onwards, serving both practical and spiritual functions within parish communities. Such crosses typically featur…

Clarendon Palace
Clarendon Palace
Scheduled monument · ~2.3 mi

Clarendon Palace is a royal residence situated near Salisbury in Wiltshire, developed from the twelfth century onwards as a hunting lodge and administrative centre for the English monarchy. The palace achieved particular prominence during the reign of Henry II, who made extensive use of the site…

Jim Linwood / CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons
City rampart E of Council House
Scheduled monument · ~0.3 miles
Medieval pottery kilns, Milford Farm
Scheduled monument · ~0.9 miles
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Battles near Penruddock Rising: Salisbury Seizure 1655

Battle of Searoburh 552
552
~1.2 miles away
Battle of Wilton 871
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~2.9 miles away
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