Battlefields›Raglan Castle Siege 1646

English Civil War

Raglan Castle Siege 1646

Q: When did Raglan Castle Siege 1646 take place?

Raglan Castle Siege 1646 took place in 1646, Wales. Facing overwhelming Parliamentarian force including the New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and the cannon 'Roaring Meg', the Marquess of Worcester surrendered the castle on 19 August 1646 on relatively generous terms, with the garrison allowed to march out with banners and weapons (except the Marquess and others exempted). The castle was subsequently slighted (partially demolished) on Fairfax's orders, though its fortifications proved too resilient for complete destruction. The Marquess of Worcester was arrested and died shortly after at Windsor.

Q: Who won Raglan Castle Siege 1646?

Parliamentary forces was victorious. The defeated side was Royalist garrison. Facing overwhelming Parliamentarian force including the New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and the cannon 'Roaring Meg', the Marquess of Worcester surrendered the castle on 19 August 1646 on relatively generous terms, with the garrison allowed to march out with banners and weapons (except the Marquess and others exempted). The castle was subsequently slighted (partially demolished) on Fairfax's orders, though its fortifications proved too resilient for complete destruction. The Marquess of Worcester was arrested and died shortly after at Windsor.

1646

Wales

Era

English Civil War

Battle Type

Siege

Location

Wales

Status

Unregistered

The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated

Royalist garrison

Victor

Parliamentary forces

Forces involved

Parliamentarian siege force under Colonel Thomas Morgan initially numbered around 1,500 men, reinforced to roughly 3,500 after the fall of Oxford, with Sir Thomas Fairfax's New Model Army arriving in August; the Royalist garrison under the Marquess of Worcester began the siege at around 300 men, increased to approximately 800 as the siege progressed.

Outcome

Facing overwhelming Parliamentarian force including the New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and the cannon 'Roaring Meg', the Marquess of Worcester surrendered the castle on 19 August 1646 on relatively generous terms, with the garrison allowed to march out with banners and weapons (except the Marquess and others exempted). The castle was subsequently slighted (partially demolished) on Fairfax's orders, though its fortifications proved too resilient for complete destruction. The Marquess of Worcester was arrested and died shortly after at Windsor.

The Battle

History & Significance

Raglan Castle Siege 1646 was a Civil War siege, the investment of a fortified position, fought in Wales in 1646. Parliamentary forces prevailed over Royalist garrison. Facing overwhelming Parliamentarian force including the New Model Army under Sir Thomas Fairfax and the cannon 'Roaring Meg', the Marquess of Worcester surrendered the castle on 19 August 1646 on relatively generous terms, with the garrison allowed to march out with banners and weapons (except the Marquess and others exempted). The castle was subsequently slighted (partially demolished) on Fairfax's orders, though its fortifications proved too resilient for complete destruction. The Marquess of Worcester was arrested and died shortly after at Windsor.

Confirmed battlefield location

The ground

The ground they fought on

The site of Raglan Castle Siege 1646 lies on Pridoli Rocks (Undifferentiated), bedrock that formed in the Pridoli. The rock here is mudstone, siltstone and sandstone.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

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Overview

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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.

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.

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

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Legal

The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.

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Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Raglan Castle Siege 1646

Castell Rhaglan

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.4 mi

Castell Rhaglan is a substantial medieval castle located in Monmouthshire, Wales, which represents one of the finest examples of 15th-century military architecture in Britain. The castle was begun in 1432 by William ap Thomas and substantially developed by his son William, Earl of Pembroke, featu…

Tyssil / CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Raglan Churchyard Cross

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~0.5 mi

Raglan Churchyard Cross is a medieval cross standing in the churchyard at Raglan in Wales. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference MM100. The cross is situated on bedrock composed of Pridoli rocks, an undifferentiated sequence of mudstone, siltstone and…

Bill Nicholls / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Wern-y-Cwrt Castle Mound

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1 mi

Wern-y-Cwrt Castle Mound is a medieval motte constructed on a foundation of Pridoli rocks comprising mudstone, siltstone and sandstone. This geological base provided a stable platform for the earthwork, which was built to command its surrounding landscape. Mottes of this type typically date to th…

Lewis Clarke / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

St. Peter's Churchyard Cross, Bryngwyn

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1.3 mi

St. Peter's Churchyard Cross, Bryngwyn is a medieval stone cross base standing in the churchyard of St. Peter's Church in this rural Welsh parish. The monument survives as a substantial plinth or stump, which once supported a complete cross shaft and head, typical of the monumental forms erected…

Jaggery / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

St. Mary's Churchyard Cross, Tregaer

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~1.3 mi

St. Mary's Churchyard Cross, Tregaer is a medieval cross standing within the churchyard of St. Mary's Church near Tregaer in Wales. The monument is protected by Cadw, the Welsh heritage organisation, under reference MM320. The cross occupies a setting rooted in Pridoli bedrock comprising mudstone…

Jaggery / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Llanarth Churchyard Cross-Base

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2.7 mi

Llanarth Churchyard Cross-Base is a medieval cross base situated in Wales, protected as a scheduled monument by Cadw under reference MM116. The monument stands upon bedrock of Pridoli age, composed of mudstone, siltstone and sandstone that has weathered across more than four hundred million years…

Stuart Wilding / CC BY-SA 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Cross on Croes Lwyd Farm

Scheduled monument · Early Medieval · ~1 miles

Moated Site at Coed-y-Fedw

Scheduled monument · Medieval · ~2.3 miles

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