Author: Dave Webb

Orders of the day, Volume 30, Issue 2, Mar/Apr 1998

On the morning of Monday 8th May 1648 in the fields around the small village of St Fagans, approximately 11,000 men fought in the largest battle on Welsh soil. The victory of the Parliamentarian forces over the much larger Royalist forces was important enough at the time for public thanks to be read in all the churches in England and Wales, yet today most people in South Wales know little about their local Civil War battle. The following account is based on the letters of Colonel Thomas Horton and John Okey to Parliament following the battle.

The war being over, orders were given for most of the Parliamentarian Welsh troops under Major General Rowland Laugharne's command to be paid off and stood down. Some obeyed, but many did not. Although not open in their defiance of Parliament's orders, they made every possible excuse not to disband. Instead of coming in small units as ordered, they insisted on being paid off by companies or not at all.

As the tension built in West Wales, Major General Laugharne was in London pleading his loyalty to the Parliamentarian cause. From the outset of the war he had fought for Parliament, rising to General rank and commanding all the Parliamentarian troops in South Wales. On the whole he had been successful. As well as holding Pembrokeshire for Parliament he had achieved victories at Colby Moor near Haverford West in 1644 and at Cardiff in 1646. In 1647 he had put down small Royalist uprisings in the Vale of Glamorgan and at Llandaf. However for at least a year Laugharne had been considering changing sides and joining the King, although there is no good reason for this change of heart. Maybe the West Wales Parliamentarians supported the views of the Old Party of the Earl of Essex, etc., and with the rise in power of the Army they now thought their interests were best served by the King.

Some troops however did obey their instructions, and although they offered to disband may have been taken into Colonel Horton's Parliamentarian brigade when it arrived. Colonel Edward Prichard garrisoned Cardiff and Colonel Jones held Swansea for the Parliament. It is not known how many of these loyal troops fought for the Parliamentarians at the battle of St Fagans.

Captain Penn (a sea captain) and Colonel Fleming, with some troops of horse, were despatched to deal with the trouble in Pembrokeshire. Two companies of foot from Philip Overton's regiment were sent by sea as reinforcement. These were landed in the Milford Haven and quartered for the night in Pwllcrochen church. Unfortunately they were surprised during the night by troops from Pembroke and forced to surrender. The men were paroled on condition that they didn't fight again until they reached Cardiff. The Parliamentarian leaders were quartered a little way away, so managed to escape with the horse.

Colonel Thomas Horton with horse and foot, and Colonel John Okey with his regiment of dragoons were sent to secure South Wales. Their forces met at Neath before heading west. In the hills outside Carmarthen they skirmished with the newly Royalist Welsh forces commanded by Colonels Poyer and Powell. Due to the terrain it was impossible for the Parliament troops to force a pitched battle. At the largest skirmish some of the Parliamentarian forces were surrounded in yet another church and forced to surrender.

Hearing of a possible uprising in Brecon which would threaten his lines of communication, Horton headed there. He disbursed the Brecon gentry and may have taken some hostages to ensure good behaviour. In his absence the Royalist forces pushed eastwards towards Cardiff. The race was on to get to Cardiff first. In two days Horton's troops marched from Brecon to Cardiff, crossing the Taff at Llandaf. Having taken up positions on and around the Pentrebane ridge above the town of Cardiff, Horton prepared to wait it out, knowing Cromwell was on his way with a number of horse and foot regiments. The Royalist force, having lost the race, withdrew to Fonmon and Llancarfan. Both sides were active and a number of small skirmishes ensued.

Laugharne then threw in his lot with the Royalists and turned up to take overall command. Knowing he must beat Horton's troops before Cromwell arrived, he advanced to the land around Cotterel near St Nicholas which belonged to the Button family, some of whom served in the Royalist army. Here the King's army camped in view of the Parliamentarian positions at St Fagans.

The Royalist Army consisted of upwards of 8000, of which only 500 or so were horse. They had no artillery. Rowland Laugharne was in overall command. Some of the troops were well equipped and trained but others were new raised. Old hands from Pembrokeshire and experienced Royalist soldiers were mixed with local recruits. The army seems to have been reasonably well armed as after the battle 2500 muskets were taken.

The Parliamentarian Army consisted of about 3000 men: one regiment of foot, presumably made up to strength with the loyal West Walians, and large parts of two regiments of horse. Most of Okey's dragoons and possibly some horse loyal to Parliament made up the rest of the army. Again no artillery presence is recorded. The figures would work out at 1000+ infantry and 1500+ horse and dragoons, but details are unknown.

Early on the morning of 8th May the Royalists tried a surprise attack on the Parliamentarian quarters in and around St Fagans. It seems likely that the Royalist horse were used the day before to feint towards Cardiff, and Horton drew his men in close to St Fagans, expecting a race to Cardiff the following day. Laugharne had other ideas and hoped to trap Horton's troops in the village and enclosures of St Fagans where the numerically superior Parliamentarian horse couldn't be deployed. Trapped in a village, a plough boy is as good as a trained soldier.

This attack almost worked, but a charge of 50 Parliamentarian horse and dragoons routed the advance guard of the Royalist army. This gave the initiative to the Parliament troops and they started to deploy onto the little hill beside the Pentrebane cross-roads. Seeing the advantage he now had, Horton decided to accept the offer of battle. Sending the troops from his right wing under Colonel Okey, the Parliament forces advanced almost a mile upon the enemy. The Royalists gave ground, fighting from hedgerow to hedgerow. These may well have been Royalist units in column of march being beaten one at a time. Okey was reinforced and the attack continued over one stream and was held up at a second stream. The horse was forced to stand under fire until the Parliament foot came up.

The Parliamentarian foot were deployed in two divisions, one under Lt Colonel Reade and the other under Major Wade. Horton's account at this point seems to describe the battle line from right to left, although he does occasionally get his left and right mixed up. On the right was Okey with horse under Major Bethel and mounted dragoons, supported by some foot and dismounted dragoons. Next came Reade's division of foot which took up a position along the stream and engaged the Royalists in a fire fight. Wade's division crossed the stream and some boggy ground to advance upon the enemy. At this point a troop of Royalist horse charged the foot and were beaten back by a Captain Hughes. Either he was in command of one of the pike or musket units in Wade's division or the foot were deployed by companies. Deploying by companies would allow the Parliamentarians to increase their frontage. This is the only account of any Royalist horse in the battle other than small parties behind the foot to stop them from running.

It is possibly at this point of the battle that Laugharne himself was wounded in the thigh, making it a desperate charge by Laugharne's last reserves. On the extreme left of the Parliamentarian army was the horse under Major Barton, supported by mounted dragoons. These may have deployed in dead ground out of sight of the Royalists. As these came on against the Royalist right flank the army's morale went and they ran. The horse and dragoons chased them for seven miles or more in the direction of Fonmon and the Vale.

Almost 3000 prisoners were taken and 4000 more were disarmed and allowed to go home. About 200 Royalist were slain, but the accounts don't mention the Parliamentarians casualties. They do mention Colonel Okey and Captain Nicholets being shot through their hats, and that no officers were killed or wounded. All the baggage was taken, as were 80 colours. Horton reported that the men wanted all the honour for so great a victory to be given to God. Parliament ordered that the victory be announced in every parish church.

Within days the Royalists were holed up in Pembroke and Tenby again. Tenby fell quickly but Pembroke held out until Cromwell himself arrived to take command of the situation in South Wales. In July, after Cromwell had deployed heavy cannon, the castle and town surrendered.