The Battle of Birmingham.

Prince Rupert's flying column set out from Oxford on Wednesday, March 29th, reaching Chipping Norton in the same day - hence the term "flying", for he must have been moving at rather more than twice the rate of the King's army on its journey from Shrewsbury to Edgehill. He reached Shipston-on Stour on Thursday, Stratford-on-Avon on Good Friday, and Henley-in-Arden on Saturday. He remained in Henley until Monday April 3rd, and then reached Birmingham on the afternoon of that day.

Presumably, throughout his march to Lichfield, he was carrying out one part of his orders - to clear the countryside as far as possible, so that Royalist messengers and supplies would be at least a little safer. Now was his chance to carry out the second part of his orders - to punish Birmingham. Whether through duplicity or benevolence, when he reached that point where the Warwick and Stratford Roads join {now Sparkhill}, he sent his quartermaster forward to take over lodgings and to "assure the townsmen that if they behaved themselves peaceably they should not suffer for what was past. But they had not consci-ences good enough to believe him, and absolutely refused to let him quarter in the town, and from their little works, with mettle equal to their malice, discharged their shot upon him" {Clarendon}.

Of course, Rupert had halted outside the slight earthworks which the town had raised, but to see that these were intended for hostile purposes against such an overwhelming force as he had with him must have caused no little surprise. For his force of nearly 2000 troops was being opposed by rather less than 200 men commanded by Captain Richard Graves. (Although Coventry had sent 300 men as reinforcements, they had been recalled only three days earlier. Apparently, a number of townspeople, with their worldly goods, had also removed themselves to Coventry, presumably on the theory that stone walls and armed men were a better defence against Prince Rupert than earthworks and stout hearts !)

"R.P." (probably R. Porter, owner of one of the sword mills), in the pamphlet "A True Relation" points out that "the sturdy sons of freedom"{Hutton's words} who had determined to fight, were from the "middling and inferior sort". The Parliamentarians, both military and civilian, the ministers of Birmingham, and the leading men of the town, were all, at first, opposed to fighting, but felt that it would be better to "stay and trie the issue, rather than be so perpetu-ally reproacht. {A true Relation}

Finding that this was the case, Prince Rupert gave the order to attack the defences. Although these were limited to a bank of earth behind which were stationed a handful of musketeers, so heavy was the fire on the advancing Royalists, that they could not stand up against it, and they were forced to retire.

A second attempt meant with a similar fate.

One can now imagine the conflict in Rupert's mind. He was placed in a situation where to do other than take the town would be an admission of defeat.

And to admit defeat by a handful of townspeople would be a crushing moral blow to the Royalist cause in the area. And yet, there was little hope of success in a further frontal attack. It was at this point that some of Rupert's troops suggested going across the fields, to ride round and get into the rear of the defences, and thus to attack the defenders. This was tried and found successful. The defenders could not stand up to a joint assault from front and rear, and so they abandoned the earth works and withdrew to the town. Rupert's troopers, with the bit between the teeth, followed them post-haste. From the houses a desultory fire was kept up on the Royalists as they advanced up the streets. Their indignation quite naturally aroused, the troopers set fire to the houses from which they had been fired upon, and the town was soon ablaze in several places. As the Royalists pushed on through the town, resistance became less, for those who had fought fled, and scattered.

"The Burning Love" pamphlet describes the ensuing action:

"The Cavaliers rode up into the Towne like so many Furyes or Bedlams, the Earle of Denbigh being in the front, singing as he rode, they shot at every doore or window where they could espy any looking out, they hacked, hewed, or pistolled all they met with, without distinction, blaspheming, cursing, and damming most hidiously. Discovering a Troope of Horse, which was under the command of Captaine Greaves at the further end of the Towne facing them, (NOTE: The Lichfield end, towards which Greaves and Rupert had to go. They pursued after them, who after a little flight wheeled about, and most stoutly charged them through, and the Captaine received five small wounds (which are now almost well). In which charge the Earle of Denbigh was knockt off his horse, laid for dead, and his pockets rifled (though his wounds not so mortall as to die presently) the rest of his horse were chased till they came neere their own Colours, which was excellent Service, for meane while most of the Townes foot escaped away.

After which Captain Greaves retreated, and so advanced to Lichfield."

Richard Graves had done a good job. He had covered the retreat of his infantry, protected them from Royalist pursuit, got his cavalry troop away, and inflicted at least a moral defeat on the Royalists. But in saving his soldiers, Graves had left the unfortunate townspeople to the mercies of the Royalists, who were, it need hardly be said, somewhat displeased with the out-come of the "battle". "Their Horse rode desparatly round the Town, leaping hedges and ditches (wherein one is reported to breake his neck) to catch the Townes-men; no madmen could ride more furiously. They slew in their frenzy as we are informed, about 14 in all." {The Burning Love}

"The enemy killed none, as I here, in fight unlesse some three or foure, Mr. Carter, and Samuell Elsmore, being of them, some with their armes defended themselves stoutly till death, they persued the rest in fields and lanes, cutting and most barbarously mangling naked men to the number of fifteene men, one woman, another being shot, and many hurt, many men sore wounded, and Mr. Tillam the surgeon standing in his doore to entertaine them, was most cruelly shot, having his leg and thigh bones broken, they pillaged the Towne generally, their owne friends sped worst, and one tuesday morning set fire in diverse places of the Towne, and have burnt neere a hundred dwellings the Welch end, Dale end, and More street end." {The True Relation}

Significantly, the "True Relation", a pamphlet produced within a week of the event (the title page is dated "April 12, l643) is far briefer and more in outline, than the 'official' account in the "Burning Love" pamphlet (MS note: 1st of May). The latter pamphlet gives details of the Royalist atrocities and is replete with phrases such as: "fell to plundering all the towne before them", and later: "They beastly assaulted many women's chastity..". But the climax of their iniquities that day came when: "That night few or none of them went to Bed, but sate up revelling, robbing, and tyrannizing over the poore affrighted Women and prisoners, drinking drunke, healthing upon their knees, yea drinking Healths to Prince Ruperts Dog." {Burning Love}

According to the "Burning Love" pamphlet, one of those unfortunates cut down in the street was a Mr. Whitehale, "who hath bin long lunatick, held Jewish opinions, and had layn in Bedlam and other prisons (some say) 16, some 22 yeares, and was lately come out." The "Letter from Walshall" suggests that he insulted the King, and the 'Burning Love' pamphlet that he "scorned quarter from any Popish armies or souldiers". At any rate it enraged the Royalists to such an extent that they believed him to be Francis Roberts, the violently anti-Royalist minister of the town - and proceeded to "most cruelly mangle and hack him to death". (A fuller discussion of this incident will follow.) This illustrates how far feelings had been inflamed by this time.

The following morning as they marched out of the town, the Royalists set fire to about 80 houses, having already plundered what they could. Now although Rupert, in his Continental warfare, was well used to the practice of firing rebellious towns, and thought little of it, the application of Continental rules of war caused a general outcry. Although his treatment had been harsh, Rupert saw nothing exceptional or illegal in what he had done. After all, if the owners of a house were prepared to allow firing from it, then they must expect retribution to take a somewhat brutal form.

Parliamentary supporters (we may regard these as the pamphlets, the para-graph from "God in the Mount", and the paragraph from the Diurna) applauded the bravery of the Birmingham townspeople, and deplored the wanton cruelty of the Royalists who burned, looted and created general mayhem. The Royalist supporters however rejoiced at the just judgement which had befallen the disloyal town, and the punishment which the Lord had seen fit to inflict on the poor inhabitants for their rebellious views. Thus Clarendon, at a later date, says that Rupert: "...took not that vengeance upon them they deserved, but made them expiate their transgressions by paying a less mulet than might have been expected from their wealth if their wickedness had been less." {Burning Love}

He adds that if it had not been for the death of the Earl of Denbigh he should not "have mentioned an action of so little moment as Birmingham". He deplores it, because "of the dismal inequality of the contention in which always some earl or person of great honour or fortune fell, when, after a most signal victory over the other side, there was seldom lost a man of any known family, or of other reputation than of passion for the cause in which he fell".

And in that comment, perhaps, is the reason for Rupert's sharp reprisal. It was not just the death of the Earl of Denbigh, but the fact that his son and successor, Basil Fielding, was a strong Parliamentarian, and the death of the Earl meant the transfer of the considerable family influence, from the King to Parliament.

The significance of the battle of Camp Hill was immense. An armed mob with a few troopers, twice repulsed assaults from the best troops in the Royalist army, who attacked them with overwhelming advantage. That less than 300 men should keep 1800 at bay, even for a short time, was an act worthy of record; that a largely untrained body should keep at bay the dreaded Royalist cavalry was an even greater achievement.

Despite their losses, the Parliamentarians were delighted, as well they might be. Captain Graves of King's Norton had reason to be proud of his achieve-ment. Parliament was thereafter to take more note of him.