after

the

battle

We do not know how many people died

or were taken prisoner. Accounts written

at the time or soon afterwards vary and

few remains have been found. A shallow

grave pit, about 9m (30ft) long, found on

the battlefield contained 12 skeletons

showing bullet and sabre wounds but the

bodies had been stripped of clothing.

Anything useful left on the battlefield,

including clothing, would have been taken

away for use.

A few other skeletons have

been found in a chalk pit on

the slopes of Bagdon Hill and

bullets have been dug up

on the southern slopes

of King’s Play Hill. The

only recorded burial

is of William Bartlet

of Chirton, a quarter-

master in Colonel

Sandys’ regiment who

was buried with two other

Parliamentary soldiers at

Rowde, west of

Roundway, on

14th July 1643.

William Waller,

commander of the Parliamentarians.

Waller and the remnants of his

Parliamentary Army in the West

escaped to Gloucester.

Sir Ralph Hopton,

commander of the Royalist infantry.

St James’ Church,

Estcourt Street.

A cannonball was found

in the roof in 1780 which

must have been fired by

Waller’s artillery.

who

won?

The Royalists had won a decisive victory

at Roundway and went on to take Bristol

and other towns before they were

defeated by Oliver Cromwell’s New

Model Army in 1645. Charles I was

executed in 1649 but after Cromwell’s

death, Charles II reclaimed the throne

in 1660. There are often many

losers and few winners

in any civil war.

goodbye

to all

that

The townspeople of Devizes

must have been thankful to be

free of the occupying forces and the

bombardment. The Market Place had

been full of billeted troops, Hopton

used St John’s

Church as a

gunpowder store

and St James’

Church still shows

the scars of

bombardment.

Roundheads

& Cavaliers

The Parliamentarians were fighting to

establish parliamentary rule. They were

nicknamed Roundheads because of their

short hair and round helmets. Their dress

was simple and plain, reflecting their

belief in Puritanism and they were

not well equipped in the

early years of the war.

The Royalists were fighting

to maintain the supremacy

of the King and the Church

of England. They were also

known as Cavaliers and

usually had gorgeous

colourful uniforms,

based on the

court dress of

the time and

fashionable long

curly hair topped

with flamboyant

hats and plumes.

friends

at war

For many people in England, the war must

have been an occasional disturbance as

news reached them of events elsewhere.

But for some people it was a deeply

painful time. This civil war, like any other,

divided families and friends whose

opinions and loyalties were strongly held.

Waller and Hopton were great friends

but each had principles which put them

on opposing sides. They had fought each

other only two weeks before at

Lansdown, near Bath, where neither

side had won the day.

Waller must have known that his friend

Hopton was injured as he lay trapped

in Devizes. The night before the battle

Waller wrote to Hopton

‘...The great God... knows with what

a perfect hatred I detest this war...

We are both upon the stage and

must act out those parts that are

assigned us in tragedy.’

Royalist

or Cavalier

Parliamentarian

or Roundhead