Battle of Olney Bridge

The Battle of Olney Bridge was a skirmish that occurred on 4 November 1643 during the First English Civil War just outside the town of Olney, Buckinghamshire. In the engagement, Royalist forces attacked Parliamentarian forces holding the Olney bridge. The Parliamentarian forces held the bridge and the Royalists ultimately called off the attack.[1][2]

Battle of Olney Bridge
Part of the First English Civil War
Date4 November 1643
Location
Olney, Buckinghamshire
Result Parliamentarian victory
Belligerents
Royalists Parliamentarians
Commanders and leaders
Prince Rupert
Olney
Newport Pagnell
Buckinghamshire and Olney

The Battle

Late in 1643, the Parliamentarians held the town of Newport Pagnell with Olney as one of its outposts. Nearby, the Royalists held Northampton 17 km to the northwest of Olney. On 4 November 1643, Prince Rupert a Royalist commander for the King set out to march a detachment of his troops from Northampton to Newport Pagnell by mean of the road passing through the Olney outpost.[1][3]

When Prince Rupert and his troops entered Olney it caught the Parliamentarians by surprise. The Parliamentarian garrison immediately formed up and gathered at the Olney bridge which crosses the River Great Ouse. At the bridge, the Parliamentarians stopped Prince Rupert's forces and made a stand. The Royalists were the superior force and would have likely been able to overcome the Parliamentarians, however, they gave up the attack and retreated after a short while as it was their belief that Parliamentarian reinforcements under the command of cavalry General Oliver Cromwell were seen coming from Newport Pagnell.[1][3]

Legacy

The Olney bridge where the battle took place remains in place to this day along with a memorial to the dead.[2]

Citations
  1. Olney - A Potted History (2019).
  2. Wallace (2013).
  3. The Battle of Olney Bridge - English Civil War (2020).
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References
"The Battle of Olney Bridge - English Civil War". Waymarking.com. Groundspeak, Inc. 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
"Olney - A Potted History". Olney & District Historical Society. Olney & District Historical Society. 2019. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
Wallace, David C. (2013). Twenty-Two Turbulent Years 1639 - 1661. Fast Print Publishing. ISBN 9781780356600.
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