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Great Torrington or just Torrington,
as it is known by the locals lies in beautiful
tranquil rolling countryside. Yet this peaceful rural Town was the
scene for one of the
most bloody and decisive battles of the 'English
Civil War.' A war
which pitched father against son, and brother against brother, and tore
England apart. And all because of one man wanted absolute power. ( no
not Gordon Brown! ) That man was 'Charles the 1st'. Already highly
unpopular with protestant puritanical England, because of his
marriage to Henrietta
Maria of France in 1625, which had caused great anxiety as
she was a
Catholic, and the people thought he was taking the country closer to
Catholicism, this when aligned with
his obsession with "The Right of Kings"
( The ancient Right of Kings meant in
effect the King's wishes were law, this was dissolved in a
meadow at Runnymead in 1215, when King John relinquished this ancient
right in a document named: The
Magna Carta ) Charles the 1st, still believed
in The Right of
King's, and thought he could ignore parliament
regarding serious matters, such as levying taxes. Charles
the
1st, participated the
Civil War when he stormed parliament to arrest the members who were
refusing him the absolute power he craved. ( This action
started the ceremony
were the Monarch has to knock on the door of the chamber before being
admitted by Black Rod. A ceremony you can see each year at the start of
a new parliament. )
When the civil war broke out the majority of the of the
'West Country,' with the exception of Cornwall declared their
loyalty to parliament. And it was at
Great Torrington, that the Royalist and Parliamentarian forces met
in 1645. Yes on paper it looked a very uneven fight, farm
laborers,
shopkeepers, clerks, and peasants, for these were the people who
formed
the core of the Parliamentarian
Army. Against titled landowners, who
had been taught martial arts from a early age: backed up by
professional soldiers,
and foreign mercenaries, for this was the core of the the
Royalist Army.
This battle was to bring about not only a
defeat; and the
eventual loss of his throne, but also his head. There was no feeling of
revenge, towards Charle's, after the civil
war
ended indeed there was still a feeling of loyalty to the royal line in
England. So no
punitive action was taken against the King. But alas this foolish, vain
man, then began plotting, with the French to raise a Scottish army, to
invade England. Yes, yet another war to regain the power he had lost.
When this plot was discovered it was decided the only way to bring
about a permanent lasting peace in England, was for Charles the 1st to
forfeit his life. But even this decision was not reached without a lot
of soul searching. Eventually Charles the 1st, after a trial: was
sentenced to death, and was beheaded on the 27 January 1649. Thus
bringing
to a close one of the bloodiest periods, in English history.
The forces of parliament were led by Sir Thomas Fairfax.
Who's second
in command was no less a man than ,"The
great protector Oliver
Cromwell'. ( Early in the war Oliver Cromwell: quickly
realized that the
paliamentarian force's were no match, for the well trained, and well
armed
Royalist forces. So he set about with the iron will that was Oliver
Cromwell to create a well trained, well equipped army, of the people.
More than capable of matching the Royalist forces. (This army went on
to be known
to history as 'The Model
Army' and it was this 'Model Army', that went
on to win the war for the English people, and their parliament.) The
Parliamentary
Army was
attempting to reach Barnstable, which was
garrisoned by parliamentarian forces, but was under threat from
Royalist forces. ( The Royalists are known to history as the 'Cavaliers'
the name
Cavalier stems from their flamboyant style of dress and rakish
attitude ) The royalist forces were commanded by Lord Hoppton.
and Hoppton's Cavaliers' were to meet the forces of parliament (known
to
history
as the 'Roundheads' ( the name Roundhead derives
from the shape of the
helmets they wore) here at Torrington on the night of
February 16th,
1646. Early in the morning battle was joined; Fairfaxes,
'Roundheads' stormed the town
and a fierce and bloody fight ensued. The' Roundheads' fought their way
through Torrington, and routed Hopptons calvary, who were unable to
deploy effectively in the narrow streets.
This defeat forced Hoppton, and the remnants of his battered and
disorganized
force to retreat in to the neighboring friendly county of Cornwall,
here they
were effectively isolated, and were never able to disrupt parliments
domination of the South West
again. A tragedy occurred after battle, when 200, royalist prisoners
were blown up. A church they were being held captive in; the church
of "St Micheal All
Angeles," which was being used by royalists as an arsenal,
and
held over
80 barrels of gunpowder which the
royalists had stored there before the battle subsequently
exploded. Fairfax himself, was to narrowly escaped death.
The reason why the gun-powder exploded was never explained?
Today Torrington, has a very active 'Cavalier'
and 'Roundhead'
society
who re-enact this historic battle each year. And by doing so
raise a lot of money
for charity. So pop along and see one of the entertaining
re-enactments.
( but I bet you the 'Roundheads' will
win again this year. ) The society also hold a 'bonfire'
night, when they
construct 'bonfires.' (for any visitors to this site from other
countries. 'bonfire
night,' is a annual celebration
of when a plot
to
blow up the English Parliament in 1605, and overthrow King James 1st,
by catholic conspirators, led by 'Robert
Catesby' and others including 'Guy Fawkes,'
who's task was to light the gunpowder was
discovered. ) This dastardly plot occurred on
the November 5th, 1605. So every year on the 5th of November,
bonfire's are constructed and
a effigy
of 'Guy Fawkes' is set
on top of the 'bonfire,'
which is then set
alight, and firework displays occur all over England. The Cavaliers
Society 'bonfire' nights are very special. They build a 'bonfire
depicting historical moments in England's history, 'The
Great Fire of
London' was one and Nelsons flagship 'Victory'
( the actual photograph
of the
Victory is top of page in all her glory prior to being set ablaze the
photograph was
kindly supplied permission of
a great photographer Roy Churchill. Roy has many excellent
photographs of North
Devon which can be view on the link on the right of screen
HMS Victory was constructed
and
burnt for the 200, year centenary celebrations If you pop
along to
their next bonfire night just do not mention
the 'Bismark'!
To
visit the "Torrington Cavaliers" fascinating and informative web site
please click link on right of screen for their excelent website
But civil war apart rural Torrington, is a delight to visit. An
essential pace for both visitors and residents alike to learn
about places
and activities in and around Great Torrington; must be the towns
Information Center at Castle Hill. Other attractions,
being the town common, the common covers over 365 acres, and more than
20 miles of public rights-of-way. The common was given to the town in
perpetuity, in the 12th century, and remains as beautiful and
unspoilt today. The Royal Horticultural Society has a site
called Rosemore Gardens a
sea of colour beauty, tranquility, and
peace. click
on the link on right of screen for the website
There is a Heritage Museum, and
yes the inevertable, 'Panniers Market' built in 1842. And no trip to
Torrington, is compleat, without a visit to the home of Darlington
Crystal. Where you can watch the entire manufacturing process from the
blowing of molten glass, to the the finished item. And the displays of
crystal are fantastic. Yes rural Great Torrington is well worth a
visit. But all this talk
of war has made me tired, I am just going to pop in to one of the local
hostelries, for a reviving glass of beer. But which one they all look
nice, and inviting? decisions, decisions. Why am I so undecided when it
comes to decisions?. Then after my refreshments. I will take a nice
walk in the beautiful rolling country-side, that Torrington sits in,
lucky me.!
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