Civil War 1640’s
The Civil War battle was mainly fought on the western flanks of Stamford Hill, near Stratton. The site chosen by the Parliamentary forces was an old Iron Age fort where defensive ditches were already in place. The site also commanded a great view down to the town and harbour of Bude.
The night before the battle Sir Bevill Grenville and the Cornish army, who supported the King, camped on the downs to the south of Bude, protected by the narrow tide mill bridge which in the 1840’s became known as Nanny Moore’s bridge. The tide was high that night on May 15th 1643 and the Parliamentary force could not cross the estuary at any point to reach the Cornish army.
The image shows the mill and bridge as it would have appeared at the time of the battle.
The image shows the Iron Age fort in Iron Age times but it does show its location and the protective banking. Not apparent from this illustration is that the landward side is protected by a deep escarpment. Despite this strategic advantage taken by the Parliamentary forces, they were still not capable of resisting the determination of Sir Bevill and his Cornish army, who won the day.
To learn more about the Civil War of the 1640’s and of Sir Bevill Grenville, click the link below: