Battle of Winceby Commemoration
An important part of the weekend events was the commemoration of the decisive Battle of Winceby on 11 October 1643, which was brought about by the Royalist attempt to relief Bolingbroke castle, besieged since the 9th. The battle was a disaster for the Royalists, their forces routed for very little enemy loss and the castle thereafter effectively abandoned to fend for itself. click here for an account of the siege and battle.
Courtesy of local farmer Gerald Enderby, the commemoration was held at what is thought to be the centre of the historic battlefield on the exact 360th anniversary, down to the actual hour itself. It was organised by EventPlan on behalf of the Friends of Bolingbroke Castle and Heritage Trust of Lincolnshire, featuring a talk about the battle by respected Lincolnshire historian David Robinson, tactical displays by members of the English Civil War Society, parade and wreath-laying by the Chairman of the Friends, Steve Lumb. Better Brammer, author of Winceby and the Battle, was also present, as was a descendent of one the original villagers present at the time of the battle, and a large number of onlookers. It was a most fitting commemoration and during the actual wreath-laying, extremely poignant.
Above: Parliamentarian cavalry on the march to Winceby, probably following the very same route taken from Bolingbroke by Fairfax and Cromwell's troopers in 1643. For the purposes of the commemoration, the English Civil War Society's Royalist horse also marched up from it's re-enactment base in Old Bolingbroke, although in 1643 they would of course have arrived from the opposite direction, from Horncastle. Winceby was a rare battle insomuch that infantry played no part - neither side's having time to reach the battlefield before the action began - although dismounted dragoons were heavily engaged.
Photo: Dave Hitchborne
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30 December 2003