Battle of Chalgrove 1643
Outline: officially registered battlefield boundary.
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1643 | Historic England NHLE name |
|---|---|---|
| Century | 17th century | derived |
| Period | Civil Wars | derived |
| Country | England | derived |
| War / conflict | First English Civil War | Wikidata |
| Participants | Cavalier, Roundhead | Wikidata |
| Registered area | 98.4 ha | Historic England |
| Grid reference | SU6469597865 | Historic England |
| Historic England list entry | 1000006 | Historic England |
| Designated | 1995-06-06 | Historic England |
| Last amended | 2019-07-17 | Historic England |
About the battle
The Battle of Chalgrove Field took place on 18 June 1643, during the First English Civil War, near Chalgrove, Oxfordshire. It is now best remembered for the death of John Hampden, who was wounded in the shoulder during the battle and died six days later.
Hoping to capture a Parliamentarian convoy containing £21,000 in cash, during the night of 17 to 18 June Royalist cavalry from Oxford led by Prince Rupert raided positions around Chinnor. Although they failed to intercept the convoy, they seized supplies and prisoners and headed home pursued by cavalry under Hampden and Major John Gunter. Prince Rupert halted at Chalgrove and counterattacked, scattering his opponents before their main force arrived under Sir Philip Stapleton.
The ease with which the Royalists conducted their raid, along with the failure to capitalise on the capture of Reading in April caused serious criticism of the Earl of Essex, Parliamentarian commander. On the other hand, Royalist morale was significantly boosted and Chalgrove marked the start of a series of victories over the next six months.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- OS grid reference: SU6469597865
- Approximate centre of registered area: 51.6758, -1.0657
- Registered area: 98.4 hectares
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Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Chalgrove Field (revision 1379281264), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations removed. No text added.
Battlefield data © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.