Battle of Lostwithiel 31 August - 1 September 1644
Outline: officially registered battlefield boundary.
Key facts
| Date (year) | 1644 | 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 | 214.5 ha | Historic England |
| Grid reference | SX1047555732 | Historic England |
| Historic England list entry | 1413762 | Historic England |
| Designated | 2013-07-15 | Historic England |
About the battle
The Battle of Lostwithiel took place over a 13-day period from 21 August to 2 September 1644, around the town of Lostwithiel and along the River Fowey valley in Cornwall during the First English Civil War. A Royalist army led by Charles I of England defeated a Parliamentarian force commanded by the Earl of Essex.
Although Essex and most of the cavalry escaped, between 5,000 and 6,000 Parliamentarian infantry were forced to surrender. Since the Royalists were unable to feed so many, they were given a pass back to their own territory, arriving in Southampton a month later having lost nearly half their number to disease and desertion.
Considered one of the worst defeats suffered by Parliament over the course of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, it secured South West England for the Royalists until early 1646.
Visiting the battlefield
Location
- OS grid reference: SX1047555732
- Approximate centre of registered area: 50.3708, -4.6665
- Registered area: 214.5 hectares
Battlefields are often on private farmland: please keep to public rights of way and respect landowners.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Lostwithiel (revision 1370448095), 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.
Nearby battlefields
- Battle of Lostwithiel 21 August 1644 · 5 km
- Battle of Braddock Down 1643 · 10 km
- Battle of Hingston Down 838 · 34 km
- Battle of Stratton 1643 · 53 km
- Battle of Sourton Down 1643 · 57 km
- Battle of Bovey Heath 1646 · 74 km
Other battles of the First English Civil War
- Battle of Aylesbury 1642
- Battle of Babylon Hill 1642
- Battle of Brentford 1642
- Battle of Edgehill 1642
- Battle of Turnham Green 1642
- Battle of Adwalton Moor 1643
- Battle of Aldbourne Chase 1643
- Battle of Braddock Down 1643
- Battle of Burton Bridge 1643
- Battle of Camp Hill 1643
All battles of the First English Civil War →
Browse more: battles in England · Civil Wars · 17th century battles