Plans for Battle of Winwick memorial submitted to borough council

PLANS for a memorial for the historic Battle of Winwick – the last major battle of the English Civil War – have been submitted to Warrington Borough Council.

The proposals, put forward by the Battle of Winwick Society, are for land at Hermitage Green, Golborne Road, Winwick. They involve two cast-iron bench seats and three information signs.
Planning officers are currently studying the proposals.

The site of the battle has for years been unrecognised as an important conflict of the Second Civil War.
But it was Listed in 2018 thanks to the efforts of Richard Ward, who lives on the battlefield, and the Battlefield Trust. Winwick Parish Council has given permission for the memorial to be built, subject to planning consent.
The battle took place in August, 1648 when Cromwell’s New Model Army defeated the largely Scottish Royalist forces.
The Royalist forces chose a highly defensible position at Red Bank, utilizing a swollen stream, high earth banks, narrow lanes and thick hedges along the Wigan-to-Warrington road to stall the Parliamentarians. The battle was a fierce, close-quarters engagement.
The Royalist infantry defended the pass with extreme “push of pike” and musket fire, successfully forcing Cromwell’s vanguard to give ground initially. However, Cromwell’s veteran cavalry and infantry rallied, eventually flanking and breaking the Royalist defensive line. The remaining Royalist foot soldiers retreated into the village of Winwick, making a final, desperate stand at St Oswald’s Church.
Musket ball scars from the fighting can still be seen on the church walls today.
The Royalist infantry force was completely destroyed. Roughly 1,000 to 1,600 Royalists were killed, and another 2,000 were captured on the field. In contrast, Cromwell’s forces lost only about 100 men.
The surviving Royalist cavalry fled south but surrendered unconditionally five days later.