Just before dawn on the 22nd September 1642, Colonel John Brown, who was riding with the Parliamentarian Cavalry searching for the Royalist wagons of silver, stood overlooking Worcester on London Road. The road was a sprawling suburb running steeply out from Sidbury Gate and up through Perry Wood.

Brown proceeded down to the Sidbury Gate and saw the gate had been closed overnight. This was a safety measure to protect the convoy parked in the City Centre. Closing the gate would have been a precarious act because we know the Sidbury Gate was weak and likely to fall from its rusting hinges!

Brown was not challenged in his approach so he smashed a hole in the gate using his Poleaxe. Accounts say he even fired his pistol through the hole and after waiting for a short period roused a guard who went to see what was happening! By the time they had manned the Sidbury Gate battlements, Brown was riding back to Colonel Nathaniel Fiennes with news the City was occupied by the Royalists.

Having no knowledge of how many Royalists were in the City, Fiennes decided his best course of action was to cross the River Severn and occupy the high ground to the West and observe any movement in and out of the City. If the Royalist wagons were to leave the City they could intercept it in open country and not behind the walls of Worcester.

It is worth noting that on the same day the Earl of Essex and the Parliamentarian field army of 20,000 men was arriving at Pershore just 10 miles away!

On the 23rd September Fiennes sat around Powick and was told the wagons in Worcester were leaving through Fore Gate with a small escort of Dragoons or mounted Musketeers. Fiennes decided to muster his men, numbering about a 1,000, sing a Psalm and move from Powick down to the old bridge. The route took them along the very narrow lane called Cutthroat Lane, which is still there today. The lane forced this Cavalry force to ride just 4 abreast.

At midday Prince Rupert had arrived with around 1000 men and decided to rest in Wick Fields near Powick Bridge. Some descriptions say his men removed armour and relaxed under the trees oblivious of the approaching Parliamentarians!

Prince Rupert would have glimpsed this Cavalry after hearing it riding across the bridges and into the lane towards Worcester. If the accounts are correct Prince Rupert jumped onto his horse and with drawn sword ordered a charge before the Parliamentarians could form a fighting front.

The disorganised charge against the surprised Parliamentarians led to a fight that moved back and forth on both sides of the River Teme. Nathaniel Fiennes could not gain the upper hand with many of his men still crossing the bridge. After about 10 minutes the Parliamentarians disengaged and began to flee back across the bridge in disarray.

The fight, skirmish, engagement or Battle of Powick Bridge had ignited a war and displayed that it would be hard and bloody. Every Royalist Officer had been wounded and men on both sides had been killed after falling into the River Teme or cut down around the Ham.

Parliament casualty lists show 36 dead, 21 Wounded. The Earl of Essex however said only 28 were killed. The Royalists on the other hand say at least 80 were killed around Powick Bridge.

The Silver Plate moved on to Shrewsbury and both sides hid away in the countryside licking their wounds and taking in what had happened!

The next day the Parliamentarians entered Worcester in the pouring rain, arresting the Mayor- Edward Solley, for harbouring Royalists and went on to plunder the City. They stole 2,200lb of Plate, tore down Chimneys and smashed windows whilst dressed as the Bishop and Dean! They also took lead from the Cathedral roof, stabled horses in the Cathedral nave, urinated in the Choir and cooked in the chapels! This was said to be as a result of finding barrels of gunpowder stored in the Crypt!

It was rumoured that the Royalists had laid in wait for Nathaniel Fiennes and Worcester folk sealed their fate by telling Fiennes the silver was on the move! This became an excuse for their violent plundering of the City. News sheets and Pamphlets were also printed in London excusing the soldiers’ behaviour. This statement was later retracted by the Parliamentarians who declared it to be an unplanned encounter.

Nehemiah Wharton, a Parliamentarian described the City at this time as a ‘den of thieves, and a receptacle and refuge for all the hell hounds of the County!’

Worcester was occupied by the Parliamentarians for a short time and in the months that followed would be occupied by the Royalists. A miserable occupation that would see two sieges and result in much damage by the wars’ end in 1646. The City would also see a Scottish Invasion in 1651 and yet another Royalist occupation leading to further death and destruction!

To commemorate the 380th Anniversary of the Battle of Powick Bridge, Discover History have run a series of informative articles culminating in today’s article on the battle that sparked an entire Civil War. Discover History is an award winning education and historical performance company based in Worcester. Paul has a passion for local history and is also a Battlefield guide for Powick Bridge 1642 and the Battle of Worcester 1651. Further details on the Company can be found by visiting their website (www.discover-history.co.uk) or following them on all Social Media platforms.