On 14 June 1645 the Royalists and the Parliamentarians lined up in a Northamptonshire field to fight what would become the defining battle of the English Civil War
In 1645, after nearly three years of civil war, the Parliamentarians were, to use a boxing analogy, they were ahead on points but had not been able to land the knockout punch.
In a bid to defeat the Royalists once and for all, Parliament created a new national force under Sir Thomas Fairfax – the New Model Army. That June it faced a smaller but more experienced Royalist army in the open fields north of the Northamptonshire village of Naseby.
The two armies formed up in the traditional manner, with infantry in the centre and horsemen on both wings. The Royalists took the offensive and were successful. However, on the Parliamentarian right Oliver Cromwell drove back his opponents and then unleashed his reserves against the exposed Royalist infantry.
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By nightfall, the King’s infantry had been destroyed and his artillery, baggage and private papers were in Parliamentarian hands. The decisive knockout punch had happened. The Stuarts reign was over – for now.
There are few public rights of way across the battlefield, but it’s easily accessible on minor roads. The open fields of 1645 have been divided up and enclosed and there’s much more woodland now, but the battlefield still retains its agricultural character. The Naseby Battlefield Society has erected information panels and offers tours of the battlefield for those who want to walk in the footsteps of history.