On Saturday the 7th March and Sunday 22nd March we will be doing some charity filming work for the West Midlands Branch of the Military Historical Society (WMMHS) and The Hopton Heath Battlefield Memorial Project.

This is to help them promote their fund raising for the erection of a memorial stone and interpretation panel on the site of an historic Staffordshire battle. On both occasions a large group of Sealed Knot re-enactors in period costume/uniform will be in attendance.

Photograph taken by Mark Warwick – Captured Times

The site of The Battle of Hopton Heath is one of only 48 marked English Battlefield sites. It was fought in 1643 during the English Civil War between Parliament and the King.

Hopton Heath will now only be the second marked battlefield site in Staffordshire. Other sites you’ve probably heard of elsewhere in England are The Battle of Hastings 1066, The Battle of Bosworth Field 1485, and Bannockburn in Scotland 1314.

The WMMHS is marking the battle site with a Memorial Stone to be unveiled by the Marques of Northampton at a ceremony on March the 22nd 2009 at 2pm at the MoD No.6 Site, Within Lane, Nr. Hopton, Stafford.

However, between 10 am and 4pm on Saturday the 7th March the WMMHS and a large contingent of the Sealed Knot will be in Stafford market raising awareness of the ceremony and raising funds for phase 2 – the erection of the Interpretation Panel later in the year.

The Mayor will be visiting around about 10.30pm, Mr Gell the direct descendant of one of the Parliamentary commanders, Sir John Gell is expected to attend during the event and David Kidney MP in the early afternoon to mention just a few.

Historical Background To The Battle

By March 1643 the English Civil War between the Royalists and Parliamentarians was only a few months old.

Following their first clashes of the previous autumn and a period of relative inactivity over the winter, both sides now looked to consolidate their strategic position in the provinces.  To this end, although his own position at Oxford remained insecure, King Charles I was prepared to send the Earl of Northampton and a small force from the outpost at Banbury to try and retrieve the situation in Staffordshire, where Lichfield was being besieged.

Northampton was too late to save Lichfield, but he was able to effect a junction with the North Midland Royalist forces of Colonel-General Henry Hastings.  Together they mustered some 1,200 men, nearly all mounted troops.

In the wake of his success at Lichfield, the Parliamentarian commander, Sir John Gell, aimed to capture Stafford.  On 19th March he advanced from Lichfield with about 750 men, having arranged to meet Sir William Brereton, who was bringing a similar sized force from Cheshire to Hopton Heath, 5km (3 miles) from Stafford.  The Earl of Northampton, however, had arrived at the town the day before and, hearing that the enemy was assembling on Hopton Heath, marched out to meet them.

The battle saved Stafford for the Royalist cause and facilitated the subsequent recapture of Lichfield, but was not otherwise of great strategic importance.  Brigadier Peter Young commented that the battle is of interest tactically because, as at Roundway Down, a mounted forced engaged and got the better of a more balanced force of horse and foot.  The struggle was also keenly contested with the Royalist commanders displaying a reckless courage, which led to a disproportionate number of them becoming casualties.

Estimates of the total number of killed and wounded in the battle varies but it may have been as many as 300-500.  The Royalist cannon Roaring Meg was firing 29lb cannonballs at the Parliamentarians during the battle .

http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/resource-centre/civil-war/battleview.asp?BattleFieldId=19

How You Can Assist This Project

The Hopton Heath Battlefield Memorial Project could benefit from your assistance in several ways:-

For starters come along on the 7th At Stafford Market and at the site in Hopton on the 22nd March 2009.

The installation of the permanent monument and interpretation board are only one aspect of the project. There are many other expenses and support activities that need to be funded to enable the completion of Phase 2.  On one level there are administration costs for this website, telephone calls, printing, paper, stamps, and at the other extreme there is the purchase of the interpretation board components and the 25 year lease.  Consequently no donation is too large or too small!

You may be able to lend your experience and other skills to this project and the benefit that future visitors will derive from a visit to the Hopton Heath Battlefield site.   Some of these we might already have, others we may have overlooked and yet others we may need to expand upon, so please contact Dave Cooper with your offer :-

Telephone:    01538 – 703354
or write to:     The Hopton Heath Battlefield Memorial Project
C/o Moorside House
Cauldon Lowe
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
ST10 3ET

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

The Military Historical Society
President: Field Marshal Sir John Chapple GCB CBE DL
Charity Registration No. 289326
West Midlands Branch (Stafford) Present:

The Hopton Heath Battlefield Memorial Unveiling Ceremony

On The MoD No.6 Site, Within Lane, Nr. Hopton, Stafford

Sunday 22nd March 2009

- At 2pm a signal nodded for drum roll -

Precedes a cannonade, signalling the Sealed Knot re-enactors with musket, pike and (vital) drum to approach marching on to the beat of the drum and line up as background, behind the speakers.

- a signal nodded drum roll -

Chris Coogan (West Midlands Branch Military Historical Society Chairman) to speak on behalf of the Hopton Heath Battlefield Memorial Project and acting as master of ceremonies to recount what work had been done and why.

- a signal nodded drum roll -

Chris Coogan invites the Mayor of Stafford to speak about the importance of the site to the region and the place of the battle in English history (from notes drafted for her).

– a signal nodded drum roll -

Chris Coogan asks the Marquess of Northampton to unveil the monument stone – the Marquess speaks and says a few words about his ancestral links and what good eggs we all are before unveiling the monument.

- a signal nodded drum roll -

Chris Coogan asks the Bishop of Stafford to conduct a short service and blessing of the new standing stone in remembrance of those who died in the 1643 battle – the Bishop speaks.

- a signal nodded drum roll -

Chris Coogan asks for SK and MHS wreaths to be laid, cannonade and musket volley.

- a signal nodded drum roll -

Chris Coogan asks for the Marquess of Northampton and Hugo Gell to shake hands, 366 years after their ancestors were opposing commanders on the field of battle.

- a signal nodded drum roll concludes the ceremony -

Then local press photographers and TV to take pictures/interviews of the speakers surrounded by re-enactors.

VIP’s and West Midlands Branch MHS members retire for tea and sandwiches.

The ceremony itself will be on Sunday the 22nd March 2009 in Hopton in Staffordshire – why not come along if you are interested in English history or the English Civil War. A large group of Sealed Knot re-enactors in period costume/uniform will be in attendance. See our other piece about the ceremony for more detail.

See the BBC news article on the project