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were the brief uotice of the engagement in Clarendon's History of 

 the Eebellion, the entry in the Claverton Register, the account in 

 CoUinson, and last, but in my opinion most important — that given 

 in the Rushwoith Historical Collections — I had not seen Mr. 

 Emmanuel Green's description of the Battle of Lansdown in which 

 this skirmish was noticed. In the course of last summer I was 

 able to consult sqme MSS. in the Bodleian Library, part of the 

 Clarendon Papers (documents sent to Lord Clarendon as materials 

 to enable him to write his history). These were two letters, one 

 by Lord Hopton, then Sir Ralph Hopton, the other by Colonel 

 Slingsby, both of whom held commands in the Royal army. 

 These letters give a very clear, graphic and consistent account of 

 what took place ; and a knowledge of the ground and acquaintance 

 with the roads, both ancient and modern, as given in maps in my 

 possession, lead me to conclude that we have in these documents 

 the true history of what actually did take place. In many 

 important particulars both my own and Mr. Green's account 

 require correction. My information had led me to suppose that 

 Waller was in position on the Warleigh side of the river from 

 which he had attacked Claverton Manor House, then in the 

 possession of the Royalists, and that, being repulsed, Waller 

 retired along the Warleigh valley to Batheaston and Bath. Mr. 

 Green was of opinion that Waller occupied both sides of the river 

 and that the Royalists had been first encountered at Monkton 

 Combe and that the defeated Parliamentarians withdrew through 

 Batheaston to Bath and Lansdown Hill. He also thought that 

 there had been a previous skirmish at Claverton when three 

 Parliamentary and one Royalist soldier were slain and buried in 

 Claverton churchyard. There is certainly a discrepancy in the 

 dates here, but I cannot believe there was more than one battle 

 at this period in this valley of the Avon. The date of the 

 burial of these soldiers is stated in the Register to be the 30th 

 June, 1643, whereas the battle described in the following letters 

 was fought, according to the Mercurius Aulicus, on the 3rd of July 



