170 



in ambush, anJ then advanced to meet the Royal army on the 

 road to Bradford, and after a slight skirmish with their advance 

 of cavahy withdrew behind the ambush. And the battle began 

 which shall be described by the writers of these letters. 



I think it will be seen from the letters when read that the 

 skii-mish at Monkton Farleigh* and Claverton was by no means an 

 unimportant incident of the Civil War, and very possibly had it 

 been fought a little earlier in the day the Eoyalists would have 

 been able to have pushed on to Lansdown hill, and thus to have 

 completely reversed the conditions of that battle. 



Lord Hoptorfs Account of the Movements of ike Boyalist army, 1643. 

 Clarendon HISS., 173S. (4). 



Vpon Sunday the the Army advanced to Bradford, 



where they had a passe over the River Avon at theire Comand, 

 and were on either side within 4 miles of the Enimye's Quarters. 

 The same night Sr Wm. Waller aduanced a great part of his 

 Army, both Horse foote and dragoones over the River vnder 

 Claverton-house, where besides the fforde, he had made a Bridge, 

 and a Redoubte on his side to defende bothe, reserving the other 

 part of his Army with his Ordnance in Battalio on Claverton- 

 downe. With this part of the Army so drawen over the River, 

 he advanced in the night and possest himselfe of the high-ground 

 at Munckton-ffarly and layd an Ambuscade in a woodland-wald- 



* It may be some corroboration of the fact of the battle having beeu 

 fought near Monkton Farleigh (or rather Warleigh Down, as the Downs 

 adjoin) that close to the present Bradford road over the Downs near the 

 Dry Arch the Warley revels used to be held, and tradition said 

 in memory of a battle fought there— and labourers who h:id attended 

 these revels assured me that they frequently turned up human bones 

 there. 



