The sound of a war drum beat rolled across the Winwick fields and into St Oswald’s Parish church at the weekend as it did over three hundred and fifty years ago when the Battle of Winwick took place between a Scottish army and the English Parliamentarian forces led by Oliver Cromwell on land three miles north of Warrington.
The drum beat set the atmosphere for the Winwick Church’s Open Heritage Weekend event on Saturday and Sunday when 400 visitors enjoyed a re enactment event by the Battle of Winwick Society which shed new light on the lives of the soldiers involved and told how a historic church was turned from a place of sanctuary into a prison.
Members of the Battle of Winwick Society dressed as Scottish soldiers in period costume turned the church history back to a time when 1,500 soldiers were imprisoned in the church and 1,000 troops lay dead in the nearby fields. They were the men of the Scottish army “the engagers” who met an overwhelming defeat by Cromwell’s parliamentary troops in the Battle of Winwick fought on 19 August 1648.
Weapons on display included muskets, pikes and an array of swords plus clothing of the day for both men and women. A food table contained oats, biscuits and fruit, the soldiers’ staple diet.
Reverend Martin Cox, priest in charge of St Oswald’s Church, welcomed visitors to Saturday’s open day and said the battle was a fascinating part of the church’s iconic history. It was important that the battle was recognised for its national significance as one which effectively ended the Civil war.
Paul Wright, the Society chairman, described the battle when Cromwell’s new, model army who had pursued the Scots from their first defeat at Preston, finally confronted them at Winwick. He said that it was probably local people who had advised the Cromwell forces on the best route in the area on which to take a stand to give them the best advantage.
He said: “We formed the Society in 2003 as we thought it important that the Battle was recognised as in the past little was known about it. We have now had it officially registered by Historic England and it is the best preserved site of the Civil war in that era. We will be working toward getting a monument and information boards erected there. The aftermath of the Battle had an enormous effect on both Winwick and Warrington. Warrington only had a population of 1,000 people at that time and the town was swamped with many thousands of Scottish prisoners, Cromwell’s forces and thousands of horses. The constables of that period were tasked with organising workers to remove the bodies of the dead killed in battle, the provision of food supplies and providing care for the wounded. St Oswald’s Church by the battle ground was taken over by Cromwell’s troops and used for some months as both a prison, a base and a shelter for the sick and wounded. “
He added: “Lancashire was left in a terrible state after the Battles of Preston and Winwick. Towns and villages had been pillaged and ravaged by soldiers seeking food and money. Parliament set up a committee to investigate the outcome and aid was given to the county. As for the Scottish prisoners, most were allowed home but those who had been leaders in the fighting were shipped to Barbados and Italy for seven years of work servitude.”
At St Oswald’s Sunday morning service, Reverend Pat Gray led the congregation in remembrance of all those who had died in the battle and spoke of the suffering endured by those who had sought sanctuary at the church only for it to become a prison.
Picture John Hopkins
