Battle stations (From York Press)

Battle stations

THE anniversary of a momentous battle fought only a few miles from York has been marked in period style.

Members of Sir Thomas Glemham's Regiment Of The Sealed Knot joined other regiments in a march to commemorate the Battle of Marston Moor.

The battle, which took place almost exactly 361 years ago, on July 2, 1644, was one of the deciding moments of the English Civil War.

The previously invincible Royalist leader, Prince Rupert, was looking to relieve the siege of York by Parliamentary and Scottish forces, and to keep the north of England as a stronghold for King Charles I.

He managed to reach York, despite Parliamentary attempts to intercept him, and then formed up at Marston Moor, with his 18,000 troops facing a combined army of 28,000.

On the Royalist side, the Duke of Newcastle had marched out of York with his men to join Rupert, while leaders on the allied side included Lord Leven, Sir Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell.

Though the Royalists did have some successes, Prince Rupert's cavalry was rebuffed, another group of Royalist horsemen charged off the field, and Cromwell kept his disciplined cavalry on the field so they could take part in the final acts of the battle.

Eventually, the Duke of Newcastle's infantry, known as the Whitecoats, were surrounded and massacred, as they refused to surrender.

The result was a crushing defeat for the Royalists, who lost more than 4,000 dead, compared with the allies' 300. York fell to the Parliamentarians and Scots on July 16, Newcastle left the country, and Rupert led his troops south, leaving the north as a Parliamentary stronghold.

The commemoration included a march from the Boot & Shoe public house in Tockwith, and service at the battle site's memorial to honour the dead.

Updated: 11:53 Friday, July 01, 2005