Battle of Cheriton - 29 March 1644

Around 27 March 1644, the Royalist forces of Lord Hopton, joined by the Earl of Forth had succeeded in halting William Waller's Parliamentary forces from securing Winchester by blocking the main road between London and Winchester near Alresford. Two days of skirmishing in the area left Waller's army near the village of Hinton Ampner and Hopton's army northeast of Cheriton with pickets on a ridge overlooking Hinton Ampner to the south.
Hopton's pickets and Waller*s patrols skirmished in the night of 28/29 March and Waller had flanked Hopton's pickets on the south ridge to the point of making it untenable. Thus the day of the battle began with Waller on the south ridge and Hopton on the north ridge. Upon seeing the ground between the two forces, Waller saw that Cheriton Wood would be the key to Hopton's left flank and dispatched 1,000 musketeers there. Understanding this threat, Hopton countered with 1,000 musketeers of his own under Colonel Matthew Appleyard. The two forces met in the dense Cheriton Wood and by all accounts fought a fierce hand-to-hand melee with Appleyard*s forces securing the ground. Hopton had been frustrated by previous attempts to bring his old friend, Waller, to battle, due to Waller's pessimistic nature and previous defeats, most notably Roundway Down. Alas, Hopton would be frustrated, but not by Waller this time.
Royalist Sir Henry Bard, on his own initiative, led his regiment of foot on a ill-starred attack from the right on Sir Arthur Haselrige*s regiment of horse, known as the "lobsters" for their 3/4 armour suits. Haselrige made Bard pay for his folly and destroyed the entire regiment in plain sight of the Royalists. The Royalists were so horrified by what they saw in front of them that they felt compelled to send reenforcements to Bard. The Roundheads met the challenge and soon the entire front became engaged between the two ridges. Parrying between the two forces ended up in close quartered fighting along the hedges. Meanwhile, several cavalry actions played out over a period of hours with the Parliamentary cavalry gaining the upper hand. Finally, Waller's infantry enveloped the flanks and forced Hopton to salvage his troops and guns with an orderly retreat up today*s Scrubbs Lane towards Basing House, passing the point where the commemorative stone sits today.

Rides, Routes and Waypoints

40-50 miles, depending on the options chosen. Take the A31 east out of Winchester towards Alton. Just before Alton, take a right on the A32 and go to West Meon. At the intersection with the A272, turn right and go to Cheriton. Near Cheriton, take a right on the B3046 and enter Cheriton. On the north side of Cheriton, take a right onto the North End Farm lane, which will turn into Badshear Lane and then Cheriton Lane. At the intersection of Cherition and Scrubbs Lane is a battle marker. For more riding, follow Scrubbs lane up to Bishops Sutton, turn left on the B3047 to Alresford, then turn right on the B3046 and go to Basingstoke following the Royalist line of retreat.
Use Ordnance Survey Landranger 185. The battlefield is centred on SU 598294. If using a road map, the battlefield is located northeast of Cheriton village.