Battle of Cheriton 1644: the Hampshire battle explained
The day of the Lobsters, a change of mind overnight and a burning retreat through Alresford.
The Battle of Cheriton was fought on 29 March 1644 and was a Parliamentarian victory for Waller over the Royalists under Forth and Hopton. Wikipedia says it ended Royalist hopes of retaking south-east England.
The Battle of Cheriton was fought on 29 March 1644 in Hampshire and was a Parliamentarian victory. Waller beat the Royalists under Forth and Hopton, ending Royalist hopes of retaking south-east England, according to Wikipedia. Here is what to know about it and the village around it.
Who won and what it meant
Waller's Parliamentarians defeated a Royalist army commanded by Forth and Hopton. Wikipedia says the result ended Royalist hopes of retaking the south-east. The Royalists lost about 300 killed or wounded, and Parliament about 60, though these are Wikipedia's rounded figures. Forth and Hopton retreated to Basing House that evening.
The Lobsters
Sir Arthur Haselrig's troops were nicknamed the "Lobsters", because they fought in full armour from head to knee, and Wikipedia says they were called a regiment of lobsters because of their bright iron shells. At Cheriton, Haselrig led 300 against Sir Henry Bard's regiment, which was destroyed.
The overnight change of mind
The Parliamentarians had started to retreat. Overnight, Wikipedia says, Waller "changed his mind and ordered an advance". That is a single-source account; another search result said Waller resolved to stand and fight rather than withdraw, which is consistent but less specific.
A burning retreat
Royalist troops retreating from Cheriton set fire to houses in Alresford on 29 March 1644, according to the Alresford history page. This rests on that one source. It means that the battle's consequences were felt in a nearby town as well as on the battlefield.
The village
The parish council says the name Cheriton means "church village". The Church of St Michael and All Angels dates from the 13th century, with its tower, porch and aisle walls rebuilt after a fire in 1744, and it is Grade I listed. The church dates and the 1744 fire come from Wikipedia alone. The parish council's historical notes also connect the church to a bishop, but this clashes with the 13th-century date, so we have not repeated it.
How to read the numbers
The casualty figures are Wikipedia's approximate ones, and Wikipedia is also the only source we have for the overnight change of mind and for the church dates. The Alresford fire rests on one local page. None of that makes them wrong, but they are not independently confirmed here. Our sources are mainly Wikipedia and local-history pages, and we did not find other surprising local stories for Cheriton, so this page is mostly the battle, the name and the church. We have not given troop numbers for either side because we could not check them.
Visiting
We have not verified access to the battlefield or the church. Check with the parish council before you go.
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