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Cropredy Bridge
The King's army was marching north from Banbury towards Daventry along the eastern bank of the River Cherwell when Sir William Waller's army approached from the west. The armies were equal in size but King Charles and his general-in-chief the Earl of Brentford intended to fight Waller on ground of their own choosing. As the Royalists advanced along the eastern bank of the Cherwell, the Parliamentarians shadowed them on the western bank. The two forces were in full view of one another and little more than a mile apart. As the Royalists approached the village of Cropredy, news came in that a force of 300 Roundhead cavalry had been sighted two miles ahead, probably on its way to join Waller. Brentford covered the left flank of the Royalist column by sending a force of dragoons to guard the crossing at Cropredy Bridge then ordered the advance guard to ride ahead and secure Hays Bridge, the next crossing over the Cherwell.
Observing from Bourton Hill, Sir William Waller noticed that the rapid advance left the Royalist column widely strung out as the main body of infantry struggled to keep up with the vanguard. Seizing his chance, Waller ordered two cavalry columns to attack. Lieutenant-General Middleton scattered the dragoons guarding Cropredy Bridge and crossed the river while Waller himself led the second column across the ford at Slat Mill, a mile south of the bridge, intending to surround and isolate the Royalist rearguard.
Having crossed the river, Middleton's cavalry advanced towards Hays Bridge while Parliamentarian infantry secured the position at Cropredy Bridge. The Earl of Cleveland led a counter-attack and a running cavalry fight developed as Middleton was driven back towards Cropredy Bridge. With Hays Bridge secure, Lord Bernard Stuart led the King's Lifeguard to assist Cleveland. A number of Parliamentarian guns that had been prematurely moved across the Cherwell were captured by the Royalists, along with the artillery officer Colonel Wemyss. Meanwhile, Sir William Waller's advance across Slat Mill ford was thrown back by the Earl of Northampton's cavalry. Dismayed, Waller withdrew most of his forces to his position on Bourton Hill leaving detachments to guard the river crossings against Royalist attacks. Under the command of Colonel Birch, the Tower Hamlets regiment stoutly defended Cropredy Bridge itself and the Royalists were unable to recapture it. Royalist infantry forced a crossing at Slat Mill, but Waller's heavy guns on Bourton Hill prevented them from advancing any further.
The two armies remained in position facing one another across the Cherwell until the following day when King Charles received word that Major-General Browne's London Brigade had reached Buckingham. On the morning of 1 July, the Royalists marched away westwards, arriving at Evesham two days later. The battle of Cropredy Bridge had lifted the morale of the King's army but had the opposite effect on Waller's men, many of whom refused to fight again and marched for home. Badly disrupted, Waller's army was no longer a danger to Oxford.
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