Battle of Turnham Green
Battle of Turnham Green
On 13 November 1642, near Turnham Green in Middlesex, the first campaigning season of the First English Civil War ended with a stand-off between King Charles I’s Royalists and the Parliamentarians led by the Earl of Essex. The Parliamentarians totaled about 24,000, including many London-trained forces led by Philip Skippon. The Royalists had about 13,000 and were commanded by Patrick Ruthven, Earl of Forth, with Charles I present.
The Royalists hoped to march on London, but the Parliamentarian line blocked the route. The Royalists were short of ammunition and reluctant to attack a mixed army that included many armed civilians from London. With winter coming, Charles decided not to press the fight and withdrew after a brief cannonade, allowing Essex to hold the field.
This was a strategic win for Parliament because London stayed under Parliamentarian control, and Charles had to retreat to Oxford, where he would base his forces for the rest of the war. After early Royalist successes, including Rupert’s cavalry campaigns, the Royalists could not yet threaten London again.
The battlefield was once open fields at Turnham Green, now part of the Chiswick area of London. While most of Turnham Green is gone, a small park keeps the name and nearby Back Common/Acton Green preserves some of the ground. The main Parliamentarian lines ran from near Turnham Green towards Chiswick House, while the Royalist lines stretched toward the Great West Road.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 10:13 (CET).