Editing Battle of Lansdowne (section)

==Prelude==
By late May 1643, Lord Hopton's Royalist army had captured most of the south-west of England. Joined by the [[William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset|Marquess of Hertford]], he then advanced eastward into Parliamentarian-held territory. Sir [[William Waller]]'s army held [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], to obstruct their further advance. On 2 July 1643 the Royalists seized the bridge at [[Bradford-on-Avon]]. On 3 July, skirmishes took place at [[Claverton, Somerset|Claverton]] and at Waller's positions south and east of Bath. Waller retired to a strong position on Lansdowne Hill, north-west of Bath while the main Royalist force moved north through [[Batheaston]] to [[Marshfield, Gloucestershire|Marshfield]].{{sfn|Barratt|2005|pp=44-56}}

Hopton's forces encountered Waller's position on Lansdowne Hill on 4 July and were unpleasantly surprised at its strength. They withdrew {{convert|5|mi|0}} north-east to Marshfield, while their rearguard repulsed an attempt by Waller's cavalry to pursue them.{{sfn|Plant 1 December 2009}}{{sfn|Battle of Lansdown Hill, British Battles}}{{sfn|English Heritage Battlefield Report: Lansdown 1643}}