Editing Battle of Roundway Down (section)

==Prelude==
After the hard fought [[Battle of Lansdown]], the Royalists withdrew from Lansdown to [[Marshfield, Gloucestershire|Marshfield]], hoping to obtain reinforcements and supplies from their wartime capital of [[Oxford]].{{sfnp|Plant, The Battle of Roundway Down, 1643}}{{sfnp|English Heritage Battlefield Report: Roundway Down 1643|1995|p=1}} They arrived in [[Chippenham]] on 7 July.{{sfnp|Plant, Lansdown Hill, Somerset, 5 July 1643}} Meanwhile, despite his retreat, Waller's army was largely intact after the battle and losses were quickly replaced by the Parliamentarian garrison in [[Bristol]]. Hopton's precarious position provided Waller an opportunity to crush him if he moved fast enough and Waller set out from [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] with 5,000 troops, reaching Chippenham on 9 July.{{sfn|Royle|2004|p=246}}

As the Parliamentarians approached, Hopton marched south to [[Devizes]], followed by Waller who occupied Roundway Down, high ground approximately 2 kilometres north of the town. Short of materials and outnumbered, the Royalists agreed that [[Maurice of the Palatinate|Prince Maurice]] and 300 cavalry would break out and race to Oxford for reinforcements, leaving Hopton and the 3,000 Cornish foot to hold Devizes.{{sfnp|The Battle of Roundway Down, Devizes July 13th, 1643}}{{sfnp|Plant, The Battle of Roundway Down, 1643}}{{sfnp|English Heritage Battlefield Report: Roundway Down 1643|1995|p=1}} Departing at midnight on 10 July, Maurice reached Oxford next morning; most of the Royalist field army was absent but [[Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester|Lord Wilmot]] assembled 1,500 cavalry, then set out for Devizes with Maurice and his men.{{sfnp|The Battle of Roundway Down, Devizes July 13th, 1643}}{{sfnp|Plant, The Battle of Roundway Down, 1643}}
{{Location map many | Wiltshire | relief=yes
| caption= Wiltshire and Roundway Down
| lat1_deg = 51.385| lon1_deg = -1.98| label1 = Roundway&nbsp;Down|pos1=right
| lat2_deg = 51.38| lon2_deg = -2.36| label2 = Bath
| lat3_deg = 51.074| lon3_deg = -1.793| label3 = Salisbury|pos3=left
| lat4_deg = 51.4585| lon4_deg = -2.1158| label4 = Chippenham|pos4=right
| lat5_deg = 51.353| lon5_deg = -1.994| label5 = Devizes|pos5=bottom
| lat6_deg = 51.462| lon6_deg = -2.317| label6 = Marshfield|pos6=top
}}