The Earl of Essex and Parliament’s Army at the Battle of Edgehill: A Reassessment

Abstract

The conduct of the Earl of Essex at the battle of Edgehill has usually been condemned. On the basis of estimates of his army which give him superior numbers, he has been castigated for failing to press home his advantage and defeat the king’s forces. This article reconstructs in greater detail the actual size of the army. It shows that these estimates were wrong, by a considerable order of magnitude, and that Essex enjoyed, at best, no more than parity with the king’s army. His caution, defensiveness, and unwillingness to force and win a decisive engagement are, therefore, partially excusable.