ON May 15, 1643 a Parliamentarian army of 5,600 men, commanded by the Earl of Stamford, advanced into Cornwall and camped upon the flat summit of Stamford Hill close to the town of Stratton.

The following day Sir Ralph Hopton, with a Royalist force barely 3,000 strong, attacked the formidable Parliamentary position.

The battle raged inconclusively for several hours until Parliamentarian resistance finally collapsed as a determined attack by converging Royalist columns drew near the summit of the hill.

With casualties of 300 killed and 1,700 taken prisoner, almost half of Stamford’s army had been destroyed and the gateway to Devon was open to the Royalists. Hopton’s victory, gained by a force that was desperately short of food and ammunition, was a remarkable achievement.

Although many private houses have been constructed on the summit of Stamford Hill the remains of the defensive earthwork used by the Parliamentarians can still be seen.

The mayor of Bude-Stratton, Cllr Bob Willingham, led members of the Sealed Knot charity in a wreath laying ceremony on Sunday, May 13, remembering those who fought and died.