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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Jess Molyneux

Major English Civil War battle near Merseyside you may not know about

The last major battle of the second English Civil War took place near Merseyside over 350 years ago - and you may not be aware of it.

Few residents across the region have heard of the Battle of Winwick Pass, which took place near Newton-Le-Willows in 1648.

And even fewer know how significant its outcome proved in shaping Parliament and monarchy that we know today.

Read more: Woman who 'felt a sense of dread' doing the dishes makes 'terrifying' discovery

In 2015, the ECHO also reported how one community group called Our Local Voice were campaigning for a memorial at the battlefields and for its importance to gain wider recognition.

At the time, Pete Astles, treasurer of the group, said up to 1600 troops died during the six-hour battle.

The battle took place on the Red Bank field between Newton-Le-Willows and Winwick, which lies to the east of St Helens near where the M6 meets the M62.

The six-hour battle on August 19 was the last significant clash between Roundheads led by Oliver Cromwell and Scottish Royalists during the second English Civil War (1646-1648), fighting over whether Parliament or the King should govern the country.

The Scottish army had invaded on behalf of Charles I after negotiating a deal with the deposed king which would see him returned to the throne.

Keep up to date with stories near you on our St Helens Live Facebook page here.

But the work of historian Richard Ward, an Our Local Voice and Battlefields Trust member who has spent years researching the battle, suggests Winwick Pass was the definitive conflict which ended the second war - as subsequent battles saw little fighting take place.

A recent re-enactment of the English Civil War in Wigan (Dave Green)

In 2015, Pete Astles, from Newton-Le-Willows, said: "This was a battle of immense historical significance. King Charles I was executed after the war, and the royal family and modern, sovereign parliament we have today were established.

Had you heard of the Battle of Winwick Pass? Let us know in the comments section.

"I’ve lived here all my life but never understood that importance until I met Richard.

A battlefields tour led by Our Local Voice historian Richard Ward (Our Local Voice)

"We want to see physical recognition of the battlefields and the dead, and bring the heritage to life. But we don’t just want a monument which grass will grow over, we’d like to see the routes of the battle marked so it can be walked by future generations."

Join our St Helens news, community and Facebook group here.

The group at the time were considering possible designs for monuments to submit a planning application and raise funds once agreed.

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