A blocking force of about 3,000 English Royalist infantry, many ill-armed and inadequately trained, proved no match for the Parliamentarians, most of whom were well-trained veterans from the New Model Army.

By it Charles agreed to confirm the Solemn League and Covenant by act of parliament in both kingdoms in return for the Scots' assistance in enforcing his claim to the English throne.

In early 1648 there were uprisings in support of the Royalist cause in England and Wales[8] and mutinies by Parliamentarian garrisons, marking the start of the Second English Civil War.

[note 1] This had been split into garrisons across the country; its commander, Sir Thomas Fairfax, based in London, put down the revolt in Kent on 1 June, then moved into Essex and began an eleven-week siege of Colchester.

[6] With rebellion breaking out in England and Wales and the Scottish army marching for the border the future of Britain hung in the balance, in the view of the modern historian Ian Gentles.

[13] Marmaduke Langdale, who had fought as a cavalry commander in the First Civil War, raised 4,000 English Royalists in northern England and covered the arrival of Hamilton's army.

[14] When Lieutenant General Oliver Cromwell arrived in south Wales on 11 May with 5,000 men of the New Model Army he found the local Parliamentarian forces regaining control.

[15] As the situation with regard to the siege and the restiveness of the local populace improved, Cromwell despatched cavalry regiments one at a time to march north and reinforce Lambert.

Lambert, despite being steadily reinforced, acted on Cromwell's orders and stood on the defensive; the historian Peter Reese describes his performance during this period as brilliant.

He assumed or guessed that his opponent would continue south down the English west coast, rather than head directly for London via Upper Ribblesdale and Craven.

[24] By 15 August Cromwell had made the decision to advance to contact with the Royalist army, despite it numbering more than twice as many men as that of the Parliamentarians; the modern historians Stephen Bull and Mike Seed describe this as daring.

[25] The historian Malcolm Wanklyn describes Cromwell's decision on the morning of 17 August to force a battle while in ignorance of most of the Royalist positions as an enormous gamble.

These relied on the glowing end of a length of slow match, thin cord soaked in saltpetre, igniting the weapon's priming powder when the trigger was pulled.

The usual tactic against infantry was for the musketeers to fire on their opponents and once it was thought they had been sufficiently weakened or demoralised the stand of pikemen would advance, attempting to break through the enemy centre.

The cavalrymen all wore metal lobster-tailed pot helmets which protected the head and, usually, the neck, cheeks and, to an extent, face; and thigh-length boots.

They would discharge their pistols at very short range and upon coming into contact attempt to use the sheer weight of their mounts and the mass of their formation to force back their opponents and burst through their ranks.

"[22][60][61] On the morning of 17 August the Parliamentarian army was largely concentrated in the area of the Hodder bridge over the River Ribble, 12 miles (19 km) east of Preston and the road being taken by the Royalists.

Munro's corps and the Scottish artillery were at Kirkby Lonsdale, 30 miles (48 km) north of Preston, waiting for an ammunition train expected from Scotland before following on.

His infantry occupied a good defensive position immediately south west of Ribbleton Moor with their skirmishers protected in part by a deeply cut brook to their front.

Langdale's aim was to buy time by forcing the Parliamentarian army to spend several hours deploying into battle formation and so allow the Scots to his rear to reinforce him.

Hamilton could hear the increasing volume of musket and pistol fire, but still believed that Langdale's force was only facing a strong probe and ordered the Scottish infantry to continue crossing the Ribble.

[72] In the early afternoon Cromwell opened the battle proper by charging the cavalry of the advance guard down the road, hoping to split Langdale's line.

For over an hour the battle stalled on the line of hedgerows occupied by Langdale's infantry amidst fierce fighting, with the Parliamentarians suffering heavy casualties.

The New Model Army infantry were accustomed to fighting in close terrain, while the inexperienced Royalist musketeers frequently fired harmlessly high.

Instead of turning to take the outflanked Royalists in the rear the Parliamentarians continued west along a boggy track called Watery Lane, through a marsh known as Fishwick Bottoms, heading for the bridge over the Ribble.

[76][77] Of the three New Model Army regiments advancing on the Parliamentarian right, only the one nearest the road was able to get to grips with the Royalist infantry opposing them; possibly the other two were slowed by the difficulties of the terrain.

[78][79] As Langdale's men lost heart, two further Parliamentarian cavalry regiments renewed the attack on them down the road; they charged straight through the Royalist line, which fled.

The two Scottish infantry brigades north of the Ribble were ordered to the bridge to defend it, but never arrived; they either surrendered en masse or were swept away in the rout and then taken prisoner.

[90][84] On 19 August, some 9 miles (14 km) south of Wigan, the Scots halted between the villages of Newton and Winwick at a naturally strong defensive position.

[91][84] The Parliamentarian pursuers rode up the road and in the words of one of their number, Captain John Hodgson, the Scots "snaffled our forlorn [advance guard], and put them to retreat".