New Style) in the village of South Harting, in West Sussex, England, during Lord Ralph Hopton's Southern Campaign of 1643–1644 during the second year of the First English Civil War.

In November 1643, the First English Civil War had been running for fifteen months, since King Charles I had raised his banner in Nottingham and declared the Earl of Essex, and by extension Parliament, traitors.

[12][13] Harting Place is described by archaeologist George Anelay as "a very impressive set of buildings"[13] and is visible on the 1632 West Harting Manorial Map (pictured right); it had a large crenellated gatehouse immediately north of the church which was equally as big as the manor house and faced onto The Street, its own fenced private deer park, a large walled private garden between the church and the manor house, an orchard to the north, and four ponds to the south — the largest of which may have had its own water-powered mill.

[13][14] According to the Royalist newsbook Mercurius Aulicus, who claim to have received their information from an eyewitness to the battle, during the middle of the night of 23–24 November 1643 roughly 120[b] men of the Earl of Crawford's Regiment of Horse rode into the village of South Harting.

This is despite them being a 'jack-of-all-trades' since they served many purposes; namely to control large areas of the countryside — raiding, ambushing, and foraging for food and supplies quickly on horseback, while also being able to dismount and occupy or hold a bridge, hedgerows, or houses.

Most of the Royalists, realising what was happening and knowing that they could not get themselves or their horses onto the street without being shot at, fled through back alleys on foot to save themselves, thus leaving the Parliamentarians in control of the village.

This ingenious act of deception was executed with such "fury and undaunted courage" that it struck complete panic amongst the Parliamentarians, so much so that they were routed and driven back through the village in disorder with some half a dozen being shot dead by the six officers in the process.

When the Parliamentarians had been informed of the lamentable nature of their defeat at South Harting; some 400 horse and dragoons being routed by six officers and a boy, one of Norton's men solemnly swore the following:[4][23][24] By God we deſerve all to be Chronicled for the veryeſt cowards that ever lived.This incident naturally caused both amusement and delight amongst Royalist circles thus boosting morale, and dented the reputation of Colonel Richard Norton and his regiment at the time.

Knowing the loyalty of the parish to the Royalist cause, it is possible that these "three souldiers" were Crawford's men who had been killed the previous night and were then buried in the churchyard which is directly adjacent to Harting Place, although their specific allegiance is not stated.

[4][23] An apparent eyewitness report of the battle was chronicled and published in the Mercurius Aulicus, Communicating the Intelligence and affaires of the Court, to the rest of the Kingdome, of Oxford, for the week of 10–16 December 1643.

[25] The Mercurius Aulicus is known to have been employed as a form of Royalist propaganda and so in combination with the language used in its account, it can be assumed that some parts are somewhat exaggerated for the sake of boosting the morale of its readers, and discrediting Parliament and Colonel Richard Norton and his regiment.

This oral tradition could have originated from this battle that took place there on the night of 23–24 November 1643,[16] but it may have also been referring to the later engagement that occurred the following month in December 1643 also involving Colonel Norton's and Crawford's horse.

Within leſſe then an houre after (when all of them were now taking their reſt, the famous Colonell Norton of Hampſhire enters the village not knowing (till he was in the Towne) that any of the Kings ſouldiers were there, but having notice thereof and of the aſſurance (by taking them utterly unprovided for defence) that he might ſafely ſhew a brave proofe of his valour, he cauſed his men to ranke themſelves ten and ten, and ſo to make good every doore and houſe of the Towne that none might eſcape: which being done, the Rebells cry Horſe Horſe in the ſtreet, which the Kings ſouldiers miſtaking to be the call of their owne Commanders, offered in diverſe places to come forth, but were preſently ſhot, or killed, ſo that ſeeing no poſſibility of bringing forth themſelves or their horſes into the ſtreete, almoſt all of them fled by back-wayes on foote to ſave themſelves, leaving the Rebells outragiouſly domineering in the Towne, ſhooting into all houſes, and at all perſons, and barbarouſly uſing ſuch of the Kings men as their valour enabled to make any oppoſition.

Theſe six men with one boy preſently tooke horſe, ruſhing out by a backe lane upon the 400 Rebels (for ſo have ſome of their owne company ſince proteſted to have been their number) and crying out Follow, Follow, Follow, (as if they had already chaſed them) charged in upon them with ſo much fury and undaunted courage that they routed them preſently and drove them (killing and wounding them) quite through the Towne, forcing them over hedge and ditch killing as many as the Rebells had done of theirs (that is ſome halfe a dozen), taking 2 priſoners (one of which being the Trumpeter) wounding very many, having but 5 or 6 of theirs and but one of theſe much wounded (the Earle of Crafords owne Cornet) but not dangerouſly, and brought off all their own Armes and divers of the Rebels Horſe with all Captaine Betſworth's ſute of Armes, &c.