[6] Booth initially began marching towards Manchester, but quickly realised that he was isolated, and turned back after receiving reports that government forces under General John Lambert were en route to confront him.

While Booth had been a Parliamentarian colonel in the First English Civil War, he was unsure how to respond; he opened negotiations with Lambert, while simultaneously attempting to withdraw to the relative safety of Chester.

By 15th Lambert and the main army were at Nantwich; a force under Robert Lilburne was marching on Cheshire from the north, while Parliament had ordered a 1,500-strong brigade under Sankey to sail from Dublin to Beaumaris and secure the rebel districts' western flank.

[8] Lambert was making directly for Chester, but on receiving information that Booth and a force estimated at 4-5,000 were near Northwich, advanced to cut off the rebels in the area of Delamere Forest.

[11] Much of the rebel infantry, commanded by Sir Edward Broughton of Marchwiel,[12] fled into some nearby enclosures, where Lambert's foot were too tired to pursue them and where the hedges kept them safe from cavalry.