At the start of 1644, King Charles hoped to form an army in the northwest of England, built around regiments which he had been able to bring back from Ireland as a result of the signing of a treaty, or "cessation", with the Catholic Confederates.

In the aftermath of this setback, Charles ordered his nephew, Prince Rupert, to take command and restore Royalist fortunes in the northwest.

Newark was a vital garrison, as it dominated the River Trent, and also posed a threat to the Parliamentarians in the eastern counties of England.

He marched towards Newark via the Royalist-held towns of Wolverhampton, Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Bingham, augmenting his force with troops drawn from their garrisons.

Instead, Meldrum drew up his forces around the "Spittal", the ruins of St Leonard's Hospice which had been destroyed by fighting in the previous year, on the east side of the Trent.

Fearing that Meldrum might still withdraw, Rupert's cavalry advanced by moonlight and attacked early in the morning of 21 March.

[1] A third body of Parliamentarian horse from Derby was absent covering the siege works, so the numbers of opposing cavalry were roughly equal.

[3] When Rupert's infantry arrived, commanded by Colonel Henry Tillier, they attempted to capture the bridge of boats but were repulsed.