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| November 12th | Battle of Brentford |
On this day in 1642, Parliamentarian forces, led by Sir John Roberts of Lanhydrock, were defeated at the Battle of Brentford by Royalist forces led by Prince Rupert of the Rhine. The battle was very much one sided and the outcome inevitable since the Royalist forces comprised mainly of cavalry with a regiment of foot soldiers whereas the outnumbered Parliamentarians were mainly infantry with little cavalry support. Under the cover of an early morning mist the Royalists attacked the Parliamentarians who had barricaded themselves inside the town of Brentford. The initial attack was repulsed so a Welsh regiment of foot was sent in and after successfully taking the outer defences attacked the town itself. The fighting continued until late afternoon when the Parliamentarians under Roberts were forced out into the surrounding, open countryside. They withdrew under cover from Parliamentarian infantry, which had arrived from Uxbridge after which the Royalists completely sacked the town of Brentford. Defeated, Roberts’ estates were occupied by the Royalists during the Civil War and Lanhydrock was gifted to Sir Richard Grenville (June 26th). After the Civil War, Roberts retreated from public life but, with the restoration of the monarchy, he was appointed to the Privy Council, Lord Deputy of Ireland and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal and in July, 1679, he was created Viscount Bodmin and Earl of Radnor. His grandson, Charles, (November 13th) decided to dissociate himself from the once notoriety of his grandfather and changed the family name from Roberts to Robartes when he inherited the titles.
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