Battle of Reading (1688)

See also Battle of Reading (871), Siege of Reading (1642–1643)

Battle of Reading
Part of the Glorious Revolution
Date 9 December 1688 Location Reading, Berkshire Result Decisive Williamite victory James flees to France
Belligerents
Soldiers loyal to James II	Dutch Republic
Commanders and leaders
Patrick Sarsfield	William III of Orange
Strength
600, mostly Irish, soldiers	250 Dutch soldiers Some people of Reading
Casualties and losses
20-50+	Few

The Battle of Reading took place on 9 December 1688 in Reading, Berkshire. It was the only substantial military action in England during the Glorious Revolution and ended in a decisive victory for forces loyal to William of Orange. It was celebrated in Reading for hundreds of years afterwards.

Prelude

On Wednesday 5 November 1688 William the Prince of Orange landed at the head of a Dutch army in attempt to wrest control of the country. Five weeks later, on 7 December, the Prince of Orange and a strong body of troops had reached Hungerford. After retreating from Salisbury James II's main force was stationed on Hounslow Heath. James posted an advance guard of 600 in Reading to stop the march of the Dutch towards London. These 600 troops were composed of Irish Catholics under Patrick Sarsfield, who wild rumour asserted were planning to massacre the townsfolk.

While the Prince of Orange was in Hungerford English supporters came into the town from all directions including a body of several hundred cavalry headed by northern lords. On Saturday 8 December James sent Lord Halifax, Lord Nottingham, and Lord Godolphin to Hungerford to confer with William. They were invited into William's bedroom to meet William and his advisers. Halifax presented James' proposals: that the points of dispute would be laid before Parliament; and that while Parliament deliberated, William's army would not come nearer than 30 miles from London. Halifax then handed a letter from James to William and left the room. William read the letter, and asked his English advisers to discuss the proposals. While he waited for his advisers to decide on their advice, he travelled two miles out of Hungerford to Littlecote Hall. William's advisers met in a large room at the Bear Inn and under the chairmanship of Lord Oxford, and after a long debate they rejected James's proposals, sending word to William of their decision. William rejected their advice and decided to negotiate with James and put his own counter proposals in writing for Halifax to deliver to James.

Battle

James II sent part of his army to Reading to stop the march of the invasion force. The people of Reading had already sent a messenger to William who was at Hungerford to ask for help. On Sunday 9 December a relief force of about 250 Dutch troops was sent to the town. Warned in advance of the Royalist positions in the town they attacked from an unexpected direction, and got into the centre of Reading, where Broad Street gives rise to one of the alternate names for this encounter.

Forcing the Irish troops back, the Dutch attack was supported by Reading men shooting from their windows. The Dutch soon forced the Irish troops to retreat in confusion leaving a number of their side slain, twenty to fifty depending on the account. There were few deaths on the Dutch side, one being a Catholic officer.

Aftermath

Many of the dead were buried in the churchyard of St Giles' Church.

James was already convinced that only Irish troops could be relied on to defend him, but this defeat by an inferior force and the willingness of the people of Reading to support a Dutch invasion further signalled the insecurity of his position. Thus on Tuesday 11 December James fled London in abortive attempt to escape. He eventually escaped to France, where he found the support of Louis XIV and then Ireland, where most of the population supported him. His last hopes of regaining the throne were dashed with his defeat in the Williamite war in Ireland.^{[citation needed]}

In light of proposals he had received from James while in Hungerford, William decided not to immediately proceed to London, but to accept an invitation from the University of Oxford. On 11 December, William set off for Abingdon, but on hearing of James's flight, he turned and headed down the Thames valley through Wallingford and Henley, accepting the submission of the Royalist troops he met on the way, arriving at Windsor on 14 December 1688.

References

• Childs, W.M. (2003) [1905], "The Story of the Town of Reading", in Ford, David Nash, The Battle of Broad Street, Nash Ford Publishing, http://www.berkshirehistory.com/articles/reading_broadst.html, retrieved 3 August 2010 
• Ford, David Nash (2001), "Reading", History of Reading in the Royal County of Berkshire, Nash Ford Publishing, http://www.berkshirehistory.com/villages/reading.html 
• Information Services, "William of Orange's Itinerary", Manuscripts and Special Collections, University of Nottingham, http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/ManuscriptsandSpecialCollections/Learning/Conflict/Theme1/Itinerary.aspx, retrieved 3 August 2010 
• Pihlens, Hugh. "William of Orange at the Bear". Hungerford Historical Association. http://www.hungerfordvirtualmuseum.co.uk/Events/William_of_Orange_at_The_Bear/william_of_orange_at_the_bear.html. 
• Thorne, James (1847). Rambles by rivers: The Thames. 1,2. C. Cox. 

Further reading

• Collier, John Payne; Percy Society (1840). "The Reading Skirmish". Early English poetry, ballads, and popular literature of the Middle ages. 1. The Percy Society. http://books.google.co.nz/books?id=c24JAAAAQAAJ&pg=RA2-PA14#v=onepage&q&f=false.