Nicholas Slanning - Civil War

Civil War

On 25 August 1642, the Royalist commander Hopton entered Cornwall after separating from the Marquis of Hertford following their failed attempts to secure Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset. Hopton first visited Sir Bevil Grenvile at Stowe then, after brushing aside Bullers's Militia, headed for Pendennis on September 24 to confer with Slanning. Hopton appeared voluntarily before the assizes at Truro and after successful defence of his actions, began recruiting. In November 1642, Slanning formed one of the five Cornish regiments foot which was known as "the Tinners". The other regiments were formed under Colonel William Godolphin, Sir Bevill Grenvile, Colonel John Trevanion and Warwick, Lord Mohun. Slanning and the first three of these were known as the "wheels on Charles's wain". A seventeenth century ode included the distich:

"Gone the four wheels of Charles's wain, Grenville, Godolphin, Slanning, Trevannion slain"

Slanning was released from his governorship of Pendennis Castle (succeeded by Sir John Arundell) in 1643.

Hopton first used his forces to make an unsuccessful attempt on Exeter then fell back on Plympton, took it, and invested Plymouth on 1 December. Later that month they took Alphington, Powderham, and Topsham but failed to capture Exeter in a night attack. Their first field battle was Braddock (actually Pinnock) Down in January 1643 when Ruthin's forces were forced to flee back through Liskeard and on to Saltash, while the Earl of Stamford withdrew from Launceston. Slanning's regiment, along with those of Grenville and Trevanion and half of the horse and dragoons, pursued Stamford while the rest followed up Ruthin.

Hopton, after some futile negotiations, invested Plymouth again and this led to Slanning's sole command in battle, but not until after the first "wheel" was lost when the court poet Sydney Godolphin died of a wound received in a skirmish at Chagford. In February 1643 Slanning, in command of a detachment consisting of his and Trevanion's regiments, was attacked at Modbury by Chudleigh. He was able to execute a fighting withdrawal against superior forces, but at the cost of 250 killed or wounded, 1,000 muskets and five guns.

The Cornish forces now left Devon and things remained quiet until the encounter battle of Polston Bridge, Launceston in April, when the arrival of Slanning's and Trevanion's regiments proved decisive. Two days later there was another encounter battle, the "Western Wonder" of the Cavalier ballad, at Sourton Down, where in the middle of a violent thunderstorm, Chudleigh was able to hold the field and Hopton again retreated to Launceston.

Slanning and his men had a brief sojourn at Saltash before rejoining the rest in a rendezvous with Grenvile's foot. They brushed aside a small force at Week St. Mary on 13 May and at 5.00 a.m. on the 16 May attacked the forces on Stratton (now Stamford) Hill, Stratton. This produced their most spectacular victory when, after ten hours of fighting uphill against twice their number of much better equipped enemy with a dug-in battery, the Royalists gained the position, killing 300 and capturing 1,700 with fourteen guns, £300 and plentiful provisions, at a cost of 80 men. Slanning and Trevanion commanded the westernmost of the four columns.

The Cornish Royalist army then received orders to rendezvous with Prince Maurice's men, whom they met at Chard in Somerset in June. This combined force now took Taunton, Bridgwater, Dunster Castle and Wells. Their first contact with the Parliamentarian commander William Waller was a cavalry skirmish at Chewton Mendip. Waller was driven out of Monkton Farleigh on 3 July 1643 and on 5 July, two days later, the Royalists won a pyrrhic victory at the Battle of Lansdowne. Slanning was described as "advancing from hedge to hedge at the head of his men, in the mouths of muskets and cannons, insomuch they thought him immortal, as indeed he was that day" whereas Sir Bevill Grenvile, the next "wheel", fell at the battle. The foot were now besieged in Devizes but witnessed the destruction of Waller's forces at Roundway Down. The Western Royalists took Bath, and after joining Prince Rupert on 26 July 1643 they stormed Bristol. Slanning commanded one of the three tertia of the Western Army which attacked the South Eastern defences at 3.00 a.m. Bristol fell after some thirteen hours fighting, Slanning and Trevanion were both mortally wounded. Slanning's leg was broken by a musket ball, and he died a few days later, quipping "that he had always despised bullets, having been so used to them, and almost thought they could not hurt him", and professing "great joy and satisfaction in the losing of his life in the King's service to whom he had always dedicated it".

No record remains of where Sir Nicholas Slanning was buried. The Sir Nicholas Slanning buried at St Mary the Virgin at Bickleigh, Devon was this Sir Nicholas's grandfather, but Slanning's body may have been returned there for burial since some of his arms reached Bickleigh and his helmet and gauntlet may still be seen, by arrangement, at the church.