The Battle of Lansdown: Civil War on the Ridge

On 5 July 1643, Royalist forces under Sir Ralph Hopton attacked the Parliamentary army of Sir William Waller on Lansdown Hill, just north of Cold Ashton. The battle was fierce and indecisive — both sides suffered heavy casualties in the steep terrain. Sir Bevil Grenville, one of the Royalist commanders, was killed leading a charge up the hill. A monument to Grenville still stands on the battlefield. The Royalists held the hill at nightfall but were too weakened to press their advantage. You pass near the battlefield site as you walk the final ridge towards Bath.