Battle of Aylesbury On the 1 November 1642 , Royalist forces , under the command of Prince Rupert engaged Aylesbury ' s Parliamentarian garrison , at Holman ' s Bridge a few miles to the north of Aylesbury town . The Parliamentarian forces were victorious , despite being heavily outnumbered . In 1818 remains were discovered near to Holman ' s Bridge , outside Aylesbury , which were believed to belong to the fatalities from the battle . They were buried in a common grave in St Mary ' s churchyard in Hardwick . The following account is taken from Lord Nugent ' s ' Life of Hampden ' . " The small garrison of new raised Militia at Aylesbury had been moved to some quarter which was more closely threatened , and the town and the rich pastures which surrounds it were left unprotected . Thither Prince Rupert marched with a force of some thousands of horse and foot , and , after some days past in securing for the King ' s use much of the produce of the Vale and despoiling and laying waste much more than he secured , entered and possessed himself of the town . Here after one more day of free quarter in Aylesbury , during which the inhabitants were made to suffer all sorts of outrages from the soldiers , he received intelligence of the approach of a brigade of the Parliament ' s troops from Stony Stratford . Rupert , probably afraid of attempting a defence within the walls of a place , however well adapted by its situation for defence , where the townsmen were all his enemies , and having in his front a country over which his cavalry could act with great advantage , left there but a troop of horse and two companies of foot , and marched out with all the rest of his force to meet the advancing enemy . But he had not gone further than the brook , about half a mile to the northward of the town , where there was no passage but a bad ford , swollen by the rains , when he found himself checked by Balfore ' s horse and foot in column , on the opposite bank . After the first volley or two , Rupert charged across the ford , and , breaking through Balfore ' s two first lines of infantry , plunged into the centre of his horse , who were flanked on the right by Charles Pym ' s troop . And here a sharp conflict began . Sir Lewis Dives came up with the Prince ' s reserve , and Captain Blanchard with Balfore ' s ; the musketry of the foot , the carbines and petronels of the cavalry , swords , and poleaxes all doing their work of death , and the soldiers of all arms mixed and fighting in one close and furious throng . It lasted thus but a few minutes . The King ' s troops were driven back across the stream , and Rupert rallied on the other side , only to lose more men from the fire , and to receive a charge in return , which drove him back in confusion towards the town . In vain did the troops hurry down to his support . The townsmen rushed forth upon his rear , with whatever arms haste and fury could supply to them , and Rupert began his retreat towards Thame , before the mingled troops and populace , who , however , after slaughtering the hindmost for above a mile , did not venture further to pursue among the enclosures , a force still superior to their own . In this action some hundreds of Rupert ' s men fell , and of the Parliamentarians above ninety " .