Battle of Cheriton The Battle of Cheriton was an important Parliamentarian victory in the English Civil War . It took place on 29 March 1644 and resulted in the defeat of a Royalist army , which threw King Charles I onto the defensive for the remainder of the year . Campaign . Early in 1644 , a Royalist army under Lord Hopton faced a Parliamentarian army under Sir William Waller in the southern counties of England . After some reverses during the previous December , culminating in the Battle of Alton , Hopton had withdrawn to Winchester to regroup and recruit . He was joined here by a detachment from the King ' s main " Oxford Army " under the Earl of Forth , who unwillingly took command of the army . They resumed their advance eastward early in March . Waller ' s Army of the " Southern Association " had also been reinforced by detachments from the main Parliamentarian army under the Earl of Essex and the London Trained Bands , and was advancing westward from his winter quarters near Arundel . Forth and Hopton determined to seize New Alresford , thus placing themselves between Waller and London . They forestalled the Parliamentarian cavalry under Sir William Balfour , and occupied the town late on 27 March . On 28 March , the Royalists advanced cautiously south from Alresford . An advanced guard under Sir George Lisle occupied an outpost position near Cheriton as night fell , and reported that the Parliamentarians were retreating . The battle . The Parliamentarians had been outmanoeuvred up to this point , and had indeed begun to retreat , but overnight Waller changed his mind and ordered an advance . As dawn broke , the City of London brigade occupied Cheriton Wood . Hopton had moved to Lisle ' s outpost , and realised that it would have to be hastily withdrawn . The Royalists fell back to a ridge north of the wood , as Waller advanced . Hopton determined to recapture Cheriton Wood , and sent forward 1000 " commanded " musketeers under a Colonel Appleyard , supported by a battery of guns . There was some hot fighting , but the Parliamentarians abandoned the wood . Forth and Hopton intended to stand on the defensive at this point , but an impetuous infantry commander , Sir Henry Bard , launched his regiment of foote against the Parliamentarian left wing horse . These were the fully armoured cuirassier s under Sir Arthur Haselrig , sometimes known as the London lobsters . Bard ' s regiment was overwhelmed . The Royalist cavalry on the right wing tried to support him , but were forced to make disjointed attacks along narrow lanes and were defeated in turn . Hopton sent the Royalist horse from the left wing under Sir Edward Stawell to make a better prepared attack , but they were also defeated . Haselrig ' s regiment now attacked the Royalist foot moving up in support , and drove them back . The Parliamentarians also attacked the Royalist left , which had been denuded of its horse , and regained Cheriton Wood . The Royalists fell back to their ridge , but Hopton and Forth realised they could not withstand a deliberate Parliamentarian attack the next day . As evening fell , the Royalists retreated to Basing House . Results . The defeat of Forth ' s and Hopton ' s army meant that the Parliamentarian armies of Essex and Waller could concentrate against the King at Oxford . Although Charles was able to partly restore the situation later in the year by gaining victories at Cropredy Bridge and Lostwithiel , he could never again resume the offensive in the south of England .