The English Civil War comes to Culcheth!
10am-4pm, 22-23 June – Warrington Road, Culcheth, Warrington WA3 5LA (opposite Raven Inn)
Be transported back in time as the English Civil Wars come to Culcheth!
Discover the fascinating reality of life in the 17th Century as our tented encampment brings you the sights, sounds and smells of this pivotal period in British history. An interactive event for the whole family, with musket and cannon fire, plus traditional skills and surprising stories from the age of Roundheads and Cavaliers!
Located within easy reaching distance of Warrington, Leigh, Newton-le-Willows St Helens, and Manchester, don’t miss discovering more about local history as this brand new event takes place where Parliamentarians and Royalsts once clashed in 1651!
Entry is £5 per person or £15 for a family, with under three-year-olds free.
Tickets
Tickets can be bought online at this link
Tickets can also be bought across the counter at The Raven Inn on Warrington Road or on the gate (cash only, no cards or contactless available)
See location on Google Maps:
The history:
In September 1651, two thousand defeated Scots from the Battle of Worcester were escaping north, harassed and picked-off along the way. Five hundred Scots crossed the River Mersey at Hollin Ferry and, following the track just west of the Glaze Brook, traversed the next obstacle – Jibcroft Brook, five miles north at The Raven Inn. The Scots were now deep in enemy territory. Alerted to the troop movements, Lord John Holcroft and his men ambushed them from land adjacent to The Raven. Given the difference in troop numbers, the ambush was probably little more than musket and small cannon fire. In 1905 a ‘Minion’
canon ball was found at nearby Moss House Farm (which must have been fired at point blank range) and in 2019 several musket balls were detected opposite the Raven by detectorist Sean Holcroft. The 3” diameter ball is on display in Warrington Museum.
One historical character associated with the site is Captain Thomas Blood (left) who married one of the Holcroft daughters. Because the Raven Inn was later described in 1770 as ‘ancient’, it is more than likely that John Holcroft and Thomas Blood frequented The Raven for their ale. But that wasn’t the end of Blood’s story: he remained a military man, rising to the rank of Colonel and later hatched ‘a dashing plan’ to steal the Crown Jewels in 1671, which ended in abject failure. Surprisingly, he was not hanged for his crime but gained a good deal of notoriety.