Taking place in the mid-seventeenth century, the English Civil War led to huge upheaval across England.
It was not uncommon for local civilians to suffer abuse and trespasses from soldiers on both sides of the fighting, with horror stories of rape, forced conscription, the seizing of lands and property and looting arising across the country.
In some cases, people took matters into their own hands and vigilante groups formed in an attempt to prevent abuse and exploitation from both the army and others looking to exploit the uncertainty that war brought to the population.
One such vigilante organisation became known as the Clubmen.
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While beginning as small and relatively unorganised groups, in some areas the Clubmen grew to become well-established forces for protecting the lives and livelihoods of local people.
The Clubmen were recognised for wearing white armbands and ribbons, and had no allegiance to either Royalist or Parliamentarian forces, acting as a third party, independent from the politics of the Civil War conflict.
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Both sides of the fighting considered the Clubmen a serious threat and both sides took action to try and suppress the group.
Despite becoming relatively well organised, the Clubmen were not always particularly well armed. The name of the group is thought to have arisen because of how they armed themselves, mainly with rudimentary weapons such as clubs.
Other equipment, much of which constitutes farming tools, were also adapted by the group into somewhat effective weaponry; this included tools such as flails, scythes and sickles, all used in the agricultural industry.
These tools were attached to long sticks or poles to form an unsophisticated, yet still potentially lethal, weapon.
Defence and Declarations
The rudimentary weapons of the Clubmen didn’t stop the group from becoming a major thorn in the side of both Parliamentarian and Royalist forces.
One of the first major occurrences of the Clubmen was in December in 1644 in Shropshire, and the number of men that assembled to protest plundering at Stokesay Castle and Lea Hall by Royalist forces was no small amount. 1,200 men assembled, led by the parson of Bishop’s Castle.
After this event, Clubmen groups spread rapidly across the country, and had arisen throughout counties on the Welsh border by the end of the winter.
By the end of March in 1645, there had also been a large gathering of Clubmen on Woodbury Hill in Worcester. 1,000 Clubmen assembled under the leadership of Charles Nott.
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Unhappy with ongoing mistreatment from Royalist forces, the Clubmen drew up a declaration against violence from military groups and the creation of a league for protection and mutual defence. Clubmen quickly became an active force across the UK – at Gorehedge Corner in Dorset 3000 Clubmen assembled in May 1645.
Scudamore and the Clubmen
Across the county border in Herefordshire, 12,000 Clubmen gathered in opposition to the Royalist governor of Hereford, Sir Barnabas Scudamore.
Conflict between military personnel and local civilians had reached boiling point under Scudamore, with deaths and arrests of countrymen reported after they refused to surrender supplies to support the garrison.
Brandishing weapons, these 12,000 Clubmen besieged Hereford for several days, demanding the release of prisoners, that the families of the people who had been killed by the soldiers receive compensation, and that all Royalist forces leave Herefordshire.
Scudamore agreed to some of the terms of the Clubmen, and they were viewed as such a threat that the Parliamentarian governor of Worcester, Colonel Massie, unsuccessfully attempted to recruit the Clubmen as an auxiliary force to fight against the Royalist army.
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However, despite Scudamore agreeing to some of the demands of the Clubmen, a force of 2000 Clubmen remained unhappy with the deal and refused to disperse. This prompted Prince Rupert to send soldiers to forcefully disperse the remaining Clubmen in Herefordshire.
Most of the remaining members of the group fled when faced with Rupert’s men, however 200 men at Ledbury engaged in armed conflict with the soldiers, resulting in the arrest and disarmament of the remaining Clubmen in the area.
A Spreading Movement
After failed attempts by Prince Rupert to negotiate with the Clubmen in May 1645, the Prince ordered all Clubmen groups to disband. This order was ineffective, and instead groups were rapidly spreading to neighbouring counties.
The groups, however, remained the strongest and most active in counties surrounding the Welsh border.
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Throughout May and June of 1645, uprisings had begun in Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, and offshoots even appeared in areas as widespread as Sussex, Berkshire and Hampshire. In some cases, these uprisings turned deadly.
Thomas Fairfax
Clubmen in Somerset hunted and killed Royalist soldiers escaping after the battle of Langport. This violence was an act of revenge for the cruelty inflicted on the people of Somerset by the Royalist soldiers.
By July, the Clubmen had shown some interest in forming treaties with military forces.
Clubmen leaders met with Parliamentarian general Thomas Fairfax, creating an agreement that the Clubmen would not assist Royalists
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And in return the New Model Army, a force formed by the Parliamentarians, would not harm or exploit local citizens and would not take supplies or provisions without fair payment. In 1646, the Clubmen again were seen to be supporting Parliamentarian forces.
The group acted as an unofficial militia in support of the New Model Army, working to prevent supplies and provisions from entering Royalist garrisons by creating blockades.
However, these somewhat friendly relations were not shared in Dorset. On the orders of Thomas Fairfax, Clubmen leaders were arrested during the siege of Sherborne Castle.
In August, a military force was led to Hambledon Hill by Cromwell, which violently met with a contingent of thousands of Clubmen.
Cromwell’s forces captured an estimated four to five hundred men and killed around sixty Clubmen. Those captured were confined overnight in a church, and those that swore to the Covenant were later released.
A Backdrop of Civil War
The English Civil War posed a particularly turbulent time for the everyday population of England.
Warring armies, shifting allegiances, and continually changing borders created a significant risk to people across the country.
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Adding to this turbulence was the fact that up until 1644, soldiers were paid relatively poorly and suffered from poor organisation. This meant that soldiers often relied on either living off the land or being catered for by local communities.
This, in turn, increased the strain between the general people and military forces, and prompted looting, theft and exploitation by armed forces to support themselves when civilians were unwilling or unable to support soldiers.
Adding to this tension was the fact that garrison forces also often required payment from local populations for protection and forced able-bodied men into service.
Treaties and Tax
High taxes were imposed on the people of Britain during the English Civil War. Funds were needed to support military efforts and pay for armies, including large contingents of foreign mercenaries.
Mercenary forces made up a noteworthy portion of military forces in England, in late 1644 in just the Shaftesbury region there were reportedly 600 soldiers from Sweden, Germany, France, and Wallonia.
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The taxes required to fund these soldiers and military efforts put a significant strain on a population already struggling under the weight of ongoing war.
These taxes were another point of contention for the Clubmen.
The group began to become increasingly frustrated with increased taxes and the seemingly unwillingness of either side to agree to a feasible peace treaty.
A treaty to end the civil conflict and the subsequent violence against the local people that arose as a result of continual war.
As well as protests and physical conflict, the Clubmen also began distributing pamphlets to promote their overall agenda.
The events at Hambledon Hill dealt a major blow to the efforts and forces of the Clubmen, however, uprisings did still occur in the following months. This included uprisings in Hampshire and Worcestershire.
However, despite these uprisings, Hambledon Hill has been posited to be the last time that the Clubmen posed a serious threat to either Parliamentarian or Royalist forces.
The Power of a Local Movement
While overall, the Clubmen may not have had a lasting impact on the outcome of the English Civil War and did not stop all offences that armed forces and others exploiting the war committed against innocent civilians populations.
They did represent and showcase the power of everyday people mobilising for the common good.
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The group existed with a civil, rather than political, agenda and worked to create a safer environment for local people regardless of their political allegiances.
While other grassroots local movements had existed throughout Britain prior to the seventeenth century, the Clubmen had a unique place in the hearts and minds of the British population.
Their legacy is so withstanding that the idea has even been posited that the famous Cerne Abbas Giant was created as a positive response to the activities and legacy of the Clubmen.
The Legacy of the Clubmen
Forming in response to the turmoil of the English Civil War, the Clubmen were a key part of defending the rights and liberties of the everyday people of Britain.
Unwilling to stand for the exploitation and abuse that people were suffering at the mercy of both Parliamentarian and Royalist forces, the Clubmen emerged as an independent third party concerned with the safety of civilians.
With the group rapidly spreading across the countryside they, at times, entered into violent clashes with military forces and faced harsh consequences in their mission to protect the everyday people. The legacy of the Clubmen lives on in the hearts and minds of Britain.
They represent a spirit of civil protection and grassroots activism that has persisted in various forms throughout history.
