The forces engaged at Whalley will never be fully known and numbers quoted in the sources vary enormously. What is clear is that Parliament were outnumbered by a significant amount. Sources vary between 10:1 to 4:1 in favour of the Royalists. The Parliamentarians may have been short of powder and shot too. Their Forces were not all on the field at the start as some appear to have been arriving from Padiham while others seem to have been preparing to retreat in the face of the Royalist numbers. Only the shot seem to have been up for a fight and even then perhaps only because initially they were not facing the whole Royalist force.
On the other hand the Royalists main numbers lay in their clubmen who were inexperienced, untrained and according to some accounts only stayed in the field because there were mounted men behind then threatening them with swords and loaded pistols! The initial encounter at Sabden Brook only included a small part of their forces as the main body was waiting at Whalley. The Earl of Derby and his senior officers don't appear to have been with the main body, but further back in Whalley itself.
Lets start with the period accounts. The battle was fought on 20 April 1643 numbers detailed from prior to that date may not have been available by the time of the battle. As a result I am only going to look at information for around a month before that date.
Parliament Forces
The Discourse tells us that on the 19th Parliament's forces were dispersed and short of powder and shot. But that Colonel Shuttleworth sent out a call for them to assemble "with their best weapons". By the early morning of 20th April Colonel Shuttleworth had been joined by Colonel Starkie at Padiham (about 4 miles to the east of Sabden Brook). Some Captains, with their men, were sent to scout towards Whalley "as far as Read". We know that this force included Musketeers as these were the men who insisted on standing to fight.
On hearing the ambush sprung many others "came up" so additional troops must have been in supporting distance. This included a Lieutenant Marsden who seems to have encouraged the troops in hot pursuit of the fleeing Royalists. The discourse glosses over the rest of fight implying that the main body of Royalists broke and ran when the fleeing men came down the hill to Whalley. Although there are some clues that there must have been some fighting as a piece of artillery had time to fire three shots.
The true relation gives more detail of troops it claims that two troops of horse were at Dunkenhalgh Hall (at Clayton le Moors) which withdrew to Padiham on hearing of the Royalist advance. The Parliamentarian forces at Padiham are described as "60 Horse, and some 400 foot, not above five hundred I am sure at the first". This account also includes "some few clubmen". "At the first" suggests additional forces were coming in and this is supported by the statement that an additional 150 horse met them at Read Bank. It also mentions a Captain Ashton as being present.
Lancashire Vale of Anchor states that Parliament's forces were 200 - 300 shot and 80 - 100 horse. It goes on to tell us that initially there were only 100 shot at Read.
Broxup gives the numbers being 500 foot plus the horse as above.
All accounts suggest that Parliament scouted forward beyond Read towards Whaley but retired once the true size of Derby's forces became apparent.
Royalist Forces
The Discourse states that the Earl of Derby called his soldiers and Clubmen to Preston along with a piece of artillery and advanced up the line of the River Ribble. By the 19th he appears to have reached Whalley. Mr Tydesley (later Sir Thomas Tydesley) is sent to scout towards Padiham on the morning of the 20th. This force included horse and some foot as it is reported that Parliament took prisoner "divers"... (meaning many)... "Foot Clubmen".
The True relation states that the Royalist force consisted of The Earl of Derby, Lord Molyneux, Sir Gilbert Hoghton and Colonel Tydesley and all the chief Catholics of the county, with "eleven troops of Horse, 700 foot and infinite of clubmen, in all conceived to be 5,000". It goes on to state that after the ambush at Sabden Brook Parliament took 40 prisoners, some horse and 60 muskets. The capture of muskets suggest foot or dragoons as being present with Tydesley's scouting force. If we assume an average strength of 50 per troop that gives 550 horse.
Broxup pulls together all of the sources available to him and tells us that on 13 March Derby had assembled 3,000 clubmen for the march against Lancaster. so that gives some indication of the numbers that could be raised. He also states that Tyldesley came from York with 600 foot armed 50:50 pike to shot. This unit of foot may have been from Newcastle's army and have had some combat experience, but equally may have been freshly raised men. Either way they don't seem to have fared any better than the rest of Derby's forces at Whalley. All sources place Tyldesley with the Royalist advance scouting party
Suggested forces for the refight
Royalists
Advanced Scouting party
Thomas Tyldesley -average commander
1 unit of 150 Horse - experienced but untrained.
1 unit of 100 dragoons - raw, trained
Main body
Commander in Chief- The Earl of Derby. He should be brave but not effective as a commander. Starts off table - see special rules below.
Sir Gilbert Hoghton - average commander. Place as required with the main body
Lord Molyneux - average commander. Place as required with the main body
1 x 600 foot 50:50 pike to shot. Experienced and trained.
5 x 600 clubmen (improvised weapons including some muskets) inexperienced, untrained and unwilling (in my rules this means that they are the worst troops possible)
1 x of 150 horse experienced and trained
1 x 150 horse experienced and trained
1 x light gun (Robinette or similar size)
Special rules
The scouting party deploys along the road between the centre line of the long edge of the table and the turn to Ashterley. They must have orders to make a rapid advance along the Whalley to Read road. Under my home brew rules orders have three components movement rate, target and action on reaching the target. The Dragoons may not dismount until attacked. So Tyldesley would have orders of "fast advance, along the road to the far table edge, hold on arrival.
The main body must deploy north of the Calder in any formation desired but no further forward than level with the point where the R Calder exits the south of the table. Split into two or three commands and assign to commanders (except Tyldesley) as required. Clubmen may be merged into larger bodies in an attempt to make them a more robust fighting force! The main body is under initial orders to hold and cannot take any action or change orders until attacked by Parliamentarian forces or Retreating troops from Read reach them.
The Earl of Derby starts off table at Whalley and only enters when
1. Retreating troops from Sabden Brook are sighted by the forces at Whalley.
2. After 1 hour game time on a di roll. Roll 1D6 each turn on the first roll only a 1 will release him on the second a 1 or 2 on the third a 1- 3 until on turn 6 he automatically arrives.
On arrival he is placed on the road leading from Whalley to Read at the table edge. He cannot move further on the turn of arrival. He cannot issue any new orders until he is free to move.
3. Orders
Parliament
This is a more difficult deployment to arrive at as numbers are low and vary between the accounts. To allow flexibility and prevent the Royalists having certainty as to where the initial ambush will be sprung, Parliament's shot are in hidden deployment. They may be in any of the woods on the Read side of Sabden Brook or behind the Stone walls that line the road after it crosses the brook.
Advance Party
1 x 400 Foot (shot only) experienced, trained and elite.
1 x 100 horse inexperienced, trained
1 x 150 horse inexperienced, trained.
Captain Ashherton - good commander
Captain F good commander
Deployed to the East of Sanden Brook. The Horse must be within 1 full move of the East table edge deployed as one command under Captain Assherton. Captain F commands the Shot.
Reserve
1 x 200 Clubmen inexperienced, untrained.
Colonel Shuttleworth commander in chief Average commander
Colonel Starkie average commander
Lt Marsden - average but rash commander
Speculative reserve troops
All we know for certain is that more troops came in. These may have been the Clubmen and the second body of horse. However, we know Shuttleworth called in all available troops, so additional men may have been available. If we need to place more forces at Parliament's disposal I suggest the following.
1 x light artillery - experienced and trained
1 x 150 horse - experienced, untrained
1 x 200 Clubmen - inexperienced, untrained
Special rules
Reserve (and/or Speculative reserves) enter the table one hour after the ambush is first sprung. The two Colonels arrive with the reserves. Lt Marsden arrives 15 minutes after the ambush is sprung. he can use his command abilities only to get Parliament troops to take aggressive action.
As an option you might want to enforce a limited number of shots for the ambush force. The true telation suggests that they had little powder until they could loot from the routing Royalist scouting party.
In the last part I will post any last minute thoughts on the scenario and any additional suggestions for altenative versions of the refight.
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