ABSTRACT
At Stow on the Wold on 8 May 1645, the royalist field army had split: Goring going towards the West Country to tackle Fairfax; Rupert and the King aiming northwards. Fairfax, however, was ordered to leave the West Country and to make for Oxford, whilst Goring, ordered to rejoin the main field army, failed to do so. In the King's rear, however, Evesham was taken by forces out of Gloucester garrison under Edward Massey, whilst Fairfax was himself restive and considered his siege operations around Oxford largely pointless. The Parliament in London was horrified, and issued orders for Fairfax to abandon the siege of Oxford and to seek out the royalist field army, but resolution which had inspired the Leicester march had dissipated. On the 8th, it was resolved to bring the King to battle, and on the 10th Cromwell was appointed Fairfax's lieutenant-general, replacing Vermuyden.
