The Earl of Newcastle, the Royalist commander, was marching on Bradford with 10,000 men. Fairfax, the Parliamentary commander, had 3,000-4,000 men in Bradford. Despite inferior numbers, Fairfax came to intercept the Royalist army, as Bradford was ill-prepared to resist a siege. The Parliamentarians were due to leave Bradford at 4:00 am, but left much later on account of the "laxity or worse of General Gifford". When they arrived at Adwalton Moor, the Royalist commander had deployed his army effectively and despite early success by the Parliamentarians, the Royalists decisively defeated them. The battle consolidated Royalist control of Yorkshire, and has been deemed of low or medium term significance. However, historians have acknowledged that the impact of the battle, which left the Parliamentarians with only one stronghold in the north and forced the Parliamentarians into a religious and political alliance with Scotland. This in turn, led to a Parliamentary victory at the Battle of Marston Moor a year later in 1644. Historic England labelled the battle as second only in importance to Marston Moor.
Background
The site of the battle is high ground in Adwalton near the border with Bradford, which is now in an area of rural-urban fringe,. Parts of the site are protected as "green belt" or other types of open space with the A650 road cutting right through the battlefield. It is the only battlefield recognised by Bradford Metropolitan District Council as falling within its boundaries but it actually lies within the Leeds City Council boundary. There are plaques interpreting the battlefield for visitors. Prior to the battle, the Royalists captured Parliamentary-held Howley Hall to secure their advance on Bradford. This was their starting point for their march on Bradford on 30 June 1643.
Museum displays
There is a display relating to the battle at Bolling Hall, Bradford, a museum which lies a few miles from the site and was itself a Royalist base. Oakwell Hall is another museum which throws light on the civil war in Yorkshire: although the hall is situated within walking distance from the battlefield, it falls outside the boundaries of Bradford and within those of Kirklees.
