history

Timeline

Introduction

Danish Invasion of 870

Danish Invasion of 1006

St Mary's Butts

Civil War

Civil War defences

Siege of Reading

Battle of Caversham Bridge

After the Siege

Battle of Reading

Napoleon

World War 1

World War 2

The Battle of Reading

In 1685 Charles II died and was succeeded by James who was a Catholic. Soon the country was again on the brink of war, with James protestant relations, William and Mary, invited to take the throne. The army of William and Mary landed at Torbay in November 1688 and marched on London, with few people trying to stop them. However, on the 9th December James sent part of his army to Reading to stop the march of the protestant army.
The people of Reading were very worried by the sudden arrival of so many Irish troops. A rumour began that everyone in the town was to be killed, and many people tried to leave the town. To stop them leaving, the sentries were posted on the main routes out of town. A messenger was sent by the Council to William to ask for help, and a relief force of about 250 Dutch troops were sent to the town. The Irish troops in Reading found out what was happening, and got ready to defend themselves. As William was coming from the west, they set up defences on the Bath Road, around St Mary’s church, in Broad Street and Market Place.

The townspeople managed to send another message to the Dutch Troops, who left the Bath Road and instead came into the town by Pangbourne Lane (now Oxford Road). Before being spotted by the Irish troops, they reached the town. The Dutch now fell on the troops in St Mary’s Butts and Broad Street from an unexpected direction, and the Irish troops soon retreated in confusion. The main force in Market Place, hearing the firing, retreated. The townspeople of Reading added to the problems of the Catholic troops by firing on them from the nearby buildings. About 50 of the Irish troops were killed, while the Dutch lost about 6 men.