Alton 1643
Dec 2 Waller had gone to London to argue for better conditions for his troops. Essex promptly told him to return to Farnham or face a court-martial.

Hopton and his Royalists capture Arundel Castle.
Dec 3 Royalist forces attempt to capture the crossing of the River Adur at Bramber Castle but were repulsed.

A letter from John Coulton to Samuel Jeake of Rye, dated January 8th, 1643-4 :

"The enemy attempted Bramber bridge, but our brave Carleton and Evernden with his Dragoons and our Coll's horse welcomed them with drakes and musketts, sending some 8 or 9 men to hell ( I feare) and one trooper to Arundel Castle prisoner, and one of Capt. Evernden's Dragoons to heaven."

 James Temple, one of the defenders of Bramber Castle and later commander of Tilbury fort was later to sign the King's death warrant.
Dec 5 Colonel Wemyss came down from London with wagons laden with light cannon made from toughened leather bound with iron hoops. Colonel Wemyss' leather cannon could be easily drawn by a single horse and could fire shot of a pound and a half a considerable distance.
Dec 12 10.30 pm The Parliamentarian troops mustered in Farnham Park where Waller personally addressed them.

Midnight. They marched out for 2 miles along the Basing Road to mislead any Royalist scouts before turning southwards towards Alton.

 

The Earl of Crawford had posted sentries in the woods north of Alton. Lt-Col. Birch captured six of them but one escaped and raised the alarm in the town.
Dec 13 Crawford rode swiftly out of the town with his cavalry regiment to get reinforcements from Winchester, pursued for a while by some of the Parliamentarian horse.

A church with many outbuildings stood at the northwest corner of town. Col. Richard Boles, the Royalist commander of foot had set up his garrison there.

Heselrige and Waller marched their regiments round to the West of the church and fired at the Royalist musketeers from the nearby hedgerows.

Waller brought the leather guns round and opened fire forcing the Royalists to retreat from the outbuildings back towards the church.

The Greencoats and the London Brigade marched round on the hills to the west of the town to attack the Royalists from the rear. There was a breastwork with a half-moon defence which fired on them but a hastily improvised smokescreen was created by setting fire to a thatched house, and this enabled them to pass. They entered the main street of Alton and moved north from the market place towards the Royalists at the churchyard.

 

 Waller had received a message  from Crawford before the battle offering to exchange some meat for a barrel of wine. Waller humoured him and sent the wine but a message returned that he would have to come and get the beef. After the battle Waller's troops, while looting Crawford's quarters found the wine untouched.
The battle raged for 2 hours. The Royalists defended the churchyard and a large earthwork nearby. The heavy musket fire forced them back into the church.

 

 Dead horses were supposedly used as a barricade in the church.
An attack made on the church led by Major Shambrooke killed Colonel Boles and the battle drew to a halt.

 

  Boles had threatened to 'run his sword through the heart of him which first called for quarter' Shambrooke received a wound in the thigh.
Some chose to fight to the death, but the main force surrendered - 700 of them in the church, 100 in a brick barn and another 100 in nearby fields. These men were marched off to Farnham, tied in pairs with match cord - many of them were to change sides and fight for Parliament. The Parliamentarians had lost fewer than 10 men, with about 20 wounded.
Dec 16 In a letter to Waller from Winchester, Hopton wrote :

This is the first evident ill success I have had. I must acknowledge that I have lost many brave and gallant men. I desire you, if Colonel Boles be alive, to propound a fit exchange; if dead, that you will send me his corpse. I pray you send me a list of such prisoners as you have, that such choice men as they are may not continue long unredeemed. God give a sudden stop to this issue of English blood which is the desire, Sir, of your faithful friend to serve you, Ralph Hopton.