Torrington 1646 is an independent editorial reference dedicated to the Battle of Torrington and its place in the history of the English Civil War. It exists out of a straightforward conviction: that one of the most dramatic episodes in Devon's history — a night battle, a church explosion, the final collapse of the Royalist cause in the South West — deserved a dedicated, well-researched home on the internet.
The site covers the battle itself, the wider Civil War in Devon, the town of Great Torrington, the commanders on both sides, the weapons and social conditions of 17th-century England, and the living-history tradition that has kept this period alive for new generations. All content is written for general readers — no prior knowledge of the Civil War is assumed.
Torrington 1646 is run by a small editorial team with a shared interest in English history — specifically the seventeenth century, the Civil War, and the regional histories that national accounts often overlook. Devon's role in the conflict, and the Battle of Torrington in particular, is precisely the kind of story that deserves more attention than it typically receives.
The team's backgrounds are in writing, research, and digital publishing rather than academic history. The site draws on published historical scholarship, primary sources, and the work of organisations such as the Sealed Knot and local Devon historians. Where the historical record is uncertain or contested, that is noted.
The aim is to be accurate, readable, and honest about the limits of what is known. The English Civil War is a period rich in contemporary accounts, but those accounts were written by partisans — Royalists and Parliamentarians who each had reasons to shade the record. The evidence is presented fairly, and where interpretations differ, that is flagged.
This site does not carry advertising and has no commercial relationship with any organisation.
"It exists because the history is worth telling."