The battle finally got under way at around 2pm with an artillery bombardment and ended two and a half hours later when Rupert’s cavalry drove Essex’s Horse from the field. 

Approximately 26,000 men fought at Edgehill; of them an estimated 1000 died and 2000 were wounded. 

That night, both armies slept in the open, despite a hard frost and no food.

The members of it not only witnessed the ghostly battle but even identified some of the soldiers taking part – such as Sir Edmund Verney, the king’s standard bearer.

When captured, Sir Edmund had refused to give up the Royal Standard.

So the enemy took it from him by taking his hand as well.

Later, the Royalists recaptured the Standard … it is said with Sir Edmund’s hand still attached.

The Kineton villagers decided that the only way to stop the apparitions was to give Christian burial to all the corpses still lying on the battlefield. 

His Majesty sent a Royal Commission to investigate.

Three months later, after this had been done, the ghostly battles were fought less and less often.

But to this day, the events of October 23^rd 1642 continue to haunt Edgehill.

And while sightings of phantom armies have decreased, eerie screams and booming canon-fire still clash with thundering hooves and battle cries in the dark … particularly around the battle’s anniversary each year.

Dare you go to the Vale of the Red Horse on the night of October 23^rd? 

If you would – or have done so – we’d love to hear about it.

The Battle of Edgehill takes place in The Black Madonna – watched from a safe distance by Luciano del Santi.

Available as e-book, paperback, hard copy or in Audio. Here's the link:

https://books2read.com/u/meLNKZ

And now for this month’s trivia …

Up, up and  away soared the first, intrepid balloonists … a sheep, a duck and a cockerel.

Ever since Leonardo da Vinci, men have dreamed of flying.  Most of his ideas were impractical – such as his aerial screw helicopter design that could not provide lift.

However, the hang glider has been successfully constructed and demonstrated.

In the previous year, brothers Joseph and Étienne Montgolfier had begun to experiment with lighter-than-air flight using a piece of fabric billowed aloft by a fire of wool and damp straw.

One of their demonstrations attracted the attention of the Académie Royale des Sciences, which asked them to repeat their experiment in Paris.

So Étienne carried out an initial tethered attempt, which was successful and which he repeated a week later in front of the king at the Palace of Versailles.

Unfortunately, the skin of the balloon tore and had to be stitched back together. 

And on September 19^th 1783, flight finally became a possibility.

Then came lift-off.

Amidst stupefaction and applause, the balloon left the ground and soared just over 2,000 feet (600 metres) into the air.

Unfortunately, the repair to the tear in the fabric soon began to give way and (luckily!) caused a slow descent.

The flight lasted eight minutes, travelled 2 miles (3.5 km) and came back to earth in the Wood of Vaucresson.

It was hailed an outstanding success!

Physician Pilâtre de Rozier, himself a future aeronaut, hurried to collect and examine the animals. To everyone’s surprise, all three were alive and well – if somewhat confused.

They were hailed as 'Heroes of the Air' and rewarded with places in the Royal Menagerie of Versailles.

Despite this success, the king still refused to allow human flight.  

Assisted by the Marquis d’Arlandes and Marie Antionette, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier set about persuading His Majesty to change his mind.

On October 12th, a new hot air balloon was tested.  Tethered by 100 ft long ropes (30 metres), de Rozier sought ways to refine/control the supply of hot air from the furnace.

Louis XVI gave way to persuasion and the first manned flight took place on November 21^st, 1783. 

De Rozier and the Marquis climbed into the basket and the flight took off from the gardens of Château La Muette, near the Bois de Boulogne on the western outskirts of Paris.

On this, the first manned and untethered ascent, de Rozier and Marquis d’Arlandes rose to an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet (910 metres) and drifted to the southwest. 

The balloon had an approximate volume of 60,000 cubic feet (1,699 cubic metres). It was approximately 75 feet (22.86 metres) tall with a diameter of 50 feet (15.24 metres).

The air within the balloon was heated by burning coals.

This resulted in a pressure differential: the heated air was less dense than the ambient air and thus caused the balloon to rise.

After roughly 25 minutes, they descended to land between two windmills outside the city, at Butte-aux-Cailles.

They had travelled about 5 miles (9 km).

They could have flown farther, but the embers from the fire were beginning to scorch the balloon.

On the 19th of January 1784, in Lyon, France, the largest Montgolfier balloon ever made was laid out for launching. 

Called Le Flesselle, it was 120 feet high (36 metres) and had a capacity of 700,000 cubic feet (20,000 cubic metres) - making it one of the largest hot air balloons ever flown, even to this day.

It was sponsored by the governor of Lyon, Jacques de Flesselles, Seigneur de Champgueffier en Brie et de La Chapelle-Iger.

And it would be piloted by two experienced balloonists — Joseph-Michel Montgolfier and Jean-Francois Pilatre de Rozier.

Five gentlemen were passengers, including Prince Charles De Ligne and the Comte de la Porte d’Anglefort.

After 13 minutes and at a height of 3,000 feet (900 metres), winter weather and previous shoddy repairs caused the envelope rip.

The balloon immediately began leaking hot air.

For a moment it hung in the sky and then seemingly hesitated before it began to fall … slowly at first, then faster, as cold winter air entered the envelope.

Le Flesselle was doomed. Despite releasing the ballast, the rate of descent only accelerated. 

A crash was inevitable — Montgolfier, de Rozier and the passengers could do nothing but hang on. Finally, the balloon struck the ground.

Somehow, the seven aboard survived the impact, though it was a jarring affair.

As for Le Flesselle, it was never flown again.