Sir William heads for home ...

After Cheriton the Royalist forces had been scattered - most of the horse remaining had gone north with Hopton and Forth to Oxford; of the poor foot, most had either surrendered or been cut down - however some had made it to Winchester and sought refuge in the castle and city.

There were Parliamentarian horse patrols all over the place; Sir William de Willoughby with what was left of his regiment of horse and dragoons plus a few stragglers had decided to return home to northern Wiltshire - they went by the back ways to the south of Winchester....

before turning northward to make for Hungerford, Sir William sent a couple of riders ahead to Salisbury to warn the garrison there and order them to fall back north to Devizes.

Waller was driving the royalists out of Hampshire; most of the army was on it ways to Winchester, part had been detached to root out the remaining garrisons - Bishops Waltham was put under siege.