Cornish Royalists defeated a larger Parliamentarian army at Stratton in north Cornwall on 16 May 1643. The Parliamentarian position was stormed after prolonged fighting, and artillery and supplies were captured. The victory opened the way for a Royalist advance into Devon and Somerset.

Stratton strengthened the heroic legend of the Cornish Royalist army. Royalist writers used its unexpected victory to express providential confidence and celebrate supposedly traditional bonds between county, king and community.