War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14)
Sieges, marches, encampments and famous battles from 1701 to 1712 in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands
Plan of the Battle of Ramillies, 1706 (Ramillies, Walloon Region, Belgium) 50°38'02"N 04°54'04"E
1706 or laterPencil, pen, ink and watercolour; drawn on four sheets of paper, joined; laid down on two pieces of coarse linen, stitched together; edged with cerise silk ribbon; two pink linen ties to top edge; a brass ring for hanging at each of the top corners | Scale: 1:3,000 approx | RCIN 725065
A plan of the marches and camps of the French and Allied armies towards the Battle of Ramillies, fought on 23 May 1706 between the Allied army (English, Dutch Republic, and Danish), commanded by John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722) and Henry, Count of Nassau and Lord of Overkirk [Hendrik van Nassau, Heer van Ouderkerk (1640-1708)], and the French and Spanish, with the Electorate of Bavaria, commanded by the duc de Villeroi (1644-1730), and Maximilian II, Elector of Bavaria (1662-1726), resulting in an Allied victory. War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14). Oriented with west-north-west to top (compass rose).
Gabriel Delahaye, the draughtsman of this plan, is known for having made in 1712 an estate survey of Boughton, then the home of John, 2nd Duke of Montagu (1690-1749). Montagu was married to Marlborough's daughter, Mary Churchill, in 1705, and it is known that he went to Flanders with Marlborough in the spring of 1706. Although it is recorded that he returned fairly soon afterwards, it is possible that he acquired a map of the Battle of Ramillies and the surrounding country and asked Delahaye to copy it. Delahaye is also known for having made several other plans and maps of the War of the Spanish Succession which are now in the collections at Boughton, now the home of the Buccleughs.
The plan is carefully drawn, and care is taken to mark the extent of cultivated land, indicated by pecked lines, brown and yellow stripes, and brown washes, bordered by hedges, and the wetter land of the river and stream valleys. These damp areas posed difficulties for the movement of troops. The old lines of the French and Spanish army, which were breached by Marlborough in 1705, are shown by dotted lines. The Allied battalions are indicated by red rectangles, and the squadrons of horse by blue rectangles, and those of the French are shown in green and yellow respectively.
The march in eight columns of the Allied army is shown beginning at Bettencourt (Bettincourt 50°42'44"N 05°14'07"E), continuing past Coswarem (Corswarem 50°42'39"N 05°12'49"E), Roujou (Rosoux-Crenwick 50°42'26"N 05°11'22"E), then between Fresin (Vorsen 50°42'13"N 05°10'14"E), and Cortes (Kortijs 50°42'23"N 05°08'56"E), along the plain south-east of Gros Avernas (Cras-Avernas 50°41'48"N 05°07'26"E), turning south-west past Hannuye (Hannut 50°40'17"N 05°04'44"E), then west by Creheigne (Crehen 50°39'35"N 50°03'47"E), onwards between Miredaux (Merdorp 50°38'55"N 04°59'58"E) and Wasseige (Wasseiges 50°37'18"N 05°00'19"E), passing north of Branchon (50°37'44"N 04°58'24"E), to reach Ramillies with the little villages of Franquinies (Francqunée 50°37'15"N 04°56'33"E) and Taviers (50°37'02"N 04°55'50"E) on the army's left, or to the south.
The map extends approximately from just north-west of Meldert (50°47'17"N 04°50'15"E) in the north-west to Halle (Halle-Booienhoven 50°48'19"N 05°06'42"E) in the north-east, and from Perweis (Perwez 50°37'27"N 04°48'48"E) in the south-west to Hannuye (Hannut 50°40'17"N 05°04'44"E) in the south-east.
Gabriel Delahaye (active 1689?-1723) (draughtsman) [bottom left, below scale bar:] Le present Plan ecrit & dessigné par Gabriel Delahaye.
Subject(s)
Army-Allied army (War of the Spanish Succession, 1701-1714)Army-FranceWatermark: None
Condition: three fold lines; some brownish grey discolouration. Verso: heavy surface dirt along bottom and top edges, the surface dirt along the top edge consistent with the map having been rolled and tied; bottom right, large water-stained patch, perhaps from the removal of Cumberland's cipher label
Scale: 1:3,000 approx. Scale bar: Echelle de 600. Pas Communs [161 mm =].
99.9 x 83.7 cm (neatline)
101.2 x 85.0 cm (image)
103.2 x 86.9 cm (sheet)
Manuscript title:
PLAN / DE / LA BATAILLE / DE / RAMILLIES / Dans laquelle l’Armée des Confederés commandée par / Milord Duc de Marlborough, defit entierement l’Armée / des deux Couronnes, sous le commandement de l’Elec= / teur de Bauiere et le Marechal de Vileroy. en Brabant / le i2 de May 1706. [bottom left, in irregularly-shaped panel]
Additional text:
[bottom right, a key, A-I, K-U, W-Z, to the camps and marches, their orders of battle, the positions of the left and right wings, etc of the Allied and French armies:] EXPLICATION DES LETTRES.
Annotations:
George III heading [black pencil:] Ramelies 1706.
Other inscriptions: (Recto) none. (Verso) [bottom, left of centre, blue biro on 1980s red-printed Royal Library label:] V 65 [no longer present as at 24/02/2015]; [bottom right, black pencil, illegible: 1706?]
K. Mil. dummy sheet:
Title [ink:] Plan dessiné de la Bataille de Ramillies dans laquelle l'Armée des Confederés commandée par le Duc de / Marlborough, defit entierement l'Armée des deux Couronnes, commandée par l'Electeur de Baviere et le / Marechal de Vileroy en Brabant le 12/23 [‘23’ in red ink:] de May 1706 - par Gabriel Delahaye. 2 feuilles / A Roll ... [black pencil:] 5 table 2.d / [black pencil in a modern hand:] x oversize in Box V RC '96 [i.e. 1996] / [black pencil:] V/65 [red ink:] Battle of Ramelies 23 May 1706.
Watermark: BUDGEN & WILMOTT / 1810.
Size: 47.0 x 32.6 cm (sheet).George III catalogue entry:
Ramelies Plan dessiné de la Bataille de Ramillies dans laquelle l'Armée des Confederés commandée par le Duc de Marlborough defit entierement l'Armée des deux Couronnes commandée par l'Electeur de Baviere et le Marechal de Villeroy en Brabant le 12 (23) de May 1706: par Gabriel Delahaye. 2 feuilles.
Subject(s)
Ramillies, Walloon Region, Belgium (50°38'02"N 04°54'04"E)
Bibliographic reference(s)
J. Cornforth, 'The making of the Boughton landscape', Country Life, vol.149, 1971, pp. 536-9
R. Holmes, Marlborough, England's fragile genius, London 2008, pp. 332-47
E.C. Metzger, ‘Montagu, John, second duke of Montagu (1690–1749)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford, 2004
E. Stuart, Lost landscapes of Plymouth: maps, charts and plans to 1800, Stroud 1991, p. 102
