The Battle of Turnham Green occurred 13 November 1642 near the village of Turnham Green, at the end of the first campaigning season of the First English Civil War. On the battlefield, the engagement resulted in a standoff between the forces of King Charles I and the much larger Parliamentarian army under the command of the Earl of Essex. However, in successfully blocking the Royalist army's way to London, the Parliamentarians gained an important strategic victory because the standoff forced Charles and his army to retreat to Oxford for secure winter quarters.