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29-775: The Board consisted of a chairman and a maximum of nine other members, later increased to twelve, all appointed by Health Ministers. Throughout its existence, NRPB had 300 members of staff on average. They were located at the headquarters in Chilton near Oxford and at laboratories in Leeds and Glasgow . The Department of Health funded the difference between the cost of NRPB and its income by annual grant. Research on ionizing radiation included: plutonium exposure; internal dosimetry ; radioactive discharges; nuclear accidents and wastes ; radon hazards; medical x rays; epidemiology and molecular biology . Research on non-ionizing radiation included

58-721: A wide selection of publications. Members of staff contributed to major public inquiries about the nuclear industry in the UK and supported the UK response to the Chernobyl disaster . They also participated in the work of the International Commission on Radiological Protection ; the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection ; the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation ;

87-527: Is a historic part of Berkshire , though under the 1974 local government boundary changes was transferred to the administration of Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish population as 894. The village is just off the A34 road . A section of the Grim's Ditch forms part of the southern boundary of the parish. The prehistoric Ridgeway National Trail passes south of the village. The Domesday Book of 1086 lists

116-670: The Battle of Marston Moor in northern England on 2 July. The King ordered Rupert to march into Gloucestershire in an attempt to draw some of the Parliamentarian armies after him. However, the Parliamentarians did not send any units to follow Rupert, and his manoeuvre divided the Royalist forces, rather than those of Parliament. By the time that King Charles arrived in Berkshire with his army,

145-900: The Nuclear Energy Agency ; and various committees of the Commission of the European Communities . The Health Protection Agency Act 2004 repealed the Radiological Protection Act. On 1 April 2005, NRPB became the Radiation Protection Division of the Health Protection Agency (HPA). Under the terms of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the HPA was abolished, and responsibility for radiation protection functions

174-596: The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory , is in the parish. Second Battle of Newbury 51°24′50″N 1°20′06″W  /  51.414°N 1.335°W  / 51.414; -1.335 Indecisive 1643 1644 1645 1646 The Second Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War fought on 27 October 1644, in Speen , adjoining Newbury in Berkshire. The battle

203-461: The 6,000 who started) were fit for service. After the victory at Lostwithiel, King Charles first probed the Parliamentarian defences at Plymouth then marched back across the southern counties of England to relieve several garrisons (including Banbury , Basing House and Donnington Castle , near Newbury), which had been isolated while he had been campaigning in the west. King Charles was joined briefly by Prince Rupert , who had been defeated at

232-513: The Earl of Essex had assembled three Parliamentarian armies and positioned them to block any Royalist advance on London. By 19 October Waller was at Basingstoke where he was joined by the Earl of Manchester with the Eastern Association army the next day. The Earl of Essex also arrived at Basingstoke on 20 October with an army composed largely of elements of the cavalry and infantry that had survived

261-638: The King, Essex marched into the West Country , to relieve Lyme which was under siege , and then to subdue Devon and Cornwall . This allowed the King to double back and return to Oxford to collect reinforcements. On 29 June, he then won a victory over Waller at Cropredy Bridge . Waller's army, most of which was unwilling to serve far from its home areas in London and the southeast, was subsequently crippled for several weeks by desertions and threatened mutinies. The King

290-544: The Parliamentarian commanders held a council of war at Speen. Cromwell, Balfour and Sir Arthur Hesilrige eventually were allowed to take cavalry in pursuit of the King's army, but soon found that the Royalists had already crossed the River Thames at Wallingford and had reached the safety of the neighbourhood of Oxford. The Parliamentarians called off the pursuit and instead made a hasty attack on Donnington Castle. The attack

319-436: The Royalists had captured at Lostwithiel). Balfour routed Maurice's cavalry and also defeated the Earl of Cleveland's brigade, but was then checked by the fresh Queen's Regiment of horse and musketeers under Sir Thomas Blagge lining hedges east of Speen. Cromwell was uncharacteristically slow in coming into action and his wing was thrown back by a charge by Goring's remaining cavalry under Goring himself. The Earl of Manchester

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348-406: The afternoon, with cavalry under Oliver Cromwell on the left flank, infantry under Philip Skippon in the centre and cavalry under Sir William Balfour on the right. Maurice's forces had been dispersed to forage, and were caught unprepared. Although they repelled the first attack on Speen, the Parliamentarian infantry rallied and stormed the village, capturing several cannon (including some which

377-736: The allegiance of the Scottish Covenanters , who sent an army into the north east. These developments both distracted the Royalists and weakened their forces around Oxford , King Charles's wartime capital. Early in June, the Parliamentarian armies of the Earl of Essex and Sir William Waller threatened to surround Oxford. King Charles made a night march to escape to Worcester . He was still in danger but on 6 June, Essex and Waller (who disliked each other) conferred at Stow-on-the-Wold and fatally decided to divide their armies. While Waller continued to shadow

406-569: The battle at Lostwithiel. On 22 October, Charles relieved Donnington Castle. He knighted Lieutenant Colonel John Boys , the commander of its garrison, and promoted him to colonel. He hoped to relieve Basing House next, but the combined Parliamentarian armies were too strong for him to risk an advance. He therefore waited around Newbury for Rupert, and another detachment under the Earl of Northampton which had been sent to relieve Banbury, to rejoin him. Charles' army held three strong points: Donnington Castle north of Newbury, Shaw House northeast of

435-467: The campaigning season with a notable success. The Parliamentarian armies' unwieldy council of war was divided. When the King offered battle on 9 November, Manchester made his famous remark that "The King need not care how oft he fights... If we fight 100 times and beat him 99 he will be King still, but if he beats us but once, or the last time, we shall be hanged, we shall lose our estates, and our posterities be undone." Cromwell, his lieutenant general, made

464-484: The combined Parliamentarian armies advanced to Clay Hill, a few miles east of Newbury, where they set up an artillery battery. Intermittent exchanges of cannon fire took place throughout the day. Essex had been taken ill, and Waller and Manchester decided that a frontal attack on Donnington Castle and Shaw House would be too costly. They opted instead to divide their forces. While Manchester demonstrated with 7,000 infantry against Shaw House, Waller took 12,000 men (including

493-533: The equally famous rejoinder, "If this be so, why did we take up arms at first? This is against fighting ever hereafter. If so, let us make peace, be it never so base". The dissatisfaction expressed by Cromwell and other Parliamentarians over the failure to trap Charles after the battle and the subsequent half-hearted operations, eventually resulted in the passing of the Self-denying Ordinance , which deprived Essex, Waller and Manchester of their commands, and

522-474: The infantry from the Earl of Essex's army, a brigade of the London Trained Bands and most of the cavalry) on a long march of 13 miles (21 km) around the Royalist position to fall on Speen from the west. It was intended that on hearing the opening cannonade from Waller's guns, Manchester would then put in a full-scale attack on Shaw House. Waller set off late on 26 October and camped overnight far to

551-498: The north. His force broke camp and resumed its outflanking move on 27 October while Manchester launched a diversionary attack on Shaw House. Although the Royalists at Donnington Castle observed Waller's movement, and even sent a small detachment of cavalry to harry his rearguard, the troops at Speen were not warned of the danger. Waller's force crossed to the south bank of the Lambourn at Boxford , and formed up and attacked at 3 o'clock in

580-521: The parish. In 1644 the village was the site of a minor incident following the Second Battle of Newbury in which Parliamentarians narrowly escaped being attacked by Royalists . The Church of England parish church of All Saints dates from the 12th century. Since 1976 the ecclesiastical parish has been united with Harwell . The southern part of the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus , including

609-433: The physics and biology of exposure to ultraviolet sources , electricity supplies, and mobile phones . As well as a full range of technical services - from personnel dosimetry to radiation surveys - NRPB also engaged in projects such as: the safe transport of radioactive materials ; preparedness for nuclear emergencies; exposure to cosmic rays ; optimization of protection; improved radiation instruments; training courses;

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638-532: The town and the village of Speen to the west. The River Kennet prevented the Parliamentarians making any outflanking move to the south, but the small River Lambourn divided the Royalists at Speen and Newbury from those at Shaw House and Donnington Castle. Shaw House and its grounds including some Iron Age embankments incorporated into the defences, were defended by Lord Astley , with three "tertias" or brigades of infantry under his son, Sir Bernard Astley, Colonel Thomas Blagge and Colonel George Lisle . Speen

667-645: Was assigned to the Public Health England Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards (CRCE) at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus near Chilton, Oxfordshire . This nuclear physics or atomic physics –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Chilton, Oxfordshire Chilton is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse district of Oxfordshire , England, about 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (6 km) southwest of Didcot . The parish

696-400: Was defeated with heavy casualties. By 1 November, Charles had been reinforced by Rupert, Northampton and other forces to a strength of 15,000 men, and was able to relieve Donnington Castle again on 9 November. The Parliamentarians declined to contest the second relief of Donnington, and the Royalists found on 19 November that they had also raised the siege of Basing House . Charles thus ended

725-515: Was fought close to the site of the First Battle of Newbury , which took place in late September the previous year. The combined armies of Parliament inflicted a tactical defeat on the Royalists , but failed to gain any strategic advantage. In the early months of 1644, the Parliamentarians had won victories at Cheriton in the south of England and Nantwich in the northwest. Also, they had secured

754-491: Was held by Rupert's brother Prince Maurice , with a mixed detachment from the Royalist forces from the west country. Charles's cavalry under George, Lord Goring were in reserve. They were divided into four brigades under Goring himself, Lord Wentworth, the Earl of Cleveland and Sir Humphrey Bennett. The Earl of Brentford was the Lord General, and Charles' deputy Lord Hopton commanded the artillery. Early on 26 October,

783-559: Was outnumbered and with the loss of Speen, his forces were vulnerable to another attack the next morning. He hastily retreated to the north, leaving his wounded and most of his guns and baggage in Donnington Castle. Much of the Royalist army withdrew over a bridge over the River Lambourne which was an obvious line of retreat, but no Parliamentarian troops blocked their path, and the Royalists were free to withdraw. The following day,

812-433: Was slow to throw in his own attack, pleading that the noise of Waller's guns had not been heard over the exchanges of artillery fire at Shaw House. Just before dark, he made a determined attack on Shaw House, but was beaten back. Casualties in the day's fighting were heavy, but roughly even on both sides. The Royalists had held off the Parliamentarian forces but Charles knew his army was not up to another day's fighting. He

841-603: Was thus free to march after Essex's army. Essex was soon trapped against the coast at Lostwithiel . He relied on support from the Parliamentarian navy, but contrary winds prevented the Parliamentarian ships leaving Portsmouth . Although Essex himself escaped in a fishing boat and his cavalry broke out of encirclement, the rest of his army was forced to surrender on 2 September, losing their arms and equipment. The troops were paroled, but suffered severely from exposure and attacks by country people during their march to Portsmouth. Although they were re-equipped, only 3,000 infantry (out of

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