Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, notable, early modern

Battle of the Downs

Battle of the Downs was a naval engagement fought on 21 October 1639 at English Channel, in what is now United Kingdom. It was part of the Eighty Years' War, which ran from 1568 to 1648. The recorded result: Dutch victory. Recorded strength: 22 galleys, 29 galleons, 13 frigates, 6,500 sailors, 8,000 marines,; 30 transports carrying 9,000 soldiers against 95 warships.

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Battle of the Downs
Reinier Nooms, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought21 October 1639
WhereEnglish Channel, United Kingdom51.200N, 1.500E
OutcomeDutch victory
BelligerentsHabsburg Spain; Kingdom of PortugalagainstDutch Republic
Part ofEighty Years' War1568 to 1648

Where it sits in the Eighty Years' War

Siege of Valenciennes, 1566Battle of Wattrelos, 1567Battle of Oosterweel, 1567Battle of Dahlen, 1568Battle of Heiligerlee, 1568Battle of Jemmingen, 1568Battle of Jodoigne, 1568Battle of Le Quesnoy, 1568Siege of Loevestein, 1570Siege of Stavoren, 1572Capture of Brielle, 1572Capture of Flushing, 1572Capture of Zutphen, 1572Annexation of Doetinchem, 1572Battle of Hautrage, 1572Siege of Mons, 1572Spanish Fury at Mechelen, 1572Relief of Goes, 1572Siege of Middelburg, 1572Siege of Haarlem, 1572Battle of Flushing, 1573Battle of Haarlemmermeer, 1573Capture of Geertruidenberg, 1573Battle of Delft, 1573Siege of Alkmaar, 1573Battle on the Zuiderzee, 1573Capture of Valkenburg, 1574Battle of Reimerswaal, 1574Battle of Mookerheyde, 1574Battle of Lillo, 1574Siege of Zaltbommel, 1574Battle of Geestbrug, 1574Siege of Leiden, 1574Siege of Oudewater, 1575Siege of Schoonhoven, 1575Siege of Woerden, 1575Siege of Zierikzee, 1575Siege of Bommenede, 1575Spanish Fury at Maastricht, 1576Siege of Vredenburg, 1576Siege of Breda, 1577Siege of Binche, 1578Battle of Gembloux, 1578Siege of Zichem, 1578Siege of Nivelles, 1578Capture of Dalhem, 1578Battle of Rijmenam, 1578Siege of Deventer in 1578, 1578Battle of Borgerhout, 1579Siege of Maastricht, 1579Battle of Baasrode, 1579Capture of Courtrai, 1580Siege of Steenwijk, 1580Battle of Kollum, 1581Capture of Breda, 1581Siege of Tournai, 1581Siege of Niezijl, 1581Siege of Lier, 1582Siege of Lochem, 1582French Fury, 1583Siege of Eindhoven, 1583Battle of Steenbergen, 1583Siege of Ghent, 1583Capture of Aalst, 1584Siege of Brussels, 1584Siege of Zutphen, 1584Fall of Antwerp, 1584Battle of Werl, 1585Battle of Amerongen, 1585Siege of IJsseloord, 1585Battle of Empel, 1585Battle of Boksum, 1586Siege of Grave, 1586Siege of Venlo, 1586Siege of Rheinberg, 1586Battle of Zutphen, 1586Siege of Sluis, 1587Siege of Bergen-op-Zoom, 1588Siege of Heusden, 1589Capture of Geertruidenberg, 1589Battle of Bayona Islands, 1590Capture of Breda, 1590Siege of Nijmegen, 1591Maurice's campaign of 1591, 1591Siege of Zutphen, 1591Siege of Deventer, 1591Capture of Delfzijl, 1591Capture of Delfzijl, 1591Siege of Knodsenburg, 1591Battle of the Gulf of Almería, 1591Siege of Hulst, 1591Siege of Steenwijk, 1592Siege of Coevorden, 1592Luxemburg campaigns, 1593Siege of Geertruidenberg, 1593Siege of Coevorden, 1593Siege of Groningen, 1594Siege of Huy, 1595Siege of Groenlo, 1595Siege of Hulst, 1596Battle of Turnhout, 1597Siege of Rheinberg, 1597Siege of Meurs, 1597Siege of Groenlo, 1597Siege of Bredevoort, 1597Capture of Enschede, 1597Siege of Oldenzaal, 1597Capture of Ootmarsum, 1597Siege of Lingen, 1597Siege of Rheinberg, 1598Siege of Rees, 1599Siege of Schenckenschans, 1599Siege of Zaltbommel, 1599Siege of Las Palmas, 1599Siege of San Andreas, 1600Battle of Lekkerbeetje, 1600Battle of Nieuwpoort, 1600Dutch–Portuguese War, 1601Siege of Rheinberg, 1601Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch, 1601Siege of Grave, 1602Battle of the Narrow Seas, 1602Battle of Sluis, 1603Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch, 1603Siege of Sluis, 1604Spinola's campaign, 1605Battle of the English Channel, 1605Siege of Lingen, 1605Battle of Mülheim, 1605Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1606Siege of Groenlo, 1606Siege of Venlo, 1606Siege of Erkelenz, 1607Battle of Gibraltar, 1607Battle of Mülheim, 1609Bombardment of Valparaíso, 1614Battle of Playa Honda, 1617Battle of Gibraltar, 1621Siege of Jülich, 1621Siege of Bergen op Zoom, 1622Battle of Macau, 1622Invasion of the Veluwe, 1624Siege of Breda, 1624Cádiz Expedition, 1625Battle of San Juan, 1625Siege of Oldenzaal, 1626Siege of Groenlo, 1627Battle in the Bay of Matanzas, 1628Siege of 's-Hertogenbosch, 1629Invasion of the Veluwe, 1629Battle of IJsseloord, 1629Battle of the Slaak, 1631Frederick Henry's Meuse campaign, 1632Capture of Maastricht, 1632Siege of Rheinberg, 1633Siege of Maastricht, 1634Siege of the Philippines, 1635Siege of Schenkenschans, 1635Siege of Limbourg, 1635Battle off Lizard Point, 1637Siege of Breda, 1637Siege of Venlo, 1637Capture of Roermond, 1637Battle of Kallo, 1638Battle of Geldern, 1638Battle of Cabañas, 1638Action of 18 February 1639, 1639Fight in the Channel, 1639Battle of the Downs, 1639Siege of Hulst, 1640First Battle of San Salvador, 1641Battle of Cape St. Vincent, 1641Final Battle of San Salvador, 1642Attack on Saint Martin, 1644Siege of Hulst, 1645Battles of La Naval de Manila, 1646Siege of Dunkirk, 1646Battle of Puerto de Cavite, 164715661647Battle of the Downs, 1639
178 placed engagements of the Eighty Years' War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date21 October 1639
PlaceEnglish Channel, United Kingdom
51.200N, 1.500E
KindNaval engagement, early modern
Strength22 galleys, 29 galleons, 13 frigates, 6,500 sailors, 8,000 marines,; 30 transports carrying 9,000 soldiers95 warships
Casualties and losses35–40 ships; 5,000 sailors or marines; 3,000 soldiers captured or interned in England100–1,000 men; 1–10 ships lost
Commanders
Battle of the DownsBattle of the DownsBattle of Goodwin SandsBattle of Sandwich (1217)Battle of Sandwich (1460)Siege of Dover CastleBattle of DoverBattle of Goodwin SandsSiege of Dover CastleBattle of DoverLilleBrightonLutonIpswichCambridgeSouthend-on-SeaGentReading100 km51.200N, 1.500E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1639

Battle of the Downs is one of 1,553 engagements of the 17th century in the atlas and one of 753 in present-day United Kingdom.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q675999, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of the Downs, revision 1385058961, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.