The Parliamentarians did not send out scouts nor post a lookout in the church tower and so were unaware that Byron had been reinforced early that day. Prince Rupert, the Royalist general of horse, had arrived, also with around 1,000 mounted troops. Rupert's men were just north of the Teme, guarding the southern approach to the city. The modern historian Peter Gaunt suggests that Rupert was probably aware of the presence of the Parliamentarian detachment in the area, but allowed his men to rest in a field known as Wick Field (or Brickfield Meadow) and many removed their armour.