Battle of Hedgeley Moor

Battle of Hedgeley Moor

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Hedgeley Moor


caption=
partof=Wars of the Roses
date=25 April 1464
place=Hedgley Moor in Northumberland, England
result=Yorkist victory
combatant1=
combatant2=
commander1=John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu
commander2=Duke of Somerset
commander3=Sir Ralph Percy
strength1=6,000
strength2=5,000
casualties1=Unknown
casualties2=Unknown
Location map
Northumberland
lat=55.47111
long=-1.92405
width=180
float=right
caption="Hedgeley Moor shown within Northumberland" (gbmapping|NU049197)

The Battle of Hedgeley Moor, 25 April 1464, was a battle of the Wars of the Roses. It was fought at Hedgeley Moor, north of the village of Glanton in Northumberland, between a Yorkist army led by John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu and a Lancastrian army led by the Duke of Somerset. The battle ended in a Yorkist victory.

Background

At the beginning of 1464, after setbacks in 1463, the Lancastrians were hoping that the Welsh Marches and the West Country would rise in their support. The Yorkists wanted to remove the threat of Scottish invasion, by reaching an agreement with the Scots. The English parliament was due to meet at York on the 5th of May to discuss terms with a party from Scotland, but a burst of Lancastrian activity in Northumberland and North Yorkshire meant that it would be difficult for the Scottish party to travel safely to York. Lord Montagu was therefore sent north with a small force to escort them to York.

The Duke of Somerset tried to ambush Montagu near Newcastle but the latter was able to evade this attempt. He continued his journey northwards gathering troops as he went. When Montagu reached Hedgeley Moor he had an army of five or six thousand men. There he met a Lancastrian army of five thousand men commanded by Somerset. The Lancastrian army also included Sir Ralph Percy, Lords Roos and Hungerford, and Sir Ralph Grey. Percy had already changed sides several times during the war.

The battle

The battle began with the normal exchange of archery between the two armies.Montagu then advanced across the 1,500 yards of moorland, only to be forced to halt and readjust his lines when the Lancastrian left flank, under Lords Roos and Hungerford (some 2,000 men), faltered, broke and scattered.

The whole Lancastrian force gave way when the Yorkists clashed with their line. Pushed back by weight of numbers all but a few of the remaining Lancastrians fled the field. Sir Ralph Percy stayed with his household retainers and made a brave last stand. However, deserted by the rest of the army, including all the other commanders, he was soon slain. As he died he is said to have uttered the enigmatic words: ‘I have saved the bird in my bosom’.

Aftermath

The defeat and dispersal of the Lancastrian forces made it possible for the Scottish negotiators to be safely escorted to York, where a peaceful solution was successfully negotiated.

A square stone column stands near the site of the battle, and is known as ‘Percy’s Cross’.

References

* Sadler, John. "Battle for Northumbria", 1988, Bridge Studios, ISBN 095126303X


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Hedgeley Moor, Battle of — (1464)    The Battle of Hedgeley Moor, fought in Northumberland on 25 April 1464, checked the growth of Lancastrian insurgency in the far north and allowed the continuation of peace talks between SCOTLAND, a former Lancastrian refuge, and the… …   Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses

  • Bataille de Hedgeley Moor — 55° 28′ 16″ N 1° 55′ 27″ W / 55.47111, 1.92405 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Schlacht von Hedgeley Moor — Teil von: Rosenkriege Datum 25. April 1464 Ort Northumberland …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Battle of Hexham — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=Battle of Hexham caption= partof=Wars of the Roses date=May 15, 1464 place=Hexham in Northumberland, England result=Decisive Yorkist victory combatant1= combatant2= commander1=John Neville, 1st Marquess of… …   Wikipedia

  • Hexham, Battle of — (1464)    Fought on 15 May 1464, only three weeks after the Yorkist victory at the Battle of HEDGELEY MOOR, the Battle of Hexham ended the Lancastrian resurgence in Northumbria and ushered in five years of relatively stable Yorkist government.… …   Encyclopedia of the Wars of the Roses

  • Bataille de Edgecote Moor — Informations générales Date 26 juillet 1469 Lieu Danes Moor, Northamptonshire, Angleterre Issue victoire des Lancastre Belligérants …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Wars of the Roses — The Wars of the Roses (1455–1485) were a series of dynastic civil wars fought in England between supporters of the Houses of Lancaster and York. Although armed clashes had occurred previously between supporters of Lancastrian King Henry VI and… …   Wikipedia

  • English longbow — The English longbow, also called the Welsh longbow, was a powerful type of medieval longbow (a tall bow for archery) about 6 ft 6 in (2.0 m) long used by the English, Scots and Welsh, both for hunting and as a weapon in medieval warfare. English… …   Wikipedia

  • List of battles (geographic) — This list of battles is organized geographically, by country in its present territory. For other lists of battles, see List of battles. Angola* Battle of Mbwila 1665 * Battle of Quifangondo 1975 * Battle of Cassinga 1978 * Battle of Cuito… …   Wikipedia

  • List of battles 1401–1800 — List of battles: before 601 601 1400 1401 1800 1801 1900 1901 2000 2001 current See also: List of American Revolutionary War battles Early 15th Century (1401 1450) * 1402 **Battle of Casalecchio January 26 Alberico da Barbiano for Milan defeats… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”