The Richard III Society

Promoting research into the life and times of Richard III since 1924

Patron: HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO

The Battles of The Wars of the Roses

Click on a label on the map to find out more about that particular battle. This will take you to a brief summary of that battle. A variety of sources have been used to write these summaries but readers should be aware that sources for some of the battles are scant, and in some instances virtually non-existent, so much of what is written about the battles – both here and in other secondary sources – is conjecture based on what is available. These battles – perhaps more than any other aspect of this period of history – demonstrate the difficulties any historian faces in trying to recapture the past and emphasises the need to read as many contemporary and near contemporary sources as possible, in order to provide an hypothesis of what actually happened.

In the summary list below (presented in chronological order) you will see that the battle name is a link, which will take you to a separate and more detailed description of that battle. The coats of arms shown in these descriptions represent some of those who took part in the battle, and have been drawn by Geoffrey Wheeler.

Each battle section has its own further reading list in addition to the extensive bibliography for the Wars of the Roses. The Society's Barton Library holds copies of many of the books, papers. and leaflets listed below and is thus a unique source for material on this period in history.

The Battles of The Wars of the Roses – in chronological order

'(ex)' after a name in the 'casualties' means the person in question was 'captured or arrested and subsequently executed'.

Battle	York	Lancaster	Victor
The 1st Battle of St Albans Date: 22 May 1455 Battle site: Fought in the town of St Albans, Hertfordshire.	Leaders in battle: Duke of York • Earl of Warwick Casualties: c. 100 men in total	Leaders in battle: King Henry VI • Duke of Buckingham • Duke of Somerset • Earl of Northumberland • Lord Clifford Casualties: Duke of Somerset • Earl of Northumberland • Earl of Dorset • Lord Clifford
The Battle of Blore Heath Date: 23 September 1459 Battle site: Site crosses A53, Newcastle-under-Lyme to Market Drayton road, about 3 miles east of the latter, Staffordshire.	Leaders in battle: Earl of Salisbury Casualties: Yorkist casualties minimal	Leaders in battle: Lord Audley • Lord Dudley Casualties: Lord Audley • Sir William Troutbeck • Sir Hugh Venables • Sir John Donne • c. 2000 Lancastrians
The Rout of Ludford Bridge Date: 12 October 1459 - 13 October 1459 Battle site: South of Ludlow, bridge crossing the River Teme, Shropshire.	Leaders in battle: Duke of York • Earl of Salisbury • Earl of Warwick • Earl of March • Earl of Rutland Casualties: None	Leaders in battle: King Henry VI • Duke of Buckingham
The Battle of Northampton Date: 10 July 1460 Battle site: Immediately south-east of Northampton and north of Delapré Abbey.	Leaders in battle: Earl of Warwick • Earl of March Casualties: c. 300 men in total	Leaders in battle: King Henry VI • Duke of Buckingham • Earl of Shrewsbury • Lord Grey of Ruthyn Casualties: Duke of Buckingham • Earl of Shrewsbury • Lord Egremont • Lord Beaumont
The Battle of Wakefield Date: 30 December 1460 Battle site: Sandal, about 1.5 miles south-east of Wakefield, West Yorkshire.	Leaders in battle: Duke of York • Earl of Salisbury • Earl of Rutland Casualties: Duke of York • Earl of Salisbury (ex) • Earl of Rutland • Sir Thomas Neville • Sir Thomas Harrington • Sir Thomas Parre • Sir Hugh Mortimer • Sir John Mortimer	Leaders in battle: Duke of Somerse • Earl of Northumberland • Earl of Devon • Lord Clifford • Lord Roos
The Battle of Mortimer's Cross Date: 2 February 1461 or 3 February 1461 Battle site: Approx. 4.5 miles north-west of Leominster, Hereford & Worcester, to the right of the A4410.	Leaders in battle: Earl of March • Sir William Hastings • Sir William Herbert • Walter Devereux	Leaders in battle: Earl of Pembroke • Earl of Wiltshire • Owen Tudor • Sir John Throckmorton Casualties: Owen Tudor (ex) • Sir John Throckmorton (ex)
The 2nd Battle of St Albans Date: 17 February 1461 Battle site: The town of St Albans, Barnard's Heath and Sandridge, Hertfordshire.	Leaders in battle: Earl of Warwick • Earl of Arundel • Duke of Norfolk • Lord Montagu Casualties: Lord Bonville (ex) • Sir Thomas Kyriell (ex)	Leaders in battle: Queen Margaret • Duke of Somerset
The Battle of Towton & Ferrybridge Date: 28 March 1461 - 29 March 1461 Towton Battle site: Between Towton and Saxton to the right of the B1217, North Yorkshire.	Leaders in battle: King Edward IV • Duke of Norfolk • Earl of Warwick • Lord Fauconberg Casualties: Lord Fitzwalter •	Leaders in battle: Duke of Somerset • Earl of Northumberland • Lord Clifford Casualties: Earl of Northumberland • Earl of Devon (ex) • Earl of Wiltshire (ex) • Lord Clifford • Lord Dacre • Sir Andrew Trollope
The Battle of Hedgeley Moor Date: 25 April 1464 Battle site: Approximately 6 miles south-east of Wooler, Northumberland.	Leaders in battle: John Neville • Marquess of Montague •	Leaders in battle: Duke of Somerset • Lord Roos • Lord Hungerford • Sir Ralph Percy Casualties: Sir Ralph Percy
The Battle of Hexham Date: 15 May 1464 Battle site: OS site known as Hexham Levels is 2 miles south-east of Hexham, Northumberland. Alternative site about one mile north-east near Swallowship Hill.	Leaders in battle: John Neville, Marquess of Montagu	Leaders in battle: Duke of Somerset • Lord Roos • Lord Hungerford Casualties: Duke of Somerset (ex) • Lord Roos (ex) • Lord Hungerford (ex) • Sir Philip Wentworth • Sir William Tailboys
The Battle of Edgcote Date: 24 July 1469 Battle site: Site known as Danes Moor south-east of Edgcote which is 5.5 miles north-east of Banbury, Oxfordshire.	Leaders in battle: Earl of Pembroke • Earl of Devon • Sir Richard Herbert Casualties: Sir Thomas Vaughan • Earl of Pembroke (ex) • Earl of Devon (ex) • Sir Richard Herbert (ex)	Leaders in battle: 'Robin of Redesdale' • Sir Henry Neville Casualties: Sir Henry Neville
The Battle of Empingham, also known as The Battle of Losecote Field Date: 12 March 1470 Battle site: 2.5 miles north-east of Empingham, Rutland and just east of the Great North Road (A1).	Leaders in battle: King Edward IV	Leaders in battle: Sir Robert Welles • Sir Thomas de Launde • Richard Wauren Casualties: Sir Robert Welles (ex) • Sir Thomas de Launde (ex) • Richard Wauren (ex)
The Battle of Barnet Date: 14 April 1471 Battle site: Close to Hadley Wood about 1 mile north-east of Barnet, formerly in Middlesex.	Leaders in battle: King Edward IV • Duke of Gloucester • Duke of Clarence • Sir William Hastings Casualties: Lord Say and Sele •	Leaders in battle: Earl of Warwick • Earl of Oxford • Marquess of Montagu Casualties: Earl of Warwick • Marquess of Montagu • Lord Cromwell • Sir Humphrey Bourchier
The Battle of Tewkesbury Date: 4 May 1471 Battle site: About 0.5 miles south of Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.	Leaders in battle: King Edward IV • Duke of Gloucester • Duke of Clarence • Sir William Hastings	Leaders in battle: Edward Prince of Wales • Duke of Somerset Casualties: Edward Prince of Wales • Duke of Somerset (ex) • Earl of Devon • Lord Wenlock • John Beaufort • Sir John Delves • Sir Robert Whittinhgham
The Battle of Bosworth Date: 22 August 1485 Battle site: Traditional site about 4.5 miles north-west of Hinckley between the villages of Sutton Cheney and Shenton, Leicestershire.	Leaders in battle: King Richard III • Duke of Norfolk • Earl of Northumberland Casualties: King Richard III • Duke of Norfolk • William Catesby (ex) • Sir Richard Radcliffe • Sir Richard Brackenbury • Sir Robert Percy	Leaders in battle: Henry Tudor • Earl of Richmond • Earl of Oxford • Jasper Tudor • Lord Stanley • Sir William Stanley Casualties: William Brandon
The Battle of Stoke Date: 16 June 1487 Battle site: East Stoke 5 miles south-west of Newark, Nottinghamshire.	Leaders in battle: Earl of Lincoln • Martin Schwartz • Thomas FitzGerald • Casualties: Earl of Lincoln • Martin Schwartz • Thomas FitzGerald	Leaders in battle: King Henry VII • Earl of Oxford • Lord Strange

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