Promoting research into the life and times of Richard III since 1924
Patron: HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO
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.
'(ex)' after a name in the 'casualties' means the person in question was 'captured or arrested and subsequently executed'.
Battle | Victor | ||
The 1st Battle of St Albans | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 | 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 |