Category: Earl of Warwick

Earl of Warwick, King Edward IV, Latest News, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Uncategorized, Wars of the Roses

Battle of Edgcote Anniversary Walk

Edgecote is another of Northamptonshires forgotten battlefields. This one marked the beginning of the second stage of the Wars of the Roses – Warwick’s rebellion and according to legend, decided by a Banbury barmaid. The Yorkist forces were slaughtered including 152 Welsh nobles. Their leader William Herbert, earl of Pembroke, captured and executed at Northampton’s Queen Eleanor Cross whilst Warwick and Edward’s brother Clarence looked on

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Date: 26 July 2017

Where: The Griffin Inn, Chipping Warden

Time: 7:30pm

Battle of Northampton 1460, Coppini, Earl of Warwick, King Edward IV, King Henry VI, Latest News, medieval knights, Northampton history, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Wars of the Roses

Battle of Northampton Event 15/16 July 2017

The international award winning Northamptonshire Battlefield Society will be at Delapre Abbey on 15/16 July for the commemoration of the 1460 battle where we will be giving walks, talks and demonstrations. Come and play our new battle of Northampton game. We will have our new Northamptonshire and Rutland Wars of the Roses Gazetteer and battle heraldry posters on sale as well as the book and game.

delapre poster 2017

 

 

Battle of Northampton 1460, Coppini, Earl of Warwick, King Henry VI, Latest News, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Wars of the Roses

Battle of Northampton Memorial Walk 10 July 7:00pm

All welcome. Meet at Delapre Abbey at 7:00pm to walk to Queen Eleanor Cross to lay flowers for the fallen of Northamptonshires medieval battles. Will include a mini tour and talk on the 1460 battle.DSCF9513

Battle of Northampton 1460, Earl of Warwick, King Edward IV, King Henry VI, Latest News, New book, Northampton history, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Richard Neville, Wars of the Roses

1460 Battle of Northampton timeline 3

10 July 1460

The Battle of Northampton

King Henry knights ten of his men including Thomas Stanley and the five year old grandson of the Duke of Buckingham.Both would be heavily involved in the demise of Richard III, twenty four and twenty five years later

The Yorkists send Heralds and Bishops to the Lancastrian camp to negotiate, still maintaining they do not want to fight, only talk with the King. A Yorkist Bishop changes sides and urges the King not to negotiate but fight.Buckingham declares “The Earl of Warwick shall not come to the King’s presence and if he comes he shall die.”

Warwick finally replies “At 2 o’clock I will speak with the King or I will die”. It would be the last time that any negotiations would precede an English battle. Coppini, the Papal Legate pronounced the most terrifying of all excommunications – an anathema on their enemies, exhibiting before the camp an Apostolic letter in which was believed to contain the formula for the excommunication forbiding them to have a christian burial. Warwick orders either spare the commoners or spare Grey’s men (depending on the source).

‘le seigneur de Greriffin’, who along with thirteen to fourteen hundred men, was outside the fortifications. He goes on to say that the Yorkists skirmished with Greriffin outside the town for an hour and a half. It is not clear whether the report means the whole Yorkist army or just part, but it is more likely that it was the Yorkist vanguard led by Scrope and Stafford when they first arrived. These Yorkists then assaulted the town itself which took another half hour from when Greriffin’s men retreated. They entered Northampton by force, pillaging and burning the town as they passed through it

The Yorkists then advance on the Lancastrian position, it would be the only time a fortified camp was assaulted during all thirty-seven years of the wars. Several accounts say that the Lancastrian guns fail to fire. Although the guns might not have worked, they were not defenseless and shower the Yorkists with up to 100,000 arrows. Despite this William Lucy in Dallington hears gunfire and races to join the King (was this then Yorkist gunfire?)

When Edward Earl of March (later King Edward IV) and his men reach the defences, Lord Grey of Ruthin in the Lancastrian left flank and his men start helping the Yorkists into the camp.

Its all over for the Lancastrian’s. A fight takes place around the King’s tent in which Buckingham, Egremont, Beaumont and Shrewsbury are all killed. So too is Vaux from Northampton. The King is captured by the Yorkists.

Many Lancastrians try to flee. With the bridge under Yorkist control and the river under flood plus a myriad of smaller waterways that flow east and west between the Abbey and the town, they can only go east and lots of miniature battles take place across the landscape. Many are recorded as dying as they try to cross the river (probably Rushmills).

William Lucy arrives on the battlefield only to be met by his wife’s Yorkist lover, who kills him with an axe. The two marry shortly after.

Aftermath.

Between 5-7,000 killed. All the Lancastrian lords are killed. King Henry is captured. He stays at Northampton for three days and takes mass at Delapre. He is then led back to London in procession. Soon after Richard of York returns and for the first time lays claim to the throne. Margaret of Anjou escapes with the Royal baggage but is overtaken at Gayton. The rogue bishop is arrested and thrown into the dungeon at Warwick Castle.

Want to know more? please buy our book “The Battle of Northampton 1460” published by NBS and available from either their stand at events, Northampton Museum, Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre or Amazon.

Battle of Northampton 1460, Coppini, Earl of Warwick, King Edward IV, King Henry VI, Latest News, medieval knights, Northampton history, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Richard Neville, Wars of the Roses

1460 Battle of Northampton Anniversary Event in pictures

Chairmans award for outstanding preservation and interpretation presented by Sir Robert Worcester
Northampton Battlefield Society stand
Vice chair Phil Steele accepts the award for outstanding battlefield society on NBS behalf from Sir Robert Worcester
kiddie knights
battlefield tour led by the chairman
Flowers laid at Queen Eleanor’s Cross in memory of the fallen
NBS Northampton Battlefield model
foot tournament
foot tournament
Firepower demo
A full stand. Committee member Anthony Rich describes the battle
Battle of Northampton 1460, Coppini, Earl of Warwick, History of Artillery, King Edward IV, King Henry VI, Latest News, Northampton history, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Uncategorized, Wars of the Roses

Battle of Northampton timeline 1.

26 June 1460.

The Calais Lords, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick; Edward, Earl of March; and William Neville, Lord Fauconberg landed at Sandwich with 2,000 men.

27 June 1460.

The Calais lords arrive at Canterbury. Robert Horne, John Scot and John Fosse and their men, sent by King Henry to stop them change sides and help negotiate the surrender of the city.

28 June 1460

Yorkists send out letters summoning help from the Cinque Ports. At least Rye and Winchelsea send men. After paying respects at the shrine of St. Thomas, a growing number of Yorkists leave Canterbury heading for London via Rochester and Dartford.

29 June 1460

The Common Council of London agree to resist the rebels but refuse to let the Lancastrian Lord Scales to act as the cities Captain. Men at Arms are placed on London Bridge. A deputation is sent to the advancing Yorkists warning them they would be refused entry to the city. Thousands flock to the Yorkist standard ‘like bees to the hive’.

1st July 1460

The Yorkist army reaches London and camps at Blackheath. As well as the Calais Lords it was said to include ” the many footmen of the commons of Kent, Sussex and Surrey”. By this time, according to some observers their number was between 20,000 and 40,000.

2 July 1460

11 Aldermen of London rebel in support of the Yorkists. The Yorkists enter London and are met by the Bishops of Ely and Exeter in Southwark. There is a crush on London Bridge and 13 Men at Arms are trampled when they fell.

3 July 1460

The Calais Lords make an oath of allegance to King Henry on the cross of Canterbury at St. Pauls. Warwick announces that they had come with the people to declare their innocence or else die in the field.

4 July 1460

Francesco Coppini, Bishop of Turin and Papal Legate joined the Yorkists at Calais. His official mission from the Pope was to persuade the English to join a crusade. However, he has a secret mission from Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan (If you have seen “The Borgias” on TV you will get the idea), to help put the Yorkists on the throne. The French were becoming heavily involved in Italy and Margaret of Anjou’s brother wanted to be King of Naples, thereby threatening Milan. If the Yorkists were kings of England they might be persuaded to invade France and take the pressure of of Italy. At St. Pauls and by letter, Coppini issues a chilling warning to King Henry… ‘….out of the pity and compassion you should have for your people and citizens and your duty, to prevent so much bloodshed, now so imminent. You can prevent this if you will, and if you do not you will be guilty in the sight of God in that awful day of judgement in which I also shall stand and require of your hand the English blood, if it be spilt’

Warwick’s Uncle, William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, advances north from London, with according to one chronicler, 10,000 men. Faucoberg was the Yorkist’s most experienced soldier having taken part in many of the later battles of the 100 Year War. He appears to have been heading for Ware. Warwick secures a loan of £1,000 from London to finance the coming campaign.

5 July 1460

The main Yorkist army commanded by Warwick leaves London heading north along Watling Street. They bring with them a train of artillery.

The Lancastrian’s make plans to leave their base at Coventry. Summonses are sent out to towns and to lords to assemble their forces. They too have a large train of artillery which they had been stockpiling at Kenilworth Castle.

Salisbury and Cobham stay in London to lay siege to the Tower

July 7 1460

The Lancastrians reach Northampton and begin to build a fortified camp in fields between Hardingstone and Delapre Abbey. Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor of England , William Waynflete, surrenders the Great Seal to the King in ‘Hardingstone Field’ Then he and a number of other senior members resign and flee.

In the meantime the two separate Yorkist armies join at Dunstable where they wait for the artillery and slower foot soldiers to catch up.

Battle of Northampton 1460, Coppini, Earl of Warwick, Henry IV, King Edward IV, King Henry VI, Latest News, Northampton history, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Richard III, Richard Neville, Uncategorized, Wars of the Roses

New Book

We are pleased to announce the publication of our new book on the 1460 Battle of Northampton. Written by medieval historian Mike Ingram and illustrated by Matthew Ryan. Forward by Earl Charles Spencer.

It should have been the battle that ended Richard of York’s rebellions. With the Yorkists politically destroyed and the estates confiscated, all that remained was to carry out the punishment for treason – death. On 10 July 1460 King Henry VI and his army waited for the Yorkists in a heavily fortified camp in fields outside Northampton. However, they did not count on the treachery of Lord Grey of Ruthin. For the first time, this is the full story of the Battle of Northampton which took place during the turbulent period now known as the Wars of the Roses. It was the first and only time that a fortified camp was assaulted and was the last time protracted negotiations took place before a battle. In its immediate aftermath the House of York laid claim to the throne of England for the first time and so began the bloodiest phase of the Wars of the Roses – the war of succession. As well as the battle itself, the book looks at Northamptonshire’s medieval history and its involvement in the Wars of the Roses.

Foreword by Earl Charles Spencer

Northampton today is, frankly, an under-appreciated, often overlooked, town. The joke is, people only know of Northamptonshire because they shoot through it on the M1: they note the name of the county town on notice boards from exits 15 to 16. But this was, once, one of the great centres of power and influence in early and Medieval England. It was also, with Oxford, home to one of the first two universities in the land. Mike Ingram brings fine scholastic research to play, in reminding people of Northampton’s past importance – strategic and social. His energetic prose gives colour to every page, while his revelations intrigue and entertain. He helps us appreciate why one of the great battles of English history took place in this Midland town, and he skilfully resurrects the generals and ordinary soldiers who clashed in an engagement that helped lay the foundations of this nation’s past. You don’t need to be a champion or resident of Northampton to appreciate this overdue appraisal of the battle that bears its name. This is a book that everyone who loves History – particularly the almost forgotten kind – will savour.

The book is published by Northampton Battlefield Society priced £9.99 and is available in printed version and for kindle etc. Available from Amazon or from Northampton Battlefields Society.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/099307779X?keywords=mike%20ingram&qid=1449230084&ref_=sr_1_5&s=books&sr=1-5

 

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NBS Statement on new threat to the 1460 Battlefield

Save Npton battle graphicDo you object to the battlefield being developed? Please don’t leave it to others as every single one of your objections count. The clock is ticking. How to object follows our statement.

This is our statement regarding the recent planning application to build a car park and other works on the 1460 registered battlefield.

STARTS
The retrospective planning application states categorically that the ‘finds’ discovered on this site are of “no importance”, this could not be further from truth; a medieval broach, and potentially significant finds of round shot that could revise the understanding of the early use of handguns in England are detailed in MOLA’s report. The one sided nature of this conclusion raises questions about the integrity of the applicants and their future intensions for this site. It is essential that the whole battlefield be archaeologically investigated before any steps to develop the site damage this crucial historical environment.

It is therefore the responsibility and duty of the Northampton Battlefield Society to call upon the Northampton Borough Council to reject the retrospective planning application for a Car Park outright, and to work with the Society to ensure the future protection of this historical battlefield.

The Planning Application by Delapre Golf Club provides Northampton Borough Council (NBC) with a real opportunity to partly restore through their actions, their reputation for protecting and preserving our local heritage. Here is a chance for them to refute the public’s perception of their apparent lack of care, recently observed during the controversy over museum sales portrayed in the international media.

NBC can achieve this improvement of their standing by not only refusing this planning application for a car park, but also by publicly resolving to put themselves behind the full protection of the whole area of this nationally important battlefield for the local community and future generations to enjoy.
ENDS

We would urge all of you who wish to object to either write to NBC planning using the reference N/2015/0785 addressed to The Planning Department, The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton. NN1 1DE
or
go to the on-line Planning Portal http://www.northampton.gov.uk/…/…/view_planning_applications click the search for a planning application button, on the new screen, enter the reference number N/2015/0785, click search. When details of the application appear, click the red comment button and you will be able to register your objection.

Thank you.

Battle of Northampton 1460, Earl of Warwick, King Edward IV, King Henry VI, King John, Latest News, Northampton history, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross

Latest blog: 1460 Battle of Northampton

http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.uk/Forgotten-History-Northamptonshire-Battle/story-26827169-detail/story.html

Battle of Northampton 1460, Coppini, Earl of Warwick, King Edward IV, King Henry VI, Latest News, Northampton in the 15th century, Queen Eleanor's Cross, Richard Neville

Magazine features article on the 1460 Battle of Northampton

The new issue of Medieval Warfare Magazine, a Wars of the Roses special, features an article on the 1460 Battle of Northampton by our chair, Mike Ingram. The article includes maps of how the action took place, plus a cover article on Francesco Coppini. On the cover is Warwick, Coppini and the future Edward IV beside Queen Eleanor’s Cross, from where the Archbishop of Canterbury and Coppini watched the battle.

http://www.karwansaraypublishers.com/pw/medieval-warfare/blog/mw-v-3/10460255_883971888312803_6326204446972328950_n