There will be a launch for our new book at Northampton Museum on Sat 19 December 2:00 – 4:00 where you will be able to buy copies and get them signed. We will also be on John Griff show on BBC Radio Northampton discussing the book on 18 Dec at 3:10.
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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.
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Did you know that the earliest record of a tournament being held in England, is in an 1120 charter of Osbert of Arden, a Warwickshire knight of English descent, which reveals that he traveled to Northampton and London but also crossed the Channel to join in events in France. Before 1154, the other sites were London, York and Worcester. Tournaments were then banned until 1194 when Richard I only licensed Brackley, Salisbury, Kenilworth, Stamford and Blyth to hold them. However by 1218 Northampton was once again considered the premier tournament site in England.Source : Tournament, Volume 4 By David Crouch, Bloomsbury 3PL; New edition (2006)
Where the tournament field was in Northampton is unclear. It may have been the St. James area where a great fair was held every year, but could have also been in the area of the modern racecourse or even Harlestone Heath. This was one of the earliest if not the earliest place for formal horse racing in England and it is recorded that in 1632 the corporation of Northampton covenanted to make an annual gift of a silver-gilt covered cup of the value of £16.
The new weekly blog on the history of Northants is now on line.
Source: Northampton Battlefield Conservation Plan published by Northampton Borough Council
There have been comments under the article about the damage to the battlefield in the local Chronicle newspaper
website that the Eagle Drive/ Golf Club side of the battlefield is mostly made up ground. So as to set the record straight, please see this section of the battlefield Lidar Survey, which clearly shows the medieval ridge and furrow across the area. In the area behind the clubhouse it appears that a spoil heap has been dumped on top (in a horseshoe), so the original ridge and furrow is probably still underneath. Actually, most of the ridge and furrow is in such good a condition, that you only have to look across the landscape to see for yourself.
Northamptonshire Battlefields Society 