Battle of Edgecote Moor
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Edgecote Moor took place 6 miles northeast of Banbury
(Oxfordshire
), England on 26 July 1469 during the Wars of the Roses
. The site of the battle was actually Danes Moor in Northamptonshire
, at a crossing of a tributary of the River Cherwell
. The battle pitted the forces of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
, against those of King Edward IV
. The battle is considered to be an important turning point in the course of the war.
, who strove so hard and gave so much to put Edward IV on the throne, came to be in open rebellion against him by 1469. Eight years after the great Yorkist victory at the Battle of Towton
, things had changed. Despite Warwick's growing discontent with Edward and his new government, nobody thought they would come to blows. However in Warwick's mind the motives were plentiful enough to merit war. In the years after Towton, the running of the country was mainly left to Warwick.
In 1464 Warwick was in the middle of negotiations with pro-Lancastrian
France, and he knew that a royal marriage with a French princess could solve their problems. Warwick told Louis XI
that Edward would be delighted to marry the French princess, but soon afterwards was informed of the humiliating truth: Edward had secretly been married to Elizabeth Woodville
, a commoner, for the past six months. Later on, Elizabeth's brothers and sisters were married off to ladies and nobles of importance, throughout the land. Most of these marriages offended Warwick in some way, and at least one was a direct insult to his family.
Warwick was also angered by Edward's constant refusal to let George (Plantagenet), the Duke of Clarence
, marry Warwick's eldest daughter. Edward claimed hypocritically that Clarence would serve for a diplomatic marriage and none other.
Warwick no longer exercised any control or even influenced his cousin, the King, in political matters. Thoughts turned to rebellion in Warwick's mind, a rebellion in which he already had an ally: the Duke of Clarence, heir to the English throne.
With the King's back turned Warwick's agents spread rumours stating that the King was bastard-born and that Clarence was York's true heir.
In the North, one of Warwick's captains, calling himself Robin of Redesdale
(actually a trusted Neville captain, Sir William Conyers) started a new rebellion. When Edward heard of this he believed the rebellion would easily be put down and mustered only a few of his men. He soon learned that the rebels in fact outnumbered his own small force and started a retreat towards Nottingham
to gather more recruits. Unfortunately the King lacked the popularity he had once had and reinforcements were few. Edward decided to wait in Nottingham for the Earls of Pembroke
and Devon
, arriving with an army from the south.
On 12 July, Warwick and Clarence declared their support for the rebels. On the 18th, Warwick left London at the head of a large army to reinforce the rebels.
The rebels hurried south to meet with Warwick, bypassing the King but nearly colliding with Pembroke and Devon at Edgecote Moor. The two armies became aware of each other on 25 July and joined in battle early in the morning of the 26th. The beginning was a rather one-sided affair as the Earl of Devon and his Welsh archers were some miles away, having stayed the night in a neighbouring village. The rebels attacked across the river forcing Pembroke to retreat and pull his men back some distance. Pembroke was attacked again in his new position, but he put up a brave defence while awaiting Devon. At 1 o'clock the Earl received the news he had been waiting for: Devon was rapidly advancing with all his men. However, at the same time the advance guard of Warwick's army arrived upon the field. Rebel morale was instantly boosted. Seeing Warwick's livery amongst the enemy, Pembroke's men presumed his whole force of expert soldiers was upon them. The royal army broke and fled the field possibly before Devon could even reinforce them.
The Earl of Pembroke and his brother Sir Richard Herbert
were captured and executed the following day. The Earl of Devon suffered a similar fate a few days later.
and the English Tournament Society to commemorate the 540th anniversary.
Banbury
Banbury is a market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in the Cherwell District of Oxfordshire. It is northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, south of Coventry and north northwest of the county town of Oxford...
(Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
), England on 26 July 1469 during the Wars of the Roses
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...
. The site of the battle was actually Danes Moor in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
, at a crossing of a tributary of the River Cherwell
River Cherwell
The River Cherwell is a river which flows through the Midlands of England. It is a major tributary of the River Thames.The general course of the River Cherwell is north to south and the 'straight-line' distance from its source to the Thames is about...
. The battle pitted the forces of Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick
Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...
, against those of King Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
. The battle is considered to be an important turning point in the course of the war.
The defection of the Earl of Warwick
The Earl of WarwickEarl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
, who strove so hard and gave so much to put Edward IV on the throne, came to be in open rebellion against him by 1469. Eight years after the great Yorkist victory at the Battle of Towton
Battle of Towton
In 1461, England was in the sixth year of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars between the Houses of York and Lancaster over the English throne. The Lancastrians backed the reigning King of England, Henry VI, an indecisive man who suffered bouts of madness...
, things had changed. Despite Warwick's growing discontent with Edward and his new government, nobody thought they would come to blows. However in Warwick's mind the motives were plentiful enough to merit war. In the years after Towton, the running of the country was mainly left to Warwick.
In 1464 Warwick was in the middle of negotiations with pro-Lancastrian
House of Lancaster
The House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
France, and he knew that a royal marriage with a French princess could solve their problems. Warwick told Louis XI
Louis XI of France
Louis XI , called the Prudent , was the King of France from 1461 to 1483. He was the son of Charles VII of France and Mary of Anjou, a member of the House of Valois....
that Edward would be delighted to marry the French princess, but soon afterwards was informed of the humiliating truth: Edward had secretly been married to Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville
Elizabeth Woodville was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Edward IV from 1464 until his death in 1483. Elizabeth was a key figure in the series of dynastic civil wars known as the Wars of the Roses. Her first husband, Sir John Grey of Groby was killed at the Second Battle of St Albans...
, a commoner, for the past six months. Later on, Elizabeth's brothers and sisters were married off to ladies and nobles of importance, throughout the land. Most of these marriages offended Warwick in some way, and at least one was a direct insult to his family.
Warwick was also angered by Edward's constant refusal to let George (Plantagenet), the Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence
Duke of Clarence is a title which has been traditionally awarded to junior members of the English and British Royal families. The first three creations were in the Peerage of England, the fourth in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the fifth in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.The title was first...
, marry Warwick's eldest daughter. Edward claimed hypocritically that Clarence would serve for a diplomatic marriage and none other.
Warwick no longer exercised any control or even influenced his cousin, the King, in political matters. Thoughts turned to rebellion in Warwick's mind, a rebellion in which he already had an ally: the Duke of Clarence, heir to the English throne.
The rebellion
Small rebellions in the North sent the King on a slow march in that direction.With the King's back turned Warwick's agents spread rumours stating that the King was bastard-born and that Clarence was York's true heir.
In the North, one of Warwick's captains, calling himself Robin of Redesdale
Robin of Redesdale
Robin of Redesdale, sometimes called "Robin Mend-All", was the leader of an insurrection against King Edward IV of England. His true identity is unknown, but it is thought he could have been either Sir John Conyers of Hornby or his brother Sir William Conyers of Marske...
(actually a trusted Neville captain, Sir William Conyers) started a new rebellion. When Edward heard of this he believed the rebellion would easily be put down and mustered only a few of his men. He soon learned that the rebels in fact outnumbered his own small force and started a retreat towards Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
to gather more recruits. Unfortunately the King lacked the popularity he had once had and reinforcements were few. Edward decided to wait in Nottingham for the Earls of Pembroke
William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423-1469)
William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke KG , known as "Black William", was the son of William ap Thomas founder of Raglan Castle and Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, and grandson of Dafydd Gam, an adherent of King Henry V of England....
and Devon
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon
Humphrey Stafford, 1st Earl of Devon was a dominant magnate in south-western England in the mid-15th century, and a participant in the Wars of the Roses. A distant relative of the earls of Stafford, Humphrey Stafford became the greatest landowner in the county of Dorset through fortunes of...
, arriving with an army from the south.
On 12 July, Warwick and Clarence declared their support for the rebels. On the 18th, Warwick left London at the head of a large army to reinforce the rebels.
The rebels hurried south to meet with Warwick, bypassing the King but nearly colliding with Pembroke and Devon at Edgecote Moor. The two armies became aware of each other on 25 July and joined in battle early in the morning of the 26th. The beginning was a rather one-sided affair as the Earl of Devon and his Welsh archers were some miles away, having stayed the night in a neighbouring village. The rebels attacked across the river forcing Pembroke to retreat and pull his men back some distance. Pembroke was attacked again in his new position, but he put up a brave defence while awaiting Devon. At 1 o'clock the Earl received the news he had been waiting for: Devon was rapidly advancing with all his men. However, at the same time the advance guard of Warwick's army arrived upon the field. Rebel morale was instantly boosted. Seeing Warwick's livery amongst the enemy, Pembroke's men presumed his whole force of expert soldiers was upon them. The royal army broke and fled the field possibly before Devon could even reinforce them.
The Earl of Pembroke and his brother Sir Richard Herbert
Sir Richard Herbert
Sir Richard Herbert of Ewyas, Herefordshire was the illegitimate son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Maud, daughter of Adam ap Howell Graunt...
were captured and executed the following day. The Earl of Devon suffered a similar fate a few days later.
540th Anniversary commemoration & re-enactment
On 12 & 13 September 2009 there was a re-creation of the battle on the actual battlefield, staged by The Medieval Siege SocietyMedieval Siege Society
The Medieval Siege Society is a British Living history and Combat reenactment association dedicated to costumed reenactment of Siege warfare, Combat reenactment and events surrounding the history known as the Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses...
and the English Tournament Society to commemorate the 540th anniversary.
541st Anniversary commemoration & re-enactment
Following the success of the 2009 commemoration & re-enactment, a second recreation was staged on 11 & 12 September 2010 for the 541st anniversary.Anniversary Walk
Since 2009, an annual walk of the battlefield and the key sites has taken place on the Sunday closest to the anniversary. The walk pauses at the Trafford Bridge site to lay a wreath remembering all those that lost their lives from both sides. This is organised by The Medieval Siege Society and attended by local residents, and members of the Battlefields Trust.External Links
- The Medieval Siege Society
- http://www.englishtournamentsociety.co.uk/ The English Tournament Society