The Skirmish at Hollow Brook - A fictional Wars of the Roses battle

[KarwickWingmaker]

Part 1: The Troublesome Priest

Following on from the raid of Middleton (see: https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=130522.0), the Yorkist army under Sir Richard Hayres of Matlock chased their enemies across the countryside. Eventually, the Lancastrians managed to escape the Yorkist scouts. Sir Peter Durkin of Grindleford, now leading the battered Lancastrian forces, came upon a priest and offered him the money required to repair and improve the local monastery if he would waylay the Yorkist scouts and send them in the wrong direction. The priest agreed.



When the Yorkist scouts crossed the ford at Hollow Brook, they saw the priest and asked for directions. He sent them in completely the wrong direction, just as agreed. Terrified, he hurried back to the Lancastrians and begged them to protect him if the Yorkists were to return. The Lancastrians agreed and left him with Captain Samuel Phillips, one of the most trusted men out of what remained of Clifton's men at arms.

[KarwickWingmaker]

Part 2: The Belligerents


The Lancastrian commanders (left to right):
Sir Peter Durkin of Grindleford (white/green) the army leader
Sir Arthur Bullmore of Farley (yellow/black)
Captain Samuel Phillips (white/blue)


The Yorkist commanders (left to right):
Sir Richard Hayres of Matlock (red/blue) the Army Leader
Sir Henry Montagu of Eyam (red/white)
Captain Charles Lance (tawny/cream) serving under Sir William Bennfield of Cromford who could not make it to the battle in time, having joined the Yorkist forces but fallen ill just days before they reached Hollow Brook

[Captain Blood]

Captain Samuel Phillips looks like he’s conducting the orchestra and choir

Fictional battles are the best 

[KarwickWingmaker]

Part 3: The Battle Begins

(This battle report was fought using the I Shall Call You My Lord rules available for free here: https://orriblelittlemen.wordpress.com/downloads)

The Lancastrian forces were resting at Eyam, leaving Captain Samuel Phillips to keep watch for the Yorkist advance, in case the Priest hadnt managed to rid them of their pursuers.







Spotting the Yorkist banner of Richard Hayres, the Lancastrians hurriedly prepared themselves as best they could for the battle that would inevitably take place, with Durkin taking the Lancastrian left, just outside of Eyam while Bullmore and Phillips held the town. The opening shots from the cannon echoed in the cold air, but no screams could be heard from the Yorkists. Arrows flew from the archers in the town, but caused only a few casualties.





Hayres ordered his Yorkists to press on, attempting to get his archers and handgunners into a better position to rain their projectiles upon the Lancastrian left, while also providing cover for his infantry who could easily be massacred by a single good hit from the Lancastrian cannon.



The archery duel was a bloody affair where the Yorkist right met the Lancastrian left. It was the Yorkist handgunners that broke first, fleeing from the field. Not many Lancastrian mercenary crossbowmen were left to celebrate this smallest of victories.



The mercenary pikemen on the Yorkist left had taken a hit from the cannon and several volleys from the Lancastrian longbows, but suffered only a handful of casualties. As the archery duel came to an end, the Yorkists started to cross the bridge as they advanced upon Eyam. Lancastrian billmen rushed to the front to meet them.

[KarwickWingmaker]

Part 4: Is That the Thunder of Hooves I Hear?

Yes! Sir Edward Baynham of Bamford, a close friend of Sir Peter Durkin, arrived with his cavalry!





They crashed into the Yorkist right flank, hitting Captain Lance's unit of men at arms, driving them back to the shock of the units of archers (now spent of their ammunition) who were becoming, quite understandably, terrified.



The Yorkist pikemen continued their advance, undeterred by what they could hear behind them, confident in their ability to push into the town.



The Lancastrian left now wheeled around to face the road, a possible flanking manoeuvre that forced Hayres to react decisively.



But react he did, ordering his own unit of men at arms to cross the hedgerow and square up to the Lancastrian army Leader, jeers and taunts could be faintly heard above the deafening screams coming from the Yorkist right.



Just as the Yorkists seemed to be closing the gaps on their right flank where Baynham's cavalry hit, Captain Lance was slain along with what was left of his unit of men at arms. The Yorkists managed to prevent a rout, but for how much longer?

[KarwickWingmaker]

Part 5: Treason!



As Captain Lance's body lay at the hooves of the Lancastrian horse, Sir Henry Montagu of Eyam turned upon the Yorkists. He ordered his units to march upon the Yorkist rear while leaving the only remaining unit on the Yorkist right flank (a single group of archers that had spent all of their arrows) to flee from the Lancastrian cavalry. This act of treachery shook the Yorkists but once again Hayres managed to prevent his units from running from the field.



As Hayres turned his attention to what was unfolding behind his lines, he ordered his billmen to charge into Durkin's unit of men at arms, pinning the Lancastrian leader in a melee where he was quite severely outnumbered.





Moments later, the Yorkist cavalry arrived. Spotting the priest who misled them, they levelled their lances and charged.

[KarwickWingmaker]

Part 5: The Collapse



Having turned to face the treasonous Montagu, Hayres' unit of men at arms crossed the bridge ...



... and crashed into Montagu's bodyguard, with no obvious victor in the opening melee.



The Yorkist mercenary pikemen crushed the Lancastrian resistance and entered Eyam, coming face-to-face with Bullmore's men at arms who had lost many of their number at the raid of Middleton. But they wouldn't fight today ..



.. as only moments before they would have clashed, a panicked cry could be heard as Lancastrians who had been fighting on the left poured away from the Yorkists. Durkin had fallen! The battle was over.

Montagu was captured and killed for his treachery.

[KarwickWingmaker]

Captain Samuel Phillips looks like he’s conducting the orchestra and choir

Fictional battles are the best 

They sure are especially for skirmishes!

[MaleGriffin]

Very nice indeed!

[Tordenkuglen]

again soo awesome

[KarwickWingmaker]

Very nice indeed!

again soo awesome

Thanks chaps! Hope everyone’s doing well and staying safe