February 2, 1461,Mortimer's Cross pt 2

[nevermore]

February 2, 1461,Mortimer's Cross pt 2


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Lancs
Sir Owen Tudor

The Battle of Mortimer's Cross was fought February 2, 1461, during the Wars of the Roses (1455-1485).


Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke
approx. 3,500 men

Yorkists
Edward, Earl of March
approx. 2,500


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While his father had been campaigning in the north, Edward spent the later part of 1460 raising men in the West Marches. Having passed Christmas in Gloucester, he learned of his father's death and began making preparations to fall back towards London.


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These efforts were soon halted after Edward received news of Lancastrian forces led by Sir Owen Tudor and his son, Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke, moving east from Wales. Leading largely inexperienced men, the Tudors sought to unite with Margaret's main Lancastrian army.


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Marching south from Shrewsbury, Edward passed through Wigmore and assumed a position near Mortimer's Cross with the River Lugg to the east and woods to his west. On the morning of February 2, 1461, his army observed a rare meteorological event known as a parhelion which made it appear as if three suns were in the sky. Believing this to be a good omen, Edward informed his men that they represented York's three surviving sons and later took the "Sunne in Splendour" as one of his emblems.


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Battle of Mortimer's Cross - The Tudors Defeated:
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One of the most poorly documented battles of the Wars of the Roses, the particulars of the fighting are not known with certainty. It believed that the Tudors approached from the south via the Hereford Lane. Though they did not wish to seek battle, the Lancastrians ultimately advanced as victory was necessary to cross the River Lugg.


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Deployments may have been limited or hampered due to the constrained nature of the terrain. As battles of this period typically commenced with an arrowstorm, it may be assumed that this occurred before the two sides engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Some sources indicate that the Lancastrians gained an early advantage, but were ultimately defeated by determined counterattacks by Edward. Their lines broken, the Lancastrians began fleeing from the field.


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Battle of Mortimer's Cross - Aftermath:
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Retreating from the defeat, Pembroke and the Earl of Wiltshire succeeded in escaping the Yorkist pursuit. Less fortunate was Sir Owen Tudor who was captured at Hereford. Along with Sir John Throckmorton and eight other captured nobles, he was executed later that day and buried in the town.


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Casualty figures for the Battle of Mortimer's Cross are not known with certainty. Despite Edward's success, the Yorkist cause sustained a blow two weeks later when Warwick was badly beaten at the Second Battle of St. Albans and Henry liberated. Advancing on London, the Lancastrian army was refused admission and ultimately withdrew north. Uniting with Warwick, Edward moved east and entered London where he was proclaimed king on March 4. Marching against the Lancastrians he defeated them at the Battle of Towton on the 29th. Though the victory led to a long lull in the fighting, the Wars of the Roses would continue until Henry Tudor finally won the crown for the Lancastrians at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Crowned Henry VII, he founded the Tudor Dynasty and married Elizabeth of York the following year, uniting the two warring houses.

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[Arlequín]

A pretty fair write-up there and the battle certainly looks like one. 

You're right, sources are pretty sketchy on the forces. Butler is said to have fled at the start of the battle, but there may be some confusion with his doing the same at St. Albans in 1455. He had just returned from France where he had been drumming up support and some say he had French troops with him and of course his Irish followers from his family's lands in Eire... or maybe not.

The Yorkists do seem to be fewer, but they had recruited from the Duke of York's retainers in his heartland of support in Shropshire and the Marches (the old Mortimer lands), so it may very well have been a case of quality versus quantity. Herbert and Deveraux were the chief names associated with the battle besides Edward, but there were quite a few local Shropshire and Marcher notables that turn up in various sources.

For my money the Lancastrian advance from the South (A40/A438) is spot on too... the alternate A44 route route often mentioned directly from the West is pretty hard going (even today it's Wales' most dangerous road) and there had been heavy rain. Admittedly it did originally pass right through the battlefield in the 15th Century though.

The somewhat more circuitous route along the A438/A4112 would be much better going. It may have been the plan to pass through Leominster, then to Worcester and so on, but apparently Edward also had troops there, which might explain the otherwise sharp turn North; unless of course they meant to bring Edward to battle.

The 'parhelion' is a not uncommon sight in the region, so the story behind it is probably apocryphal. In any case it cannot be seen looking West apparently, only South/South West (where the Sun would be), which suggests this map might be a better rendition of the battle;

   

Other's mileage may vary of course. 

[nevermore]

Nice info Arlequin, thanks for the interest and map.