Battle of Blore Heath
The Battle of Blore Heath was the first major battle in the English Wars of the Roses, and was fought on September 23 1459, at Blore Heath, two miles east of Market Drayton in Shropshire, England.After the Battle of St Albans in 1455, an uneasy peace had lasted in England, and attempts at reconciliation between the houses of Lancaster and York had enjoyed marginal success. However, both sides became increasingly wary of each other and by 1459 were actively recruiting armed supporters. The Queen (Margaret of Anjou) continued to raise support for the King (Henry VI) amongst noblemen, distributing an emblem of a silver swan to her supporters; whilst the Yorkist command under Richard, Duke of York was finding plenty of anti-royal support, despite the severe punishment for raising arms against the King,.
Hostilities at Blore Heath arose from the need for the Yorkist force based at Middleham castle in Yorkshire (led by Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury) to link up with the main Yorkist army at Ludlow castle in Shropshire. As Salisbury marched south-west through the Midlands the Queen ordered James Touchet, Lord Audley to raise a force to intercept them.
Audley chose the barren heathland of Blore Heath to set up an ambush. On the morning of the 23 September 1459 (St Tecla's day), a force of some 6-12,000 men took up a defensive position behind a 'great hedge' on the south-western edge of Blore Heath facing the direction of Newcastle-under-Lyme to the north-east, which was the direction from which Salisbury was approaching.
Meanwhile, Yorkist scouts spotted Lancastrian banners visible over the top of a hedge, and immediately warned Salisbury. As they emerged from woodland, the Yorkist force of some 3-6,000 men spotted that an enemy force greatly outnumbering them was awaiting their arrival. York immediately arranged his men into battle order, just out of range of the Lancastrian archers. On his right flank he arranged a defensive laager, a circular arrangement of supply wagons, which provided cover to his men on that flank. Fearing a rout, Yorkist soldiers are reported to have kissed the ground beneath them, supposing that this would be the ground on which they would meet their deaths.
The two armies were separated by about 300 metres on the barren heathland. Crucially, a steep-sided, wide and fast-flowing brook flowed between them. It was this geographical factor which meant that Audley's position was well-chosen, and seemingly inpenetrable.
Initially, both leaders sought to parley, in a futile attempt to avoid bloodshed, but this was unsuccessful, and the battle got under way. In keeping with many Medieval battles, the opening stages consisted of an archery duel between the longbow archers of both armies, however at Blore Heath this proved inconclusive, because of the distance between the two sides.
It seems that Salisbury, fully aware that any form of attack across the brook would be suicidal, employed a brilliant ruse to encourage the enemy to attack him. He did this by withdrawing some of his middle-order just far enough so that the Lancastrians believed them to be retreating and launched a cavalry charge. The Lancastrians did attack, and after they had commited themselves Salisbury ordered his men to turn back suddenly to attack the Lancastrians as they attempted to cross the brook. It is possible that the order for this Lancastrian charge was not given by Audley, but it had the effect of turning the balance in favour of Salisbury. The charge resulted in heavy casualties for the Lancastrians.
The Lancastrians withdrew, and then made a second assault, possibly attempting to rescue casualties. This second attack was more successful, with many Lancastrians crossing the brook. This led to a period of intense fighting, in which Audley himself was killed, possibly by Sir Roger Kynaston of Stocks near Ellesmere.
The death of Audley meant that Lancastrian command devolved on to the second-in-command Lord Dudley, who ordered an attack on foot with some 4,000 men. As this attack also failed, some 500 Lancastrians joined the enemy and began attacking their own side. At this, any remaining Lancastrian resistance collapsed and the Yorkists only had to advance to complete the rout.
The rout continued through the night, with the Yorkists pursuing the fleeing enemy for miles across the countryside.
York was concerned that Lancastrian reinforcements were in the vicinity, and was keen to press on towards Ludlow. He made his camp on a hillside at Market Drayton, which later took his name. York employed a local friar to remain on Blore Heath throughout the night, and to periodically discharge a cannon, to deceive any proximal Lancastrians into believing that the fight was continuing.
It is belived that at least 3,000 men died in the battle, with at least 2,000 of these from the Lancastrian side. Local legend says that Hempmill Brook flowed with blood for 3 days after the battle.
Legend has it that Margaret of Anjou watched the battle from the spire of the church in nearby Mucklestone, before fleeing when she realised Audley was being defeated. It is said that she employed a blacksmith, William Skelhorn, to reverse the shoes on her horse to disguise her escape. The anvil from the smithy stands in the churchyard at Mucklestone to commemorate this event.
A cross was erected on Blore Heath after the battle to mark the spot where Audley was slain. This cross was replaced with a stone cross in 1765. Audley's Cross stands on Blore Heath to this day. Audley is buried in Darley Abbey in Derbyshire.
The battle is commemorated by a re-enactment each year in September at Blore Heath.
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