The
Battle of Hexham (15 May 1464) marked the end of significant
LancastrianThe 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...
resistance in the north of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during the early part of the reign of
Edward IVEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 2 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
.
The battle was fought near the town of
HexhamHexham is a market town in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district in Northumberland from 1974–2009. Hexham is one of three major towns in Tynedale along with Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population,...
in
NorthumberlandNorthumberland is a ceremonial county and unitary district in the North East of England. It borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of North...
. John Neville, later to be
1st Marquess of MontaguJohn Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, alias John Mortimer, called the Captain of Kent was a Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses, best-known for eliminating Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV of England.Montagu was a younger son of...
, led a modest force of 3,000-4,000 men, routed the rebel Lancastrians. Most of the rebel leaders were captured and executed, including
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of SomersetHenry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses....
and
Philip WentworthPhilip Wentworth , Knight, of Nettlestead, Suffolk, Usher of the King's Chamber, King's Sergeant, Esquire of the Body, King's Carver, Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, Knight of the Shire for Suffolk, Constable of Llanstephen and Clare Castles, Chief Steward of the honour of Clare, son of Roger...
, Knight of Nettlestead, Suffolk.
The
Battle of Hexham (15 May 1464) marked the end of significant
LancastrianThe 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...
resistance in the north of
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
during the early part of the reign of
Edward IVEdward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 2 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
.
The battle was fought near the town of
HexhamHexham is a market town in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district in Northumberland from 1974–2009. Hexham is one of three major towns in Tynedale along with Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population,...
in
NorthumberlandNorthumberland is a ceremonial county and unitary district in the North East of England. It borders Cumbria to the west, County Durham to the south and Tyne and Wear to the south east, as well as having a border with the Scottish Borders council area to the north, and nearly eighty miles of North...
. John Neville, later to be
1st Marquess of MontaguJohn Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, alias John Mortimer, called the Captain of Kent was a Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses, best-known for eliminating Lancastrian resistance in the north of England during the early part of the reign of Edward IV of England.Montagu was a younger son of...
, led a modest force of 3,000-4,000 men, routed the rebel Lancastrians. Most of the rebel leaders were captured and executed, including
Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of SomersetHenry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset was an important Lancastrian military commander during the English Wars of the Roses....
and
Philip WentworthPhilip Wentworth , Knight, of Nettlestead, Suffolk, Usher of the King's Chamber, King's Sergeant, Esquire of the Body, King's Carver, Sheriff of Norfolk and Suffolk, Knight of the Shire for Suffolk, Constable of Llanstephen and Clare Castles, Chief Steward of the honour of Clare, son of Roger...
, Knight of Nettlestead, Suffolk.
Henry VIHenry VI was King of England 1422–1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and King of France from 1422 to 1453. Until 1437, his realms were governed by regents. Contemporaneously, he was described as a peaceful and pious man, not suited for the harsh nature of the struggles facing him...
, however, was kept safely away (having been captured in battle 3 times earlier in his life), and escaped to the north.
With their leadership gone, only a few castles remained in rebel hands. After these fell later in the year, Edward IV was not seriously challenged until the Earl of Warwick changed his allegiance from the Yorkist to the Lancastrian cause in 1469.
Background
After the battle of Hedgeley Moor, the Lancastrians failed to prevent the Yorkists from concluding peace negotiations with Scotland in 1463, and soon found that their northern base of operations was now threatened. It was decided to mount a campaign in the North of England to gather Lancastrian support before a huge force under Edward IV could muster in
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and move north to crush the rebellion.
The Lancastrian army moved through Northumberland in late April 1464 under the Duke of Somerset, and gathered support from Lancastrian garrisons until it camped near to Hexham in early May. A Yorkist force under John Neville raced north in vanguard of Edward's larger force and the two sides met outside Hexham on 14 May 1464.
The battle
Details of the site of the battle, the composition and number of combatants and the events are sketchy but it is thought that the battle was relatively bloodless.
The Lancastrian camp was near Linnels Bridge over the
Devil's WaterDevil's Water is a river in Northumberland, England. A tributary of the River Tyne it joins that river from the south, near the village of Dilston about south-west of Corbridge. It is formed from the waters of several smaller burns and sikes between Embley and Hackford some to the south of...
found slightly to the south of Hexham. The Yorkists crossed onto the south bank of the
TyneTyne is an Irish surname.Tyne may also refer to:*River Tyne*Tyne and Wear*Tyne Tunnel*Tynemouth*Tyne Daly...
on the night of 12th/13th of May and were by the morning of the 14th in a position to attack Hexham. Presumably the Yorkist advance was at speed, as despite warnings by their own scouts the Lancastrians had little time to prepare for battle.
It is thought Somerset rushed his forces to a site near Linnels Bridge and deployed his troops in 3 detachments in a meadow near the
Devil's WaterDevil's Water is a river in Northumberland, England. A tributary of the River Tyne it joins that river from the south, near the village of Dilston about south-west of Corbridge. It is formed from the waters of several smaller burns and sikes between Embley and Hackford some to the south of...
, here he hoped he could engage the Yorkist army before it moved past him into Hexham. No sooner had the Lancastrians taken their positions than the Yorkists charged down from their positions on higher ground. Upon seeing the Yorkist advance the right detachment of the Lancastrian army, commanded by Lord Roos, turned and fled across the Devil's Water and into Hexham, before a single blow had been struck. The remnants of Somerset's force were in a hopeless situation, hemmed in and unable to manoeuvre; the Yorkist troops charged through the one opening at the east end of Linnel's Meadow and engaged the bewildered Lancastrian soldiers.
Lancastrian morale collapsed, and after some token resistance the remains of Somerset's army was pushed into the Devil's Water by the Yorkist infantry. A chaotic rout followed, men either drowned in the river or were crushed as they tried to climb the steep banks of the Devil's Water in the retreat towards Hexham. Most, however were trapped in West Dipton Wood on the north bank of the river and were forced to surrender when the Yorkists approached.
The aftermath
John Neville showed little of Edward's concilatory spirit, and had thirty leading Lancastrians executed in Hexham on the evening following the battle, including the unfortunate Duke of Somerset and Lord Roos. Sir William Tailboys was captured and executed shortly after, whilst he tried to flee north with £2000 of Henry's war chest. On the loss of its leadership and bank roll, the Lancastrian resistance in the North of England collapsed. The capture of Henry at
ClitheroeClitheroe is a town and civil parish in the borough of Ribble Valley, Lancashire, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Forest of Bowland and is often used as a base for tourists in the area. The most notable building in the town is a Norman keep, suggested to be one of the smallest in the...
,
LancashireLancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Lancashire County Council is based in Preston. However, Lancaster is still considered to be the county town...
meant the rebellion was effectively over. There followed a relative period of peace until the Earl of Warwick's defection to the Lancastrian cause in 1469 and the wars started anew.