Cock Beck is a stream

Stream

A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

 in the outlying areas of East Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

, West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire

West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....

, England

England

England 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, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, which runs from its source due to a runoff north-west of Whinmoor

Whinmoor

Whinmoor is residential area of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The area is 5 miles to the north east of the city centre, adjacent to Swarcliffe and Seacroft in the LS14 Leeds postcode area...

, skirting east of Swarcliffe

Swarcliffe

Swarcliffe, originally the Swarcliffe Estate, is a district of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is east of Leeds city centre, and within the LS14 Leeds postcode area....

 and Manston

Manston, Leeds

Manston is a small area of Cross Gates, Leeds, England, that lies to the east of Leeds city centre.Manston is a residential part of Cross Gates. It has its own park, Manston Park, and had a pub named after it, the Manston hotel, which is now known as The Barnbow, next to the park. It has a Parish...

 (where a public house

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

 has been named 'The Cock Beck'), past Pendas Fields

Pendas Fields

Pendas Fields is a private, suburban housing estate in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is considered part of Cross Gates, as is Manston. Swarcliffe is close, and Cock Beck runs nearby....

, Scholes

Scholes, Leeds

Scholes is a village between Leeds and Barwick-in-Elmet, West Yorkshire, England. It is part of the civil parish of Barwick in Elmet and Scholes in the City of Leeds. It is sometimes known as Scholes-in-Elmet to distinguish it from the Scholes, Holme Valley and Scholes, Cleckheaton in Kirklees,...

, Barwick-in-Elmet

Barwick-in-Elmet

Barwick-in-Elmet is a village east of the centre of but still part of the City of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is one of only three places in the area to be explicitly associated with the ancient Celtic kingdom of Elmet, the others being Scholes-in-Elmet and Sherburn-in-Elmet. It is part of...

, Aberford

Aberford

Aberford is a large village and civil parish on the eastern outskirts of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,059 according to the 2001 census...

, Towton, Stutton

Stutton, North Yorkshire

Stutton is a small village in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England, a mile southwest of Tadcaster.It lies in the valley of the Cock Beck which discharges into the River Wharfe one mile to the east of the village...

, and Tadcaster

Tadcaster

Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...

, where it flows into the River Wharfe

River Wharfe

The River Wharfe is a river in Yorkshire, England. For much of its length it is the county boundary between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire. The name Wharfe is Celtic and means "twisting, winding".The valley of the River Wharfe is known as Wharfedale...

.

It is a tributary

Tributary

A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...

 of the River Wharfe, and also known as the River Cock or Cock River. The name 'cock' refers to a mature salmon

Salmon

Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...

, as it was a spawning ground for salmon and trout. Industrial pollution reduced the fish stock , but it has been recovering in the 21st century, aided by work from the Environment Agency

Environment Agency

The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...

. In places the beck was relatively narrow, but too deep to cross unaided; a feature which can still be seen today at many points. John Ogilby

John Ogilby

John Ogilby was a Scottish translator, impresario and cartographer. Best known for publishing the first British road atlas, he was also a successful translator, noted for publishing his work in handsome illustrated editions.-Life:Ogilby was born in or near Killemeare in November 1600...

's 1675 map indicates the major crossing for the Cock was sited along the Tadcaster-Ferrybridge

Ferrybridge

Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England at a historically important crossing of the River Aire. It is linked to other communities by the A1, which follows the route of the Great North Road....

 road.

In the aftermath of the 1461 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...

 remnants of the Lancastrian

Lancastrian

Lancastrian is an adjective describing:* A native or inhabitant of Lancashire* A partisan on the side of the House of Lancaster in the Wars of the Roses.* A person associated with Lancaster University....

 forces fleeing the victorious Yorkists were forced to try to cross the Cock Beck, having already disposed of most of their arms

Weapon

A weapon, arm, or armament is a tool or instrument used with the aim of causing damage or harm to living beings or artificial structures or systems...

. Many drowned in the Beck, and soon the survivors were reported to be crossing the Cock Beck on bridges of their fallen comrades.

During the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

, the Royalists defeated the Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax at the Battle of Seacroft Moor

Battle of Seacroft Moor

The Battle of Seacroft Moor, on 30 March 1643, was a decisive loss for the Parliamentary forces during the First Civil War. It took place near Seacroft, north east of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...

in 1643. The ensuing massacre of the Parliamentarians is said to have been of such magnitude that the beck ran crimson with blood