Battle of Barnet

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Battle of Barnet
Part of the Wars of the Roses

Late 15th-century artistic portrayal of the battle:

Edward IV (left), wearing a circlet and mounted on a
horse, leads the Yorkist charge and pierces the Earl of
Warwick (right) with his lance; in reality, Warwick
was not killed by Edward.

Date
Location
Result

14 April 1471
North of Barnet, England
Yorkist victory
Belligerents

House of York

House of Lancaster

Commanders and leaders

Richard Neville, Earl
of Warwick

Edward IV
Richard, Duke of
Gloucester
William, Lord
Hastings

John Neville,
Marquess of Montagu
Henry Holland, Duke
of Exeter
John de Vere, Earl of
Oxford

Strength
7,00015,000

10,00030,000

Casualties and losses

Approx. 500

Approx. 1,000

The Battle of Barnet was a decisive engagement in the Wars of the Roses, a dynastic conflict of
15th-century England. The military action, along with the subsequent Battle of Tewkesbury,
secured the throne for Edward IV. On 14 April 1471 near Barnet, then a small Hertfordshire
town north of London, Edward led the House of York in a fight against the House of Lancaster,
which backed Henry VI for the throne. Leading the Lancastrian army was Richard Neville, 16th
Earl of Warwick, who played a crucial role in the fate of each king. Historians regard the battle
as one of the most important clashes in the Wars of the Roses, since it brought about a decisive

turn in the fortunes of the two houses. Edward's victory was followed by fourteen years of
Yorkist rule over England.
Formerly a key figure in the Yorkist cause, Warwick defected to the Lancastrians over
disagreements about Edward's nepotism, secret marriage, and foreign policy. Leading a
Lancastrian army, the earl defeated his former allies, forcing Edward to flee to Burgundy. The
Yorkist king persuaded his host, Charles the Bold, to help him regain the English throne. Leading
an army raised with Burgundian money, Edward launched his invasion of England, which
culminated at the fields north of Barnet. Under cover of darkness, the Yorkists moved close to
the Lancastrians, and clashed in a thick fog at dawn. While the main forces struggled in battle,
John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford and his Lancastrian troops routed the Yorkists under Lord
William Hastings, chasing them up to Barnet. On their return to the battlefield, Oxford's men
were erroneously shot at by his allies commanded by John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu.
The Lancastrians lost the battle as cries of treason spread through their line, disrupting morale
and causing many to abandon the fight. While retreating, Warwick was killed by Yorkist soldiers.
Warwick had been such an influential figure in 15th-century English politics that, on his death,
no one matched him in terms of power and popularity. Deprived of Warwick's support, the
Lancastrians suffered their final defeat at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471, which
marked the downfall of the House of Lancaster and the ascendancy of the House of York. Three
centuries after the Battle of Barnet, a stone obelisk was raised on the spot where Warwick
purportedly died.

Contents
[hide]

1 Background

2 Commanders
o 2.1 Yorkist
o 2.2 Lancastrian

3 Prelude

4 Fighting in the mist

5 Post-battle

6 Legacy
o 6.1 Shakespearian dramatisation

o 6.2 Battlefield

7 Notes

8 References

9 Bibliography

10 External links

Background[edit]
Further information: Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses were a series of conflicts between various English lords and nobles in
support of two different royal families. In 1461, the conflict reached a milestone when the House
of York supplanted its rival, the House of Lancaster, as the ruling royal house in England.
Edward IV, leader of the Yorkists, seized the throne from the Lancastrian king, Henry VI,[1] who
was captured in 1465 and imprisoned in the Tower of London.[2] The Lancastrian queen, Margaret
of Anjou, and her son, Edward of Lancaster, fled to Scotland and organised resistance.[3] Edward
IV crushed the uprisings, and pressured the Scottish government to force Margaret out; the
House of Lancaster went into exile in France.[4] As the Yorkists tightened their hold over England,
Edward rewarded his supporters, including his chief adviser, Richard Neville, 16th Earl of
Warwick, elevating them to higher titles and awarding them land confiscated from their defeated
foes.[5] The Earl grew to disapprove of the King's rule, however, and their relationship later
became strained.[6]
Warwick had planned for Edward to marry a French princessBona of Savoyto create an
alliance between the two countries.[7] The young king, however, favoured ties with Burgundy,
and, in 1464, further angered the Earl by secretly marrying Elizabeth Woodville; as an
impoverished Lancastrian widow, she was regarded by the Yorkists as an unsuitable queen.[8] At
her request, Edward bestowed gifts of land and titles on her relations and arranged marriages to
rich and powerful families. Eligible bachelors were paired with the Woodville females,
narrowing the marriage prospects for Warwick's daughters. Furthermore, the Earl was offended
by two matches involving his kin. The first was the marriage of his aunt, Lady Katherine Neville,
over 60 years old, to Elizabeth's 20-year-old brother, John Woodville, a pairing considered
outside of normal wedlock by many people. The other was his nephew's fiance, the daughter of
Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter, who was taken as a bride by the Queen's son, Thomas Grey,
with Edward's approval.[9] Exasperated by these acts, Warwick decided the Woodvilles were a
malignant influence on his liege.[10] He felt marginalized: his influence over the young king was
failing, and he decided to take drastic action to force Edward's compliance.[11] Warwick's
alternative plan was to replace the King with his fellow conspirator, the Duke of Clarence,
Edward's younger brother.[12]

Instigating several rebellions in the north, Warwick lured the King away from his main bastion of
support in the south. Edward found himself outnumbered; while retreating, he learned that
Warwick and Clarence had called for open support of the rebellion. After winning the Battle of
Edgecote Moor on 26 July 1469, the Earl found the Yorkist king deserted by his followers, and
brought him to Warwick Castle for "protection".[13] Lancastrian supporters took advantage of
Edward's imprisonment to stage uprisings. Because most Yorkist-aligned warlords refused to
rally to Warwick's call, the Earl was pressured to release the King.[14] Back in power, Edward did
not openly pursue Warwick's transgressions against him, but the Earl suspected that the King
held a grudge. Warwick engineered another rebellion, this time to replace Edward with Clarence.
[15]
The two conspirators, however, had to flee to France when Edward crushed the uprisingthe
Battle of Losecoat Fieldon 12 March 1470. Through letters in the rebels' possession and
confessions from the leaders, the King uncovered the Earl's betrayal.[16] In a deal brokered by the
French king, Louis XI, the Earl agreed to serve Margaret and the Lancastrian cause. Warwick
invaded England at the head of a Lancastrian army and, in October 1470, forced Edward to seek
refuge in Burgundy, then ruled by the King's brother-in-law Charles the Bold. The throne of
England was temporarily restored to Henry VI;[17] on 14 March 1471, Edward brought an army
back across the English Channel, precipitating the Battle of Barnet a month later.[18]

Commanders[edit]
Yorkist[edit]
Edward IV was normally at the forefront of his armies. Standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m), he was an
inspiring figure in combat, attacking foes while wearing a suit of gilded armour. Medieval texts
describe the King as handsome, finely muscled and with a broad chest.[19] He was personable and
charismatic, easily winning people to his cause. Edward was a capable tactician and leader in
battles. He frequently spotted and exploited defensive frailties in enemy lines, often with
decisive results.[20] By 1471, the young king was a highly respected field commander.[21] He
received some criticism, however; after winning the throne in 1461, he proved indecisive about
putting down rebellions.[20] Historian Charles Ross praises Edward's leadership and skill in close
combat rather than his strategies and tactics.[22] With his good looks and capable leadership,
Edward was popular among the common people, especially compared to Henry VI.[23] His trade
policies, which aimed to expand and protect markets for English commerce, pleased local
merchants, who were also won over by the Yorkist king's personality.[24] By 1469, Edward's
groundswell of popular support had eroded away. The euphoria of a change in government had
ebbed and the people blamed Edward for failing to "bring the realm of England in[to] great
popularity and rest" and allowing Yorkist nobles to go unpunished for abuses.[25] When Edward
invaded England in 1471, not many common people openly celebrated his return.[26]
Edward was joined at Barnet by his brothers, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, and George, Duke of
Clarence. Unlike his eldest brother, Gloucester was slender and seemingly delicate.[27] He was 18
years old at the Battle of Barnet, his first major engagement. His military prowess, however, was
well respected; many historians judge him a capable warrior and military leader.[20] Clarence was
not as well regarded as his brothers, especially in matters of loyalty. When Edward became king,
Clarence was chosen as his heir; however, the births of Elizabeth of York (1466) and Edward V
(1470) displaced the Duke in the line of succession to the throne.[28] Hence, Clarence participated

in Warwick's schemes, marrying the Earl's daughter Isabella, believing he could gain his
brother's throne. Clarence lost faith in the Earl when Warwick defected to the Lancastrians and
married off his other daughter, Anne, to their prince in order to cement his new allegiance. When
Edward launched his campaign to retake England, Clarence accepted his brother's offer of
pardon and rejoined the Yorkists at Coventry on 2 April 1471.[29] The last of the Yorkist
commanders was William, Lord Hastings, a loyal subject since the start of the wars. Hastings
had accompanied the young king in exile and supported his return. The courtier was rewarded for
his faithfulness, gaining the lieutenancy of Calais in 1471, and becoming Edward's lord
chamberlain and primary confidant.[30]

Lancastrian[edit]
Warwick had fought for the House of York since the early stages of the Wars of the Roses and
alongside his cousin, Edward IV, in many of the battles. His years of loyalty earned him the trust
of the Yorkists, and his victoriesboth political and militaryand popularity with the common
people made him an important figure.[31] He had powerful influence over the line of succession,
earning him the nickname "the Kingmaker". Early historians described him as a military genius,
but by the 20th century his tactical acumen was reconsidered; Philip Haigh suspects that the Earl
largely owed some of his victories, such as the First Battle of St Albans, to being in the right
place at the right time.[32] Christopher Gravett believes the Earl was too defensive and lacked
mental flexibility.[33]

The Earl of Warwick prepares for the battle in this diorama at Warwick Castle.
John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu, was less ambitious than his brother Warwick, but a more
capable warrior and tactician. In 1464, he commanded a Yorkist force that turned the tables on a
Lancastrian ambush at the Battle of Hedgeley Moor, and launched a surprise attack at the Battle
of Hexham.[33] These victories capped Neville's extensive service in the north, and Edward
rewarded him with the Earldom of Northumberland, which bore substantial income.[34] The gift
was particularly gratifying for Neville; his family had experienced a deep feud with the former
earls of Northumberland, the Percys, who supported the House of Lancaster. However, in March
1470, Edward, trying to win over the Percys' support, reinstated Henry Percy to the earldom. As
recompense, Neville received the grander title of Marquess of Montagu; however, the lands
accompanying this rank were much poorer than the estate he had lost.[35] The new marquess saw it

as an insultan insubstantial title that was inadequate recognition for his years of faithful
service.[36] Montagu did not immediately join Warwick's rebellion, however; he defected later in
the year when his brother invaded England.[37]
Not much is known about the early history of John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, another
Lancastrian commander; the chronicles mention little about him until the Battle of Losecoat
Field. His father, the previous earl and a loyal Lancastrian, was executed for a failed plot to
assassinate Edward IV. The Yorkist king tried to secure the loyalty of Oxford by knighting him
and pardoning his transgressions. This tactic failed; Oxford remained true to the Lancastrian
crown and participated in Warwick's effort to dethrone Edward.[38] Historians describe the young
Oxford as a decent military leader, exemplified by his conduct in the Battle of Barnet.[39]
Although Henry Holland, 3rd Duke of Exeter, was of royal blood,[40] he was commonly viewed as
a criminal,[41] prone to violence and stupidity.[42] A proven enemy of the Nevilles,[43] Exeter bore a
grudge particularly against Warwick for displacing him from his hereditary role of Lord High
Admiral in 1457.[44] Nonetheless, when Warwick joined the Lancastrians, Exeter obeyed Margaret
and served under the Earl during the invasion of England.[45] Although he supported the
Lancastrian cause, Exeter had family ties to the House of York; he was husband to Anne of York,
Edward's sister.[46]
Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset, was a prominent Lancastrian and one of Margaret's
trusted men. Interactions between Somerset and Warwick were less than cordial; the Nevilles and
Beauforts had been feuding over estates since the early 1450s.[47] Adding to their animosity was
the death of Somerset's father, the 2nd Duke, at the First Battle of St Albans. The Yorkists won
the engagement, after Warwick slipped his force past the Lancastrian defence and attacked from
behind.[48] The Beauforts largely blamed the Earl for the Duke's death. Somerset is listed in early
chronicles as a participant in the Battle of Barnet; however, this has been disputed. When the
Lancastrians retook England, Warwick ordered the duke to watch over Henry VI in London.
Several historians, such as Ross and Anthony Goodman, agree that Somerset left London to
welcome Margaret in the south.[49][50] Scholar Michael Jones points out that the Duke is recorded
as having been in Salisbury on the day of the battle, trying to recruit townsmen for the
Lancastrian cause.[51] Historian Trevor Royle suggests that due to Somerset's distrust of Warwick,
the Duke would rather await his queen and her army than voluntarily aid the Earl.[52] Therefore, it
is unlikely that he fought at Barnet.[39]

Prelude[edit]
On 14 March 1471, Edward's army landed at Ravenspurn. Gathering more men as they went, the
Yorkists moved inland towards York. Edward's march was unopposed at the beginning because
he was moving through lands that belonged to the Percys, and the Earl of Northumberland was
indebted to the Yorkist king for the return of his northern territory. Furthermore, Edward
announced that he was returning only to claim his father's title of Duke of York and not to contest
the English crown.[53] The ruse was successful: Montagu, who was monitoring Edward's march,
could not convince his men to move against the Yorkist king.[54]

Once Edward's force had gathered sufficient strength, he dropped the ruse and headed south
towards London. Fighting off Exeter's and Oxford's attacks, he besieged Warwick at Coventry,
hoping to engage the earl in battle. Although Warwick's force had more men than Edward's army,
the earl refused the challenge. He was waiting for the arrival of Clarence, who wanted to use
their combined strength to overwhelm the Yorkists. When he learned of this, Edward sent
Gloucester to entreat Clarence to return to the House of York, an offer that Clarence readily
accepted. Reconciled, the royal brothers moved towards Coventry, and Clarence urged Warwick's
surrender.[55] Infuriated with his son-in-law's treachery, Warwick refused to speak to Clarence.
Unable to fight the earl at this time, Edward turned again towards London.[56]

Nobles in the Battle of Barnet wore composite field armour like this suit exhibited at the Royal
Armouries Museum.[57]
Reinforced by Montagu, Oxford, and Exeter a few days later, Warwick followed the Yorkists'
trail.[58] He hoped that London, under Somerset's control, would close its gates to Edward,
allowing him to catch the Yorkist army in the open. The city, however, welcomed Edward
warmly; Somerset had left the city, and the London populace preferred the young Yorkist king to
Henry VI.[59][60] The old king greeted his usurper warmly and offered himself into custody, trusting
"[his] life to be in no danger in [Edward's] hands."[61] Lancastrian scouts probed Barnet, which lay
19 kilometres (12 mi) north of London, but were beaten off. On 13 April their main army took up
positions on a ridge of high ground north of Barnet to prepare for battle the next day. Warwick
arrayed his army in a line from east to west, on either side of the Great North Road running
through Barnet.[62] Oxford held the right flank and Exeter the left. Montagu commanded the
centre, and Warwick readied himself to command from among the reserves.[63] The earl displaced
his entire line slightly to the west; a depression at the rear of his left flank could impede Exeter's
group if they had to fall back.[64]
Warwick's army heavily outnumbered Edward's, although sources differ on exact numbers.
Lancastrian strength ranges from 10,000 to 30,000 men, with 7,000 to 15,000 on the Yorkist side.
[65][66][67]
Facing this disadvantage, Edward hurried to meet the Lancastrians with a surprise attack.[65]
He brought Henry VI along to prevent the Lancastrians from retaking their king. Edward reached
Barnet in the evening, and without knowing the precise location of his foes, prepared the battle
line.[68] The Yorkist king deployed Hastings on the left and entrusted Gloucester to lead the right
flank. Clarence would fight alongside Edward in the centre, although this was not due to faith in
his abilityit was easier for the Yorkists to keep an eye on their twice-defected prince there. A
contingent of reserves was kept at the rear, ready to deploy at Edward's call.[69] As night fell,
Edward put his plan for surprise morning attack in motion. Under a strict order of silence, the

Yorkist army crept closer to the Lancastrians.[70] During the night, neither commander spotted the
opposing army, an event that proved crucial in the battle the next day.[62][71]
During the night, Warwick ordered his cannons to continually bombard the estimated position of
the Yorkists' encampment. The Yorkists, however, had sneaked in close, and the Lancastrian
artillery overshot their enemies. The Yorkist cannon, meanwhile, kept quiet to avoid betraying
their location.[62] As the armies settled down to rest, Montagu approached his brother and advised
him of the troops' low morale. He suggested that, as the highest-ranking commanders, the
brothers should fight on foot throughout the battle instead of riding on horse. The soldiers
believed that mounted commanders tended to abandon them when the situation deteriorated. By
staying on foot, the Nevilles would show that they were prepared to fight to the death with the
men, inspiring the troops to stand and fight harder. Warwick agreed and the horses were tethered
to the rear, near Wrotham Wood.[72]

Fighting in the mist[edit]

Early battle: Oxford led the Lancastrian (red) right wing to outflank the Yorkists' (white) left and
routed it southwards. Gloucester, likewise, advanced through Monken Hadley to attack the
Lancastrians' left.
On 14 April 1471, at around 4 o'clock in the morning, both armies woke. Edward had planned
for an early attack, however, and quickly roused his men to engage the Lancastrians.[65] Both sides
fired their cannon and arrows before laying into each other with polearms. The morning fog was
thick and the night movements of the two forces had displaced them laterally with each other.
Neither group was facing the other; each was offset slightly to the right. This displacement meant
that the right end of either army could outflank the other by wrapping around the opposing left
end. The Lancastrians were the first to exploit this advantage; Oxford's group quickly
overwhelmed Hastings'. Yorkist soldiers fled towards Barnet, chased by the Lancastrians. Some
of Hastings' men even reached London, spreading tales of the fall of York and a Lancastrian
victory. Oxford's group disintegrated as they split off to loot the fallen enemies and plunder
Barnet.[73] Yelling and chasing after his men, Oxford rallied 800 of them and led them back to the
battle.[65]

Due to the fog, visibility was low and the two forces failed to notice Oxford's victory over
Hastings. As such, the collapse of the Yorkist left wing had little (if any) effect on morale of
either side.[65] The fighting between Montagu's and Edward's groups was evenly matched and
intense. The Lancastrian left wing, however, was suffering treatment similar to that Oxford had
inflicted on its counterpart; Gloucester exploited the misaligned forces and beat Exeter back.[69]
Progress for Edward's brother was slow because his group was fighting up a slight slope.[74]
Nonetheless, the pressure he exerted on the Lancastrian left wing rotated the entire battle line.
Warwick, seeing the shift, ordered most of his reserves to help ease the pressure on Exeter, and
took the rest into fighting at the centre.[69] Gradually, the battle line settled to an orientation that
slanted north-east to south-west.[75]
Oxford retraced his steps through the fog back to the fight. His group arrived, unexpectedly, at
Montagu's rear.[76] Obscured by the fog, Oxford's "star with rays" badge was mistaken by
Montagu's men, who believed it was Edward's "sun in splendour".[77] They assumed their allies
were Edward's reserves and unleashed a volley of arrows. Oxford and his men immediately cried
treachery; as staunch Lancastrians, they were wary of Montagu's recent defection. They struck
back and began withdrawing from the battle. Their shouts of treason were taken up and spread
quickly throughout the Lancastrian line, breaking it apart as men fled in anger, panic, and
confusion. As the fog started to dissipate, Edward saw the Lancastrian centre in disarray and sent
in his reserves, hastening its collapse. Cries of Exeter's demise from a Yorkist axe resounded
across the battlefield from the Lancastrian left, and amidst the confusion, Montagu was struck in
his back and killed by either a Yorkist or one of Oxford's men.[78]

Late battle: as the fighting continued, the battle line rotated, and Oxford returned to a line that
was oriented mostly north-east to south-west.
Witnessing his brother's death, Warwick knew the battle was lost. He made for the horses in an
attempt to retreat. Edward recognised his victory was at hand, anddeciding that Warwick was
more valuable alive than deadsent the order and dispatched his guards to bring back the earl
alive.[79] Several chroniclers have suggested that the king thought Warwick would again be a
valuable ally if persuaded back to the Yorkist cause. Historian Michael Hicks, on the other hand,
suggests that Edward wanted to capture the earl for public execution, rather than as a gesture of
mercy.[80] Regardless of the king's intent, Warwick died in the Lancastrian rout. A miniature
model reproduction of the Battle of Barnet can be found at the Battle's natural interpretive centre,
The Barnet Museum.[72]

Post-battle[edit]
The battle lasted from two to three hours, and was over by the time the fog lifted in the early
morning. As usual in most battles of the time, the routed army suffered the most casualties;
fleeing men were cut down from behind. Contemporary sources give various casualty figures;
the Great Chronicle of London reports 1,500 dead, whereas The Warkworth's Chronicle states
4,000. Edward Hall and Raphael Holinshed, both 16th century chroniclers, say that at least
10,000 men died in the battle.[81] The Yorkists suffered half as many casualties as the
Lancastrians. Royle favours the recorded approximate figures of 500 Yorkists and
1,000 Lancastrians dead.[82]
The bodies of the two Neville brothers were brought back to London. They did not suffer the
customary fate accorded to traitorsquartering and display at the city gates. Edward exhibited
the brothers' naked corpses in St. Paul's Cathedral for three days to quell any rumours that they
had survived, before allowing them to be laid to rest in the family vault at Bisham Abbey.[83]

1885 lithograph portraying the rout of Warwick's forces in the manner of Paolo Uccello
Although he had defeated the Neville brothers, Edward had little time to rest; Margaret landed at
Weymouth on the day of the battle. She feigned a march to London while augmenting her army
with recruits from Wales and the Welsh Marches.[84] The Lancastrian queen was disheartened by
the news of Warwick's demise, but Somerset suggested that they were better off without the earl.
[85]
Despite the defeat at Barnet, Lancastrians who fled from the battle looked to the queen to
restore their house to the throne.[86] Alerted by his spies to the Lancastrians' true route, Edward
intercepted and defeated them at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471. Gloucester, Clarence,
and Hastings again fought to defend the Yorkist crown.[87]
Exeter had been stripped of his armour and left for dead on the battlefield at Barnet, but he was
alivethough gravely injured. His followers found him and took him to Westminster Abbey. On
his recovery, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for four years before submitting to
Edward's rule.[88] Exeter did not participate in the later battles of the Wars of the Roses. Edward
sent him on a Yorkist expedition to France in 1475, and the duke was reported to have fallen
overboard and drowned without any witnesses.[89]
After withdrawing from the battle, Oxford fled to France and participated in piracy of English
ships, continuing his campaign against Yorkist reign. He was eventually captured in 1473 after
conquering St Michael's Mount, an island off the south-west coast of England. Twelve years

later, Oxford escaped from prison and joined Henry Tudor's fight against the Yorkists,
commanding the Lancastrian army at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.[90]

Legacy[edit]
The Battle of Barnet was an important engagement in the Wars of the Roses: it brought about the
death of a prominent figure and secured the throne for another.[nb 1] Despite its importance to
history, contemporary records about the battle are rare.[92] The sole chronicle based on an
eyewitness accountThe Arrivall of Edward IVwas written by someone within Edward's
council, which presents a biased account of the battle.[93][nb 2] Another first-hand observation was
found in the Paston Letters, written by the Lancastrian Sir John Paston.[94] Other records, such as
The Warkworth Chronicle, offer only bits and pieces about the battle. Therefore, deficits in
historical understanding must be filled through field research and discoveries of mediaeval
documents.[93]
Historians theorise that had Warwick's force joined Margaret's before challenging Edward, the
combined Lancastrian army would have overwhelmed the Yorkists. Instead, Warwick's defeat
gave the Yorkists a victory so decisive that it, along with the Battle of Tewkesbury, secured the
English throne for Edward IV.[95] Historian Colin Richmond believes that Edward's return to
power was assured at BarnetTewkesbury was "merely an epilogue".[86] Without having to
contend with Warwick's popularity and political influence, the young Yorkist king could fully
exert his will and rule the land unchallenged. Ballads composed during Edward's reign celebrated
his victory as sanctioned by God: "Man proposes, oftimes in veyn, But God disposes, the boke
telleth pleyn".[96] Barnet was a disaster for the Nevilles; their lands given away and their offices
reduced. The family never again reached the prominence in English politics that they had
enjoyed before the battle.[97]

Shakespearian dramatisation[edit]

Henry VI, Part 3: Warwick, dying at the Battle of Barnet, speaks his last words.
The battle is alluded to in William Shakespeare's Henry VI, Part 3 (1595).[98] The end of Act V,
scene one depicts the events leading up to the battle; scenes two and three portray the conclusion,

in which the characters discuss the combat and the fates of its participants. Shakespeare uses few
details reported by contemporary chroniclers and ignores notable incidents, such as the confusion
over Oxford's and Edward's badges.[99] His play is based mostly on poetic and dramatic sources.
In the play, Montagu is killed while trying to save his brother (Shakespeare's source material
included Hall's 1548 The Union of the Two Noble and Illustrate Famelies of Lancastre and
Yorke),[100][101] and Warwick is dragged in by Edward IV and left to speak his dying words to
Oxford and Somerset.[102] Warwick's death dominates the scenes, reflecting Hall's vivid portrayal
of the earl's passing as a valiant death.[103] Furthermore, whereas several chronicles mention
Edward's desire to capture Warwick, Shakespeare has the Yorkist king lustily demand Warwick's
skin.[101]
Shakespeare presents the Nevilles as brothers who are willing to die for each other, whereas the
three sons of YorkEdward, Gloucester, and Clarenceare slowly driven apart by their own
goals and ideas.[104] Professor of English John Cox suggests that Shakespeare did not share the
impression given in post-battle ballads that Edward's triumph was divinely ordained. He argues
that Shakespeare's placement of Clarence's last act of betrayal immediately before the battle
suggests that Edward's rule stems from his military aggression, luck, and "policy".[105]
Shakespeare also explicitly excludes Edward from action sequences, a departure from Hall's
depictions.[106]

Battlefield[edit]

Hadley Highstone, Monken Hadley: an obelisk erected to mark the battle and the spot where the
Kingmaker died
English Heritage, a government body in charge of conservation of historic sites, roughly locates
the battlefield in an area 800 to 1600 metres (0.5 to 1.0 mile) north of the town of Barnet. Over
the centuries, much of the terrain has changed, and records of the town's boundaries and
geography are not detailed enough for English Heritage or historians to conclude the exact
location of the battle. Geographical features corresponding to contemporary descriptions allow
approximations of where the fighting took place.[nb 3]

English Heritage suggests that a 15th-century letter from a Hanseatic merchant, Gerhard von
Wessel, helps to identify the battlefield via geological features. It mentions a "broad green"
which corresponds to Hadley Green, and the marsh on the right flank of the Yorkist line is likely
to be in the valley of the Monken Mead brook. The letter also mentions St Albans road, which
has remained largely the same, winding through the fields. Urbanisation over the 18th and 19th
centuries, however, has populated much of the area with buildings. By the 20th century, the
suburb of Monken Hadley covered part of the fields where the Battle of Barnet was fought.[108] A
hedge in the local golf course, as suggested by Lieutenant-Colonel Alfred H. Burne, is likely the
row of shrubs behind which Oxford's men lined up and took cover.[109]
In 1740, Sir Jeremy Sambroke erected an obelisk to commemorate the battle about 200 metres
(660 ft) south of the junction between the Great North Road and Kitts End Road. It was later
moved just north of the junction on the grass between the two roads. Known as Hadley
Highstone, it stands 5.5 metres (18 ft) tall and marks its location with the inscription:[110]
"Here was fought the Famous Battle Between Edward the 4th and the Earl of Warwick April the
14th ANNO 1471 in which the Earl was Defeated And Slain."[63]
The battle is referred to in the coat of arms of the London Borough of Barnet which display a red
and a silver rose in the top of the shield and two crossed swords in the crest.

Notes[edit]
1.

Jump up ^ Warwick Castle was classified as a national monument and converted to a

tourist attraction in the 20th century. One of its major exhibits, "KingmakerA Preparation for
Battle", features dioramas displaying preparations by the earl and his household for the Battle of
Barnet.[91]

2.

Jump up ^ The Arrivall was written to promote and celebrate Edward's superiority.
Besides presenting supernatural approvals of Edward's venturethe miracle of St Anne, it
approved Edward's violation of sanctuary after the Battle of Tewkesbury and claimed that Henry
VI died just after Tewkesbury, where his sole heir had been killed, due to "pure displeasure and
melancoly".[93]

3.

Jump up ^ Gravett, however, states that due to the extensive build-up and remodelling of
the town, even these elements are suspect and may not correlate to 15th-century features. [107]

References[edit]
1.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, pp. 3738.

2.

Jump up ^ Carpenter 2002, p. 162.

3.

Jump up ^ Carpenter 2002, p. 149.

4.

Jump up ^ Carpenter 2002, p. 161.

5.

Jump up ^ Carpenter 2002, pp. 157158.

6.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 104.

7.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 91.

8.

Jump up ^ Ross 1999, p. 11.

9.

Jump up ^ Carpenter 2002, pp. 170171.

10.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 99.

11.

Jump up ^ Ross 1999, pp. 1112.

12.

Jump up ^ Ross 1999, pp. 1214.

13.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, p. 103.

14.

Jump up ^ Goodman 1990, pp. 6970.

15.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, pp. 279282.

16.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, p. 285.

17.

Jump up ^ Goodman 1990, pp. 7475.

18.

Jump up ^ Goodman 1990, p. 76.

19.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 10.

20.

^ Jump up to: a b c Gravett 2003, p. 20.

21.

Jump up ^ Goodman 1990, p. 77.

22.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 176.

23.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, pp. 911.

24.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, pp. 353360.

25.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, pp. 124125.

26.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 158.

27.

Jump up ^ Ross 1999, p. 139.

28.

Jump up ^ Ross 1999, p. 13.

29.

Jump up ^ Royle 2008, pp. 227228.

30.

Jump up ^ Richmond 2000, pp. 144, 146.

31.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, pp. 16.

32.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, p. 13.

33.

^ Jump up to: a b Gravett 2003, p. 21.

34.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, p. 61.

35.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, pp. 144145.

36.

Jump up ^ Royle 2008, p. 216.

37.

Jump up ^ Carpenter 2002, p. 177.

38.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 65.

39.

^ Jump up to: a b Gravett 2003, p. 22.

40.

Jump up ^ Wolffe 2001, p. 274.

41.

Jump up ^ Harriss 2007, p. 206.

42.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 17.

43.

Jump up ^ Wolffe 2001, p. 289.

44.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, p. 133.

45.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, pp. 302303.

46.

Jump up ^ Ross 1999, p. 336.

47.

Jump up ^ Wolffe 2001, p. 269.

48.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, pp. 1112.

49.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, p. 164.

50.

Jump up ^ Goodman 1990, p. 78.

51.

Jump up ^ Jones & Underwood 1993, p. 55.

52.

Jump up ^ Royle 2008, p. 227.

53.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, pp. 115117.

54.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, p. 307.

55.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, pp. 164165.

56.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, pp. 117118.

57.

Jump up ^ Wise 1983, pp. 21, 3940.

58.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, pp. 308309.

59.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, pp. 118119.

60.

Jump up ^ Royle 2008, p. 229.

61.

Jump up ^ Wolffe 2001, p. 345.

62.

^ Jump up to: a b c Haigh 1995, p. 119.

63.

^ Jump up to: a b Haigh 1995, p. 120.

64.

Jump up ^ English Heritage 1995, p. 3.

65.

^ Jump up to: a b c d e Goodman 1990, p. 79.

66.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, p. 28.

67.

Jump up ^ Royle 2008, p. 230.

68.

Jump up ^ Burne 1950, p. 109.

69.

^ Jump up to: a b c Haigh 1995, p. 121.

70.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, pp. 34, 36.

71.

Jump up ^ Goodman 1990, pp. 7879.

72.

^ Jump up to: a b Haigh 1995, p. 123.

73.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, pp. 121122.

74.

Jump up ^ Seymour 1997, p. 158.

75.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, p. 41.

76.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, p. 40.

77.

Jump up ^ Brooke 1857, p. 208.

78.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, p. 122.

79.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, pp. 122123.

80.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, p. 310.

81.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, pp. 4748.

82.

Jump up ^ Royle 2008, p. 231.

83.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, p. 124.

84.

Jump up ^ Goodman 1990, p. 80.

85.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, p. 125.

86.

^ Jump up to: a b Richmond 2000, p. 143.

87.

Jump up ^ Haigh 1995, pp. 128129.

88.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, p. 46.

89.

Jump up ^ Griffiths, R A. "Foreword to the Yale Edition" in Ross 1997, p. xvi

90.

Jump up ^ Britnell 1997, p. 101.

91.

Jump up ^ Kettler & Trimble 2003, pp. 163164.

92.

Jump up ^ Burne 1950, p. 108.

93.

^ Jump up to: a b c Hicks 1995, pp. 2122.

94.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, p. 9.

95.

Jump up ^ Ross 1997, pp. 172, 175176.

96.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, p. 311.

97.

Jump up ^ Hicks 2002, p. 312.

98.

Jump up ^ Martin & Shakespeare 2001, pp. 910.

99.

Jump up ^ Goy-Blanquet 2003, p. 131.

100.

Jump up ^ Ross 1999, p. xlvi.

101.

^ Jump up to: a b Goy-Blanquet 2003, p. 169.

102.

Jump up ^ Goy-Blanquet 2003, p. 124.

103.

Jump up ^ Edelman 1992, p. 78.

104.

Jump up ^ Martin & Shakespeare 2001, pp. 5163.

105.

Jump up ^ Cox 2007, p. 112.

106.

Jump up ^ Edelman 1992, p. 79.

107.

Jump up ^ Gravett 2003, pp. 8990.

108.

Jump up ^ English Heritage 1995, pp. 12.

109.

Jump up ^ English Heritage 1995, p. 7.

110.

Jump up ^ Brooke 1857, p. 211.

Bibliography[edit]
Books

Britnell, Richard (1997). "Country Politics". The Closing of the Middle Ages?: England, 1471
1529. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. ISBN 0-631-16598-3.

Brooke, Richard (1857). "The Field of the Battle of Barnet". Visits to Fields of Battle, in England,
of the Fifteenth Century: To which are Added Some Miscellaneous Tracts and Papers Upon
Archaeological Subjects. London: John Russell Smith. OCLC 43406489. Retrieved 28 January
2009.

Burne, Alfred (1950). "The Battle of Barnet, April 14th, 1471". The Battlefields of England.
London: Methuen and Company. OCLC 3010941. Retrieved 8 February 2009.

Carpenter, Christine (2002) [1997]. The Wars of the Roses: Politics and the Constitution in
England, c. 14371509. Cambridge Medieval Textbooks. New York: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 0-521-31874-2. Retrieved 16 March 2009.

Cox, John (2007). "History and Guilt". Seeming Knowledge: Shakespeare and Skeptical Faith.
Texas: Baylor University Press. ISBN 1-932792-95-3. Retrieved 8 February 2009.

Edelman, Charles (1992). "The Wars of the Roses: 2 and 3 Henry VI, Richard III". Brawl
Ridiculous: Swordfighting in Shakespeare's Plays. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
ISBN 0-7190-3507-4. Retrieved 12 April 2009.

Goodman, Anthony (1990) [1981]. "Local Revolts and Nobles' Struggles, 146971". The Wars of
the Roses: Military Activity and English Society, 145297. London: Taylor and Francis. ISBN 0415-05264-5. Retrieved 6 March 2009.

Goy-Blanquet, Dominique (2003). "Unhappy Families". Shakespeare's Early History Plays:

From Chronicle to Stage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-811987-9. Retrieved 8
February 2009.

Gravett, Christopher (2003). Tewkesbury 1471: The Last Yorkist Victory. Campaign 131. Oxford:
Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-514-7. Retrieved 16 January 2009.

Haigh, Philip (1995). The Military Campaigns of the Wars of the Roses (Hardcover ed.).
Gloucestershire, United Kingdom: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 1-85833-770-4.

Harriss, Gerald (2007) [2005]. Shaping the Nation: England 13601461. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. ISBN 0-19-921119-1. Retrieved 5 April 2009.

Hicks, Michael (1995). "The Sources". In Pollard, Anthony. The Wars of the Roses. Problems in
Focus. London: MacMillan Press. ISBN 0-333-60166-1.

Hicks, Michael (2002) [1998]. Warwick the Kingmaker. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 0631-23593-0. Retrieved 12 February 2009.

Jones, Michael; Underwood, Malcolm (1993). "The Wars of the Roses". The King's Mother: Lady
Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond and Derby. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN 0-521-44794-1. Retrieved 8 March 2009.

Kettler, Sarah; Trimble, Carole (2003). "Warwickshire". The Amateur Historian's Guide to the
Heart of England: Nearly 200 Medieval and Tudor Sites Two Hours or Less from London.
Virginia, United States: Capital Books. ISBN 1-892123-65-7. Retrieved 9 March 2009.

Martin, Randall; Shakespeare, William (2001). "Introduction". Henry VI: Part Three. Oxford
World's Classics. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-283141-0. Retrieved 8 February
2009.

Richmond, Colin (2000). The Paston Family in the Fifteenth Century: Endings. The Paston
Family in the Fifteenth Century 3. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-59909. Retrieved 18 March 2009.

Ross, Charles (1997) [1974]. Edward IV. Yale English Monarchs (revised ed.). New Haven,
Connecticut; and London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-07372-0. Retrieved 16 March 2009.

Ross, Charles (1999) [1981]. Richard III. Yale English Monarchs. New Haven, Connecticut; and
London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-07979-6.

Royle, Trevor (2008). Lancaster Against York: The Wars of the Roses and the Foundation of
Modern Britain. Hampshire, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6672-9.

Seymour, William (1997) [1975]. Battles in Britain and Their Political Background, 10661746.
Hertfordshire, United Kingdom: Wordsworth Editions. ISBN 1-85326-672-8.

Wise, Terence (1983). The Wars of the Roses. Men-at-Arms Series 145. Oxford: Osprey
Publishing. ISBN 0-85045-520-0. Retrieved 16 January 2009.

Wolffe, Bertram (2001) [1981]. Henry VI. Yale English Monarchs. New Haven, Connecticut; and
London: Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-08926-0.

Online sources

"English Heritage Battlefield Report: Barnet 1471" (PDF). Swindon, United Kingdom: English
Heritage. 1995. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2 February 2009.

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Battle of Barnet.

Bruce, John, ed. (1838). Historie of the Arrivall of Edward IV, in England and the Finall
Recouerye of His Kingdomes from Henry VI. A.D. M.CCCC.LXXI. London: John Bowyer
Nichols, and Son. OCLC 602067. Retrieved 13 February 2009.

de Commynes, Philippe (1855). Scoble, Andrew, ed. The Memoirs of Philip de

Commines, Lord of Argenton: Containing the Histories of Louis XI, and Charles VIII,
Kings of France, and of Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. To which is Added the
Scandalous Chronicle, Or, Secret History of Louis XI. London: Henry G. Boyn. pp. 199
203. OCLC 13897813. Retrieved 13 March 2009.

Warkworth, John (1839). Halliwell, James Orchard, ed. The Warkworth Chronicle: Part
VI. London: John Bowyer Nichols, and Son. OCLC 916993. Archived from the original
on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 27 February 2009.

The Barnet Society

[show]

Wars of the Roses

Monarchs of England

Henry VI

Edward IV

Edward V

Richard III

Henry VII

Margaret of Anjou, Queen of England

Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland

Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick

Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset

Henry Beaufort, 3rd Duke of Somerset

Edmund Beaufort, 4th Duke of Somerset

George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence

Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick

Lancastrian

Yorkist

Lancastrian victories

Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury

John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu

William Neville, 1st Earl of Kent

Thomas Neville, Viscount Fauconberg

Battle of Ludford Bridge

Battle of Wakefield

Second Battle of St Albans

Battle of Ferrybridge (Indecisive)

Battle of Edgecote Moor

Battle of Bosworth Field

Battle of Stoke Field

First Battle of St Albans

Battle of Blore Heath

Battle of Sandwich

Battle of Northampton

Battle of Mortimer's Cross

Yorkist victories

Battle of Ferrybridge (Indecisive)

Battle of Towton

Battle of Hedgeley Moor

Battle of Hexham

Battle of Lose-coat Field

Battle of Barnet

Battle of Tewkesbury

Coordinates:

513944N 01200W51.66222N 0.20000W

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