Translated from a 15th century Welsh poem The Battle Of Edgcote was one of the most extraordinary battles of the Wars Of the Roses.  The Yorkist King Edward IV had been helped to the Throne by the powerful Earl of Warwick.The King had alienated Warwick by marrying an English Knight’s daughter for love, while the Earl was abroad was negotiating  a diplomatic match to a French Princess. Warwick conspired to place the Kings brother the Duke of Clarence on the throne and fermented a rebellion against King Edward, lead by a Yorkshire retainer Sir John Conyers. Sir John took the Robin Hood alias Robin of Redesdale as his nom de guerre and marched south with a large rebel army. King Edwards close friend The Earl of Pembroke, raised an army of Welsh Nobles and men at arms to crush the rebellion and the Earl of Devon raised six thousand archers to support him.  Pembroke and Devon joined forces near Banbury but got into an argument over accommodation and the favours of a damsel in a Banbury pub. Devon stormed off to Deddington Castle in a rage, leaving Pembroke’s Welsh army to face the Rebels without the support of archers.          The result was a Welsh Flodden, with 2000 Welsh dead, including168  Welsh nobles killed in the battle or the rout. In the 19th century a grave pit was uncovered south of  Chipping Warden Church...The pit was full of bones and spurs… all that remained of the Flower of Welsh Chivalry.        THE BATTLE OF DANESMOOR.Beesley’s Account In the 9th year of Edward the Fourth (1469), a popular insurrection broke out in the north of England. This appears to have been fomented by the intrigues of the Earl of Warwick,who, indignant at the hasty marriage of the King with the Lady Elizabeth Gray, on account of the breach which it occasioned in a negociation towards marriage in which the Earl had been employed by the Monarch, was at this time endeavouring to undermine the throne which he had lately assisted to raise. The Lady Elizabeth, the youthful widow of Sir Thomas Gray, was the daughter of Sir Richard Wideville, baron Rivers, who was descended in the female line from Sir John Lyons of Warkworth. Soon after the marriage of his daughter with the King, created earl Rivers. Sixty thousand men, who had been ex- cited to rise at York, proceeded in arms towards London, under the nominal command of Robin of Redesdale. They were accompanied by Henry son and heir of Lord Fitzhugh, and by Sir Henry Neville son of Lord Latimer, the one the nephew and the other the cousin-german of the Earl of Warwick ; and to these was joined Sir John Conyers, of Hornby in the county of York, an eminent officer, as the real guide and commander. Hall states that Conyers was " a man of suche courage & valiauntnes as fewe was in his daies in the northe partes." In their way towards London these insurgents dispersed papers specifying the causes of their appeal to arms ; which were to the effect that the King had been too lavish of gifts to the Queen's relations ; that through them he had spent the church monies ; that the Queen's relations would not suffer the laws to be executed but through them ; and that they had caused the King to estrange from his council the true lords of his blood. The Queen's father and brothers hereupon prudently withdrew to their castles for safety, while Edward resolved immediately to explore the danger in person. Meanwhile Herbert earl of Pembroke was hastening forward with the royal forces from Wales, and at Cottishold (Cotswold) he opportunely fell in with Lord Stafford of Southwick, who commanded a body of archers which had been raised in the counties of Somerset and Devon. The numbers of the forces under these two commanders are variously stated. Some of the chroniclers, among whom is Stow, say that the Earl of Pembroke commanded 18,000 Welshmen: the lowest statementis Hall's, who says that he was " accompaignied with his brother Sir Richard Harbert, a valiaunt knight, and aboue VI. or VII. thousande Welshemenne well furnished :" but this chronicler adds that 5,000 Welshmen were slain, and possibly he underrates the original number by an error in copying the numerals. The troops under Lord Stafford are described by Stow and others as 6,000 "good archers." At Cotswold the Earl ofPembroke received intelligence of the march of the rebels towards Northampton ; upon the receipt of which news Lord Stafford and Sir Richard Herbert were sent forward with 2,000 well-mounted Welshmen. These, from the covert of a wood, espied the enemy passing on, and suddenly set upon their rear; whereupon, says Hall, "the Northren men with suche agilitie so quickly turned aboute, that in a moment of an houre, the Welshemen wer clene discomfited and scatered, and many taken, and the remnaunt re-turned to the armie with small gain." 28 The spot where this first conflict took place is not recorded, but the succeeding events shew that it was at no great distance from Banbury. The insurgents are stated to have made no further advance southward after this conflict ; but to have taken their way towards Warwick, hoping to obtain the support of the Earl, who had returned from Calais and was gathering his men together. But before the Northern men received any succour, the opposing armies met, says Hall, "by chaunce, in a faire plain, nere to a toune called Hedgecot, three myle from Banbery, wherin be three hilles, not in equal distaunce, nor yet in equall quantitie, but liyng in maner although not fully triangle."  The particular spot mentioned is Danesmoor, the recorded scene of a former battle  between the Saxons and the Danes. It is an extensive plain about Trafford bridge, one mile southeast from Edgcot church,and five miles northeast from Banbury. The three hills alluded to by Hall are plainly, 1st, Chipping Wardon hill, 2nd,Edgcot hill, 3rd, Culworth and Thorp hills, An ancient road leads from Danesmoor towards the northwestern parts of the country, and must have been the meditated line of the Northmen's course towards Warwick. The old road from Banbury leading to Edgcot and Chipping Wardoun appears to have been the line of march of the forces of Lords Pembroke and Stafford. The Welshemen, continues Hall, " gat firste the West hill [Chipping Wardon], hopyng to haue recouered the East hill [Culworth and Thorp] : whiche if thei had obteined, the victory had been theirs, as their vnwise Prophesiers promised them before." This advantage was prevented by the prior movement of the insurgents, who had encamped on the South hill, or that of Edgcote.The Earl of Pembroke and Lord Stafford were at this time at Banbury ; where, says Hall, " the erle of Pembroke putte the Lorde Stafforde out of an Inne, wherein he delighted muche to be, for the loue of a damosell that dwelled in the house : contrary to their mutuall agrement by them taken, whiche was, that whosoeuer obteined first a lodgyng, should not be deceiued nor remoued. After many great woordes and crakes, had between these twoo capitaines, the lorde Stafford of Southwyke, in greate dispite departed with his whole compaignie and band of Archers, leauyng the erle of Pembroke almoste desolate in the toune, whiche, with all diligence returned to his host, liyng in the feld vnpurueied [unpurveyed, unprovided] of Archers, abidyng suche fortune as God would sende and prouide. Sir Henry Neuell sonne to the Lorde Latimer, tooke with hym certain light horsemen, and skirmished with the Welshemen in the euenyng, eueii before their Campe, where he did diuerse valiaunt feates of armes, but a litle to hardy, he went so farre forward that he was taken and yelded, and yet cruelly slain : whiche vnmercifull acte,the Welshemen sore ruied the next daie or night." It is elsewhere said that the Northmen soon learned, by some deserters, of the quarrel that had occurred at Banbury, and of Lord Stafford's absence from the field ; and the next morning they valiantly fell on the diminished forces of the Earl of Pembroke. Hall goes on " For the Northren men beyng inflamed, & not a little discontented, with the death of this noble man, in the mornyng valiauntly set on the Welshemenne, and by force of archers,caused theim quickely to descende the [Warden] hill into the valey, where bothe the hostes fought. Th'erle of Penbroke be-haued hymself like a hardy knight, and expert capitain, but his brother Sir Richarde Herbert so valiauntly acquited hymself, that with his Polleaxe in his hand (as his enemies did afterward reporte) he twise by fine force passed through the battaill of his aduersaries, and without any mortall wounde returned. If eueryone of his felowes and compaignions in armes had doen but halfeth'actes, whiche he that daie by his noble prowes achieued, the Northre'men had obteined neither sauetie nor victory. " Beside this, beholde the mutabilitie of fortune, when the Welshe-men were at the very poynt to haue obteyned the victory (the Northernmen beyng in manner disco'fited) John Clappam Esquier,seruaunte to the erle of Warwycke, mou'ted vp the syde of ye east hyl [Culworth and Thorp], acco'panied onley with 500 men gathered of all the Rascal of the towne of Northampton and other villages about, hauyug borne before them the standard of the Erle with the White Bere, cryenge a Warwycke a Warwycke. The Welshmen thinkyng that y e Erie of Warwycke had come on them with all his puyssance, sodaynlye as men amased fledde: the Northernmen them pursued and slew without mercy, for y c cruelty that they had shewed to the lord Latimers sonne. So that of the Welshmen there were slayn aboue. [5,000] besyde them that were fled and taken." Warkworth's briefer account is, that " Robyne of Riddesdale came uppone the Walsche-menne in a playne byyonde Banbury toune, and ther thei faughthe strongly togedere, and ther was the Erie of Penbroke takene, andhis brother withe hym, and two M 1 . Walschmenne slayne, and sothe Walschmen loste the felde the xxvj. day of Juylle the same yere." ” The erle of Pembroke," continues Hall, " syr Rychard Her-bert his brother, and diuers gentelmen were taken, and brought to Banberie to be behedded : much lamentacion and no lesse entreatie was made to saue the lyfe of Syr Rychard Herbert, both for hys goodely personage, whiche excelled all men there, and also for the noble Chiualry, that he had shewed in the felde the day of the battayll, in so muche that his brother the Erie, when he should laye doune his hed on the block to suffer, sayd to syr Ihon Conyers and Clappam, Masters let me dye for I am olde,but saue my brother, which is yonge, lusty and hardy, mete and apte to seme the greatest prince of Cristendom. But Syr Ihon Conyers and Clappam, remembryng the death of the yong knight syr Henry Neuel, Cosyn to the erle of Warwycke, could not here on that side, but caused the erle & hys brother with diuers other gentleme', to the number of 10 to be there behedded.The barbarous scene enacted at Banbury took place two days after the battle. Tradition speaks of the porch of the old Church as being the place of these executions ; and Whitaker confirms this, stating that Clapham " is said to have beheaded with his own hands the Earl of Pembroke in the church porch " Thys," adds Hall, " was the order, manner and ende of Hegecot felde, comely called Banberie felde, foughten the morow after sainct lames daye, in the viij. yere of kynge Edwarde the iiij. the whiche battaile euer synce hath bene, and yet is a co'tinuall grudge betwene the Northernmen and the Welshemen."Hall, Grafton, and Holinshed, state that above five thousandof the Welshmen were slain in this battle. Warkworth and Stow add a list of some of the slain ; Sir Roger Vaughan knight., Henry ap Morgan, Thomas Vaughan, William Harbardeof Brecknock Esq., Watkin Thomas son of Sir Roger Vaughan,Juan ap John of Merwyke, Davy ap Jankin of Lymmeryke,Harry Done ap Pikton, John Done of Kidwelly, Rice ap Morgan ap Ulston, Jankin Perot ap Scottesburgh, John Everad (or Eneand) of Pembrokeshire, and John Courtor (or Contour) of Hereford.  William of Worcester says that at least 168 of the nobility of Wales fell in this battle. Fifteen hundred of the Northernmen were slain on the same field ; 38 the chief of whom were Sir Henry Latimer (Neville) 39 son and heir of Lord Latimer, Sir Roger Pigot knight, James Conyers sou and heir of Sir John Conyers knight, Oliver Audley (Dudley) Esq.,Thomas Wakes's son and heir, and William Mallory Esq. This decisive victory put nearly the whole kingdom for the time into the power of the revolters and their secret advisers. The peasantry, joining with the Northmen, surprised Lord Rivers, the queen's father, and sir John Wideville, her brother, at Grafton which must imply the forest of Whittlebury, between Edgcot and Grafton), and took them to Northampton, where, without judgment, they were beheaded. The revolters went to Warwick,where the Earl had gathered a great multitude of people, and whiche Erie gaue hygh comme'dacions to syr Ihon Conyers and other capitaynes of y e North, much reioysing, that they had obteyned so glorious victory, requiring them to continew as they had begon." And hearing that the King with an army was coming thither, he, having used artful means to lull the King into security, in the dead of the night set upon his camp and took him prisoner in his bed. The King was conveyed to Middleham castle,in Yorkshire, to be in the custody of the archbishop of York. The most rational and entertaining account of the battle is from Beesley’s history of Banbury, published in 1840 by a local historian.A remarkable book, ahead of its time in its depth of research and its carefully notated references. This is still the interpretation most faithfull to the original accounts and quotes extensively from them. I include most of Beesley’s account below William Herbert (Pembroke) & his Wife  kneel before the King THE ELEGY OF THOMAS AP ROGER THE LORD OF HERAST. The mightiest battle in Christendom Was lost through treachery. The clash of armies took place in Banbury, With great slaughter to fair Cambria. There in the battle-field were heard The cries of the mighty spearmen ; Some, Herbert ! Some, our Edward ! Earl Warwick ! others, Harry ! &  Battle of Edgcote 1469 September 11th & 12th 2010 Tomb of Sir Richard Herbert executed after the battle