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The Battle of Bloreheath 1459

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The Battle of Bloreheath 1459
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Author(s): Francis Randle Twemlow
Date Published: 2011/03
Page Count: 88
Softcover ISBN-13: 978-0-85706-476-9
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-0-85706-475-2

The first battle of the great collision of British dynasties

For many students of the English medieval period, 'The Wars of the Roses' fought between the houses of York and Lancaster hold an especial fascination. In September of 1459 on a damp Sunday this momentous conflict—after years of tension, sparring and bloody encounters—finally ignited into full scale open hostility with the first battle of many before peace would finally be achieved by the death of Richard III at Bosworth and the crowning of Henry VII, as the first Tudor monarch in 1485. Bloreheath stands close to Market Drayton in the county of Shropshire. The Lancastrian Queen Margaret of Anjou, wife of the feeble minded Henry VI, ordered James Touchet, Lord Audley, to intercept a Yorkist army under Richard Neville, Lord Salisbury, and bring him to ruin before he could join forces with other Yorkists at Ludlow Castle. The Yorkists were vastly outnumbered and forced to fight a battle on ground not of their choosing by an enemy ensconced in a well chosen defensive position. Nevertheless, in a battle of remarkable drama, the Yorkists managed to secure an outstanding victory over their Lancastrian enemy which resulted in complete rout and the death of Audley. This fascinating concise study of the battle will intrigue all those interested in the period. Available in softcover and hardcover with dustjacket.

This capital messuage of Netherblore was therefore a place of some importance; it was probably moated and capable of defence; and with its fences and inclosures had an important bearing upon the battle. When Audley was on the defensive, he would depend upon it to protect his right flank; and when he became the assailant, it prevented him from getting at the Yorkist left, and compelled him to attack their centre and right. In 177321 the farm contained 190 acres; and there is no reason to suppose that its original boundaries had been in any way altered.<br>
About twenty acres of it, known as the Dalacre, or Dallacre, lie to the South of the brook. It is good land, and probably formed part of the original arable land of the farm, and was fenced round at a very early date. And beyond it, on the East, lay boggy meadows bordering on the forest. I think it probable that all the land lying between the Dalacre, the cornfield of Blore, and the old lane leading down to the defile was already enclosed in 1459. It is all of good quality, it lies close to the village; and for a considerable part of its total length the ditch of the boundary fence of the Dalacre is on the inside and not on the outside, which suggests that some of the adjoining land was inclosed earlier even than the Dalacre itself.<br>
It is probable that the entire farm of Netherblore, being held in severalty, and lying in a ring fence, was hedged round in 1459. But as to this we cannot be absolutely certain. The Abbot of Combermere held Stafford’s Grange in the same way, and had the right to take fencing materials from the Tyrley woods: yet a considerable portion of the poorer land of this grange remained open waste so late as 1773.<br>
The question as to whether the land on the South side of the defile and on the West side of the old lane was inclosed or not, is more difficult to decide. We know from the Writ of Partition that there was uninclosed waste lying between the Bloreheath mill pool and the village cornfields in 1587. It was computed to amount to 36 acres, but was probably rather more, perhaps 40 or 45. But, after allowing for this, there still remains a piece of about 24 acres; which at the time of the Tithe Survey was divided into three fields, known as Nab Hill, Smith’s Nab Hill, and Heath Dale.<br>
This was evidently inclosed land in 1587, and let with one of the Blore farms; the question is whether it was inclosed in 1459 or not. Nab, or Knob, is no doubt derived from a little hillock in the Nab Hill field; and it does not suggest anything as to the date of inclosure, nor does Heath Dale. But the name of Smith throws a ray of light. Andrew Smith occupied a large farm at Blore, and also the Bloreheath mill, in 1587; and it is very likely that he was the man who inclosed this tongue of land, which runs down to the mill. I do not find the name of Smith in connection with Blore before this date, though there were men of that name at the “Walk Mill,” near Market Drayton, fifty years earlier, and at Almington in 1439. The inference, therefore, seems to be that Smith’s Nab Hill, at any rate, and probably the other two fields also, would be open heath ground at the time of the battle.<br>
These doubtful fences are shown upon the map with dotted lines. If they were in existence, and were lined by Lancastrians on the morning of the day, they would have added to the difficulty of the Yorkists in forcing a passage through the defile. But they would also have made it difficult for the Lancastrian horse to range themselves in front of the Yorkist line of battle, as Waurin says they did; and would have greatly hindered their cavalry charges. On the whole, I should be inclined to guess that none of these fences were then in existence; but were made between 1459 and 1587. Inclosure was proceeding at that time, we know; for the Court Roll of 1556 refers to “the newly-enclosed land at Crumbuldale field.” At any rate it is quite clear that there was no fence along the Northern bank of the defile.<br>
The woodland certainly came very near to the Netherblore homestead on the Eastern side; for, besides the Great Rowney Wood which bounded the property, a large proportion of the little domain itself was still timbered. Even in 1773 ten acres remained so, and the field names, “Burnt Wood Field” and “New Hay,” which refer to another twenty-three acres, are suggestive of clearings. And the post mortem inquest of Richard Wilbraham (who died possessed of this farm in 1612) states that more than a quarter of it was still uncleared in the reign of James I. The land on this side of the farm is all strong clay, and grows good oak trees at the present day.<br>
It is evident therefore that Audley occupied a defensive position of great strength; and that on general grounds he could afford to bide his time and await developments. We have now to enquire into the question of the arms and tactics of the period; and we shall see that there were strong additional reasons which made it imperative for him to play a waiting game.
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