{"id":3423,"date":"2018-06-08T13:43:59","date_gmt":"2018-06-08T13:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=3423"},"modified":"2026-05-28T09:58:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T09:58:18","slug":"battle-of-hedgeley-moor","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/british-history\/wars-of-the-roses\/battle-of-hedgeley-moor\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle of Hedgeley Moor"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Battle of Hedgeley Moor was fought on 25th April 1464. A Yorkist force led by Lord Montague defeated a Lancastrian force led by the Duke of Somerset. The victory enabled the Yorkists to escort a Scottish delegation to York for negotiations about a peace. It also hampered the Lancastrian efforts to rebuild in Northumberland.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Unknown<\/a><\/p>\n

Lancastrians after Towton<\/h4>\n

Following the Battle of Towton<\/a>, Queen Margaret<\/a> had gone into exile in Scotland. Some parts of Northern England remained loyal to Henry VI<\/a>. The North had become a place of refuge for Lancastrians and was an area in which they were growing in strength and confidence.<\/p>\n

Edward’s need for a peace with Scotland<\/h4>\n

Edward IV<\/a> needed to secure his throne. The threat of raids or an invasion from Scotland loomed large over the early part of his reign. Strategically, he needed to shore up that border by making agreements with the Scots. With the House of Lancaster having French support it was possible that Margaret of Anjou would plot for simultaneous uprisings in the Midlands, the North of England along with French and Scottish raids or even invasions.<\/p>\n

Montagu’s mission to Scotland<\/h4>\n

The frequency of raids by Lancastrians in the north meant that it was not safe for the Scottish delegation to travel unaccompanied to York for meetings with Edward IV and his council. To ensure their safe passage, Edward sent Lord Montagu north to meet them at the border.<\/p>\n

Somerset, learning of the movement of Montagu’s men swept into action. He called together as many Lancastrians as he could muster. Initially Somerset wanted to ambush Montagu’s men. The Yorkist scouts foiled these plans though and Somerset withdrew further north. The Yorkist force marching to the Scottish border was now some 6000 strong. Somerset had a force of 5000. He decided to block their route.<\/p>\n

Somerset chose high ground on Hedgeley Moor to face the advancing Yorkists.<\/p>\n

Battle of Hedgeley Moor<\/h2>\n

Sources do not provide much information about the Battle of Hedgeley Moor. It appears that the usual exchange between the archers preceded an advance. As the Yorkists advanced, one side of the Lancastrian force broke and retreated from the field. This left the Lancastrian vanguard exposed. Sensing the danger, Somerset withdrew his battle. However Sir Ralph Percy at the head of the Lancastrian vanguard was left isolated and died overwhelmed by the Yorkist force.<\/p>\n

\"Wayside<\/a><\/p>\n

The short battle opened the route for Montagu to march to Scotland and hampered Lancastrian efforts in the area. Somerset was forced to withdraw to Alnwick. From there he engaged the Yorkists again at the Battle of Hexham before Lancastrian power in the area crumbled. This was a period within the wars of the roses<\/a> in which York was very much in the ascendancy. Lancastrian loyalists had used the north east as a stronghold and looked to regroup in this area.<\/p>\n

Battle of Hedgeley Moor: Links<\/h4>\n

English Monarchs<\/a> – account of the Battle of Hedgeley Moor<\/p>\n

Historic England<\/a> – schedule for the Percy Cross<\/p>\n

Causes of the Wars of the Roses<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Course of the War of the Roses<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Events of the War of the Roses<\/a><\/p>\n

Battles in the Wars of the Roses<\/h4>\n

First Battle of St. Albans\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Blore Heath<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Ludford Bridge<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Northampton<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Wakefield<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Mortimer\u2019s Cross<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Second Battle of St. Albans<\/a>\u00a0Battle of Ferrybridge<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Towton<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Hedgeley Moor<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Hexham<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Edgecote Moor<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Losecote Field<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Barnet<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Tewkesbury<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Bosworth<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Battle of Stoke Field<\/a><\/p>\n

Documents, Maps and Evidence<\/h4>\n

The Rous Rolls<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Paston Letters<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Edward IV Roll<\/a><\/p>\n

People and periods<\/h4>\n

British History<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The Wars of the Roses<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The Plantagenets<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0The Tudors<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0King Henry IV<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0King Henry V<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0King Henry VI<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0King Edward IV<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0King Edward V<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0King Richard III<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0King Henry VII<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Margaret of Anjou<\/a><\/p>\n

Schoolshistory<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0teaching resources for Key Stage 3, GCSE and A Level history<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Battle of Hedgeley Moor was fought on 25th April 1464. A Yorkist force led by Lord Montague defeated a Lancastrian force led by the Duke of Somerset. The victory enabled the Yorkists to escort a Scottish delegation to York for negotiations about a peace. It also hampered the Lancastrian efforts to rebuild in Northumberland. Lancastrians… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3425,"parent":306,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"off","neve_meta_content_width":100,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3423","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t