{"id":3440,"date":"2018-06-16T21:02:21","date_gmt":"2018-06-16T21:02:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/?page_id=3440"},"modified":"2026-05-28T09:25:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T09:25:23","slug":"battle-of-hexham-and-the-execution-of-somerset","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/schoolshistory.org.uk\/topics\/british-history\/wars-of-the-roses\/battle-of-hexham-and-the-execution-of-somerset\/","title":{"rendered":"Battle of Hexham and the execution of Somerset"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Battle of Hexham took place on 15th May 1464. It was a small but significant victory for the Yorkists, led by Richard Neville. Northumbria had been a Lancastrian stronghold. Following the defeat at the Battle of Towton<\/a>, Henry VI<\/a> had fled to the North East. Lancastrian supporters had followed, turning the region into a bastion of resistance. Following the Battle of Hexham, that resistance petered out.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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

The build up to the Battle of Hexham<\/h4>\n

In April 1464, the Lancastrians had been thwarted in an attempt to prevent the Yorkists striking a deal with the Scots. At the Battle of Hedgeley Moor<\/a>, Yorkist troops had succeeded in defeating the Lancastrian army. This had allowed a Scottish delegation to visit York and conclude a peace settlement with the Yorkist government of England.<\/p>\n

With the prospect of support from Scotland now gone, the Lancastrian cause was desperate. They took a decision to resist. Controlling a number of Castles in the area and with seasoned soldiers at their disposal the intention was to rise in rebellion before Edward IV<\/a> could raise an army in the south.<\/p>\n

The Battle of Hexham<\/h2>\n

The Duke of Somerset moved the Lancastrian army through Northumbria in April of 1464. It gathered troops from the garrisons in the area. Learning of this, Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, was sent as a forward vanguard of Edward’s army to the North East. Neville’s force arrived quickly. Neville’s brother, who had been victorious at Hedgeley Moor, marched his army along the Tyne. It found Somerset camped near Hexham.<\/p>\n

The Battle itself appears to have been brief. Accounts suggest that the Lancastrians were ill prepared for the sudden arrival of a Yorkist force. They hastily threw up a defensive line by their camp. Behind them was the River Tyne. As the size of Montagu’s army became visible to the defenders, many deserted. Those that did not probably numbered around 500. They were quickly overwhelmed and forced into the river.<\/p>\n

As the battle drew to a close the Earl of Warwick arrived. At this point any faint hope of turning the table was over.<\/p>\n

Consequences of the Battle of Hexham<\/h3>\n

Though the battle was small in terms of the numbers involved, it was of significance. Somerset was captured and immediately executed. Three other Lancastrian lords, Lord Roos, Lord Hungerford and Sir William Tailboys were captured, taken to Newcastle and executed in the following days.<\/p>\n

The Lancastrian baggae train included some \u00a32000, a considerable amount at the time.<\/p>\n

Henry VI was no longer safe in the North East, Lancastrian resistance there was over. Henry was able to evade capture for the time being. He was found in Clitheroe, Lancashire, some time after the battle. This made the yorkist position in the Wars of the Roses<\/a> very dominant. Indeed, it was only through disputes between Warwick and the King that the Lancastrian cause was able to seriously recover.<\/p>\n

Links<\/h3>\n

Historic England’s<\/a> record for the Battlefield.<\/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 Battle of Hexham took place on 15th May 1464. It was a small but significant victory for the Yorkists, led by Richard Neville. Northumbria had been a Lancastrian stronghold. Following the defeat at the Battle of Towton, Henry VI had fled to the North East. Lancastrian supporters had followed, turning the region into a… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3441,"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-3440","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