Flat size 660mm X 297mm + 3mm bleed, Finished size 110mm X 297mm Back Cover Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Front Cover YORKIST EDWARD III DESCENT Tewkesbury Medieval A Bearer of Arms by Graham Turner Festival EDWARD LIONEL JOHN OF GAUNT EDMUND THOMAS THE BATTLE The Black Prince Duke of Clarence Duke of Lancaster Duke of York Duke of Gloucester LANCASTRIAN THE E Y RICHARD II PHILIPPA OF TEWK SBUR LINE STAFFORDS ROGER MORTIMER Early in the morning of Saturday 4th May 1471 the Earl of March Lancastrian army prepared for battle, forming lines behind the RICHARD ANNE hedges of the fields. The Yorkists marched to meet them, with Married Earl of Cambridge their line about 200 yards to the south. RICHARD Duke of York The battle opened on the west flank, with the Duke of ANNE EDWARD IV EDMUND ELIZABETH MARGARET GEORGE RICHARD Gloucester attacking the Duke of Somerset’s battalion m. Elizabeth Duke of Duchess of Duke of Duke of Woodville Rutland Burgundy Clarence Gloucester with ‘right-a-sharp shower of arrows and shot of gun’. The Lancastrians were getting much the worse of the exchange. Somerset attempted a diversionary movement, attacking EXPLORING the centre of the Yorkist army from the flank. This failed though, with his men being pushed back into the sight of 200 THE BATTLE MORE DYNASTIES mounted knights who Edward had hidden in the woodland of & AFFINITIES Tewkesbury Park. They charged and cut them to pieces. WALKS The main Lancastrian army simply stood and watched, Tewkesbury Battlefield Society conducts regular guided which wasn’t the plan. Somerset blamed Lord Wenlock, who walks around the battlefield. Tewkesbury Tourist The Wars of the Roses wasn’t about commanded the Lancastrian centre, for not supporting him Information Centre has details of dates and times and principles and firmly-held beliefs. It was and according to some sources, ‘spilled his brains on the field’. bespoke tours may be arranged for groups of six or more When the arrows ran out, the Yorkists attacked, and forced with 4-6 weeks’ notice. about power for power’s sake. Both sides the demoralised Lancastrians back. In retreat, they stood no were Plantagenets, tracing their lines back chance. Many were killed in Tewkesbury Park and in the Bloody Meadow and men drowned fleeing across the River DISPLAYS to King Edward III. Swilgate. Edward, Prince of Wales, the Lancastrian heir, Tewkesbury Heritage Centre on Church Street has a was killed in the retreat, as was John Beaufort, Somerset’s wonderful display of the Battle of Tewkesbury and tells the No matter what difficulties it brought, their need to be rulers brother. Men were rounded up from hiding places all over story complete with battle sounds. was an obsession, to be pursued at all costs. The protagonists the town. Many had sought sanctuary in the Abbey but were www.tewkesburyheritage.co.uk were related to each other and great families married into surrendered to the safe-keeping of the King, Seventeen of the each other to pursue family interests. most prominent Lancastrians, including the Duke of Somerset THE BEARERS and Sir John Langstrother, Prior of the Order of St John, were OBJECTS For instance, support came from people who thought that they’d found guilty of treason at a hastily convened trial and beheaded Tewkesbury Museum has a display of the battle which benefit by their association. Often, this was a pragmatic choice, OF ARMS at a scaffold in Church Street. includes a diorama made in 1971 as well as items found on based on the need to protect or pursue personal interests. Lesser the battlefield. lords looked to greater lords for protection, and in return were Many Lancastrians are buried in the Abbey including Edward, www.tewkesburymuseum.org expected to come to their support when called upon including Important people bore ‘coats of arms’. Prince of Wales and Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. turning out, with their whole household, to fight. These served the practical purpose of helping Queen Margaret fled towards Wales but was captured at Little READING Close family members could almost always be taken for granted, recognition in the heat of battle, but also st There are many books published about the Wars of the Roses Malvern Priory and returned to London on 21 May, a prisoner though there was treachery and opportunism aplenty. Edward’s gave a means of showing the family pedigree of the victorious Edward IV. That night her husband, Henry and the most pertinent ones to the Battle of Tewkesbury are brother George had rebelled and made a bid for the crown, for available locally. VI, mysteriously died in the Tower of London where she instance, but at the Battle of Tewkesbury he was back in the and importance. herself was imprisoned for several years before being family and fighting for Edward’s cause. ransomed to France. HELPFUL WEBSITES Heraldry developed customs and a language of its own, and heralds were needed to interpret it, to keep the records and Edward ruled unchallenged until his death in 1483, a death www.battlefieldstrust.com LANCASTRIAN EDWARD III DESCENT report on conduct in battle. www.tewkesbury.org.uk which precipitated another crisis in England. EDWARD LIONEL EDMUND THOMAS The troops belonging to an arms-bearer were all provided with The Black Prince Duke of Clarence Duke of York Duke of Gloucester EVENTS a means of recognition, which was the only way of recognising YORKIST YORKIST THE which side they were fighting for. ‘Livery coats’, bearing the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival is held on the second RICHARD II LINE LINE STAFFORDS full weekend in July, every year. family colours and a badge which the family was known by JOHN OF GAUNT were issued. Men-at-arms would have had well-crafted coats, Blanche Catherine Married Married of Lancaster Duke of Lancaster Swynford but bill-men and archers are likely to have been recognised simply by a cloth badge pinned to their clothing. JOHN BEAUFORT HENRY JOAN BEAUFORT HENRY IV Earl of Somerset Cardinal Beaufort m. Ralph Neville It wasn’t unknown for liveries to be confused and friendly JOHN BEAUFORT EDMUND BEAUFORT troops to be attacked. Nor was it unknown for fleeing men to HENRY V THE NEVILLES Duke of Somerset Duke of Somerset shed their colours as quickly as they could, to disappear into the Printed December 2017 by Tewkesbury Borough Council. All details correct at the MARGARET BEAUFORT HENRY BEAUFORT EDMUND BEAUFORT crowds in the post-battle confusion. time of going to print. Thank you to Tewkesbury Battlefield Society for providing HENRY VI Duke of Somerset Archers by Graham Turner the content. Thank you to Graham Turner for the use of images of his original m. Edmund Tudor Duke of Somerset WWW.VISIT TEWKESBURY.INFO paintings and to Jack Boskett for The Arrivall photograph © Graham Turner Battle Walk 12pp Z-Fold Leaflet Tewkesbury - Word count template All concepts are © and the intellectual property of Image Zoo Ltd Flat size 654mm X 297mm, Finished size 110mm X 297mm Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Tewkesbury Medieval Festival The battle as depicted in the Ghent Manuscript The Battle Trail Walk is a waymarked tour of the fields south of Tewkesbury. It will take approximately 45 G minutes to complete. A N MEN AT ARMS D Please start anywhere E R L on the green dotted line A N AND OTHER RANKS and follow the route. E Plate armour was immensely expensive and its wearers were men of rank and importance. The skills of fighting were taught to the N E L A E D O nobility from a very early age and were L E R W Tewkesbury Medieval Festival L O honed by constant practice. Powerful families maintained households able to provide fighting men. The more powerful employed crack knights. All fit E N A L young men were expected to learn a N WHY FIGHT E E R fighting skill. G E Y N AT TEWK SBUR ? L ARRIVING IN O When called upon by their overlords, (everyone except the C N I King had an overlord), these households turned out to fight. Y L TEWKESBUR In truth, the town of Tewkesbury had no At the top of the tree were the knights and squires; equipped th strategic value to either side in the battle. and trained for battle and proudly carrying the livery colours On 14 April 1471, King Edward won the Its significance then, as for much of its and banners of the family. These were the committed men, who Battle of Barnet. On the same day, a new were expected to fight to the death when called upon. These history, lies in its place at the meeting men fought face-to-face, toe-to-toe, with bladed weapons. threat arrived. of the Severn and Avon Rivers. Men with pole-weapons formed a greater group. Not as well Queen Margaret returned from exile in France and set about Margaret’s army arrived there late on the afternoon of Friday protected, they were conscripts from the common men. These raising an army. Jasper Tudor went to find troops in South 3rd May 1471, exhausted, desperately trying to cross the Severn were the troops who cleared the way, broke through obstacles Wales; Margaret with the Duke of Somerset and Earl of to allow them to join up with Jasper Tudor and their Welsh and in Tewkesbury broke through hedges. Most were bill-men, Devonshire went into Devon. The two groups intended to allies. To reach the next bridge, at Upton upon Severn, meant armed with a variant of the agricultural bill-hook, able converge on Gloucester, where the Severn was bridged, crossing the River Swilgate bridge, south of the town, passing to thrust, cut and slash.