The Battle of Ferrybridge, 28 March 1461, was a preliminary engagement between the houses of

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

and Lancaster before the larger

battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between ...

, during the period now known as the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These wars were fought bet ...

Background

After proclaiming himself king, Edward IV gathered together a large force and marched north towards the Lancastrian position behind the Aire River in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

. On 27 March the

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation ...

(leading the vanguard) forced a crossing at

Ferrybridge Ferrybridge is a village in West Yorkshire, England. Ferrybridge lies at a historically important crossing of the River Aire which borders the North Yorkshire village of Brotherton. It is linked to other communities by the A1, which follows t ...

, bridging the gaps (the Lancastrians having previously destroyed it) with planks. In the process he lost many men, both to the freezing winter water and to the frequent hail of arrows coming from a small but determined Lancastrian force on the other side. Once the crossing was managed and the Lancastrians seen off, Warwick had his men repair the bridge while camp was established on the north side of the river.

Battle

Early next morning the Yorkists were ambushed by a large party of Lancastrians under Lord Clifford and John, Lord Neville, a younger brother of the 2nd Earl of Westmorland (Warwick's first cousins of the half blood). Completely surprised and confused Warwick's forces suffered many losses. Warwick's second-in-command at camp, Lord FitzWalter was mortally wounded while trying to rally his men (he died a week later). The Bastard of Salisbury, Warwick's half-brother, was slain and in the process of retreating the

himself was injured, struck by an arrow in the leg.

Jean de Wavrin Jean de Waurin or Wavrin (c. 1400c. 1474) was a medieval French chronicler and compiler, also a soldier and politician. He belonged to a noble family of Artois, and witnessed the Battle of Agincourt from the French side, but later fought on the ...

states that nearly 3,000 men perished in the fighting.

Aftermath

After the battle Edward arrived with his main army and together Warwick and Edward returned to the bridge to find it in ruins. Warwick sent his uncle,

Lord Fauconberg Baron Fauconberg (also Falconberg or Falconbridge) is an hereditary title created twice in the Peerage of England. First created in 1295 when Sir Walter de Fauconberg, an Anglo-Norman, was summoned to parliament. Between 1463 and 1903 the pee ...

with the Yorkist cavalry upstream to where they crossed the ford at Castleford and pursued Lord Clifford. Fauconberg pursued Lord Clifford, his half grand nephew, in sight of the main Lancastrian army and defeated him after a fierce struggle. Clifford was killed by an arrow in the throat, having unaccountably removed the piece of armour that should have protected this area of his body.

Date

Some doubt exists over what date the battle took place on due to the way the historical sources refer to the different times of the day. No contemporary source explicitly states that the battle took place on 28 March but refers to Palm Sunday eve which could refer to the morning before dawn on the 29th. Archaeology evidence indicates that the subsequent engagement near Dittingdale after crossing the river is too close to the location of the main battle at Towton to have been fought on a separate day. As the historical sources all agree that Lord Clifford was killed on the same day as the engagement at Ferrybridge, a new interpretation has been given of there being 3 consecutive engagements in one day – starting before dawn on 29 March and ending at Towton. If this is the case it has been suggested the quoted casualty figures given for the

may include those killed at Ferrybridge.

References

{{Authority control 1461 in England Ferrybridge 1461

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