Tudor Books, Hall's Chronicle 1469
Hall's Chronicle 1469 is in Hall's Chronicle.
When kyng Edwarde (to whom all the dooynges of the Erle of Wanvicke, and the Duke his brother, were manifest and ouerte, and wer come to that poynt, that he expected and loked for) was by diverse letters sent to him, certified that the great armie of the Northren men, wer with all spede commyng toward London. Therefore in greate hast he sent to Wyllyam lorde Herbert, whom, within twoo yeres before, he had created erle of Penbroke, that he should without delaye encountre with the Northren men, with the extremitie of all his power. The erle of Penbroke, commonly called the lorde Herbert, was not a litle ioyous of the kynges letters, partly to deserue the kynges liberalitie, whiche of a meane gentleman, had promoted hym to the estate of an erle, partly for the malice that he bare to the erle of Warwicke, beyng the sole obstacle (as he thought) why he obteined not the wardship of the Lorde Bonuiles daughter & heire, for his eldest sonne. Wherupon he accompaignied with his brother sir Richard Harbert, a valiaunt knight, and aboue. vi. or. vii. thousande Welshemenne well furnished, marched forwarde to encountre with the Northren men. And to assiste and furnishe hym with archers, was appoynted Humffray lorde Stafford of Southwike (named, but not created) Erle of Deuonshire, by the kyng, in hope that he valiauntly would serue hym in that iorney, and with hym he had eight hundred archers. When these twoo Lordes were met at Cottishold, they made diligent inquiry, to here where the Northren menne were, and so by their explorators they were asserteined, that thei were passyng towarde Northampton, whervpon the lorde Stafford, and sir Richard Harbert with twoo thousande well horsed Welshmen, saied: they would go vewe and se the demeanor and nombre of the Northern men, and so vnder a woodes side, thei couertly espied the passe forward, and sodainly set on the rerewarde: but the Northren men with suche agilitie so quickly turned aboute, that in a moment of an houre, the Welshemen wer clene discomfited and scatered, and many taken, and the remnaunt returned to the armie with small gain.
Kyng Edwarde beeyng nothyng abasshed of this small chaunce, sente good woordes to the Erle of Pembroke, animatyng and byddyng. hym to bee of a good courage, promisyng hym not alonely ayde in shorte tyme, but also he hymself in persone royall, would folowe hym with all his puyssance and power. The Yorke shire menne, beyng glad of this small victory, were well cooled and went no farther Southward, but toke their waie toward Warwicke, lokyng for aide of therle, whiche was lately come from Caleis, with the Duke of Clarece his sonne in lawe, and was gatheryng and reisyng of men, to succor his frendes and kynsfolke. The kyng likewise assembled people on euery side, to aide and assist therle of Penbroke and his compaignie. But before or any part receiued comfort or succor, from his frend or partaker, bothe the armies met by chaunce, in a faire plain, nere to a toune called Hedgecot, three myle from Banbery, wherin be three hilles, not in equal [?] distaunce, nor yet in equall quantitie, but liyng in maner although not fully triangle: the fcUt Welshemen gat firste the West hill, hopyng to haue recouered the East hil: whiche if thei had obteined, the victory had been theirs, as their vnwise Prophesiers promised the before.
26 Jul 1469. The Northern men incamped themself on the Southe hill. The erle of Penbroke and the lorde Stafford of Southwike (age 30), wer lodged at Banbery the daie before the feld whiche was sainct James daie, and there the erle of Pembroke, putte the Lorde Stattorde out of an Inne wherein he delighted muche to be, for the loue of a damosell that dwelled m the house: contrary to their mutuall agrement by them taken, whiche was, that whosoeuer obteined first a lodgyng, should not be deceiued nor remoued. After many great woordes and crakes, had betwene these twoo capitaines, the lorde Stafford of Southwyke, in greate dispite departed with his whole compaignie and band of Archers, leauyng the erle of Pembroke almoste desolate in the toune, whiche, with all diligence returned to his host, liyng in the feld vnpurueied of Archers, abidyng suche fortune as God would sende and prouide. Sir Henry Neuell (age 32) sonne to the Lorde Latimer (age 62), tooke with hym certain light horssemen, and skirmished with the Welshemen in the euenyng, euen before their Campe, where he did diuerse valiaunt feates of armes, but a litle to hardy, he went so farre forward that he was taken and yelded, and yet cruelly slain: whiche vnmercifull acte, the Welshemen sore ruled the next daie or night. For the Northren men beyng inflamed, & not a litle discontented, with the death of this noble man, in the mornyng valiauntly set on the Welshemenne, and by force of archers, caused theim quickely to descende the hill into the valey, where bothe the hostes fought. Therle of Penbroke behaued hymself like a hardy knight, and expert capitain, but his brother sir Richarde Herbert so valiauntly acquited hymself, that with his Polleaxe in his hand (as his enemies did afterward reporte) he twise by fine force passed through the battaill of his aduersaries, and without any mortall wounde returned. If euery one of his felowes and compaignions in armes, hud doen but halfe thactes, whiche he that daie by his noble prowes achiued, the Northremen had obteined neither sauetie nor victory.
Beside this, beholde the mutabilitie of fortune, when the Welsheme were at the very poynt, to haue obteynecl the victory (the Northernme beyng in manner discofited) Ihon Clappam Esquier, seruaunte to the erle of Warwycke, moated vp the syde of y east hyl, accopanied onely with. CCCCC. men gathered of all the Rascal of the towne of Northampton and other villages about, hauyng borne before them the standard of the Erie with the white Bere, Cryenge a Warwycke a Warwycke. The Welshmen think-yng that y Erle of Warwycke had come on them with all his puyssance, sodaynlye as men amased fledde: the Northernme, them pursued and slew without mercy, for y cruelty that they had shewed to Aureate the lord Latimers sonne. So that of the Welshme there were slayn aboue. v. M. bcsyde them that were fled and taken.
The erle of Pembroke, syr Rychard Herbert his brother, and divers gentelmen were taken, and brought to Banberie to be behedded, much lamentacion and no lesse entreatie was ade to saue the lyfe of Syr Rychard Herbert, both for hys goodely personage, whiche excelled all men there, and also for the noble Chiualry, that he had shewed in the felde the day of the battayll, in so muche that bis brother the Erle, when he should laye doune his hed on the block to suffer, sayd to syr Thon Conyers and Clappam, Masters let me dye for I am olde, but saue my brother, which is yonge, lusty and hardy, mete and apte to serue the greatest prince of Christendom. But syr Ihon Conyers and Clappam, remembryng the death of the yonge knyght syr Henry Neuel, Cosyn to the erle of Warwycke, could not here on that side, but caused the erle & hys brother with divers other gentelmen, to the number of. x. to be there bebedded.
12 Aug 1469. The Northamptonshire men, with diverse of the Northern men by them procured, in this fury made them a captain, and called him Robin of Redesdale, and suddenly came to the manor of Grafton [Map], where the earl Rivers (age 64) father to the Queen (age 32) then lay whom they loved not, and there by force took the said earl and and sir John (age 24) his son, and brought them to Northampton [Map], and there without Judgement stroke of their heads, whose bodies were solemnly interred in the Blackfriars at Northampton.
17 Aug 1469When king Edward was advertised of this unfortunate chances, he wrote in all haste to the Sheriffs of Somerset and Devon, that if they could by any mean take the lord Stafford of Southwick (age 30), that they upon pain of their lives, should without delay put him in execution, which accordingly to the kynges commandment, after long exploration made, found him hid in a village in Brentmarche [Map], called.... where he was taken & brought to Bridgwater [Map], & there cut shorter by the head.
Thys was the order, manner and ende of Hegecot felde, comenly called Banberie felde, foughten the morow after sainct James daye, in the. viij. yere of kynge Edwarde the. iiij. the whiche battaile euer synce hath bene, and yet is a cotinuall grudge betwene the Northernmen and the Welshemen. After thys battayle the Northernme resorted towarde Warwycke, where the erle had gathered a greate multitude of people, whiche erle gaue hygh commedacions to syr Ihon Conyers and other capitaynes of the North, much reioysing, that they had obteyned so glorious victory, requiring them to continew as they had begon. The king likewyse sore thrusting to recouer his losse late susteyned, and desirous to be reuenged of the deathes and murders of hys lordes and frédes, marched toward Warwycke with a great armye, and euer as he wente forwarde, his company increased, because he commaunded it to be noysed and published to the common people, that his onely entent was to destroy, and vtterly to confounde the vnhappy stocke and yll graffed generacion, of suche pernicious persones, as wolde disturbe and bring in thraldome, the quiet commons and peaseable people. The erle of Warwycke had by his espialles perfyt, knowlege how the kyng with his armye was bent toward hym, & sent in all hast possible to the duke ef Claréce (which was notfar from him with a great power) requyringe him that bothe their hostes myghte joyne in one for as farre as he could imagyne, the tyme of battayle was very nere.
The duke hearynge these newes in good order of battayle, came and encamped him selie with the erles host. When all thynges were redy prepared to fight: by the meanes of frendes, a meane was founde how to common of peace, for the whiche letters were writté from eche parte to other, declaring their griefes and the very bottoms of their stommackes: Herauldes spared no horse-flesh in riding betwene the kyng and the erle, nor in retornynge from the Erle to the kynge: the kynge conceyuinge a certayne hope of peace in his awne imaginacion, toke bothe lesse hede to him selfe, and also lesse fered the outward att€ptes of his enemyes, thinkyng and trustynge truely that all thynges were at a good poynt and should be well pacified.
26 Jul 1469. All the kynges doynges were by espials declared to the erle of Warwycke, which lyke a wyse and politique Capitayne entendyng pot to lese so great an auauntage to hym geuen, but trustyng to brynge all his purposes to a fynall ende and determinacion, by onely obteyning this enterprise: in the dead of the nyght, with an elect company of men of warre, as secretly as was possible set on the kynges felde, kylling them that kept the watche, and or the kynge were ware (for he thought of nothynge lesse then cf that chaunce that happened) at a place called Wolney. iiij. myle from Warwycke, he was taken prysoner, and brought to the Castell of Warwicke. And to the entent that the kynges frendes myghte not know where he was, nor what was chaunced of hym, he caused hym by secret iorneys in the nyght to be conueyed to Myddelham Castell [Map] in Yorkeshire, & there to be kept vnder the custody of the Archebishop of Yorke his brother, and other his trusty trendes, which entertayned the kyng, like lis estate, and serned hym lyke a prynce. But there was no place so farre of but that the taking of the kyng was shortly knowé there with the wynde which newes made many men to feare, and greatly to dread, and many to wonder and lament the chauce. Kyng Edward beyng thus in captiuitie, spake euer fayre to the Archebishop and to the other kepers, (but whether he corrupted them with money or fayre promises) he had libertie divers dayes to go on huntynge, and one day on a playne there met with hym syr William Stanley, syr Thomas of Borogh, and dyuers other of hys frcdes, with suche a great bend of men, that neither his kepers woulde, nor once durst moue him to retorne to prison agayn.