I came upon an article online from the Wakefield Express about the 560th anniversary of the battle of Wakefield, fought on December 30 1460.
The article has occasional errors in respect of the death of the Earl of Rutland, who was the second of four sons of the Duke of York, and I am doubtful about the casualty rate it gives.
The well illustrated article can be read at Commemorations held for Battle of Wakefield, pivotal battle that saw 3,000 deaths and inspired popular nursery rhyme
I have a strong interest in the history of this particular battle. Not only was it fought in my home area but I was born in a hospital on the on the battlefield site. I remember visiting the site when I was a very young boy of five and seeing the monument to the Duke of York and the earthworks of Sandal Castle. It was therefore the first battlefield I walked. Watching the BBC’s Age of Kings Shakespeare series in 1960-61 reinforced that interest. A few years later I watched the impressive re-excavation of Sandal Castle and its presentation as a historic monument, and later still took local history groups to visit the castle and battlefield. With all that and the great heritage of Pontefract no wonder I am a late medievalist at heart
I wrote about the battle in a post in 2010 which can be seen at The Battle of Wakefield 1460
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