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146129 March 1461 · Towton, near Tadcaster, North Yorkshire

Battle of Towton

Lord Dacre's Cross, the stone memorial beside the road across Towton battlefield
Photo: JThomas. CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

On Palm Sunday, in driving snow on a plateau between Towton and Saxton, the Yorkist army of Edward IV defeated the Lancastrian army of Henry VI. The rout across the Cock Beck became a slaughter, and it is thought to be one of the deadliest battles ever fought in England. A mass grave found at Towton Hall in 1996 showed the violence. Edward was crowned that June.

Sites

  1. Site 1: Towton battlefield trail and Lord Dacre's CrossWaymarked trail with boards across the ridge and down to Bloody Meadow.Map ↗
  2. Site 2: All Saints Church, SaxtonChurchyard with the tomb of Lord Dacre, killed in the battle.Map ↗

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