March 25th 1471: Nottingham
Troops on the road
(Tewkesbury Medieval Festival)
Edward’s ‘fellowship’ arrived at Nottingham, and his fortunes seemed to take a turn for the better. He was joined by Sir William Parr, and Sir James Harrington with 600 men. This was a step in the right direction. They had travelled a long way from their north-western estates to answer Edward’s call.
Sir James Harrington was in a long-standing dispute with Thomas, Lord Stanley over Hornby Castle. Courting Stanley’s support, earlier in the month Warwick had sent him the royal cannon ‘Mile End’ from the city of Bristol to help him in besieging the castle, knowing well that Harrington, a strong supporter of Edward, would never join his cause.
Edward threw off all pretence of simply wanting to reclaim his inheritance as Duke of York, and was now confident enough to declare that his objective was to overthrow Henry VI and again become King of England.
Meanwhile, Warwick’s lieutenant George, Duke of Clarence, was busy arraying troops in the southwest and had been anxiously corresponding with Sir Henry Vernon asking him to discover the loyalty of some of the important magnates of the north, the Earls of Shrewsbury and Northumberland. The powerful Stanley family were another target, and Warwick was undoubtedly trying to buy loyalty when he loaned the cannon.
Warwick was getting concerned that Edward seemed to be making good progress towards the south without meeting any resistance, and from his castle in Warwick he wrote to Sir Henry personally:
Right trusty and right well beloved I greet you well and desire and heartily pray you that in as much as yonder man Edward the King our sovereign lord’s great enemy rebel and traitor is now late arrived in the North parts of this land and coming fast on Southward accompanied with Flemings, Easterlings and Danes not exceeding the number of all he hath of ii M persons, nor the country as he cometh. nothing falling to him, ye will therefore incontinent (urgently) and forthwith astir the sight thereof dispose you towards me to Coventry with all as many people defensibly arrayed as ye can readily create, and that ye be with them in all haste possible as my very singular trust is in you and as I must do thing to your wele and worship hereafter and God keep you.
Written at Warwick the xxvth day of March.
PostScript: Henry I pray you fail not now as ever I may do for you. The Earl of Warwick and Salisbury Lieut. to the King our Sovereign Lord Henry the Sixth.
This was a commission of array. Warwick was preparing for the battle he knew was inevitably going to happen.
Montagu had left Pontefract and was following Edward southwards. Oxford, Exeter and Beaumont were in Newark. Clarence was heading north through Wiltshire with 4,000 reinforcements.
Meanwhile, those staunch Lancastrians Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, John Courtney, Earl of Devonshire and Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke were completely ignoring Warwick and awaiting the return of Queen Margaret.