Battlefield Yorkshire: From the Romans to the English Civil Wars by David Cooke

Author:David Cooke [Cooke, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Multiperiod, Campaigns, Battles
Amazon: B00KYVDLDI
Publisher: Pen & Sword
Published: 2006-10-12T04:00:00+00:00

Wakefield. Looking from the keep of Sandal Castle towards Wakefield. The battle was fought on the low ground in the middle distance. As can be seen from the photograph, most of the battlefield is now built over.

Standing at the castle today it is difficult to envisage how the battlefield looked at the time. As with many of our historical battlefields, Wakefield has been heavily built over, and little open ground remains. Initially the two armies deployed on two ridges, the Yorkists on the high ground where Sandal Castle lies and the Lancastrians on the ridge between Sandal and Wakefield. Although the ground in between would not have been built on, as it now is, it should not be thought that it was all open land. There is evidence of the land between the ridges being cultivated and broken up with small enclosures and remains of medieval ploughing can still be seen in the park opposite Manygates School.

It is likely that the Duke of York had prior knowledge of the approach of at least part of the Lancastrian army, although he would not have known how large a force was on its way. One of the tasks of an army’s scouts, as well as finding the enemy, was to prevent the enemy from gaining information about their army. As the Lancastrian scouts heavily outnumbered York’s it would have been a simple task for them to mask the size of the force approaching Wakefield. York would have had chance to gather his forces together on the castle ridge and would have seen the Lancastrian vanguard occupy the opposite high ground and deploy for battle. York then ordered his men to advance and would have quickly been in contact with the enemy.

Wakefield. Information board at Sandal Castle.

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