Long Range Gaming Group

 

The second game in our Wars of the Roses campaign was Blore Heath featuring the Yorkist Earl of Warwick (Paul) versus the Lancastrian Duke of Somerset (Rick). 

 As a consequence of Henry VI’s petit mal, Queen Margaret was effectively in command of the Lancastrians at the time of Blore Heath.  The battle was fought on a damp day causing muddy conditions and swelling the Wemberton brook.  The Yorkists set up on higher ground with woods to their rear.  The Lancastrians launched two uphill cavalry charges but both were shot up and failed.  The cavalry charges were then followed by an infantry assault which also failed.  

 There were two other Lancastrian forces within 8 miles so the Yorkists withdrew during the night.  The Yorkists left a friar to occasionally fire their guns hoping to fool the Lancastrians into thinking they were still on the heath.  It worked but lead to the Yorkist guns being abandoned.

 To simulate the swelling of the Wemberton Brook and the consequent soft ground our brook was classed as difficult terrain except at the bridge.

 Despite their lack of light troops the Yorkists outscouted the Lancastrians thanks to a favourable chit draw.  Edmund Beaufort 2^nd Duke of Somerset (Rick) therefore began the set up

Somerset (Rick) deployed his centre first, pushing his mounted bowmen forward and supporting their right flank with veteran retinue billmen under the command of John Touchet 6^th Lord Audley. In echelon on the left of the bowmen Somerset (Rick) placed his reliable Welsh longbowmen closely supported by a powerful unit of fully armoured dismounted men at arms under the personal command of the Duke (Rick) himself.  In response the Earl of Warwick (Paul) deployed a strong armoured centre including all of his knights and men at arms. Warwick’s (Paul’s) veteran bills under the command of 5^th Baron Clinton were pushed forward onto the low hills in front of the woods. Protecting the flanks of the bills were a unit of retinue longbow and a unit of Shire Levy bowmen.  The Earl (Paul) placed himself and his bodyguard in the centre of the battlefield.

Somerset (Rick) then arrayed the remainder of his retinue troops (mixed bills and longbows) on his right, forward of the Wemberton brook, under the command of Baron Hungerford (Doug).  Sir John Roddam was in command of the billmen on the extreme right of the line.  Warwick (Paul) responded by positioning mounted retinue longbow on the low hills in the left centre of the battlefield (under command of Baron Ogle) and the mass of his shire levy (supported by retinue billmen) in the cover of the woods on the left of the line. Baron Hastings (David) was appointed to command the Yorkist left flank. 

Finally Somerset (Rick) deployed a strong cavalry force on his left under command of the Earl of Wiltshire (Reg).  Sir Robert Whittingham’s Irish kerns were placed on the extreme left of the battle line.  Facing off against this threat Warwick (Paul) deployed his remaining retinue troops (mainly bills with Sir John Conyer in command) with his Currors in support.  A shire levy unit of bills were held in reserve.  The Yorkist right was under the command of Sir Thomas Neville (Tony).

The Earl of Warwick (Paul) now played his stratagem “ This way my Lord…”.  Misled by Yorkist spies  the Lancastrian left wing found itself pushed back onto the wrong side of the brook thereby isolating Somerset’s (Rick’s) centre.

The battle proper now opened with an advance by the Yorkist line onto the low hills in front of them

In reply the entire Lancastrian left wing (Reg) successfully recrossed the brook returning to their original positions.  On the right and centre left the remainder of the Lancastrian army also advanced conforming with the mounted infantry in the centre of the line.  The Lancastrian bowmen originally placed forward of the main line opened fire with some success against the Yorkists.

The Yorkist centre boldly advanced into the centre of the battlefield led by Baron Clinton on their left and supported on the right by the Earl of Warwick (Paul) himself.

The Earl of Wiltshire (Reg) prepared his cavalry to charge.

Accompanied  by a blast of brazen trumpets a flaming arrow rose above the Lancastrian centre.  TREACHERY! Baron Clinton halted his advance and tried to turn his bills against Warwick’s knights.  Confusion spread through the ranks.

A similar confusion now struck Warwick’s knights as they were ordered to ride down the billmen in front of them.

Carpe diem! The Earl of Wiltshire (Reg)  ordered his cavalry forward.  Neville’s (Tony’s) retinue bills held in the face of  Wiltshire’s (Reg’s) charging knights. Under direct command of the Earl his northern border staves attacked the billmen on the right of the Yorkist line.  The Northerners were scattered but not before mortally wounding Sir Thomas Nevile (Tony) and leaving the Yorkist right wing leaderless.   The Earl (Reg) (narrowly escaping injury) now joined his Currors and led his second charge of the day smashing into the disordered bowmen on the hill ahead of him and driving them from the field. 

Meanwhile on the Lancastrian right Baron Hungerford’s (Doug’s) longbowmen were succeeding in disordering Baron Hasting’s (David’s) archers.  Hungerford (Doug) ordered his billmen (led by Sir John Roddam) to advance.

Back on the Yorkist right Sir John Conyer (Tony) fought back with the retinue troops available to him. The Lancastrian bodyguard  unit was destroyed and their mounted knights disordered.  The surviving Lancastrian knights fled back towards their lines. 

In the confused centre of the battlefield Warwick about faced his body guard in time to see the Earl of Wiltshire (Reg) and his Currors ride hell for leather into the Yorkist camp.  Lord Clinton finally about faced his traitorous billmen, only for them to be cut down by Warwick’s (Paul’s) mounted knights. 

Over on the right of the Lancastrian line Baron Hasting’s (David’s) disordered bowmen were engaged by fire and cold steel.  Both units were destroyed and Hungerford’s (Doug’s) relentless advance continued.

With the immediate threat of Clintons bills now eliminated, Warwick (Paul) proceeded to pursue Wiltshire’s (Reg’s) Currors who were busily looting the remains of the Yorkist camp.

The Currors on the extreme right of the Yorkist line (Tony) now tried to ride down the kerns in front of them but calamity! The Lancastrian stratagem revealed a sunken lane directly in the path of the horsemen.  The Kerns held and repulsed the cavalry charge. 

The whole Yorkist right flank (Tony) now began a slow but inexorable advance pushing back the disordered Lancastrian knights and putting pressure on the Irish kerns.

In the nick of time the Earl of Wiltshire (Reg) regained control of his looting Currors and turned to face Warwick (Paul) and his bodyguard.

Somerset’s (Rick’s) retinue and welsh archers at the centre right of the lancastrian line now came into their own peppering the beleaguered Yorkist men at arms

The Yorkist morale faltered and then failed confirming a decisive Lancastrian victory.

The next battle will be Ludford between the Earl of Northumberland (Reg/Doug) and Edmund Earl of March (David) tentatively scheduled for 25^th April.