An. Reg. 9. to kéepe his promise and pact made with the said earle whole and inuiolate, he married A commotion in Yorkeshire. the ladie Isabell, eldest daughter to the earle, in our ladies church there. Shortlie after, according as he had béene aforehand deuised, a commotion was begun in Yorkeshire, to the great disquieting of that countrie. The same chanced by this means.
There was in the citie of Yorke an old and rich hospitall, dedicated to saint Leonard, Saint Leonards hospital in Yorke. for the harbourough and reléeuing of poore people. Certeine euill disposed persons of the earle of Warwikes faction, intending to set a broile in the countrie, persuaded the husbandmen to refuse to giue anie thing to the said hospitall, affirming that the corne giuen to that good intent, came not to the vse of the poore; but was conuerted to the behoofe of the maister of the hospitall, and the preests, whereby they grew to be rich, and the poore people wanted their due succour and reléefe. And not content with these saiengs, they fell to dooings: for when the proctors of the hospitall, according to their vsage, went about the countrie to gather the accustomed corne, they were sore beaten, wounded, and euill intreated.
Shortlie after, the conspiracie of the euill disposed people grew to an open rebellion, A rebellion. so that there assembled to the number of fifteene thousand men, euen readie bent to set on the citie of Yorke. But the lord marquesse Montacute, gouernour and president of that countrie for the king, taking speedie counsell in the matter, with a small number of men, but well chosen, incountered the rebels before the gates of Yorke: where (after a long conflict) he tooke Robert Huldorne their capteine, and before Robert Huldorne capteine of the rebels taken and beheaded. them commanded his head to be striken off, and then (bicause it was a darke euening) he caused his souldiers to enter into Yorke, and there to refresh them. Héere manie men haue maruelled, whie the marquesse thus put to death the capteine of those people, which had procured this their rebellious enterprise.
Some saie he did it, to the intent to séeme innocent and faultlesse of his brothers dooings. But other iudge, that he did it, for that contrarie to his promise made to his brother, he was determined to take part with king Edward, with whome (as it shall after appeare) he in small space entered into grace and fauour. The rebels being nothing dismaied with the death of their capteine, but rather the more bent on mischéefe, by faire meanes and craftie persuasions got to them Henrie, sonne to the lord Fitz Hugh, and sir Henrie Neuill sonne and heire to the lord Latimer, the one being nephue and the other cousine germane to the erle of Warwike. Although these yoong gentlemen bare the names of capteins, yet they had a gouernour that was Sir Iohn Coniers. sir Iohn Coniers, a man of such courage & valiantnesse, as few are to be found in his daies within the north parts.
After they saw that they could not get Yorke, bicause they wanted ordinance, they determined with all speed to march toward London, intending to raise such a toie in the peoples minds, that they should thinke king Edward neither to be a lawfull prince, nor yet profitable to the common-wealth. King Edward hauing perfect knowledge of all the dooings of the earle of Warwike, and of his brother the duke of Clarence, was by diuerse letters certified of the great armie of the northerne men, with all spéed comming toward London; and therefore in great hast The earle of Penbroke. he sent to William lord Herbert, whom (as yée haue heard) he had created earle of Penbroke; requiring him without delaie to raise his power, and incounter with the northerne men.
The earle of Penbroke, commonlie called the lord Herbert, both readie to obeie the kings commandement, according to his dutie, and also desirous to reuenge the malice which he bare to the earle of Warwike, for that he knew how he had béene the onelie let whie he obteined not the wardship of the lord Bonneuilles daughter and heire for his eldest sonne, accompanied with his brother sir Richard Herbert, a valiant knight, and aboue six or seauen thousand Welshmen, well furnished, marched forward to incounter with the northerne men. And to assist him with archers, was appointed Humfrie lord Stafford of Southwike, named but not created earle of Deuonshire The lord Stafford. by the king, in hope that he would serue valiantlie in that iournie: he had with him eight hundred archers.
When these two lords were met at Cotteshold, they heard how the northerne men were going toward Northampton: wherevpon the lord Stafford, and sir Richard Herbert, with two thousand well horsed Welshmen, rode foorth afore the maine armie, to sée the demeanour of the northerne men: and at length, vnder a woods side, they couertlie espied them passing forward, and suddenlie set on the rere-ward: but the northerne men with such nimblenesse turned about, that in a moment the Welshmen The Welshmen discomfited. were discomfited, and manie taken, the remnant returned to the armie with small gaine. The northerne men well cooled with this small victorie, went no further southwards, but tooke their waie toward Warwike, looking for aid of the earle, which was latelie come from Calis, with his sonne in law the duke of Clarence, and was raising men to aid his freends and kinsfolke.
The king likewise assembled people to aid the erle of Penbroke, but before either part receiued succour from his fréend or partaker, both the armies met by chance in a faire plaine, néere to a towne called Hedgecote, foure miles distant fiom Banberie, Hedgecote. where there are thrée hilles, not in equall quantitie, but lieng in maner (although Bāberie field. not fullie) triangle. The Welshmen got first the west hill, hoping to haue recouered the east hill also, which if they might haue obteined, the victorie had beene theirs, as their foolish prophesiers told them before. These northerne men incamped on the south hill; the earle of Penbroke and the lord Stafford of Southwike were lodged in Banberie, the daie before the field, which was saint Iames daie, and there the earle of Penbroke put the lord Stafford out of an Inne, wherein he delighted much to be, Discord what it breedeth. for the loue of a damosell that dwelled in the house; and yet it was agréed betwixt them, that which of them soeuer obteined first a lodging, should not be displaced.
The lord Stafford in great despite departed with his whole band of archers, leaning the earle of Penbroke almost desolate in the towne, who with all diligence returned to his host, lieng in the field vnpurveied of archers. Sir Henrie Neuill, sonne to the lord Latimer, tooke with him certeine light horssemen, and skirmished with the Welshmen in the euening, iust before their campe, where dooing right valiantlie, but a little too hardilie aduenturing himselfe, was taken and yeelded, and yet cruellie slaine. Which vnmercifull act the Welshmen sore rued the next day yer night: for the northerne men sore displeased for the death of this nobleman, in the next morning valiantlie set on the Welshmen, and by force of archers caused them quicklie to descend the hill, into the vallie, where both the hoasts fought.
The earle of Penbroke did right valiantlie, and so likewise did his brother sir Richard The valiant manhood of sir Richard Herbert. Herbert, in so much that with his polax in his hand, he twise by fine force passed thorough the battell of his aduersaries, and without anie hurt or mortall wound returned. But sée the hap, euin as the Welshmen were at point to haue obteined the victorie, Iohn Clappam esquier, seruant to the earle of Warwike, mounted vp the side Iohn Clappam. of the east hill, accompanied onelie with flue hundred men, gathered of the rascals of the towne of Northampton, and other villages about, hauing borne before them the standard of the earle of Warwike, with the white beare, crieng; A Warwike, a Warwike.
The Welshmen, thinking that the earle of Warwike had come on them with all his puissance, suddenlie as men amazed, fled: the northerne men them pursued, and slue without mercie, so that there died of the Welshmen that daie, aboue fiue thousand, The Welshmen slaine. besides them that fled and were taken. The earle of Penbroke, and his brother sir Richard Herbert, with diuerse gentlemen, were taken and brought to Banberie, where the earle with his brother, and other gentlemen, to the number of ten, that were likewise taken, lost their heads, But great mone was made for that noble and hardie gentleman, sir Richard Herbert, being able for his goodlie personage and high valiancie to haue serued the greatest prince in christendome. [But what policie or puissance Abr. Flem. can either preuent or impugne the force of fate, whose law as it standeth vpou an ineuitable necessitie; so was it not to be dispensed withall; and therfore destinie hauing preordeined the maner of his deth, it was patientlie to be suffered, sith puissantlie it could not be auoided, nor politikelie preuented, nor violentlie resisted: for
— sua quenq; dies ad funera raptat.]The Northamptonshire men, with diuerse of the northerne men by them procured, in this furie made them a capteine, called Robert Hilliard, but they named him Robin Robin of Reddesdale. of Reddesdale, and suddenlie came to Grafton, where they tooke the earle Riuers, The erle Riuers and his sonne beheaded. father to the quéene, and his son sir Iohn Wooduile, whome they brought to Northampton, and there beheaded them both without iudgement. The king aduertised of these mischances, wrote to the shiriffes of Summersetshire, aud Deuonshire, that if they might by anie meanes take the lord Stafford of Southwike, they should without The lord Stafford of Southwike beheaded. delaie put him to death. Herevpon search was made for him, till at length he was found in a village within Brentmarch, and after brought to Bridgewater where he was beheaded. After the battell was thus fought at Hedgecote commonlie called Banberie field, the northerne men resorted toward Warwike, where the earle had gathered a great multitude of people, which earle receiued the northerne men with great gladnes, thanking sir Iohn Coniers, and other their capteins for their paines taken in his cause. The king in this meane time had assembled his power, and was comming toward the earle, who being aduertised thereof, sent to the duke of Clarence, requiring him to come and ioine with him, The duke being not frre off, with all speed repaired to the earle, and so they ioined their powers togither, and vpon secret knowledge had, that the king (bicause they were entered into termes by waie of communication to haue a peace) tooke small héed to himselfe, nothing doubting anie outward attempt of his enimies. The earle of Warwike, intending not to léese such opportunitie of aduantage, in the dead of the night, with an elect companie of men of warre (as secretlie as was possible) set on the kings field, killing them that kept the watch, and yer the king was ware (for he thought of nothing lesse than of that which then hapned) at a place King Edward taken prisoner. called Wolnie, foure miles from Warwike, he was taken prisoner and brought to the castell of Warwike. And to the intent his friends should not know what was become of him, the earle caused him by secret iournies in the night to be conueied to Middleham castell in Yorkeshire, and there to be kept vnder the custodie of the Middleham castell. archbishop of Yorke, and other his freends in those parties. King Edward being thus in captiuitie, spake euer faire to the archbishop, and to his other kéepers, so that he had leaue diuerse daies to go hunt. [Which exercise he vsed, as it should séeme Abr. Flem. not so much for regard of his recreation, as for the recouerie of his libertie: which men esteeme better than gold, and being counted a diuine thing, dooth passe all the wealth, pleasure, and treasure of the world; according to the old saieng:
Non bene profuluo libertas venditur auro,Now on a daie vpon a plaine when he was thus abrode, there met with him sir William Stnaleie, sir Thomas a Borough, and diuerse other of his friends, with such Sir William Stanleie. a great band of men, that neither his keepers would, nor once durst moue him to K. Edward is deliuered out of captiuitie. returne vnto prison againe. Some haue thought that his kéepers were corrupted with monie, or faire promises, and therefore suffred him thus to scape out of danger, After that he was once at libertie, he came to Yorke, where he was ioifullie receiued, and taried there two daies: but when he perceiued he could get no armie togither in that countrie to attend hint to London, he turned from Yorke to Lancaster, where he He commeth to London. found his chamberleine the lord Hastings well accompanied, by whose aid and such others as drew to him, being well furnished, he came safelie to the citie of London. When the earle of Warwike, and the duke of Clarence had knowledge how king Edward by the treason or negligence of them (whome they had put in trust) was escaped their hands, they were in a wonderfull chafe: but sith the chance was past, they began eftsoones to prouide for the warre, which they saw was like to insue; and found much comfort, in that a great number of men, deliting more in discord than in concord, offered themselues to aid their side. But other good men desirous of common quiet, and lamenting the miserable state of the realme, to redresse such mischiefe as appeared to be at hand by these tumults, tooke paine, and road betweene the king, the earle, and the duke, to reconcile them ech to other. Their charitable motion and causes alledged, bicause they were of the chiefest of the nobilitie, and therfore caried both credit and authoritie with them, so asswaged the moods bothof the king, the duke, and the earle, that ech gaue faith to other to came and go safelie without ieopardie. In which promise both the duke and earle putting perfect confidence, came both to London. At Westminster, the king, the duke, and the earle, had long communication togither for to haue come to an agreement: but they fell at such great words vpon rehersall of old matters, that in great furie without any conclusion they departed, the king to Canturburie, and the duke and the earle to Warwike, where the earle procured a new armie to be raised in Lincolneshire, and made capteine thereof sir Robert Welles, sonne to Richard lord Welles, a man of great experience in warre. The king aduertised hereof without delaie prepared an armie, and out of hand he 1470 sent to Richard lord Welles, willing him vpon the sight of his letters, to repare vnto him: which to doo he had oftentimes refused, excusing himselfe by sickenesse and feeblenesse of bodie. But when that excuse serued not, he thinking to purge himselfe sufficientlie of all offense and blame before the kings presence, tooke with him sir Thomas Dimmocke, who had maried his sister, and so came to London. And when he Sir Thomas Dimmocke. was come vp, being admonished by his fréends that the king was greatlie with him displeased, he with his brother in law tooke the sanctuarie at Westminster. But king Edward, trusting to pacific all this busie tumult without anie further bloudshed, promised both those persons their pardons, causing them vpon his promise to come out of sanctuarie to his presence, and calling to him the lord Welles, willed him to write to his sonne to leaue off the warre, and in the meane season he with his armie went forward, hauing with him the lord Welles, and sir Thomas Dimmocke.
Hoc cœleste bonum præterit orbis opes.]
