Towton

The Battle of Towton, 29th.March, 1461, during the Wars of the Roses, was the bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil.

The Yorkists under Edward IV had taken up on the high ground facing the Lancastrians, each side comprising of about 40,000 soldiers. A snowstorm that set in at first favoured the Yorkist, however the advantage seemed to go from one side then to the other in this fiercely contested battle. Around midday Edward received fresh troops when the Duke of Norfolks army arrived. With their numbers thus increased the Lancastrian army began to fall back. The withdrawal turned into a rout and thousands of Lancastrians perished.