Several important English battles have taken place in and around York over the centuries. These include:
King Harold, Battle of Hastings (1066)
The Battle of Stamford Bridge (1066) – The battle that finally repelled the Viking invaders and helped end the Anglo-Saxon age in Britain. King Harold’s army marched 200 miles north from London in 4 days to defeat the Norwegian invaders at Stamford Bridge near York. The Norwegian losses were so horrific that only 24 ships from the fleet of over 300 were needed to carry the survivors away. Only three days after the battle, William the Conqueror landed on the south coast of England. Harold had to immediately march his exhausted army another 250 miles down to the south coast to meet the Normans at the Battle of Hastings. Unsurprisingly considering their fatigue, they were defeated at Hastings, Harold was killed by an arrow in the eye and the Anglo-Saxon leadership was decimated. So began the Norman Conquest of England.
The Battle of Towton (1461) – part of the Wars of the Roses, fought between the Houses of York and Lancaster for control of the English throne. The battle was a decisive victory for the Yorkists. The Lancastrian army suffered heavy losses and ceased to exist as an effective fighting force. It is generally regarded as the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. It is unclear what the exact numbers of losses were, but it is estimated that there were about 28,000 casualties. To put this in to context, this would have represented approximately 1% of the entire English population at the time.
The Battle of Towton (1461)
The Siege of York (1644) – In 1644 part of the Royalist army were surrounded by Scottish & Parliamentary forces during the English Civil War; the only time in York’s history that the city has been under siege and the walls used for defensive purposes. The siege lasted from 22 April – 1 July when the city was relieved by Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Rupert was defeated the next day at the decisive Battle of Marston Moor, and the siege resumed until the city was surrendered on 16 July.
During the siege the primary defence was of course the city walls. But these were supplemented by several smaller forts beyond the walls, which consisted of simple earthworks manned by infantry and cannon. The Royalist troops destroyed many of the surrounding buildings and villages outside of the walls to deny the enemy troops shelter or cover from cannon shot.
Much of the siege was uneventful. The city came under fire a few times, most notably when Walmgate Bar was hit by a battery of guns from nearby Lamel Hill. You can still see the marks that cannon and musket shot left on the outside of Walmgate Bar. The Parliamentarians also unsuccessfully attempted to tunnel under the barbican at Walmgate. That was about as close as the Parliamentarians came to breaching the city’s defences, as the siege was brought to a temporary end by the arrival of Prince Rupert’s army from Lancashire. It was at this point that the besiegers left York to intercept Rupert’s army at Marston Moor.
The Battle of Marston Moor (1644) – the turning point in the English Civil War, ending with the wholesale slaughter of the Royalist Marquess of Newcastle’s Regiment, who made a valiant last stand against an overwhelming force of Parliamentarians. Only days later the Royalists surrendered the City of York to the Parliamentarians. It was a serious blow to the Royalist cause and further enhanced Cromwell’s reputation as a commander. The city of York was soon surrendered and over the next few months the Scots and Parliamentarians slowly eliminated the remaining Royalist garrisons throughout northern England.
