BattlefieldsLancastrian Raid from Alnwick — Yorkshire Border Actions 1462
Medieval

Lancastrian Raid from Alnwick — Yorkshire Border Actions 1462

1462
Northumberland, England
Also known as: Lancastrian raids from castles 1462 · Somerset raids Yorkshire 1462
Era
Medieval
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Northumberland, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Yorkist supporters in Northumberland
Forces
Yorkist Northumbrian defenders c. 300–600.
VS
Victor
Lancastrians (initially)
Forces
Lancastrian raiders c. 400–800
Outcome
Lancastrian garrisons at Alnwick and Bamburgh raided the surrounding countryside; Yorkist supporters intimidated
The Battle

History & Significance

While the three Northumbrian castles of Alnwick, Bamburgh, and Dunstanburgh held Lancastrian garrisons in 1461-1464, their occupants were not merely passive defenders. Somerset and his commanders raided the surrounding countryside, terrorising Yorkist sympathisers, collecting supplies, and maintaining Scottish links. These offensive operations from the castles complicated the Yorkist suppression of northern resistance and made the sieges more difficult by keeping the surrounding countryside hostile.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Northumberland

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Northumberland