BattlefieldsYorkshire Rising — Bigod Captures Malton 1537
Tudor

Yorkshire Rising — Bigod Captures Malton 1537

1537
England
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
English Crown garrison at Malton
Forces
Malton garrison too weak to resist the initial seizure
VS
Victor
Sir Robert Bigod's rebel forces
Forces
Bigod's East Riding rebel force of approximately 1,500 men
Outcome
Malton briefly held by Bigod forces; Hull and Scarborough assaults failed; Bigod's revolt collapsed within days; Bigod captured and executed; Malton returned to crown control.
The Battle

History & Significance

During Sir Francis Bigod's renewal of the Pilgrimage of Grace in January 1537, Bigod's forces briefly captured Malton in the East Riding as part of his coordinated attempt to seize Hull and Scarborough. Malton was a market town on the Derwent controlling the road north from York into the East Riding. Its capture was temporary — when Bigod's attempts on Hull and Scarborough both failed, his wider uprising collapsed and his forces at Malton dispersed. Henry VIII used Bigod's revolt as the pretext to execute the Pilgrimage of Grace leaders who had previously been pardoned.

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