Humphrey Stafford, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1402-1460)

Humphrey Stafford was created the First Duke of Buckingham in 1444.

The Duke of Buckingham was placed in command of the King’s Army 

at the First Battle of St Albans on 22 May 1455.

During the battle, Buckingham, his eldest son Humphrey and the King were all wounded by arrows, Buckingham no less than three times including one to the face.

Retinue archers.

 Miniatures by Front Rank and Perry.

Stafford Knot badges were ordered by the Duke in January 1454.

Edward Neville, Lord Abergavenny's Retinue

In the mid-15th century, Abergavenny played an important role in the drama of the Wars of the Roses, with William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke and Lord of Raglan, supporting the Yorkist cause.

Edward’s first documented appearance in the conflict of the Wars of the Roses was in 1460 when he joined his brothers, Salisbury and Fauconberg, and his nephews, Edward of March and Richard of Warwick, at Sandwich on their return from exile. Edward was present at the battle of Northampton. 

In 1461 he was again present fighting with his young nephew Edward of March at the battle of Mortimer’s Cross. After Edward of March was proclaimed king, Abergavenny supported him at the battle of Towton. The battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury saw Edward once again by the King’s side, even though at Barnet it meant that he took sides against his other nephews, Warwick and Montagu.

Abergavenny's livery was white and green.

During his lifetime Abergavenny held office under both Lancaster and York. He was appointed several times commissioner of array for Kent, being chief commissioner in 1471. He was also a privy councillor in York’s protectorate in 1454. He died in 1476. 

Earl of Oxford and the Duke of Exeter

Lancastrian high ranking command stands.

 Miniatures by Front Rank & Perry Miniatures.

Flags by "flagdude".

Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland 1421-1461

Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland (25 July 1421 – 29 March 1461) was the son of Henry Percy 2nd Earl of Northumberland and Lady Eleanor Neville. During the War of the Roses, Percy followed his father in siding with the Lancastrians. On December 30, 1460, Percy is known to have fought on the Lancastrian side at the Battle of Wakefield. He commanded the Lancastrian vanguard at the Battle of Towton on March 29, 1461 and was slain during the fighting. 

 

 

 

 

Owen Tudor & Standard Bearer

From a minor Welsh noble to the consort of a Queen and Grandfather to a King of England, this is a tale of a man who found himself in the right place at the right time and founded a powerful dynasty.

Owen "ap Meredydd" was born about 1400, a descendant of the Welsh Prince Rhys ap Gruffudd. At an early age he became a ward of his second cousin Lord Rhys when his father fled Wales to escape a murder charge. At the age of seven he was sent to the English court as a page to the King’s Steward and it was then that his name was anglicised to Owen Tudor. He travelled to France with King Henry V’s army and fought at the battle of Agincourt where his valour earned him promotion to squire and was granted “English Rights” enabling him to use his Welsh coat of arms in England, a right that had been banned by the King’s father following the Welsh rebellion under Glendower.

On the 2nd of February 1461, Owen led a force of some 8000 men from South Wales to join up with a larger Lancastrian force, but was intercepted by the Yorkist contender Edward, Earl of March who blocked the road from Hereford with his army at Mortimer’s Cross. Owens’s forces attacked in three divisions, the left being composed mainly of lightly armed Irish, Breton and French mercenaries who were quickly overran leaving the other two divisions outflanked, and then destroyed with the loss of some 4000 men on the banks of the River Lugg. On the day of the battle and due to freak atmospheric conditions, three suns were said to be visible in the sky. The Earl of March took this as a sign of Godly support and thereafter added the symbol of a sun to his banner.

Owen was arrested and taken to Hereford and condemned to death. But to the last he believed that, due to his royal connections he would be reprieved. It is said that right up to the moment his executioner ripped the collar from his doublet, he believed that he would be spared. His last words were, “this head which used to lie in Queen Catherine’s lap will now lie in the executioner’s basket”.

John "The Butcher" Clifford (1435-1461)

John Clifford (9th Baron Clifford) was the son of Thomas Clifford, he had a short but turbulent career in the War of the Roses. Little is known about him before his father's death at the first battle of St Albans and nearly all that comes after is his search for vengeance in particularly brutal ways. Clifford was also known to be brave soldier who was steadfast in attack and defence. He met his end at the battle of Ferrybridge in 1461, probably killed by a broken arrow shaft in his neck, having left his bevor off during the battle.

Clifford can be seen standing in front of his standard.

Men at arms and billmen have taken up a defensive position with archers placed to the rear.
One of the nobles has brought a monk with him to bless the troops - can you spot him? 

 Billmen steady themselves for the assault.

 A light artillery piece is placed in a forward position to slow the enemy's advance.

Clifford remained a committed Lancastrian throughout the wars.

Richard Neville Earl Warwick (1428-1471)

Richard Neville was born on 22, November 1428 at Middleham Castle, he was the son of Richard, Earl of Salisbury. The Nevilles were engaged in a long feud with their neighbors, the Percy family of Northumberland. Because of increasing hostilities Warwick and his father allied themselves to their relative the Duke of York around 1453. In 1455 they supported his bid for power, and struck a blow for themselves against the Percies, at the battle of St Albans and the rest is history. 

Warwick's retinue billmen and archers take up a defensive position in front of a church. 

Warwick and his men at arms.

 

All of Warwick's men display a white ragged staff on his livery colour of red.

 Archers are positioned to fire over the top of the ranks in front.

Some artillery support.

When collecting an army for the War of Roses it's essential that you build it up using blocks of troops that belong to the same retinue. These retinues can be of varying size to reflect the wealth and power of their leader. I would highly recommend the booklet: Standards, Badges & Livery Colours of the War of the Roses by Pat McGill and Jonathan Jones, available from the Lance and the Longbow Society. This inexpensive booklet has all the information you need to accurately paint your troops.

 http://lanceandlongbow.com/