Barnet

Vis Barnetica

The Battle of Barnet, 14th April 1471

CONTENTS

This article reproduced from Slingshot (issue dated May 2004), the magazine of the Society of Ancients.

The description of the battle of Barnet, along with the setting the scene section, was written by John Graham-Leigh.

The scenario adaptation to Vis Bellica was written by John Hills.

Both appear with the kind permission of John Graham-Leigh.

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The Lancastrians

The Yorkists

Scenario Notes

John Graham-Leigh is the Editor of Slingshot, the magazine of the Society of Ancients. One of his many good ideas is to arrange for the same historical battle to be re-fought using as many different rule systems as possible. Each re-fight is written up and printed in the same issue, allowing readers to compare and contrast the way in which the various systems coped with re-creating the encounter. Following on from Cynocephalae and Gaugamela (c.f.), is Barnet.

A Description of the Battle of Barnet

The Battle of Barnet was one of the key engagements of the Wars of the Roses, resulting in the removal from the scene of one leading character, Warwick the Kingmaker, and the establishment of another, Edward IV, firmly on the throne of England. It followed a complicated series of political events and a lightning campaign by Edward of York to retake London.

One side in the battle was a loose Lancastrian alliance led by the Earl of Warwick, comprising his own Neville retainers, his brother the Marquess Montague (who had recently changed sides) and the “old Lancastrian” Duke of Exeter and Earl of Oxford. None of these leaders can have trusted the others.

On the Yorkist side, Edward IV could rely on his old friend Lord Hastings and his youngest brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but scarcely on his other brother George, Duke of Clarence, who was Warwick’s son-in-law, had changed sides twice in the previous two years and had only recently rejoined the Yorkist cause.

The Yorkists advanced northwards from London and encountered Warwick’s army just north of Barnet in Hertfordshire, 10 miles from London. The armies arrayed during the evening, ready for battle at first light; the morning of Easter Sunday, 14 April, started with thick fog obscuring the armies from each other.

There is broad agreement on where the battle was fought – on an area of gently rolling heathland then known as Gladsmuir Heath and around the hamlet of Monken Hadley, astride the Great North Road. Most historians of the battle also agree on approximate numbers – 9,000 to 12,000 men in the Yorkist army, 12,000 to 15,000 for the Lancastrians.

The Yorkists deployed with Hastings commanding the left, Edward and Clarence in the centre and Gloucester on the right; Oxford led the Lancastrian right, Warwick and Montague the centre and Exeter the left.

Each “battle” or division would have had a substantial proportion of archers, probably 30%-50%, and a much smaller proportion (perhaps 10%) of fully armoured men-at-arms with the rest being billmen. Both armies contained a core of professional “retainers” and a larger number of recently-raised levies. Given the amount of fighting during the previous 15 years, many even of the levies would have had some campaigning experience. There is no mention of any cavalry taking part in this battle and probably all the men-at-arms fought on foot.

Because the armies deployed in the dark and advanced in thick fog, the lines were not directly opposite one another. On the Yorkist right, Hastings’ men were overlapped by Oxford’s, while Gloucester similarly overlapped Exeter on the other flank. Oxford’s attack routed part of Hastings’ division and the Earl then pursued fleeing Yorkists as far as Chipping Barnet (some of the fugitives reached London, announcing that the King was slain and all was lost). Gloucester less dramatically drove back Exeter and the centre divisions locked in indecisive combat.

Then Oxford’s men returned and were shot at by some of Montague’s men, who mistook their silver star badge in the fog for the sun badge of York. When the mistake was realised, the cry of “Treason!” went up, and a large number of Lancastrian troops (including Oxford) fled the field. The Yorkists pressed forward, Montague was killed, Exeter was desperately wounded and left for dead, the Lancastrian line dissolved and Warwick was killed in the pursuit. Edward IV had won a complete victory.

Setting the Scene

Any refight of this battle must take account of the leaders and the relations between them.

Edward IV was an exceptionally capable general whose battlefield record is five wins out of five. He was known for inspirational prowess with his poleaxe as well as for daring manoeuvres. Hastings was less capable but a sound and loyal subordinate, as was the 18-year-old Gloucester. Clarence – Shakespeare’s “false, fleeting, perjur’d Clarence” – was thoroughly untrustworthy and it is not surprising that Edward kept him close by in the centre.

On the other side, Warwick was no more than an average commander (two wins, two defeats). Montague had a sound record of generalship but his loyalties were torn between his elder brother and the King he had served for many years. His heart was probably not in the fight. Exeter and Oxford had been sworn enemies of the Neville brothers for years and must have suspected that even now the Nevilles might do a deal with the Yorkists. Exeter was regarded as an unreliable cypher, but Oxford showed perhaps excessive dash and enterprise in this and two later battles and could be regarded as a “rash” commander.

Special Rules for Vis Bellica

As with most scenarios that are designed to recreate the conditions of a specific battle, Barnet required the creation of some special rules:

1) Note that Sub-Generals also command their own troops.

2) Heavy fog covers the battlefield. This means that the following special rules apply:

a) Spotting. Officers roll 4d6 rather than 2d6 for spotting rolls, and all penalties for distance and terrain are doubled.

b) Shooting. The maximum range for longbows is reduced to 10".

c) Confusion. Once during the game, each player can call "mistaken identity" when an enemy base has friends from a different brigade within their arc of fire and in range. The base must then shoot at the friendly base unless the owning player rolls a 5 or 6 on a d6. If the roll succeeds, the base may not shoot at all that turn: nobles are rushing around shouting "Don't shoot!" If the roll fails, the base shoots at the specified target, with that base taking casualties and making morale checks as usual.

d) Movement. Once a player has moved a base, a d6 is rolled. If the score is 1, then the base has drifted 1d6" to the left. If the score is 6, then the base has drifted 1d6" to the right. If this drifting causes them to bump into a friendly base, then they just line up beside/behind them.

3) If the Yorkist SG (Edward) takes any casualties, then Gloucester, Hastings and their troops become Ally Troops as Clarence takes command.

Battle Report

Click here to go to the battle report of John Hills' re-fight of Barnet under Vis Bellica.