Battle of Boroughbridge, Boroughbridge, N Yorks, UK - Blue Plaques on Waymarking.com

The plaque reads

“The Battle of Boroughbridge 1322

At the Battle of Boroughbridge, fought at the then wooden bridge, King Edward II’s army, commanded by Sir Andrew Harclay, defeated the rebel forces of the Earls of Lancaster and Hereford.”

Edward II was a weak king who was opposed by many of his barons. Chief protagonist to the king was Thomas of Lancaster, the king’s cousin and the wealthiest man in the country after the king. Lancaster had tried to curtail the king’s powers using a set of regulations known as the Ordinances, but had failed. Edward was facing opposition from not only Lancaster but from the Welsh Marches. Lancaster entered an alliance with Robert I of Scotland.

In January 1322 Edward had a victory over the Welsh marchers. He then marched northwards and Lancaster had to flee North. By 16 March of that year Lancaster had reached Boroughbridge and was joined by Sir Robert de Holland and a Lancashire force. Lancaster was opposed by the forces of Sir Andrew Harclay.

Harclay had command of the bridge over the River Ure at Boroughbridge and had superior numbers of soldiers. Lancaster had no choice but to fight, but was beaten and surrendered to Harclay. Lancaster was taken to Pontefract Castle and sentenced to death. On 22 March Lancaster was beheaded.

Andrew Harclay was created Earl of Carlisle by the king. However Harclay was no fan of the king and he negotiated a peace treaty with the Scots. In 1323 this action saw him arraigned for treason, for which he was hung, drawn and quartered. Edward II was deposed in 1327 by Roger Mortimer and Edward’s estranged wife Isabella, in favour of his son, Edward III.

Blue Plaque managing agency: Unknown Individual Recognized: Battle of Boroughbridge Physical Address: Boroughbridge, N Yorks UK Web Address: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   04/14/2021 dtrebilc visited it