Date: 16th June, 1487
Time: 9:00am
Location: East Stoke, south of York
Factions: York vs Tudor Victor: Tudor
Troops/inventory: York - 9,000 - 10,000 men-at-arms (mainly farmers &
commoners), German mercenaries, archers Tudor - 6,000 (including archers)
Injuries/fatalities of interest: York
Total slain: York - 5,000 Tudor - 3,000
Interesting bit: Francis Lovell was one of Richard Plantagenet's childhood friends. They remained close throughout Richard III's military
career, and Francis was one of very few Yorkists to escape after their
defeat at the Battle of Bosworth. Not surprisingly, Lovell continued to be
loyal to Richard's memory and led a force against Tudor in 1487. They were
not successful, and the fate of Viscount Lovell is unknown. He was not found
among the fallen at the Battle of Stoke, and was never seen again after that
day. Some historians conclude that he was drowned in the Trent River while
trying to escape and that his body was washed away. Others maintain that a
skeleton discovered in a sealed vault inside Minster Lovell many years
later, actually belonged to Francis. How the skeleton came to be there
remains a mystery to this day.