The Battle of Stoke Field
16 June, 1487

Henry VII’s army of 12,000 men was led by John de Vere, the Earl of Oxford, who divided the troops into three sections: the vanguard, led by Oxford, the central division led by George Staley, Lord Strange, and the flank led by Sir Edward Woodville. The Yorkist army was made up of 8,000 men: 2,000 German, mercenary troops, and 6,000 Irish levies. On the morning of 16 June, 1487, the Yorkists positioned themselves advantageously on Rampire Hill,  near East Stoke Villiage in Nottinghamshire, where they awaited the Lancastrian army.

The hill itself was surrounded on three sides by the river Trent, meaning that when the first section of the Lancastrian army - the Vanguard - were met with the full force of the Yorkist troops, they were unable to retreat.  Though initially only a third of their full power, Oxford’s men were skilled soldiers who broke the Yorkist ranks. This was due, in no insignificant part, to the attacks of the archers against the un-armoured Irish soldiers. De la Pole’s men were pursued down a ravine, often now referred to as the Red Gutter, and within three hours, 4,000 of the Yorkist troops (half their number) were dead. De la Pole was also killed in battle, and Fitzmaurice fled. It is unknown how many Lancastrian soldiers were killed. 

The victory at Stoke was incredibly significant for Henry VII, and though it would not have been fully recognised at the time, it marked a distinctive end to the warring of these two great families. Despite the favourable outcome, Henry’s hold on the throne still felt precarious and he spent the following four months moving through the midlands and the north attempting to secure loyalty. In the aftermath of battle, Henry’s mild treatment of many who had opposed him, along with policies of bonds for good behaviour, ensured that with many individuals, this loyalty continued.