Battle of Blore Heath 1459
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Battlefield
- List Entry Number:
- 1000002
- Date first listed:
- 06-Jun-1995
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Battlefield
- List Entry Number:
- 1000002
- Date first listed:
- 06-Jun-1995
- Location Description:
- BLORE HEATH
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This list entry identifies a battlefield which is registered because of its special historic interest.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This list entry identifies a battlefield which is registered because of its special historic interest.
Location
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Staffordshire
- District:
- Newcastle-under-Lyme (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Loggerheads
- National Grid Reference:
- SJ 71345 35300
Details
BATTLE OF BLORE HEATH
1459
The Wars of the Roses were caused by the protracted struggle for power between the reigning dynasty of the House of Lancaster (red rose) and the competing House of York (white rose).
On 23 September 1459, a Lancastrian force around 10,000 strong and commanded by Lord Audley intercepted a Yorkist army of 5,000 under the Earl of Salisbury on Blore Heath. The numerically weaker Yorkists positioned themselves above a shallow and partially hidden valley and awaited the Lancastrian's attack.
Audley's troops advanced at pace but were severely hampered by the marshy valley bottom. Those who climbed the far side of the valley, including Lord Audley, were suddenly vastly outnumbered and large numbers died. The significance of the Yorkist victory was, however, short-lived owing to the desertion of his army by Richard, Duke of York, at Ludford Bridge only three weeks later.
Although the road patterns, field boundaries, and tree belts have altered the appearance of the landscape, the shape of the land clearly explains the Lancastrians' difficulties in crossing the ploughed land, heath and valley bottom.
AMENITY FEATURES
Audley's Cross marks the spot where the Lancastrian leader was killed. Public access would be desirable. A footpath crosses the battlefield and allows appreciation not only of the shape of the land but also of the hollow ways and ridge and furrow ploughlands which indicate the scene prior to Parliamentary enclosure.
OTHER DESIGNATIONS
The battlefield lies within a Special Landscape Area in the development plan. Audley's Cross is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
KEY SOURCES
Hall, E, 1809, 'Medieval Chroniclers and the Battle of Blore Heath', in North Staffordshire Journal of Field Studies, 20
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment to the Selected Sources on 10/04/2019
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 3
- Legacy System:
- Battlefields
Sources
Websites
English Heritage Battlefield Report: Battle of Blore Heath 1459 (Published 1995), accessed 10th April 2019 from https://historicengland.org.uk/content/docs/listing/battlefields/blore-heath/
Legal
This battlefield is registered within the Register of Historic Battlefields by Historic England for its special historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 06-Jun-2026 at 17:27:17.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.