Herefordshire | Archive | 2001 | June | 13
From the archive, first published Wednesday 13th Jun 2001.
ONE of the most extraordinary episodes in the history of England and Wales has been pieced together by a Herefordshire historian.
The battles of Ludford Bridge and Mortimer's Cross near Ludlow have been chronicled in a new book by Geoffrey Hodges, who lived near to the famous battlegrounds.
The battle of Ludford Bridge in 1459 has been long forgotten by the people of Ludlow whose town was `shamefully pillaged and ravished by the victors' but had been trapped at the heart of the Wars of the Roses during the civil war of 1459 to 1461.
The battle importantly marked the end of the leadership of the Yorkist faction by Richard, Duke of York.
And the Battle of Mortimer's Cross in 1461, known for being `obstinate, bloody and decisive', resulted in Edward, Earl of March and heir of the Mortimers, being proclaimed King of England in London on March 4.
Ludford Bridge and Mortimer's Cross is published by Logaston Press at Woonton, Almeley and includes 30 illustrations.
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