Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Mortimer's Cross

Battle of Mortimer's Cross was a battle fought on 2 February 1461 at Herefordshire, in what is now United Kingdom. It was part of the Wars of the Roses, which ran from 1455 to 1487. The recorded result: Yorkist victory. Recorded strength: 5,000 against Unknown.

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Battles and Battlefields in England ... Illustrated by the author. With an introduction by H. D. Traill
Battles and Battlefields in England ... Illustrated by the author. With an introduction by H. D. Traill. Creator:Charles Raymond Booth Barrett, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought2 February 1461
WhereHerefordshire, United Kingdom52.319N, 2.869W
OutcomeYorkist victory
BelligerentsHouse of YorkagainstHouse of Lancaster
Casualties and lossesUnknownand4,000
Part ofWars of the Roses1455 to 1487

Where it sits in the Wars of the Roses

First Battle of St Albans, 1455Battle of Blore Heath, 1459Battle of Ludford Bridge, 1459Battle of Sandwich (1460), 1459Battle of Northampton, 1460Battle of Worksop, 1460Battle of Wakefield, 1460Battle of Mortimer's Cross, 1461Second Battle of St Albans, 1461Battle of Ferrybridge, 1461Battle of Towton, 1461Battle of Tuthill, 1461Battle of Piltown, 1462Battle of Hedgeley Moor, 1464Battle of Hexham, 1464Battle of Edgcote, 1469Battle of Losecoat Field, 1470Battle of Barnet, 1471Battle of Tewkesbury, 1471Siege of London (1471), 1471Battle of Bosworth Field, 1485Battle of Stoke Field, 148714551487Battle of Mortimer's Cross, 1461
22 placed engagements of the Wars of the Roses in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date2 February 1461
PlaceHerefordshire, United Kingdom
52.319N, 2.869W
KindBattle, medieval
Strength5,000Unknown
Casualties and lossesUnknown4,000
Commanders
  • Edward IV
  • William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (died 1469)
  • Walter Devereux, 8th Baron Ferrers of Chartley
  • Owen Tudor
  • Jasper Tudor
  • James Butler, 5th Earl of Ormond
Battle of Mortimer's CrossBattle of Mortimer's CrossSiege of Brampton CastleSiege of Hopton CastleBattle of Castell LlandandrasBattle of Ludford BridgeBattle of LlanllieniSiege of Hopton CastleBattle of Ludford BridgeBirminghamManchesterCardiffLiverpoolNottinghamStokeLutonOxford100 km52.319N, 2.869W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Mortimer's Cross
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Mortimer's Cross today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-06-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 180 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 98 to 346 m, 248 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 37% cropland, 35% grassland, 28% tree cover.

cropland: 37%grassland: 35%tree cover: 28%cropland 37%grassland 35%tree cover 28%
west to east, 10.0 km114 to 336 mnorth to south, 10.0 km109 to 280 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between 1461 and 1644.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1461

Battle of Mortimer's Cross is one of 720 engagements of the 15th century in the atlas and one of 695 in present-day United Kingdom.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q620585, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Mortimer's Cross, revision 1379439993, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.