A Yorkist OathDilip Sarkar set me off on the trail of this oath, when he wrote: “I have recently discovered that in the autumn of 1459, before Ludford Bridge, the Yorkist lords swore an oath to King Henry in Worcester Cathedral. There are various references to this in secondary sources, but neither David Morrison, the Cathedral's Librarian, or Chris Guy, the Cathedral Archaeologist, have any knowledge of or references to the event. We are all keen to learn more, with a view to perhaps recreating the oath at the cathedral.” So a primary source was needed to confirm that the oath was taken by Richard Duke of York and Richard Earl of Warwick.
I wasn’t aware of this oath, although I’ve read Ludford Bridge and Mortimer’s Cross where Geoffrey Hodges mentions it on page 22, but he doesn’t give a source.
Dilip spotted a mention of the oath on the Richard III Society’s website, and I followed the link to the article from the Ricardian by Geoffrey Hodges:
“Once united, the Yorkist leaders and their retinues advanced to Worcester, where they took the sacrament in the cathedral, sending its prior to the King with the inevitable list of grievances, which was as usual ignored, whether or not King Henry, who accompanied the royal army, was allowed to see it.” 13
The reference mentions two books:
Anthony Goodman, The Wars of the Roses and H. T. Evans, Wales and the Wars of the Roses.I don’t possess either of those books so I asked Geoffrey Wheeler about them when I wrote to him.
Dilip reckoned that the Yorkists were not proposing to do battle. They were en route to London so as to present their grievances to the king, but found their way blocked by the royal army between Kidderminster and Worcester - the royal standard indicated Henry's presence, and as they had no wish to take up arms against the king they apparently beat a retreat into Worcester, swore the oath, then returned to Ludlow. The royal army pursued them, however, and hence the stand-off at Ludford Bridge.
Of course geographically that just doesn't add up, because the Yorkists would have had Kidderminster to their backs, not Worcester.... and Worcester Cathedral has no knowledge of or information on the oath... all very confusing!
Then Geoff Wheeler sent me a copy of page 29 from Anthony Goodman’s book and said his reference 50 mentioned An English Chronicle of the Reigns of Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V, and Henry VI (1838), and Benet’s Chronicle as primary sources.
I searched the Internet and was lucky enough to find an online copy of An English Chronicle. On page 81, I found the following extract from a letter written at Ludlow to King Henry VI by the Duke of York and the Earl of Warwick:
“And ouer that, an endenture sygned by oure handes in the churche Cathedralle of Worcestre comprehendyng the preef of the trouthe and dewte that, God knowethe, we bere to youre seyde estate and to the preemynence and prerogatif therof, we sent vn to youre good grace by the prior of the saide churche and diuerse other doctours, and among other, by master William Lynwode, doctour of diuinite, whyche mynistred vnto us seuerally the blessed Body of God our Lorde Jhesu ; sacred whereoponne, we and euery of vs deposyd for oure sayde trouthe and dewtee accordyng to the tenure of the seyde endenture.”
Dilip was delighted and passed this on to the Cathedral Librarian, who was pleased to add to his knowledge of the history of Worcester Cathedral.