33 



Bradfield, uow is; and that his left wing probably extended a little 

 beyond ffing Eichard's Well, which seems to have been in the front of 

 a portion of his left wing. Consequently, Richard's army must have 

 faced to the south-westward, with Market Eosworth and Sutton Cheney 

 at a little distance in its rear ; and that of Henry must have faced to 

 the north-eastwai'd. The precise position of the armies must, however, 

 be admitted to be in some measure conjectural. 



The marches of the hostile armies before the battle may be concisely 

 described thus — Richmond set sail from Harfleur on Sunday, the 3 1 st 

 of July, 1485 ; landed at Milford Haven on the 6th of August; marched 

 through Wales, by Dell, Haverfordwest, Cardigan, Newtown, and Welsh- 

 pool to Shrewsbury ; and then through Newport and Stafford, to 

 Lichfield, where he encamped for a day or two ; and arrived at Tamworth 

 on the evening of the 18th.' On the 19th he went to Atherstone, where 

 Lord Stanley" and Sir William Stanley' had an interview with him, and 

 concerted the measures for their future operations. During all his march 

 he had constant additions to his forces, for others came in and joined him. 

 Oa the 20th he encamped at Atherstone, and on the 21st both armies 

 were in sight of each other for the whole day;* Henry having encamped 

 at Whitemoors, close to the place where the Battle of Bosworth was 

 fought on the next day. 



It is impossible to suppose that Henry could have acted with such 

 folly as to sail from France with a very small body of men, described 

 by Commines as a very sorry and unsolderlike set, from gaols, hospitals, 

 &c., and land in Wales, and from thence march into the heart of 

 England, where any serious disaster must have caused the utter ruin 

 of himself and his adherents, unless he had been well assured before- 

 hand of the co-operation of Lord Stanley, who was the third husband 

 of his mother. Such a course of proceeding by Henry, without being 

 previously certain of Lord Stanley's deserting Richard at a convenient 

 opportunity, would have been an act of madness. Everything had, no 

 doubt, been arranged between them before Heniy embarked in France. 



Margaret Beaufort, sole daughter and heiress of John Beaufort, 

 first duke of Somerset, became Countess of Richmond by her marriage 

 with her first husband, Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond; her 

 second husband was Sir Henry Stafford (a son of Humphrey Stafford, 

 first Duke of Buckingham, slain at the battle of Northampton, and a 



' On his way from Lichfield to Taiinvortli lie was joined by Sir Thomas Boiirchior and 

 Sir Walter Hungerford, who had deserted Kichard's party, and with some diifioulty joined 

 the Earl of Bichmond. 



* Thomas, Lord Stanley. 



' Sir William Stanley, brother of Thoma.s, Lord Stanley. 



* Hutton's " Bosworth Field" (additional particulars), pp. 196, !98. 



