22 



of veteran soldiers fi-om Calais, and with them Andi-ew 

 Trollope, an experienced commander,"' who had served 

 ■with great valour against the French, to a general ren- 

 dezvous, which the Yorkists had appointed to be held at 

 Ludlow. Salisbury, in marching to join them, gained a 

 complete victory, on the 23rd of September, 1459, over 

 the Lancastrians, in a battle at Blore Heath, and effected 

 a junction with the Yorldsts without further difficulty. 

 The army of Henry and that of the Duke of York, then 

 drew near to each other, the latter being encamped in 

 Herefordshire, at Ludford, near the town of Liidlow, and 

 a battle appeared to be all but inevitable ; and the Earl 

 of War-v^ack produced some persons publicly to swear 

 that the King was dead, and caused mass to be said, and 

 offerings to be made, in order that the Yorkists might 

 have the less difficulty in taking the field. 



A pardon was offered, in Heniy's name, to such of the 

 Yorkists who would lay down their arms ; and Andi-ew 

 Trollope, perceiving that the Duke of York was aiming at 

 the crown of England, instead, as had been pretended, of 

 rectifying misgovernment, and removing evil counsellors 

 from the King, privately deserted the Yorkists, and 

 taking with him a serviceable body of men, went over to 

 the King ; which so discouraged the Yorkist leaders, and 

 not knowing how many others might follow his example, 

 that they thought it expedient to disperse 'immediately ; 

 the Duke of York, with his second son, the Earl of Eut- 

 land, fled through Wales, into Ireland ; and the Earls of 

 March, SaUsbury, and Warwick, hastened into Devonshire, 

 where Sir John Denham provided ships for them, and 

 they landed on 2nd of November, at Calais. Soon after 

 this bloodless victory, King Henry called a parliament 

 at Coventry, and the Earl of Warwick, and others of the 



(1) He is called Sir Andrew Trollope by several historians, and it is probable, 

 that he received the honour of knighthood, before his death at the battle of Towton. 



