After the Battle of Towton the Lancastrian survivors either fled overseas or withdrew with Margaret and King Henry to Scotland. The defeat at Towton did not extinguish all Lancastrian hopes however, in the West Country and in Wales many remained loyal to Henry. In the north also there was still sympathy for the Lancastrian cause. From her bases in Scotland Margaret was able to gain control of a number of northern castles. Responding to this unrest in Northumberland the new king, Edward IV, made efforts to regain control in this region partly by force and partly by negotiations. He was able to regain Bamburgh from Henry Beaufort, the Duke of Somerset, by pardoning him and restoring his estates. This did not pacify the north and late in 1463 Margaret moved south in force. She regained control of a number of castles and seized several others. Somerset, with whom peace with Edward did not sit easily, went north to join her. With the Lancastrian host now south of the border, James of Scotland opened peace talks with the English Parliament. A meeting between the parties was arranged for late April in York and John Neville, Lord Montagu, was sent to Northumberland to escort the Scottish delegation to the negotiations. When the Lancastrians received word of Montagu’s mission a force under Somerset was dispatched to intercept him. The two forces met on Hedgeley Moor.
The battle didn't start well for the Lancastrian's with Robert Hungerford retreating from the field at the first sign of trouble. The remaining host put up a stalwart defence...prompting some to suggest there should be a time limit on the scenario. As you can see from the photos, the Lancastrian Mainward was surrounded and outnumbered, but the Yorkists still couldn't break through...well they did eventually, but not the easy victory they had hoped for!