Atlas of Battles

battle, major, medieval

Battle of Wakefield

Battle of Wakefield was a battle fought on 30 December 1460 at Wakefield, in what is now United Kingdom. It was part of the Wars of the Roses, which ran from 1455 to 1487. The recorded result: Lancastrian victory.

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Image for battles of the Wars of the Roses where Lancaster was victorious.
Image for battles of the Wars of the Roses where Lancaster was victorious.. Sodacan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought30 December 1460
WhereWakefield, United Kingdom53.680N, 1.492W
OutcomeLancastrian victory
BelligerentsHouse of Lancaster; Supported by: Kingdom of ScotlandagainstHouse of York
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 Wakefield, 1460
22 placed engagements of the Wars of the Roses in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date30 December 1460
PlaceWakefield, United Kingdom
53.680N, 1.492W
KindBattle, medieval
Commanders
  • Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland
  • John Clifford, 9th Baron Clifford
Battle of WakefieldBattle of WakefieldCapture of WakefieldBattle of LeedsBattle of Adwalton MoorSiege of LeedsBattle of FerrybridgeBattle of LeedsBattle of Adwalton MoorBirminghamManchesterLiverpoolNottinghamMiddlesbroughStokePeterboroughScarborough100 km53.680N, 1.492W
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 Wakefield
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Wakefield today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-06-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 28 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 8 to 146 m, 137 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 34% built-up, 32% tree cover, 24% grassland.

built-up: 34%tree cover: 32%grassland: 24%cropland: 7%water: 3%built-up 34%tree cover 32%grassland 24%cropland 7%water 3%
west to east, 10.0 km19 to 86 mnorth to south, 10.0 km20 to 76 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

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1460

Battle of Wakefield is one of 743 engagements of the 15th century in the atlas and one of 753 in present-day United Kingdom.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q906912, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Wakefield, revision 1370786203, 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.