| Where: | Sandal, Wakefield, Yorkshire - wreath laying at the Bridge Chantry Chapel on Calder Vale Road (and formerly the Duke of York's statue in Manygates Lane) |
| When: | Near 30th December |
| Time: | 2 pm at the Chantry Chapel |
Until very recently it was accepted history that in 1460, Duke Richard of York was killed during a skirmish outside Sandal Castle near Wakefield on 30th December- recent scholarship suggests that he may well have been ambushed and captured the previous day, and there is now some doubt about the traditional narrative, but the event is usually referred to as “the Battle of Wakefield”. Part of the ongoing family feud now known to us as the Wars of the Roses, his death was a serious setback to the Yorkist cause, though his son went on to triumph over the opposing Lancastrian forces to become King Edward IV just a few months later. Nobody really knows why or indeed if Richard and his small force left the safety of the castle – theories suggest they were searching for supplies or were lured out by the opposition, but the result was fatal and the heads of Richard and his allies are said to have been on display at Micklegate Bar in York as traitors. Each year, since 2005, the battle was commemorated by an informal wreath laying ceremony (including Yorkist white roses, naturally) and a minutes silence by the statue of Richard of York near Sandal Castle before further wreath-laying at the medieval Bridge Chantry Chapel to place more flowers, this time in memory of Richard of York’s second son, Edmund, who was also slain at Wakefield aged only 17. Now a simple wreath laying ceremony in their memory takes place only at the Chapel.
Helpful Hints
In 2025 the wreath laying took place on Tuesday 30th December at the Bridge Chapel at 2pm- 2026 details are yet to be announced.
You can visit the ruins of Sandal Castle which are in a landscaped park on Manygates Lane, south of the statue of the Duke. Click here for the Friends of Sandal Castle: https://www.facebook.com/FOSC106
The wreath laying is organised by Richard III Society Yorkshire Branch (Richard III was Richard of York’s youngest son) and the photos on here are from that event. In some years re-enactors have organised a procession and living history, but this isn’t an annual occurrence.
Click here for the Society website: http://www.richardiii.net/
and here for Yorkshire Branch : https://www.yorkshirericardians.org
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