Place Name
Generally thought to be a reference to the barons who clashed near here in the Battle of Barnet, fought on Easter Sunday, 1471. The fight was a pivotal conflict in the Wars of the Roses that decisively restored the House of York to power. However, Doreen Willcocks in Barnet’s History in its Street Names believes it refers only to Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, who lost his life at the battle and was known as “the last of the barons”. In either case, the melee was fought on April 14 in thick fog. It saw King Edward IV defeat a larger Lancastrian army led by his former mentor and ally, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick – known as the Kingmaker. Warwick was the primary architect of the Lancastrian resurgence in 1470, having previously helped Edward IV seize the throne from Henry VI in 1461. Disillusioned by Edward’s independent rule, nepotism, and shifting foreign policy, Warwick defected to the Lancastrian side, forcing Edward into exile in 1470 and restoring Henry VI. At Barnet, Warwick sought to cement his Kingmaker status by annihilating Edward’s returning force. He held the high ground and significantly outnumbered the Yorkists, with around 15,000 men compared to Edward’s roughly 10,000. The evening before battle, he stopped overnight “under a hedgesyde… in array” which local tradition says still survives on Old Fold golf course – which could be the case. Critically, Warwick ordered his men to fight on foot, a decision intended to boost morale and show solidarity with his troops. Due to the dense morning fog, the armies were misaligned. The Lancastrian right, led by the Earl of Oxford, outflanked the Yorkist left and chased them away, but in returning, they were mistaken for the enemy by their own side, specifically the troops of Warwick’s brother, Montagu. Cries of treachery went up, breaking Lancastrian morale and causing a total rout. Warwick, fighting on foot, realised the battle was lost and tried to escape. He was overtaken in the woods behind the battlefield and killed. His death, along with that of his brother Montagu, was a massive blow to the Lancastrian cause, breaking their political power and ensuring 14 years of Yorkist stability. The battle solidified Edward IV’s control, with the later Battle of Tewkesbury acting as the final, swift resolution to the power struggle.
