April 8th 1471: A Dash to London
After the pause for Palm Sunday worship, Edward’s army must have been on its way towards London at the crack of dawn. They were travelling at speed, to out-run Warwick and to arrive before any of the defences called for by Warwick could be put in his way. Until he arrived, he was unsure of the reception he’d receive. The ‘Arrivall’ follows his progress:
‘The King from that town [Daventry] went to a good town called Northampton, where he was well received, and, from thence took the next way towards London, leaving always behind him in his journey a good band of spears and archers, his behind-riders, to counter, if it had needed, such of the Earl’s party as, peradventure, he should have sent to have troubled him on the behalf, if he so had done.’
A marching army is ill prepared for defence, so keeping Warwick at bay was a priority for Edward. He would also have been aware of the possibility of ambush by Warwick’s supporters in the country he was passing through. This had been an ever-present risk for his five weeks on the road, which necessitated putting scouts into the field to ascertain the lie of the land.
Though the road was a fast one; the Roman Watling Street, it was more than fifty miles from Daventry to London, made longer by a detour to Northampton. It took its toll on both footmen and horses, and it would be two more days, with stops at Dunstable and, finally, St Albans before the long-anticipated assault on the capital.
In London, the pressure was getting to Sir John Stockton, the Mayor, for whom the stress was just too much. He took to his bed and left the decision making to others. Sir Thomas Cooke, an ex-Mayor with a big grudge against the Yorkists, tried to co-ordinate the defence of the city. King Henry was being advised by George Neville, Archbishop of York, Warwick’s brother.