The Battle of Towton

Online Catalogue | Historical Art | Battles | The Battle of Towton

THE BATTLE OF TOWTON - 29th March 1461

When he first visited the battlefield at Towton, Graham Turner found it an extremely moving and evocative place. You can still imagine the massed armies of Edward IV and Henry VI engaged in their bitter struggle on that freezing day in 1461, and the research done on the remains of some of the victims of that bloody day 550 years ago adds a poignancy that helped Graham bring something of the human story vividly to life in his paintings of Towton.

Graham Turner has painted the Battle of Towton several times, and below are details of the prints published from these paintings by Studio 88 that are currently available.

Battle of Towton, Wars of the Roses - Medieval Art print by Graham Turner

The Battle of Towton Ref: TOW-38

With the wind and driving snow at their backs, the Yorkist archers shoot their final deadly volleys of armour piercing arrows into the advancing Lancastrian army while Edward IV and his knights and men-at-arms move through the ranks to meet their oncoming foe.

Graham Turner's large scale oil painting captures the bitter conditions on that bleak Yorkshire plateau during the opening stages of what would become the biggest and bloodiest battle fought on British soil.

Open Edition Print published from an oil painting.
Overall print size, including border - 34"x 24" (87cm x 60cm).

Each print is supplied with a 'Who's who', identifying the major participants and banners shown in the painting.

click on image to enlarge

Price: £38.00

Canvas Print

The Battle of Towton is also available reproduced on canvas - just like the original painting - CLICK HERE for details.

Towton - The Rout Ref: ROUT-17

The defeated Lancastrian army flees from the battlefield, down Towton Dale towards the River Cock, pursued and cut down by the victorious Yorkists.

Open Edition Print
Overall print size, including border - 16"x 12" (40cm x 30cm).

click on image to enlarge

Price: £17.00

Towton - the Rout Ref: Gic-G213-M

The Rout is also available as a larger-sized artist-signed giclée print..

Giclée Print published from a gouache painting by Graham Turner.

Each print individually printed to order on very high quality heavyweight paper, and then signed on the border by the artist.

Approximate overall print size, including border - 22"x 17" (56cm x 43cm)

click on image to enlarge

Price: £79.00

Towton - The Melee Ref: Gic-G110

The opposing armies struggle for victory at the height of the battle of Towton.

Giclée Print published from a gouache painting by Graham Turner.

Each print individually printed to order on very high quality heavyweight paper, and then signed on the border by the artist.

Sizes given are approximate and include a border.

click on image to enlarge

Available in two alternative sizes - select size required below -

Print Size

22"x 17" (56cm x 43cm) £79.00

16"x 12" (40cm x 30cm) £59.00

The Battle of Ferrybridge print - The Medieval Art of Graham Turner

Battle of Ferrybridge Ref: Gic-G114

Lord Clifford's men try to stop the Yorkist army from crossing the broken bridge over the River Aire.

Giclée Print published from a gouache painting by Graham Turner.

Each print individually printed to order on very high quality heavyweight paper, and then signed on the border by the artist.

Sizes given are approximate and include a border.

click on image to enlarge

Available in two alternative sizes - select size required below -

Print Size

22"x 17" (56cm x 43cm) £79.00

16"x 12" (40cm x 30cm) £59.00

John, Lord Clifford, at Dintingdale before the Battle of Towton - print from a painting by Graham Turner

Clifford's End Ref: Gic-G360

Almost within sight of the main Lancastrian army formed up near Towton, Lord Clifford and his company are cut off by a Yorkist force at Dintingdale.

For 25-year-old John, Lord Clifford - 'beyng in lusty yought, & of francke corage' - the Wars of the Roses were intensely personal. The death of his father at the Battle of St. Albans in 1455 would come to dominate the rest of his short life, as he sought vengeance on those that he held responsible. As a teenager he was involved in the skirmish at Heworth Moor, taking the side of the Percy family in their feud with the Nevilles, and, after he inherited his father's title and the family seat at Skipton Castle, he firmly attached himself to King Henry and Queen Margaret's cause. Finally, at Wakefield (where he was knighted by the duke of Somerset before the battle) he was at last able to quench some of his thirst for revenge with the deaths of duke of York and earls of Salisbury and Rutland; responsibility - or credit - for the latter being laid squarely at his door and the story, heavily embroidered with each retelling, earning him the sobriquet 'Butcher Clifford' long after the event.

Having successfully delayed the Yorkist army at Ferrybridge, Clifford's small force were forced to withdraw to avoid being outflanked, and they 'departed in great haste' back towards the main Lancastrian army at Towton, Yorkist horsemen in hot pursuit. In a shallow valley called Dintingdale, tantalisingly close to Towton and relief, Clifford's men were caught and butchered; 'the lord Clifforde, either from heat or payne, putting of his gorget, sodainly w(ith) an arrowe (as some say) without an hedde, was striken into the throte, and incontinent rendered hys spirite, and the erle of Westmerlandes brother (John Neville, the turncoat at Wakefield) and all his company almost were there slayn, at a place called Dintingdale, not farr from Towton.' (Hall's Chronicle)

The subsequent battle of Towton, fought on Palm Sunday, 29th March 1461, is widely considered to be the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil.

Giclée Print published from a gouache painting by Graham Turner.

Each print individually printed to order on very high quality heavyweight paper, and then signed on the border by the artist.

Sizes given are approximate and include a border.

click on image to enlarge

Available in two alternative sizes - select size required below -
22"x 17" overall size has an image size of 17.2"x 12.5" (437mm x 317mm)
16"x 12" overall size has an image size of 13"x 9.5" (332mm x 241mm)

Approximate overall print size

22"x 17" (57cm x 43cm) £79.00

16"x 12" (41cm x 30cm) £59.00

Edward IV's standard bearer at the battle of Towton - English armour from a painting by Graham Turner

Edward IV's Standard bearer at Towton Ref: KS1-19

After the battle, Edward gave an annuity of £10 to Ralph Vestynden, a yeoman of the King's Chamber, for his good service in bearing the standard of the Black Bull at the battle of Towton in 1461. He is shown wearing English armour based on tomb effigies of the period.

Reproduced on good quality slightly textured paper from a gouache painting by Graham Turner (The paper is very similar in appearance to the watercolour paper the original was painted on).

Overall print size 13"x 19" (33cm x 48cm)

click on image to enlarge

Price: £19.00

The Battle of Towton, Wars of the Roses - Medieval Greeting or Birthday Card

Battle of Towton greeting cards Ref: N6

Reproduced in full colour from an original painting by Graham Turner.

Cards are blank inside, allowing you to add your own greeting or making them suitable for use as notelets.

Card size - 187mm x 120mm

Supplied with envelopes

click on image to enlarge

Available either individually or in a pack of five cards of the same design - please select below.

Pack of 5 Cards £6.50

Individual card £1.50

THE WARS OF THE ROSES

THE MEDIEVAL ART OF GRAHAM TURNER

Graham Turner's eagerly anticipated book about the Wars of the Roses is due for publication in February 2024.

It includes over 120 of his paintings and drawings, many newly created, with supplementary images and a comprehensive and fascinating text that illuminates the complex, shifting course of events and the people who lived their lives through this tumultuous time.

Pre-order your signed copy now - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS