Barnet details

THE BATTLE OF BARNET - 14th April 1471

Below are more large detail images taken from Graham Turner's new large oil painting of the Battle of Barnet, along with some text describing what is shown.

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As I explained in my Painting Diary, this figure caused a few last minute headaches! I wanted him to be a knight, a man of some status who I could equip with another lovely English armour, complete with ornate sword and scabbard as depicted on one of my favourite tomb effigies. Originally I intended to make him Sir John Conyers, a member of a prominent Yorkshire family with a long history as retainers of the Earl of Warwick, and before him his father, the Earl of Salisbury. Sir John played a major part in Warwick's uprising of 1469, resulting in the Battle of Edgcote, where Conyers fought. However, he made his peace with King Edward IV soon after, and went on to become a faithful Yorkist, so without any evidence of his presence at Barnet, despite his long association with Warwick, I became nervous of including him in the painting. After considering various other potential candidates, I therefore decided to identify him as Sir Richard Tunstall.

Sir Richard was a staunch Lancastrian, who had fought at the battles of Wakefield, St. Albans, Towton, Hedgerley Moor, and Hexham, defended the Northumberland castles after Towton, then the long defence of Harlech, where he was finally captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. When Warwick returned Henry VI to the throne in 1470/71, he was appointed to the prestigious role of Chamberlain, before the wheel of fortune turned once more and he was attainted in the aftermath of Barnet. Once Lancastrian hopes were extinguished after the death of King Henry, he did eventually make his peace with Edward IV and was pardoned by 1473, going on to serve both Edward IV and Richard III, becoming a Knight of the Garter, before probably going over to Henry Tudor at Bosworth. A busy career!

Contemporary evidence identifying those who fought at the Battle of Barnet, apart from the major commanders, is scarce, to say the least, but the little snippet that backs my inclusion of Sir Richard Tunstall in my painting was written in a letter from the Duke of Burgundy's secretary, passing on the latest news from England - '... today mylord has had certain news that the Earl of Warwick has been killed in the battle that was fought on Easter day and that one of his brothers is also dead, and that King Edward is king again in England, in peace, and that he was in the said battle in person, and King Henry has been returned to his cell in the Tower of London' - and including Sir Richard's name amongst a list of those who fought at Barnet. *

* http://www.richardiii.net/downloads/Ricardian/essay_ricardian_riddle.pdf/

The figure in front of Sir Richard Tunstall also wears a full harness, but unlike Sir Richard's, which is in the English style, his is a much plainer Milanese armour. Milan was one of the great centres of armour production, and armour produced in their factories was bought in large quantities to equip the men-at-arms serving in the retinues of great lords such as Warwick. His helmet, a salet, is based on a surviving example from Blithfield church. There are so many variations in salet design that I tried to include as many as possible, especially those with some English provenance: Sir Richard Tunstall wears an example in the Royal Armouries (see below), while that worn by the billman behind him is based on the 'Coventry' salet, with its pointed skull. Evidence from art and tomb effigies suggests that the pointed skull was quite popular in England, with fluted examples to match the fluting seen on English armour, so I've also included one like this on Sir Walter Blount.

Warfare is brutal and I am very conscious that I should be careful not to glamorise it in my work. Often, the suggestion of violence and a nasty outcome is sufficient, but with a painting set in the midst of battle like this, I had to be more obvious. Accounts mention the propensity of wounds to the face and limbs, and this can easily be imagined when you look at the vicious sharp hooks and spikes on a bill or polaxe, and then see the lack of much armour on the majority of those involved in the fighting, particularly the open faced helmets and unprotected legs and arms. Seeing these more lightly armed figures and the weapons they're brandishing, and some of those who have been struck down, does, I think, make it clear the medieval battlefield was not a nice place to be!

Finally a word on the banners in the painting, carefully chosen to show not only some of the other notable lords present, but to help tell the story of the battle. In the background you can make out the banner of Sir William, Lord Hastings, commander of the Yorkist left, who was outflanked and overrun by the Lancastrians under the command of John de Vere, Earl of Oxford, because the two armies had misaligned in the fog. Oxford's standard can be seen passing Hastings wavering banner - both deliberately placed to add another layer to the narrative included in the painting.

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ORIGINAL PAINTING - Graham Turner's original oil painting is available to purchase - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Battle of Barnet print

Graham Turner's painting of the Battle of Barnett is available as a high quality print - CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS