"Guide to Livery at the Battle of Bosworth" Topic

Hi,

After several weeks of research, I have compiled this list of known livery colors and badges worn by the forces of Richard and Henry at the Battle of Bosworth.

The sources for this come mostly from the terrific booklet "Standards, Badges, and Livery Colors of the Wars of the Roses" by McGill and Jones, along with 15mm and 28mm recreations of flags from Freezywater, Citadelsix, Peter Smith, and Mikhail Betskii.

I have also used information from the following websites:

Complete Guide to Heraldry: link

Battle of Bosworth Field – a list of combatants: link

The Peerage – index to War of the Roses Combatants: link

Livery Color's database: link

Useful List of Livery Colors: link

Wikipedia – for the numerous names of the Dukes, Earls, Viscounts, Lords, and Sirs.

Here on TMP – correspondences, postings, and topics.

The following identifications are organized with the livery color(s) (right/left), followed by the badge. There are a few badges that I could not identify, and these are identified with a ????.

RICARDIANS

Richard III – blue/crimson, w/white boar or rose
John Howard – red, w/white lion rampant
Henry Percy – red/black, w/white half crescent
Thomas Howard – white/red, w/white helmet
Francis Lovell – blue/yellow, w/white hound
Richard Ratcliffe – white/black, ????
John Zouch – black/purplish red, w/white donkey head
Walter Deveraux – white/red, w/yellow horseshoes
William Catesby – purplish red/blue, ????
Marmaduke Constable – red, w/yellow anchor
James Harrington – black, w/white Harrington knot
John Scrope – white, w/black Cornish chough (bird)
John Conyers – white, w/red cross crosslets
John De la Pole – blue/yellow, w/white Antelope

TUDORS

Henry Tudor – white/green, w/red dragon
Jasper Tudor – white/green, w/red dragon
John de Vere – orange, w/blue star outlined in white
Philiberte de Chande – French troops w/white crosses on a blue or red background
Gilbert Talbot – red/black, w/white talbot (dog)
John Savage – white, w/black unicorn head
William Stanley – red, w/white stag (deer) head
Thomas Stanley – orange/green, w/yellow eagles feet
Ap Thomas – white, w/black raven
Simon Digby – blue, w/white Osrich with horseshoe in beak
Robert Willoughby – red/white, w/black blackmoores head
Edward Woodvlle – green, w/white Sparrow?
Edward Poynings – red, w/white running unicorn
William Berkley – red/white, ????
Walter Hungerford – red/green, w/two white sickles
William Beaumont- white, w/green broom cod
John Wells – yellow/black, w/yellow Fleur-de-lis

I hope this helps others. Please add to, comment, and correct this list as you see the need.

Good work there, KK.

Thomas Howard may also have used black with a white lion rampant, mate, if only for his immediate household. It's recorded that Ed IV sent him some black cloth as a present, because it was his livery colour. John de la Pole could also use a yale as a badge, while Berkley used a (red?) unicorn.

@Dal Gavan:
Has someone been reading my book? :)

Dal is right. In Bills, Bows and Bloodshed I do report that the Howard, Duke of Norfolk household wore black as a household livery yet we also know that he expected his Paston retainers to wear red. The black may have started as a mourning livery for the death of his first wife but it continued during the life of his second wife as gifts from Edward IV confirm.

Barry

Me read, Barry? Real multi-syllable words and everything? Perish the thought, mate. :-)

I don't actually have any of my books here- they're all in storage. But I do have a couple of spreadsheets and, one day, I'll make notes as to where I got the info (I have done it for some, all Lancastrians, but not Howard yet).

My research is done. I thought that I would share my final results here for anyone else that is looking for information.

RICHARDIANS
Richard III – blue/crimson, w/white boar or rose
John Howard – red (possibly black), w/white lion rampant
Henry Percy – red/black, w/white half crescent
Thomas Howard – white/red, w/white helmet
Francis Lovell – blue/yellow, w/yellow padlock
Richard Ratcliffe – white/black, w/????
John Zouch – black/purple-red, w/white donkey head
Walter Deveraux – white/red, w/yellow horseshoes
William Catesby – purple-red/blue, w/yellow lion passant
Marmaduke Constable – red, w/yellow anchor
James Harrington – black, w/white Harrington knot
John Scrope – white, w/black Cornish chough (bird)
John Conyers – white, w/red cross crosslets
John De la Pole – blue/yellow, w/white Antelope or "Yale"
Henry Grey – red/green, w/white badger
Thomas Burgh – blue, w/blue and yellow striped wreath "Torse"

TUDORS
Henry Tudor – white/green, w/red dragon
Jasper Tudor – white/green, w/red dragon
John de Vere – orange, w/blue star outlined in white
Philiberte de Chande – French troops w/white crosses on a blue or red background
Gilbert Talbot – red/black, w/white talbot (dog)
John Savage – white, w/black unicorn head
William Stanley – red, w/white stag (deer) head
Thomas Stanley – orange/green, w/yellow eagles feet
Ap Thomas – white, w/black raven
Simon Digby – blue, w/white ostrich with horseshoe in beak
Robert Willoughby – red/white, w/black blackmoores head
Edward Woodvlle – green, w/white vase?
Edward Poynings – red, w/white running unicorn
William Berkley – red/white (possibly just plain red), with red (possibly white) unicorn
Walter Hungerford – red/green, w/white sickle with brown handle
William Beaumont- white, w/green broom cod
John Wells – yellow/black, w/white bucket and chains
Richard Tunstall – black/white, w/white cockerel, red beak and yellow comb, wattle and feet
Reginald Bray – white, w/black falcon's claw

Additional information was provided in the rules "Bills, Nows, and Bloodshed" by Barry Slemmings.

Please feel free to comment and correct.

I get in everywhere!

Warspite 1 (aka Barry Slemmings)