The Battle of Shrewsbury

The rebel army led by Sir Henry Percy marched south from the Scottish border and hoped to join forces with a group of rebel Welshmen led by Owain Glyndwr. Shrewsbury was the main town on the route taken by Percy's army and was in a good strategic position.   The town lies on a  major crossing point over the River Severn, making it good as a source of supplies.

The young Prince of Wales, later Henry the Fifth, was staying at Shrewsbury in the care of the Earl of Worcester who was teaching him the art of warfare. When the Battle of Shrewsbury broke out the Earl of Worcester joined the rebel’s cause leaving the young prince isolated with only a small military guard. If captured he would surely have been ransomed or killed.

King Henry and his Royal Army were on their way to aid the Percy family against the Scottish when they caught news of the revolt. Marching east from Nottingham they headed for Shrewsbury and both armies finally arrived on the 19th or 20th of July. The Royal army camped down in battle array near Haughmond Abbey while the rebels spent the night a few miles to the north of Shrewsbury in Berwick.