Battle of Losecoat Field The Battle of Losecoat Field ( also known as the Battle of Empingham ) was fought on 12 March 1470 , during the Wars of the Roses . Spellings of " Losecoat " vary , with " Losecote " and " Loose - coat " also seen . The battle secured the defeat of the poorly organised Welles Uprising against King Edward IV , but ultimately led to the defection of Richard Neville , 16th Earl of Warwick and the king ' s brother George , Duke of Clarence to the Lancastrian cause after they were forced to flee the country having been implicated in the rebellion . Background . Almost a year earlier , in July 1469 , King Edward IV ( House of York ) was defeated and captured at the Battle of Edgecote Moor by Richard Neville , 16th Earl of Warwick , his disaffected former supporter . However with the help and support of his brother Richard , Duke of Gloucester , he had by now regained power . Despite the nominal reconciliation of Warwick and the king , by March 1470 Warwick found himself in a similar position to that which he had been in before the battle of Edgecote . He was unable to exercise any control over , or influence , Edward ' s policies . Warwick wanted to place another of the King ' s brothers , George , Duke of Clarence , on the throne so that he could regain his influence . To do so , he called on former supporters of the defeated House of Lancaster . When his family fell foul of Edward in 1470 , Robert Welles , 8th Baron Willoughby de Eresby , a former Lancastrian , turned to Warwick for help . Warwick judged the time was ripe for another coup d ' état , to kill or remove Edward from the throne . Welles started gathering armed forces at his base in Lincolnshire , ready for a show of arms against the King . The unrest in Lincolnshire , prompted the King to act , and he started gathering men for his army on 4 March . The news of the King ' s intention to march to Lincolnshire quickly spread panic among people there . Due to Welles ' deliberate misinterpretation , rumours were quickly spread that the King was coming to try the previously pardoned rebels from Edgecote , and that he would " hang and draw a great number " of them . With the encouragement of Warwick and Clarence , Sir Robert Welles set himself up as a " great captain " of the people of Lincolnshire . On 4 March summons were sent to all the surrounding estates requesting every able man to join him in the resisting of the King . On the 7th the King heard that the rebels were marching towards Stamford with an army of 100 , 000 men , having recruited many men from the local counties , especially from Yorkshire . The King later received letters from Clarence and Warwick stating they were marching North with all their men to support the King . The King then unsuspectingly issued commissions of array which included Warwick ' s name , authorising him to raise his own army of professional soldiers . Edward then received news that the rebels had changed course for Leicester , as had Warwick and Clarence , no doubt leaving the King with a good idea of their intentions . Sir Robert Welles received a letter from the King telling him to disband his rebel army , or his father ( Lord Welles , previously taken prisoner by Edward ) would be executed . Welles quickly turned back with his army to Stamford . Edward ' s confidence grew when Welles failed to rendezvous with Warwick and his experienced forces . The battle . Edward ' s scouts informed him that the rebel army was some five miles from Stamford , arrayed for battle beside the Great North Road to the north of Tickencote Warren near Empingham in Rutland . Edward positioned his men in a battle line to the north of Welles ' army , and then , in the space separating the two forces , had Lord Welles executed in view of both armies . This action set off the rebels ( currently numbering 30 , 000 ) , advancing with cries of ' a ’ Warwick ' and ' a ’ Clarence ' . A single barrage of cannonballs was fired and then Edward had his men charge towards the enemy . Before the leaders of this attack could even come to blows with the rebel front line the battle was over . The rebels broke and fled rather than face the King ' s highly trained men . Both captains , Sir Robert Welles and his commander of foot Richard Warren were captured during the rout and were executed a week later on 19 March . Welles confessed his treason , and named Warwick and Clarence as the " partners and chief provokers " of the rebellion . Documents were also found proving the complicity of Warwick and Clarence , who were forced to flee the country . Name . According to popular etymology , the name of the battle is explained in this way : many of Welles ' men were wearing jackets displaying Warwick ' s and Clarence ' s livery . Not wanting to be caught wearing such identification when the rout began , many of them discarded their garments . The battle was thus called " Lose - coat " . This story does not appear to have any historical basis , being first recorded in the 19th century . Contemporary accounts refer to the battle site as " Hornfield " ( Horn is an adjacent parish ) , and not use the name Losecoat or anything comparable . The name is probably derived from an Old English phrase " hlose - cot " meaning " pigsty cottage " . Forms of Losecote also appear as field names in other parishes in Rutland . A field at the site of the battle seems to have acquired that name , which later generated the imaginary " lose coat " etymology which was linked to the battle . An adjacent woodland is now called Bloody Oaks .