On a misty morning in 1471 the houses of York and Lancaster clashed swords for no lesser prize than the throne of England, write Times Group historians PERCY REBOUL and JOHN HEATHFIELD

The Battle of Barnet, fought on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1471, is arguably the single most important historical event to have happened in our area.

The battle was one of the most decisive in what is generally known as the Wars of the Roses a bitter 30-year struggle between the houses of York and Lancaster for the throne of England. What is so astonishing is that the site of the battle is recognised as being little altered from how it looked all those years ago.

The actual battle took place just north of Barnet on scrubby waste land then known as Gladmore Heath part of today's Hadley Green.

Leading the Lancastrian army of 20,000 or so troops was Richard Neville (Earl of Warwick), called The Kingmaker', who was the most powerful noble in England and determined to overthrow the king, Edward IV.

He had with him his brother John (Lord Montague), Henry Holland (Duke of Exeter) and the Earl of Oxford, John DeVere. They had camped the previous day at St Albans and, after a march, prepared for battle where Old Fold Golf Course is today.

Edward's army was smaller and it too had three divisions, commanded by himself, the Duke of Gloucester (later to become King Richard III) and Lord Hastings. His force had moved up from London along the Great North Road to fight the rebels and was camped on Hadley Green.

Accounts of the battle, written soon after, reveal how a very thick mist had sprung up just before fighting began. Visibility was made worse by black smoke from cannons.

The Earl of Oxford's section quickly rolled up Edward's left flank, who ran away back to London announcing that King Edward had been defeated.

On a misty morning in 1471 the houses of York and Lancaster clashed swords for no lesser prize than the throne of England, write Times Group historians PERCY REBOUL and JOHN HEATHFIELD
Oxford's men, in time-honoured fashion, proceeded to loot Barnet and, once reassembled, turned back to take what remained of Edward's forces in the rear.

It was at this point that one of those hinges of fate' occurred that change the course of history. Unfortunately for Oxford, the battle had turned through an arc and instead of meeting Edward's men, he came upon Warwick's troops who, in the mist, mistook Oxford's banners and badges (a star with streams) for Edward's device a sun with rays. Oxford fled the field thinking he had been betrayed, and Warwick's army, at the point of victory, collapsed and fled, leaving Edward IV victorious.

The battle, although it lasted only four hours, was a bloody one with little mercy shown. One of the most intriguing aspects, still discussed today, is where the bodies of the slain were buried. We know that soon after the battle Edward caused to be built a mortuary chapel which would presumably have marked the spot. The exact location still awaits discovery and many people, scholarly and otherwise, have speculated.

Another reminder of the conflict is the stone obelisk that stands in Hadley Highstone.

The obelisk was originally erected by Sir Jeremy Sambrook around 1740 to mark the spot where Warwick was killed. The stone, however, was moved to its present location in 1840.

For those interested in the battle, a visit to Barnet Museum in Wood Street is recommended, if only to see the replicas of the banners which caused all the confusion.