Stoke, battle of

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Stoke, battle of, 1487. Lambert Simnel, posing as Edward, earl of Warwick, son of the duke of Clarence and nephew to Edward IV, raised support in Ireland and was crowned in Dublin as Edward VI. He landed near Lancaster and was supported by the earl of Lincoln. His forces met with those of Henry VII at Stoke, near Newark, on 16 June. After heavy fighting, with perhaps 20,000 men involved, Lincoln was killed and Simnel captured. With a humour or clemency not much apparent in the Wars of the Roses, Simnel was given menial employment at court.

J. A. Cannon