Welles, Richard

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Welles, Richard and Robert (d. 1470). Lionel, Lord Welles, and his son Richard, Lord Willoughby, fought against Edward IV at Towton in 1461, when Lionel was killed and subsequently attainted. By fighting for Edward against Lancastrians in 1464, Richard earned the reversal of the attainder and thus recovered his father's title and estates. Then, in a private feud, he sacked the house of Thomas Burgh at Gainsborough. Determined to restore order, Edward summoned Richard and planned a formidable royal visitation of Lincolnshire. At this point, apparently, Warwick and Clarence fomented a rebellion to oppose Edward's arrival. His rapid march caught them unprepared. The locals assembled by Richard's son Robert were scattered at Empingham, in an action known as Losecoat Field on 12 March 1470. Richard and Robert Welles were executed; Warwick and Clarence fled to France.

R. L. Storey