1455 in England

Events from the year 1455 in England.

Incumbents

• Monarch – Henry VI
• Lord Chancellor – Thomas Bourchier
• Lord Privy Seal – Thomas Lisieux

Events

• May – The garrison of English Calais mutinies over pay arrears.
• 22 May – Richard, Duke of York defeats the army of Henry VI at the First Battle of St Albans. Henry is captured, marking the beginning of the Wars of the Roses.
• 23 October – Bonville–Courtenay feud in Devon: Thomas Courtenay, heir to the Earl of Devon, arranges the murder of lawyer Nicholas Radford.
• 19 November – The Duke of York is reinstated as Lord Protector, acting as regent for the King.
• November–December – Bonville–Courtenay feud leads to continued rioting and rebellion in Devon including sacking of Exeter.
• 15 December – The first battle of Clyst Heath is fought as part of the Bonville–Courtenay feud
• Unknown – Earliest known reference to knitting in England.
• Unknown – The Importation Act is passed in order to protect the English silk industry

Births

• Marquess of Dorset, nobleman and courtier (died 1501)
• John Spencer, landowner (died 1522)

Deaths

• John Scrope, 4th Baron Scrope of Masham, politician (born 1388)
• Thomas de Strickland, soldier (born 1367)
• At the First Battle of St Albans (22 May)
• Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, politician (born 1393)
• Edmund Beaufort, 2nd Duke of Somerset, commander (born 1406)
• Humphrey Stafford, Earl of Stafford (born 1425)

References