Monument record MDR5341 - Site of the Battle Of Chesterfield (apparent site of), Chesterfield

"In the spring of 1266, Robert Ferrars, Earl of Derby … raised a revolt in his own county. On May 15, 1266, Derby was defeated by Henry of Almaine at Chesterfield." (1) Pegge gives an account of the events leading to the Battle of Chesterfield, May 15, 1266. (2) [Area centred SK 3830 7091] "It was up Soutergate [became St Mary's Gate and Lordsmill Street] that the Battle of Chesterfield was fought in 1266, as the invaders crossed this bridge into the town. Normally this tiny river [Hipper] would have been waded at any point of its length, but at that time it was a swollen torrent dangerous to men in armour, owing to rain and subsequent heavy flooding, so that the bridge had to be crossed, this being effected by a ruse according to one account. (3) The battle of Chesterfield took place on 15 May 1266, one of the last events in the baronial wars. In the spring, a number of supporters of the earl of Derby gathered in Duffield Frith and moved north to Chesterfield, where it was joined by other barons. As a result the king's nephew, Henry of Almain, was sent to Derbyshire to reassert the king's authority. There are several different versions of the battle itself and as a result it cannot be described with much certainty or clarity. The numbers involved, the casualties and the damage done in the town are unknown. The only exact reference is that during the fighting the men of Brampton retreated to that part of the wall around the churchyard in Chesterfield that they were accustomed to maintain. (5)