Title:

Duke

First Name:

Richard

Last Name:

Plantagenet

Memorial Type:

Information Board

Does the monument still exist?

Yes

Installation Date:

Not known

Inscription:

Spiked!
The severed heads of rebels and traitors were once displayed on Mickelgate Bar. Intended as a warning, heads or other body parts were skewered on pikestaffs and placed on the roof. Victims included Sir Henry Percy (Hotspur) in 1403 and Richard, Duke of York in (1460); 'Off with his head and set it on York gates; so York may overlook the town of York' cried Queen Margaret in Shakespeare's Henry VI.

Allegiance:

Yorkist

Condition:

Very Good

Condition Description:

Clean and clear with no fading

Memorial Notes:

Richard, Duke of York was captured at Wakefield in late December 1460 and subsequently executed, probably at Pontefract.