It may be reasonable to assume the action started, as usual, with an arrowstorm but soon moved to close action. But how exactly the battle proceeded we cannot know at present. What is certain is that the Lancastrian force was broken and turned to flight, though again in which direction is also open to question. Those who argue for the northern site for the deployments, see the location of the traditrional site and the batlefiends close to Kingsland as evidence of a Lancastrian rout sout eastward. The alternative of a southern site would result in a rout to the north west, back towards Mortimer’s Cross. Though little credence can usually be given to local tradition unless corroborated by archaeological evidence or information in the contemporary accounts, there is one repeated by Hodges which sees some of the routed Lancastrians flee north past Mortimer’s Cross to Covenhope only to be killed at Kynsham.

While the Earls of Pembroke and Wiltshire both escaped, others were not so fortunate. Owen Tudor was captured and subsequently, at Hereford, he was executed along with Sir John Throckmorton and eight other nobles who had fought on the Lancastrian side at Mortimer’s Cross. According to Leland, Tudor was buried in Greyfriars church in the town.

This had been an important if relatively small engagement. Temporarily it reversed the position after Wakefield and kept the Yorkist cause alive. Though Edward had fought at Ludford Bridge and Northampton, this was his first success as a field commander, one of a series of crushing victories in which would destroy the Lancastrian cause for more than a decade. After a brief delay, from Hereford he marched to London to assume the crown. But en route, at Chipping Norton, he joined up with the Earl of Warwick. By then Warwick had already been defeated, on the 17th February at St Albans. The success of Mortimer’s Cross had been short lived and Edward now had challenge the main Lancastrian army, which had retreated north to York.