James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley

Who was James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley?

James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley, 2nd Baron Tuchet was an English peer.

James Tuchet, 5th Baron Audley, son of John Tuchet, 4th Baron Audley and his wife Elizabeth, was a distinguished veteran of the Hundred Years' War. In the opening phase of the Wars of the Roses he raised troops from his estates in Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Derbyshire and commanded the Lancastrian force that moved to block the Yorkist Earl of Salisbury's route to Ludlow where he intended linking up with the rest of the Yorkist army.

The two forces clashed in the Battle of Blore Heath on 23 September 1459 and Audley was killed by Sir Roger Kynaston of Stocks near Ellesmere. He was beheaded after the battle. Audley's Cross still stands on the battlefield to this day, and marks the spot where he died.

Audley was buried in Darley Abbey, north of Derby, about 40 miles away from Blore Heath. Unfortunately, the Abbey no longer stands, so his final resting place is no longer marked.