Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland was accomplished. In December, the king rallied sufficiently to resume control of government, and York's protectorate was terminated. With Somerset back at the centre of power, civil war seemed imminent. In May 1455, Northumberland was travelling with the king and Somerset to a great council at Leicester, when the party was intercepted by York and the Nevilles. On 22 May 1455, at the First Battle of St Albans, the royal forces clashed with the forces loyal to the Duke of York, in what has been described as the first battle of the Wars of the Roses. The battle was a
Wars of the Roses (air race) pretty well together” while Harold Blackburn admitted they had a geographical advantage over their Lancashire rivals. The silver trophy donated by the Yorkshire Evening News was presented to Dr. Christie who in turn awarded it to Harold Blackburn. A return match in Lancashire was mooted for later in October 1913 with further plans for making the Wars of the Roses air race an annual event. Neither of these came to fruition. Wars of the Roses (air race) The Wars of the Roses was an air race organized by the Yorkshire Evening News between the Yorkshire-built Blackburn Type I monoplane and