Ludlow hosted the Yorkist defeat and flight associated with the Rout of Ludford Bridge in 1459.
The confrontation was fought at Ludford Bridge, just south of Ludlow in Shropshire, on 12 October 1459. The Yorkist leaders—Richard, Duke of York, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, and Warwick the Kingmaker—had gathered near Ludlow after the Battle of Blore Heath. They fortified a position by the River Teme, using ditches, carts and artillery.
The crisis became a rout when Andrew Trollope and many experienced troops from Warwick’s Calais contingent defected to the Lancastrian side. Unwilling to fight an army displaying Henry VI’s royal standard, the Yorkist leaders abandoned their forces during the night and fled. York escaped toward Ireland, while Salisbury, Warwick and Edward, Earl of March, headed for Calais.
Ludford is the place-name in the event’s title, but Ludford was a settlement beside Ludlow. The Lancastrians subsequently entered and plundered Ludlow, which is why the town is the natural answer to this wording.