Literary and Folk References
Shakespeare's play Henry VI, Part 3 (Act 1, Scene 2) is set in Sandal Castle. It describes Richard's sons urging him to take the crown before news is brought of Margaret's approach. Act 1, scene 4 then depicts the death of Richard at the Queen's hands. This brief fictionalised account bears little resemblance to the history as we understand it today. The play is sometimes performed on the castle ruins.
The Battle of Wakefield is one of the candidates for the source of the nursery rhyme 'The Grand Old Duke of York', and the mnemonic for remembering the colours of the rainbow - Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain.
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