Duke of York Monument on Manygates Lane
A Sandal resident wrote to our Society concerned about the state of the monument on Manygates Lane which commemorates the site of Richard Duke of York’s death in December 1460. We were able to advise her that the monument stood on land belonging to Wakefield Council, and she contacted the Council who replied promptly, stating that a contractor was being hired to clean the monument. It is always good to hear of local residents who care about our heritage and are prepared to take action.
As far as we know, repair and restoration of the monument last took place in 2011 when a new head was sculpted by DMW Restoration of Conisborough as part of the Society’s Pontefract to Fotheringhay project. https://www.wakefieldhistoricalsociety.org.uk/projects/pontefract-to-fotheringhay/
The monument was set up by subscription in 1897. It was organised by Wakefield local historian J W Walker. He believed that he had found the foundations of the original monument to Richard at the place where he erected the new monument.
