Wakefield

Wakefield Click here for more free books!

City and metropolitan borough (pop., 2001: 315,173), southeastern portion of the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England. Originally part of a royal manor, it became a baronial holding after 1086. It was the scene of the Wars of the Roses at which Richard, duke of York, was captured and beheaded by Lancastrians. In the 15th century the Wakefield Plays, one of the collections of English miracle plays, were presented there. The town was attacked and taken by the Parliamentarian general Baron Fairfax in 1643 during the English Civil Wars. Known as a textile centre since the 16th century, Wakefield specializes in wool and synthetic knitting yarns.