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Yorkshire Archaeologist Re-writes History Of Towton Battle
By Richard Moss
13/09/2006
Image: a photograph showing partly excavated skeletons in a grave
Recent finds at Towton include the remains of soldiers under Towton Hall. © Tim Sutherland/Towton Battlefield Archaeological Survey
Archaeological evidence to be presented at a conference in York in October 2006 could alter our accepted historical view of one of Britain’s bloodiest battles.
The Battle of Towton, the last in a series of pitched battles that took place during the Wars of the Roses in 1461, saw Lancastrian and Yorkshire forces face each other in a snowstorm on Palm Sunday, March 29 1461. The Lancastrians lost the battle with heavy casualties and as a result, Edward IV was crowned king of England.
Contemporary written sources about the battle are however few and far between and even the location of a Chapel built some years later by Richard III has been at the centre of many debates that persist about the battle.
Now according to archaeologist Tim Sutherland and his team from The Towton Battlefield Archaeological Survey, findings to be unveiled at the Towton Conference at Yorkshire Museum on October 4 2006 will finally clear up these and other mysteries and even turn the accepted history of the battle on its head.
“Considering it is thought to be the biggest battle on British soil, it’s a bit of lame duck,” says Tim. “Not that much is really known about it, especially when you consider that Towton saw two Kings fight it out over the medieval throne.”
Tim was part of a team from the University of Bradford Department of Archaeological Sciences that dramatically uncovered a mass grave containing 43 individuals from the battle underneath Towton Hall in 1996. Together with metal detecting colleague Simon Richardson he has been working on the site ever since.
Image: a map showing the outline of the battle of towton
The Leadman Map of 1889 showing the location of false graves. © Tim Sutherland/Towton Battlefield Archaeological Survey
According to many accounts written since the battle, ten hours of vicious hand-to-hand combat resulted in a final bloody death toll of over 28,000, whilst mass graves marked on maps (and acknowledged locally) were said to contain the bodies of the slain. Place names such as Bloody Meadow and Chapel Hill were commonly accepted as evidence of the battle’s course.
But according to Tim, the archaeology doesn’t tie in with the history.“We’ve knocked many sites on the head that were, or are still, associated with the battle and even much of the local history surrounding the battle seems wrong.”
One of the first ‘myths’ explored by the team was the location of graves marked by a series of tumuli on the banks of the River Cock. “The three mounds there are classically thought to have belonged to the battle,” he explains. “They look like burial mounds from pre-history so we did some geophysical surveys of the area and found that they are probably Saxon or before.”
Another historical source that came under scrutiny was a map drawn by the 19th century local historian Alexander DH Leadman, which marked the location of a mass grave in the battlefield’s centre.
“I did a geophysical survey and the square enclosure was where he said it was,” says Tim, “but when we looked at the field system the enclosure didn’t fit into any modern or medieval field system.” After digging a test trench the archaeologists unearthed evidence that the enclosure is in fact a Romano-British settlement.
It's just one of many marked locations associated with the battle that are now believed to be wrong.
Field walking, geophysical surveys and test trenches have, however, revealed human remains and the correct location of a mass grave, whilst further geophysical surveys suggest the locations of others.
Image: a photograph of a bearded man in period medieval dress using a large longbow
Mark Stretton, one of the Towton Longbowmen, demonstrates his craft at Towton. © Tim Sutherland/Towton Battlefield Archaeological Survey
Four intact skeletons with horrific battle injuries have recently been found beneath the floor of the dining room at Towton Hall, whilst two further victims were discovered underneath an outer wall. As well as being the location of the mass graves it is also thought by Tim to be the location of the Chapel built later by Richard III.
“It wasn’t until the 1460s that Richard III built the chapel but not on Chapel Hill as popularly thought – we think it's partly underneath the hall and that it was actually used to build the hall.”
Tim also believes there is a mistake regarding the tomb of Lord Dacre, who was killed fighting for the Lancastrians. “Apparently he’s buried in Saxton Churchyard – but he was a leading member of the aristocracy, so what’s he doing in the church yard? He should be inside the church inside a marble tomb.”
“I feel I've been quite successful at destroying the battlefield myth. Initially I was pulling my hair out – all I wanted to do was find some evidence for the battle of Towton and I couldn’t find any of it, but now I think I have some answers.”
The findings, which include plotted artefacts (amongst them 300 arrowheads), amount to a complete re-evaluation and Tim believes it will even lead to questions regarding the casualty figures and length of the battle.
“There was supposed to be about 28,000 killed, I know why that’s the case, but it’s wrong," he says. "It was supposed to last ten hours, which I think for a medieval battle is impossible.”
Questions about Towton have long troubled historians, but with the ambitious – and some might say impossible – task of systematically surveying and recording the physical evidence now complete, the Towton Battlefield Archaeological Survey Project may just have the answers.
“My problem is that almost everyone has been bigging up the greatest battle ever fought on English soil without properly looking into the physical evidence on the ground,” says Tim. “I have several other findings that I will be revealing at the York conference and I think English history on this period needs to be ready for a kick up the backside.”
The findings of the Towton Archaeological Survey will be revealed at a one-day conference on Wednesday October 4 2006, beginning at 9.30 until 5pm at Yorkshire Museum in York. Tickets, priced at £19.50.
A guided battlefield tour, together with an archery demonstration by the Towton Longbowmen will take place at Towton battlefield on October 5 2006. For more information or to book tickets for both events contact Tim Sutherland at T.L.Sutherland@Bradford.ac.uk
Yorkshire Museum & Gardens, York
Museum Gardens, York, YO1 7FR, North Yorkshire, England
Open: Daily 1000-1700
Closed: Closed 25/26 December, 1 January
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