Battlefield Extended

Local News

The boundaries of Towton Battlefield have been officially extended. Calls were made to extend the designated area for quite some time to offer this site of national importance the protection it needs.

England’s bloodiest battle in 1461 was part of the Wars of the Roses, and changed the course of our history with the crowning of Edward IV. The battlefield was placed on the Register of Historic Battlefields in 1995 and since then more research and archaeology has been carried out which provides a greater insight into the battle.

The new boundaries reflect this, now encompassing the Chapel Hill area where a mass grave was discovered and is likely to contain more. Finds scatters extending southwards to the east of Saxton and the realisation that the previous boundary was drawn to follow an out of date mapped course for the Cock Beck has also meant that the registered area has been extended accordingly to the south and west.

The Towton Battlefield Society (TBS) have campaigned tirelessly to have the boundaries extended and are delighted to see it finally happen. Mark Taylor, Chairman of the TBS comments;

“The official extension of the Towton battlefield boundaries is great news which has given our battlefield further protection. Towton is our bloodiest battlefield which until recent years had largely been ignored, and has now become a national treasure at the forefront of battlefield research led by Tim Sutherland. It has become a very popular community asset with improved public access and interpretation boards driving visitors into the area and boosting the local economy. We will continue to campaign and lobby to protect our battlefield and this success is due to the support of so many. Every visitor to the battlefield has made a difference.”

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THOMAS LORD
JULY 2017

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