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<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/ianmoir/">Ian Moir</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ianmoir/50393246998/" title="Wells Cathedral"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393246998_a87ffc52e9_m.jpg" width="149" height="240" alt="Wells Cathedral" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/13905421@N07/">zolaczakl</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/13905421@N07/50393246033/" title="Bleak and Beautiful"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393246033_3d47f68100_m.jpg" width="240" height="167" alt="Bleak and Beautiful" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/argyllphotos/">Settle Snapper</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/argyllphotos/50393912006/" title="Branch"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393912006_960a24760a_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="Branch" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/meridianraw/">Meridian Raw CIC</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/meridianraw/50393224343/" title="West Town Farm by Dan Smith"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393224343_5301fd6508_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="West Town Farm by Dan Smith" /></a></p> <p>This picture is part of the Chasing the Light Project in Exeter, which was 14-week participatory photography programme that enabled participants to create their own photo-story or photographic theme and build a portfolio of images that reflect the positive aspects of their lives.<br /> <br /> This project used photography as a means of engagement and empowerment and was managed by Meridian Raw CIC and part funded by the Big Lottery Fund</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/meridianraw/">Meridian Raw CIC</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/meridianraw/50393914686/" title="West Town Farm by Dan Smith"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393914686_107940902e_m.jpg" width="240" height="127" alt="West Town Farm by Dan Smith" /></a></p> <p>This picture is part of the Chasing the Light Project in Exeter, which was 14-week participatory photography programme that enabled participants to create their own photo-story or photographic theme and build a portfolio of images that reflect the positive aspects of their lives.<br /> <br /> This project used photography as a means of engagement and empowerment and was managed by Meridian Raw CIC and part funded by the Big Lottery Fund</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/peterphotographic/">peterphotographic</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/peterphotographic/50393883621/" title="The Lollipop Kiosk"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393883621_cacd37cb2b_m.jpg" width="240" height="164" alt="The Lollipop Kiosk" /></a></p> <p>Olympus Trip / FPP Svema Color<br /> <br /> Walton On The Naze, Essex, UK</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/andrew_mansfield/">Andrew Mansfield - Sheffield UK</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_mansfield/50394089647/" title="KINGSWEAR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50394089647_ff777cb494_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="KINGSWEAR" /></a></p> <p>Foot bridge over Kingswear railway station.<br /> 25/September/2020.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/skillsbus/">Skillsbus</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/skillsbus/50394047527/" title="IMG_125807 Mr Whippy, Southport DK67 LUH"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50394047527_7af088b0bf_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="IMG_125807 Mr Whippy, Southport DK67 LUH" /></a></p> <p>Mercedes Benz Sprinter</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/skillsbus/">Skillsbus</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/skillsbus/50393874666/" title="IMG_130001 Mr Whippi, Southport YA10 HYC"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393874666_8da74dc4d8_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="IMG_130001 Mr Whippi, Southport YA10 HYC" /></a></p> <p>Ford Transit</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/skillsbus/">Skillsbus</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/skillsbus/50393184593/" title="IMG_130357 Ainsdale UG04 FAB"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393184593_058cf38aaa_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="IMG_130357 Ainsdale UG04 FAB" /></a></p> <p>Mercedes Benz Sprinter</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/meridianraw/">Meridian Raw CIC</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/meridianraw/50394087397/" title="West Town Farm by Dan Smith"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50394087397_1f25cc9472_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="West Town Farm by Dan Smith" /></a></p> <p>This picture is part of the Chasing the Light Project in Exeter, which was 14-week participatory photography programme that enabled participants to create their own photo-story or photographic theme and build a portfolio of images that reflect the positive aspects of their lives.<br /> <br /> This project used photography as a means of engagement and empowerment and was managed by Meridian Raw CIC and part funded by the Big Lottery Fund</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/argyllphotos/">Settle Snapper</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/argyllphotos/50393911826/" title="Bridge"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393911826_8364eeb713_m.jpg" width="170" height="240" alt="Bridge" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/meridianraw/">Meridian Raw CIC</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/meridianraw/50394087902/" title="West Town Farm by Dan Smith"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50394087902_98c74c61dd_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="West Town Farm by Dan Smith" /></a></p> <p>This picture is part of the Chasing the Light Project in Exeter, which was 14-week participatory photography programme that enabled participants to create their own photo-story or photographic theme and build a portfolio of images that reflect the positive aspects of their lives.<br /> <br /> This project used photography as a means of engagement and empowerment and was managed by Meridian Raw CIC and part funded by the Big Lottery Fund</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/meridianraw/">Meridian Raw CIC</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/meridianraw/50393914546/" title="West Town Farm by Dan Smith"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393914546_e0d7ddb2eb_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="West Town Farm by Dan Smith" /></a></p> <p>This picture is part of the Chasing the Light Project in Exeter, which was 14-week participatory photography programme that enabled participants to create their own photo-story or photographic theme and build a portfolio of images that reflect the positive aspects of their lives.<br /> <br /> This project used photography as a means of engagement and empowerment and was managed by Meridian Raw CIC and part funded by the Big Lottery Fund</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/skillsbus/">Skillsbus</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/skillsbus/50393874981/" title="IMG_114953 Liverpool City Ices, Knowsley DK09 YFS"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393874981_8e6c381f08_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="IMG_114953 Liverpool City Ices, Knowsley DK09 YFS" /></a></p> <p>Mercedes Benz Sprinter</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/andrew_mansfield/">Andrew Mansfield - Sheffield UK</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_mansfield/50393875146/" title="KINGSWEAR"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393875146_98d6aecd33_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="KINGSWEAR" /></a></p> <p>Yachts at Kingswear, Devon, England.<br /> 25/September/2020.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/andrew_mansfield/">Andrew Mansfield - Sheffield UK</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_mansfield/50394051737/" title="DARTMOUTH"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50394051737_afa584936e_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="DARTMOUTH" /></a></p> <p>Dartmouth, Devon, England.<br /> 25/September/2020.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/andrew_mansfield/">Andrew Mansfield - Sheffield UK</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew_mansfield/50393876906/" title="DARTMOUTH"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393876906_bdb2a1445b_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="DARTMOUTH" /></a></p> <p>Dartmouth, Devon, England.<br /> 25/September/2020.</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/barryslemmings/">Whipper_snapper</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/50393987197/" title="Battle of Towton 1461"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393987197_b9b7bafd00_m.jpg" width="158" height="240" alt="Battle of Towton 1461" /></a></p> <p>After the Battles of Bosworth and Hastings, more has probably been written about the 1461 Battle of Towton than any other English battle. It was a pivotal moment in British history but it has become the scene of some of the greatest discoveries in the new and developing fields of battlefield archaeology and medieval forensic archaeology.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/albums/72157716160649868">www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/albums/7215771616064...</a> to see the full set.<br /> <br /> Variously known as the ‘Battle of Palm Sunday’ or just ‘the Palm Sunday Field’, Towton was the site of prolonged and intense hand-to-hand fighting over several hours - in a snowstorm - and is claimed to have been the bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil. Contemporary or later chronicles suggest a heavy butchers’ bill with figures as high as 28,000 just for the dead. This high figure has now been challenged by historians. The discovery of some 40 bodies in a pit during building work in the 1996 and the facial reconstruction of one of these dead men has now allowed us to at least put a face on one of the battle’s many victims.<br /> <br /> Towton was the climax of the 1459/1461 period of intense military activity during the English era misleading known as the Wars of the Roses, a term which I dislike. Yorkist claimant to the throne Richard, Duke of York had been killed at Wakefield just after Christmas 1460 (see earlier in my photo stream). His eldest son had now declared himself King Edward IV. With the backing of powerful Nevilles such as Richard, Earl of Warwick and William, Lord Fauconberg, new King Edward had come north with a gathering army. Facing him at York was the weak and unstable King Henry VI surrounded by a growing number of powerful pro-Lancastrian lords such as the Beaufort Duke of Somerset, the Percy Earl of Northumberland and Lord Clifford. All three had lost fathers during the 1455 Battle of St Albans and all three wanted revenge on the York family and the Yorkist supporters who they viewed as mere rebels opposing the true king, Henry VI.<br /> <br /> The Lancastrian first move was to try to block the Yorkist force at Ferrybridge (see earlier) but this led to a fight on the banks of the River Aire and a running battle up the road north towards Towton. During this confused fighting Lord Clifford stopped an arrow - probably at Dintingdale just south of Towton - and was killed. Richard, Earl of Warwick, was wounded at Ferrybridge and probably took little personal part in the fighting at Towton, but his large personal retinue and his household captains would be here.<br /> <br /> The large Lancastrian force camped around Towton village and towards York while the Yorkists probably camped around Saxton at the southern end of the battlefield. More Yorkists were on their way, especially the large East Anglian retinue of the Duke of Norfolk. Norfolk’s men would play a significant role later. Historians seem to agree that the Lancastrians had the bigger army but - when I arrived at the battlefield last week - the first thing I found out was that the Yorkists had the slightly higher ground.<br /> <br /> The Towton Battlefield Society maintain a small museum in a portable building at the Crooked Billet pub which has displays of the battlefield, photographs of some of the graves and a 10mm figure scale (1/150th) diorama of the battle. Copies of the battlefield map are available from the pub’s bar. It was here that Towton Battlefield Society chairman Chris Berendt pointed out to me the slight Yorkist height advantage.<br /> <br /> Palm Sunday 1461 started with a snowstorm blowing hard from the south, from behind the Yorkists and into the faces of the Lancastrians. Wily Lord Fauconberg (see Ferrybridge in my photo stream, earlier) commanded the Yorkist longbowmen to let fly a few wind assisted shots at extreme range, possibly using the shorter-ranged ‘shaft’ arrows. These were carried further by the wind and snow. Seeing these shaft arrows striking the ground around them, the parttialy blinded Lancastrians shot back - against the wind - and their arrows fell short. The Lancastrians appear to have shot their entire supply without realising that they were having virtually no effect. Eventually the Yorkists stepped forward, fired the rest of their arrows AND recovered the Lancastrian short shots and shot those off as well. While not decisive, the Lancastrians clearly lost the fire-fight phase of the battle and were thus forced to close the range and attack across the frozen ground towards the slightly higher Yorkist position. It was cold, tiring and bloody - a vicious rugby scrum of flickering pole axes, war hammers and swords punctuated by screams, drums, war cries and the occasional ‘bang’ of early handguns. At least two of these brass guns burst upon firing and fragments have been found by metal detectorists. Wounded in the cold and wearing maybe 60 or 70 pounds of armour, if you went down in this melee you would be lucky to get up again. Indeed the low temperatures may have contributed to the high casualty rate.<br /> <br /> Lancastrian numbers may have begun to tell and it is probable that the Yorkists were being pushed back by the mass of the Lancastrian force. If they were then this apparent ‘success’ also paved the way for the Lancastrian defeat as it increasingly exposed their left flank towards the road which Norfolk’s Yorkist reinforcements were arriving upon. At some stage, probably after four to six hours of heavy hand-to-hand, Norfolk’s newly arrived men formed up and crashed into the exposed Lancastrian left flank, causing a systematic collapse of the Lancastrian formation as it was pushed in two directions. Think less of a battle and more of a crowd control disaster. Again, if you tripped in this and fell you would be lucky to get up again. Chronicler Polydore Vergil suggests the main battle lasted for 10 hours.<br /> <br /> It is an article of faith among most medieval military historians and wargamers that more killing is done in the rout than the actual battle. This was certainly true at Towton. Men scattered and ran, first in dribs and drabs and then in swarms as leaders and their banners were seen to be cut down and their wavering personal retinues decided it was time to flee. The impact of Norfolk’s men inevitably drove the Lancastrians diagonally across the field and towards a steep drop off from the Towton plateau down towards the Cock Beck stream. Chris showed me winter photos of the Cock Beck which suggest that in March 1461 it would not have been the harmless summer stream which I saw but a wide and flooded valley. There are reports of a bridge of bodies forming at one point which would further dam the flow of the river. Worse still, the Lancastrians had themselves broken the bridge over the Cock Beck to stop the Yorkists flanking them and now desperately needed it to escape.<br /> <br /> Not all men fled towards the steep-sided Cock Beck valley. Builders working at Towton Hall in 1996 found around 40 to 42 bodies in a grave pit outside a later building and three more buried under it. These bodies are the subject of the book and YouTube film entitled ‘The Blood Red Roses’ which shows they were cut down, probably from behind and then systematically hacked to death.<br /> See <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvhtIx2DRc&amp;t=15s" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvhtIx2DRc&amp;t=15s</a> for the Blood Red Roses documentary.<br /> <br /> Typical injuries were head, face and legs with some defensive hand and arm injuries. Curiously there were virtually no bodily injuries which suggests that all were wearing body armour. This would have been the English ‘jack’, a thick padded garment which Cardinal Mancini said the medieval English found lighter than steel in summer and ‘more serviceable’ in winter. It both protected AND kept you warm. The killing was brutal with particular attention paid to the faces of some of the victims.<br /> <br /> Numerous Lancastrian lords were killed. Lord Dacre was allegedly shot with a crossbow bolt and is buried in Saxton churchyard - legend has it he is buried with his horse. Buried next to Dacre now are the 40 to 42 bodies from Towton Hall, re-interred after their detailed forensic examination was completed. Three bodies still remain under the floor of the Hall. Field walking at the point of heaviest fighting near Saxton regularly turns up human teeth and bones in the plough soil, suggesting that further grave pits remain beneath which are sometimes disturbed by deep modern ploughing.<br /> <br /> Metal detecting under archaeological direction has turned up the over-sized gold ring of Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, probably wrenched off his armoured gauntlet when he was mortally wounded. Other metal detectorists have found spurs, buttons and badges showing the livery emblems of lords known to have sent retinues to Towton. These discoveries have allowed archaeologists to place some retinues within the battlefield. There is now a strict ban on metal detecting on the site but footpaths and information boards have been laid out at key points. There is also a stone memorial next to the road.<br /> <br /> Towton Battlefield Society:<br /> <a href="https://www.towton.org.uk" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.towton.org.uk</a><br /> <br /> Wiki:<br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Towton" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Towton</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/people/barryslemmings/">Whipper_snapper</a> posted a photo:</p> <p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/50393126308/" title="Battle of Towton 1461"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50393126308_f85bf2ae6c_m.jpg" width="240" height="159" alt="Battle of Towton 1461" /></a></p> <p>After the Battles of Bosworth and Hastings, more has probably been written about the 1461 Battle of Towton than any other English battle. It was a pivotal moment in British history but it has become the scene of some of the greatest discoveries in the new and developing fields of battlefield archaeology and medieval forensic archaeology.<br /> <br /> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/albums/72157716160649868">www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/albums/7215771616064...</a> to see the full set.<br /> <br /> Variously known as the ‘Battle of Palm Sunday’ or just ‘the Palm Sunday Field’, Towton was the site of prolonged and intense hand-to-hand fighting over several hours - in a snowstorm - and is claimed to have been the bloodiest battle ever fought on British soil. Contemporary or later chronicles suggest a heavy butchers’ bill with figures as high as 28,000 just for the dead. This high figure has now been challenged by historians. The discovery of some 40 bodies in a pit during building work in the 1996 and the facial reconstruction of one of these dead men has now allowed us to at least put a face on one of the battle’s many victims.<br /> <br /> Towton was the climax of the 1459/1461 period of intense military activity during the English era misleading known as the Wars of the Roses, a term which I dislike. Yorkist claimant to the throne Richard, Duke of York had been killed at Wakefield just after Christmas 1460 (see earlier in my photo stream). His eldest son had now declared himself King Edward IV. With the backing of powerful Nevilles such as Richard, Earl of Warwick and William, Lord Fauconberg, new King Edward had come north with a gathering army. Facing him at York was the weak and unstable King Henry VI surrounded by a growing number of powerful pro-Lancastrian lords such as the Beaufort Duke of Somerset, the Percy Earl of Northumberland and Lord Clifford. All three had lost fathers during the 1455 Battle of St Albans and all three wanted revenge on the York family and the Yorkist supporters who they viewed as mere rebels opposing the true king, Henry VI.<br /> <br /> The Lancastrian first move was to try to block the Yorkist force at Ferrybridge (see earlier) but this led to a fight on the banks of the River Aire and a running battle up the road north towards Towton. During this confused fighting Lord Clifford stopped an arrow - probably at Dintingdale just south of Towton - and was killed. Richard, Earl of Warwick, was wounded at Ferrybridge and probably took little personal part in the fighting at Towton, but his large personal retinue and his household captains would be here.<br /> <br /> The large Lancastrian force camped around Towton village and towards York while the Yorkists probably camped around Saxton at the southern end of the battlefield. More Yorkists were on their way, especially the large East Anglian retinue of the Duke of Norfolk. Norfolk’s men would play a significant role later. Historians seem to agree that the Lancastrians had the bigger army but - when I arrived at the battlefield last week - the first thing I found out was that the Yorkists had the slightly higher ground.<br /> <br /> The Towton Battlefield Society maintain a small museum in a portable building at the Crooked Billet pub which has displays of the battlefield, photographs of some of the graves and a 10mm figure scale (1/150th) diorama of the battle. Copies of the battlefield map are available from the pub’s bar. It was here that Towton Battlefield Society chairman Chris Berendt pointed out to me the slight Yorkist height advantage.<br /> <br /> Palm Sunday 1461 started with a snowstorm blowing hard from the south, from behind the Yorkists and into the faces of the Lancastrians. Wily Lord Fauconberg (see Ferrybridge in my photo stream, earlier) commanded the Yorkist longbowmen to let fly a few wind assisted shots at extreme range, possibly using the shorter-ranged ‘shaft’ arrows. These were carried further by the wind and snow. Seeing these shaft arrows striking the ground around them, the parttialy blinded Lancastrians shot back - against the wind - and their arrows fell short. The Lancastrians appear to have shot their entire supply without realising that they were having virtually no effect. Eventually the Yorkists stepped forward, fired the rest of their arrows AND recovered the Lancastrian short shots and shot those off as well. While not decisive, the Lancastrians clearly lost the fire-fight phase of the battle and were thus forced to close the range and attack across the frozen ground towards the slightly higher Yorkist position. It was cold, tiring and bloody - a vicious rugby scrum of flickering pole axes, war hammers and swords punctuated by screams, drums, war cries and the occasional ‘bang’ of early handguns. At least two of these brass guns burst upon firing and fragments have been found by metal detectorists. Wounded in the cold and wearing maybe 60 or 70 pounds of armour, if you went down in this melee you would be lucky to get up again. Indeed the low temperatures may have contributed to the high casualty rate.<br /> <br /> Lancastrian numbers may have begun to tell and it is probable that the Yorkists were being pushed back by the mass of the Lancastrian force. If they were then this apparent ‘success’ also paved the way for the Lancastrian defeat as it increasingly exposed their left flank towards the road which Norfolk’s Yorkist reinforcements were arriving upon. At some stage, probably after four to six hours of heavy hand-to-hand, Norfolk’s newly arrived men formed up and crashed into the exposed Lancastrian left flank, causing a systematic collapse of the Lancastrian formation as it was pushed in two directions. Think less of a battle and more of a crowd control disaster. Again, if you tripped in this and fell you would be lucky to get up again. Chronicler Polydore Vergil suggests the main battle lasted for 10 hours.<br /> <br /> It is an article of faith among most medieval military historians and wargamers that more killing is done in the rout than the actual battle. This was certainly true at Towton. Men scattered and ran, first in dribs and drabs and then in swarms as leaders and their banners were seen to be cut down and their wavering personal retinues decided it was time to flee. The impact of Norfolk’s men inevitably drove the Lancastrians diagonally across the field and towards a steep drop off from the Towton plateau down towards the Cock Beck stream. Chris showed me winter photos of the Cock Beck which suggest that in March 1461 it would not have been the harmless summer stream which I saw but a wide and flooded valley. There are reports of a bridge of bodies forming at one point which would further dam the flow of the river. Worse still, the Lancastrians had themselves broken the bridge over the Cock Beck to stop the Yorkists flanking them and now desperately needed it to escape.<br /> <br /> Not all men fled towards the steep-sided Cock Beck valley. Builders working at Towton Hall in 1996 found around 40 to 42 bodies in a grave pit outside a later building and three more buried under it. These bodies are the subject of the book and YouTube film entitled ‘The Blood Red Roses’ which shows they were cut down, probably from behind and then systematically hacked to death.<br /> See <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvhtIx2DRc&amp;t=15s" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvvhtIx2DRc&amp;t=15s</a> for the Blood Red Roses documentary.<br /> <br /> Typical injuries were head, face and legs with some defensive hand and arm injuries. Curiously there were virtually no bodily injuries which suggests that all were wearing body armour. This would have been the English ‘jack’, a thick padded garment which Cardinal Mancini said the medieval English found lighter than steel in summer and ‘more serviceable’ in winter. It both protected AND kept you warm. The killing was brutal with particular attention paid to the faces of some of the victims.<br /> <br /> Numerous Lancastrian lords were killed. Lord Dacre was allegedly shot with a crossbow bolt and is buried in Saxton churchyard - legend has it he is buried with his horse. Buried next to Dacre now are the 40 to 42 bodies from Towton Hall, re-interred after their detailed forensic examination was completed. Three bodies still remain under the floor of the Hall. Field walking at the point of heaviest fighting near Saxton regularly turns up human teeth and bones in the plough soil, suggesting that further grave pits remain beneath which are sometimes disturbed by deep modern ploughing.<br /> <br /> Metal detecting under archaeological direction has turned up the over-sized gold ring of Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, probably wrenched off his armoured gauntlet when he was mortally wounded. Other metal detectorists have found spurs, buttons and badges showing the livery emblems of lords known to have sent retinues to Towton. These discoveries have allowed archaeologists to place some retinues within the battlefield. There is now a strict ban on metal detecting on the site but footpaths and information boards have been laid out at key points. There is also a stone memorial next to the road.<br /> <br /> Towton Battlefield Society:<br /> <a href="https://www.towton.org.uk" rel="noreferrer nofollow">www.towton.org.uk</a><br /> <br /> Wiki:<br /> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Towton" rel="noreferrer nofollow">en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Towton</a></p>

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