Bosworth: The Archaeology of the Battlefield

by Richard Mackinder

Overview

“An intriguing addition to the history of Bosworth battlefield, clearly based on painstaking research and beautifully illustrated throughout.” —Leicestershire Historian

The Wars of the Roses came to a bloody climax at the Battle of Bosworth on August 22 1485. In a few hours, on a stretch of otherwise unremarkable fields in Leicestershire, Richard III, Henry Tudor and their Yorkist and Lancastrian supporters clashed. This decisive moment in English history ought to be clearly recorded and understood, yet controversy has confused our understanding of where and how the battle was fought. That is why Richard Mackinder’s highly illustrated and personal account of the search for evidence of the battle is such absorbing reading. Mackinder shows how archaeological evidence, discovered by painstaking work on the ground, has put this historic battle into the modern landscape.

Using the results of the latest research, Mackinder takes the reader through each phase of the battle, from the camp sites of the opposing armies on the night before, through the movements of thousands of men across the battlefield during the fight and the major individual episodes such as the death of the Duke of Norfolk, the intervention of Lord Stanley and the death of Richard III.

At each stage he recounts what happened, where it happened and what physical evidence has survived. A vivid impression of the battle emerges from the narrative which is closely linked to the landscape that was fought over on that fateful day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399010535
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	04/04/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	579,667
File size:	37 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Richard Mackinder worked at Bosworth Battlefield between 1991 and 2015. In 2001 he set up a team of volunteers called the Ambion Historical & Archaeological Research Group which aimed to find evidence of the 1485 battle and to explore human impact on the local landscape. In 2005 he became the onsite co-ordinator for the Lottery-funded project led jointly by the Battlefield Trust and Leicestershire County Council which in 2010 proved where at least part of the battle was fought. He has been guiding visitors around the battlefield for thirty years.

Table of Contents

Foreword vi

Preface: Looking at the Evidence - Drafting a Hypothesis viii

Acknowledgements ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 Routes to the Battle 1

Chapter 2 Henry's Camp 4

Chapter 3 The 'Battle' Before the Battle 11

Chapter 4 Richard's Camp 22

Chapter 5 To Battle 29

Chapter 6 The Opening Salvoes 34

Chapter 7 The Death of Norfolk 41

Chapter 8 Preparing to Charge 47

Chapter 9 Richard's Charge - Stanley's Opportunity 53

Chapter 10 The Death of Richard 58

Chapter 11 Percy, Earl of Northumberland 64

Chapter 12 The Immediate Aftermath 67

Chapter 13 An Alternative Interpretation 71

Chapter 14 Understanding the Roundshot 73

Chapter 15 Eliminating the Options 85

Chapter 16 A Self-guided Trail Around the Key Areas of the Battle of Bosworth, 1485 91

Chapter 17 Areas for Future Research 136

Appendix I Potential Related Finds from the Portable Antiquities Scheme 144

Appendix II A List from the Bosworth Finds Classed as True Battle Finds 179

Appendix III A List from the Bosworth Finds Classed as Possible Battle Finds 185

Appendix IV Lists of 'Lead Spheres' over 7g in Weight or 12mm in Diameter 192

Bibliography and Sources 211

Index 213