The latest analysis from the Fulford Battlefield dig:-
After sorting the Fulford finds, a clear picture emerged of iron items: they are in the flow of what we can now identify as the ancient course of Germany Beck. With a few exceptions the iron was found in this restricted location and is focused in one layer. (There are some images of finds in the dig 2016 folder on the Fulford Battlefield website)
The ‘anvils’ are the exception to this rule. Wooden models of three of the items were identified by Scandinavian experts recently as likely tools used by metal-workers to planish the surface of sheet metal; so they could have been employed to remove dents from shield bosses and helmets. These items lie just above the stream bed.
The suggestion is that they arrived here attached to a block of wood into which they were driven in order to be used by the ancient armourers. This prevented their easy recovery and the rising tides in the days following the battle (all the recycling sites identified were beside the beck) floated away. The ‘anvils’ would have acted as a keel causing them to remain submerged and when found, the items all have their pointed end above the head, suggesting some buoyancy at the tip. The first two finds of the season were two further ‘anvils’ making a collection of 5. We also know these, and the finds from 2013-2015, were all along the ancient line of the beck which would account for the deposition of these finds.
The survival of metal within the stream is taken as support for the recycling hypothesis which suggests that the battlefield was thoroughly cleared of metal debris and only items that were submerged in the beck avoided the clearup. The identification in 2004 of so many metal working tools and now the identification of the ‘anvils’ leave little doubt that something dramatic happened to interrupt the work and the suggestion is that this was the destruction of the Norse army at Stamford Bridge.
With the exception of a few pieces of lead all the other items were iron and this itself is noteworthy since normal metal surveys produce a greater number of non-ferrous items. So the domination of iron in the sample is interesting but just what one might expect in a battle area.
Among the finds are an unusual number of intriguing objects that are currently awaiting xray. During the initial cleaning and find sorting, three tubular objects were found the likes of which have not been seen before and we also have what has been catalogued as a ‘long flat object’.
The work has also allowed us to refine the dating model for the layers: The stone layer was stable from pre-historic, through Roman times and ends about the time of the battle. It was only in the century after the battle that sediments began to accumulate, probably caused by the influx of alluvium from the Ings. We then have a deep layer of sand and alluvium which rapidly accumulated possibly associated with the construction of the bridge. This restricted the ebbing of the water allowing more material to be deposited. This buildup also caused the course of the beck to move a little to the north.
The road which we have variously described as a causeway, mediaeval track is looking increasingly as if it is a Roman military road. The width and construction are consistent with that interpretation but we need to do a little more work. The surface layers show many signs of repair which continued into Tudor times. We will be extending this trench to the east to see what lies beyond the edge of the road. If any members are available this weekend, their help would be appreciated to carry out this work.
The final headline is the remains of what appears to be a small horse. It will be worth investigating if the pieces of horse vertebrae recovered at a slightly higher context in previous digs are ‘related’ to this horse because only skeletal elements that would have been close to the ground have been recovered this year. It is not easy to imagine why a horse wold have been left to rot near the crossing but that is what appears to have happened.
There is lots more analysis to do but the model of the battlesite is even clearer after all your hard work.
Thanks very very much.
Chas Jones has kindly sent details of this year’s commemorations of the battles of Fulford and Stamford Bridge. Fulford was the first and arguably largest of the three battles in the autumn of 1066. Five days after the battle of Fulford the Vikings were caught off guard at Stamford Bridge by King Harold II and badly defeated. These two Yorkshire battles contributed to the defeat of King Harold a few weeks later at Hastings because his army was no longer fresh after its long march up to Yorkshire and back.
The archaeological digs of 2014 and 2015 on the site of the 1066 battle of Fulford yielded many fragments of bone, which appeared to be human. Sadly it was not possible to extract collagen for a carbon date or to do isotope analysis on these bones.
The work will resume this summer with more trenches where the bones were found. Another trench will expose a further section of the ancient road leading to the ford which was discovered last year.
Chas recently launched a ‘Crowdfunder’ appeal, featuring a film by Dan Snow, to get the money to open the site to visitors. As a part of the 950th anniversary of 1066 the site, which is on public land, will be open for families during the summer holidays to visit and dig some of the intriguing archaeology that was uncovered last year.
There will be a number of events to commemorate the Fulford and Stamford Bridge battles, culminating in a battle re-enactment at Stamford Bridge on 25th September, the 950th anniversary date of that battle before the trek south to Hastings. This is being organised by English Heritage.
Chas has spoken to Medieval Section in the past. Chas hopes some of our members might venture over to Fulford to do some digging or just to come and have a look. He also runs newsletter to which you can sign up.
July
As a part of the Council for British Archaeology, festival of archaeology, starting on Saturday 16 July we will be digging at the ford to expose more of the ancient road and land surface of 1066
When the dig is over on 31 July the site will be covered over to protect it from the weather and prepared to allow visitors to inspect the battle surface
August
Open Fulford site with free public access to the archaeology.
Site is open 11-4 every day but accessible outside these hours for unguided access
Access is free but a £10 family ticket is planned for those wanting to take part in the dig
A living history camp will be making items and talking to visitors
Prepare tableaux of three battles with panels to explain the history and the battles
September
The site will remain open to visitors as long as weather conditions permit. The hope is to keep them open until the battle of Hastings in mid-October, weather and floods permitting, to maximise visitor opportunities
Saturday 17
Riccall Rampage – 9.00 Talk at Riccall and Viking ‘breakfast’ when the walk reaches Fulford. The walk takes about 3 hours and is along paths and bike tracks
Living history and site open all day with several battlefield walks during the day
Workshop for school children make armour and paper weapons for the battle, 1-4
Private feast for supporters and sponsors on the site starts at 5
Sunday 18
00 Judging the best dressed Viking prior to Children’s re-enactment of the battle
10 – 12.30 Battle on the playing fields with children and some Viking leaders. Parents must stay behind the barriers. Only children and Vikings allowed on the battlefield. Great photo opportunity as the battle moves back and forth on the surface where the battle was fought
Living history and site open all day with several battlefield walks during the day
Monday 19
Site will be configured to receive field trips from local schools
Tuesday 20 (950 anniversary)
Dedicate the memorial for the warriors of the battle.
Mid-day walk round the battlefield
Focus will be on attracting media attention in the build up to the Stamford Bridge weekend
Wednesday 21
11-4 Brainstorm Conference “Where did the 1066 battles actually take place”
Themed Poetry and music evening in Fulford
Thursday 22
Tadcaster to Stamford Bridge ride & stride
Friday 23
Embroidery day with dye workshop on site
Saturday 24
Full day of events at SB including a battle
Victors feast and celebration for warriors in the evening
Sunday 25 (950 anniversary)
Second day of events at SB
5pm English Heritage ride to Hastings sets off from central York
October 15
English Heritage commemorates 1066 at Battle Abbey with a massive re-enactment
Edited shortened version of lecture given to the Medieval Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society about the St Bees Knight, by Chris Robson of St Bees Historical Society. Filmed at the Swarthmore Education Centre on 12th December 2015, and edited by Bryan Sitch, Honorary Secretary of the Medieval Section. Posted 15th June 2016.
The Richard III Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce its 2015 annual conference “England during the Reign of the Yorkist Kings”. Students of (high) Medieval Yorkshire will find much of interest in the programme, which includes some old friends from the Medieval Section lecture programme.
Saturday, October 17
Our conference will be held at the Dixie Grammar School in Market Bosworth. Registration begins at 8:30 with the conference starting promptly at 9 am and ending at 5:00 pm.
Our speakers and topics are:
Professor Peter Hancock—William, Lord Hastings and the Turbulent Summer of 1483
Group Captain Clive Montellier RAF—Sending King Edward to Military Staff College
Dominic Smee—Richard III: Sharing the experience of a King
Susan Troxell—”Wherefore the White Boar? Yorkist Symbolism
The Conference Package, which includes conference and membership in the Foundation for one year, costs £50.
To reserve your seat, please mail your registration form along with your check payable to “The Richard III Foundation, Inc.” and submit to Ms. Dorothy Davies, Half Moon House, 32 Church Lane, Ryde. Isle of Wight PO33 2NB. For further questions, please email the Foundation at Richard3Foundation@aol.com. Website: www.richard111.com.
Banner for Richard III Man and Myth exhibition at York
With the Making Monuments on Rapa Nui: the Statues of Easter Island exhibition open I had the unaccustomed luxury of spending a free weekend in York and was delighted to see that there is a new exhibition about Richard III at the Yorkshire Museum. It seems almost gratuitous to say that the Richard III: Man and Myth capitalises on the incredible discovery of Richard’s remains in a car park at Leicester and the recent reburial which was covered on prime time TV. Readers of this blog who have been members of the Medieval Section over the last couple of years will be familiar with the story because Bob Woosnam-Savage from Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds spoke to us a year ago last Christmas and presented what were then very recent findings from the detailed examination of the last Plantagenet king’s skeleton. The Richard III Man and Myth exhibition occupies several of the rooms facing onto the Chapter House section of the Museum where the Medieval objects are displayed so it is worth pointing out that this is a relatively small exhibition, but it is a welcome extension to the earlier exhibition about Richard that was featured on this blog.
Richard III Man and Myth exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum
The exhibition is divided into several sections looking at ‘the Man’ and ‘the Myth’. It uses several well-known and beautiful exhibits from the Yorkshire Museum’s collection including the gold and sapphire reliquary pendant known as the Middleham Jewel, a silver gilt boar badge from Stillingfleet and the hoard of coins from Ryther in North Yorkshire.
Late Medieval hoard of silver coins
As the introduction makes clear, the challenge is to try and untangle what we know for certain about Richard the man from the myth that has grown up around him, not least because of the way he is presented in Shakespeare’s play as a man ‘whose thoughts were evil and actions diabolical’. Was he a tyrant and a murderer or a fair and benevolent ruler, much maligned by history? The exhibition leaves it up to the visitor to decide.
Richard’s life was shaped by the Wars of the Roses, the civil wars between the Houses of Lancaster and York between 1455 and 1485. Richard was born at Fotheringhay Castle on 2nd October 1452. His father Richard Duke of York was killed at Sandal in 1460 and his elder brother Edward was killed soon after. This was a time of great danger for the family. Following the Yorkist victory at Towton in 1461, Richard was made Duke of Gloucester by his brother Edward. Richard was eight years old. This part of the Wars of the Roses is shown by one of the skeletons recovered from a burial pit close to the battlefield of Towton.The study of the skeletons shows that the men were mistreated by their captors before they were killed.
Micklegate Bar in York where Richard of York’s head was displayed
Richard entered the household of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick at Middleham castle in North Yorkshire to be brought up as a nobleman. There he met his future wife Anne, the Earl’s daughter, and Middleham became their home when they married in 1472. Richard was steadfastly loyal to his brother Edward and shared his exile when Warwick conspired to replace Edward with the second brother George in 1470 and to bring Henry VI back to power. Richard led one of the battle lines at the battle of Tewkesbury in May 1471. The Lancastrian threat was all but eliminated.
When he was appointed Lord President of the Council of the North in 1472 Richard became the most powerful man in northern England. The council met in a number of places including York. One of the most fascinating exhibits in the exhibition are minutes of York Council meetings known as minute books. They provide valuable information about the relationship with Richard. The volume between 1480 and 1486 shows the city council sent gifts of food and wine to Middleham and provided hospitality. Richard for his part intervened on behalf of the city in disputes and legal cases. As the exhibition points out: ‘it seems unlikely that the relationship was altruistic, or motivated entirely by affection or loyalty to the city’. That the relationship was more one of realpolitik was made clear when Edward and Richard, having returned to the North of England via Ravenser at Spurn Point in East Yorkshire to recover the throne in 1470, were hardly welcomed with open arms by the city. Edward had to ‘blag’ his way in. This should put any claim that Richard deserved to be reburied at York rather than Leicester because of his special relationship with the city into context. As is stated in the exhibition Richard had much to gain from securing the support of the leading men in the city at the centre of his powerbase. The city too derived real benefit in having the support of so powerful a nobleman as Richard, even more so after he became king.
Following the unexpected death of Edward IV, Richard became Protector of the Realm and moved quickly to secure his nephew the son of Edward IV. Richard’s behaviour at this time is hard to fathom. Was he plotting all along to usurp the throne or was he simply responding to actions taken by his in-laws the Woodvilles to secure the person of Prince Edward? Whoever had the prince in their control was in an extremely powerful position. A coronation was planned but then doubt was cast on the princes’ legitimacy when it was claimed that Edward IV had been married previously before he married Elizabeth Woodville.
White boar livery badge for Richard III (replica)
Richard was crowned king in London on 6th July 1483 and made a royal progress around the kingdom, arriving in York with his entourage on 29th August. Of course, it was at this time that the Princes in the Tower disappeared in mysterious circumstances and the interpretation of this is decisive in any evaluation of Richard’s reign. During the three week stay, on 8th September, Richard and Anne’s son Edward of Middleham was invested as Prince of Wales. Eight hundred badges showing Richard’s heraldic insignia were issued and a further 13,000 were sent to York for distribution during his stay. One of these badges can be seen in the exhibition.
Medieval pottery in the Richard III Man or Myth exhibition.
Although no record of the feast eaten at Richard’s arrival in York has survived the exhibition not unreasonably draws upon accounts of Richard’s coronation celebrations as an example. This an opportunity to show an impressive selection from the Yorkshire Museum’s impressive collection of Medieval pottery against a painted backdrop.
On 23rd August following news of the battle of Bosworth, the council wrote to the Earl of Northumberland saying ‘King Richard late mercifully reigning upon us was through great treason of the duc of Norfolk that turned ayainst hyme with many other lordes and nobiles of this north parties, was piteously slain and murdered to the great hevynesse of this city.’ This looks like a genuine expression of grief for the king in circumstances in which such declarations might seem ill-advised but the context of the relationship between Richard as powerful nobleman and the city council makes it clear one shouldn’t read to much into the letter.
In one respect this differs from the earlier exhibition in showing an image, not the 3D facial reconstruction of Richard based on the remains recovered from the car park in Leicester. This may be as close as we can come to seeing Richard’s likeness. As the exhibition points out, coins are of no help in providing a portrait of the king because they were standardised, whilst the painted portraits of Richard that have survived post date his death, and in some cases appear to have been tampered with in order to show his deformity. As Bob Woosnam-Savage said in a Christmas lecture to the section Richard’s scoliosis need not have been visible to people in the street and may only have been known to his tailor.
Richard III: Man and Myth runs from 27th March to 2nd October
Since coming close to being wound up at its AGM in April 2013, the Medieval Section has, with the appointment of new officers and new committee members, been more active over the last year. The section has offered eight lectures and an excursion to see the ‘lost’ 1066 battlefield of Fulford with Chas Jones (September 2013).
Arms and armour of the time of Fulford
It is invidious to single out any of our speakers but one of the much-anticipated highlights of the lecture programme was the talk about the discovery of Richard III’s remains given by Bob Woosnam-Savage from the Royal Armouries in Leeds. This was followed by the traditional Medieval Section Christmas buffet.
Bob Woosnam-Savage’s lecture about Richard III’s remains
Attendance at the monthly lectures, which lapsed several years ago, has been slowly growing. In October Pam Judkins talked to the section about the commemoration of the funeral procession for Richard Duke of York organised by Wakefield Historical Society. November’s talk on ‘Aethelfrith of Northumbria’s lost battlefield?’ by Bryan Sitch presented the results of a recent study of human remains in the Manchester Museum collection that appear to be casualties of the Battle of Chester, described in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People. In January Simon Tomson of Pontefract Archaeological Society gave a talk about ‘Finding Pontefract ‘s Black Friars’; and in February Stuart Wrathmell discussed ‘New approaches to Anglo-Saxon settlement and place-names: the Vale of Pickering and the northern Wolds’. In March Rebecca Griffiths from the Portable Antiquities Scheme presented recent Medieval discoveries from Yorkshire. We have just had our first AGM under the new committee (April 2014) after which Dr Hugh Willmott (University of Sheffield spoke about Monk Bretton Priory). Lecture meetings are something of a social occasion too because we usually retire to the Claremont kitchen for tea and a chat with the speaker. Summaries of each of the lectures will be posted on the blog for the benefit of members who could not attend. The officers and committee are grateful to each of the speakers for kindly giving up their time to help the section at a challenging time.
Speaker Rbecca Griffiths and Section Member David Harpin at the recent lecture about the P.A.S.
With some new members joining but a few resignations and the sad loss of long-standing members who have passed away over the last year, including Anna Slowikowski, Prof Jennings, Mrs Pickles and Mr Rushton, membership has remained about the same at about 120. However, with funds firmly in the black, a new programme of lectures being planned and proposals for a visit to see places of medieval interest in Manchester and for a day-school on the ‘lost kingdom’ of Elmet, the section can look forward to consolidating and building on its year of recovery.
One officer post still to fill is the position of Honorary Editor because there ‘catch-up’ volumes of the section journal Medieval Yorkshire still to bring to publication. Publication of the section journal sadly lapsed several years ago. One of our existing Committee members has indicated that she would like to step down and this provides an opportunity for someone new to join the committee. As we usually meet before the Saturday afternoon lecture meeting it is not onerous. Do contact me if you’d like to discuss joining the committee – but before the AGM on Saturday 12th April if possible at.yas.medievalsec@gmail.com If you are not a member, the section subscription is £16 per year. If you are a member of Yorkshire Archaeological Society the subscription is just £6. There is a very competitive student subscription too.
One notable addition to the section’s offer to its members has been the creation of this Medieval Section blog. Taking the section into the area of social media has been very much a new undertaking for the section and this at a time when a significant proportion of the membership does not use email. If you have not already sent me you email address, do please let me have it because it saves the section a small fortune in postage. If you do not have computer access we will send you mailings by post. However, the number of visitors and visits to the Medieval Section website has gradually grown over the year. I am very grateful to Sue Alexander for looking after the website and for providing the graph below showing how the number of visitors to the website and blog has steadily grown over the last year. Though I say it myself I think it tells its own story. The blog offers a quick and convenient way of finding out what is happening in medieval history and archaeology in the county and further afield.
Visits to the Medieval Website (including the Blog) over the last year
Bryan Sitch
Hon Secretary
Medieval Section
17th March 2014
Coin of Richard III (kindly sent by Medieval Section member David Harpin)
I am very grateful to Medieval Section member David Harpin who has kindly sent a photo of a silver coin of Richard III. Earlier this week the Daily Telegraph ran a story by Sarah Knapton about the DNA sequencing of the last Plantagenet king’s remains. The development of genetic research and the sequencing of the entire genomes of individuals who lived in the past is revealing new information. Richard III will be one of a relatively small number of people from the past who have been studied in this way. The researchers led by Dr Turi King (University of Leicester) hope to be able to report what colour Richard’s eyes and hair were and whether he would have been susceptible to diseases such as diabetes and Alzheimer’s. The research may reveal evidence of infectious bacteria. It is already known that Richard suffered from roundworm.
In the issue (Wednesday 12th February) Harry Mount, author of How England made the English, was looking forward to finding out the results of the research, which he hoped would shed light on the DNA segments passed down the royal bloodline. He reiterated just how shaky was Henry VII’s claim to the throne in terms of his share of ‘royal’ blood. This line of research will no doubt develop over time but already there are other Medieval characters this could be applied to, such as Alfred, whose remains have been identified. So, as previously mentioned, the next few years are full of exciting potential for Medieval history and archaeology.
Members will remember I’m sure Bob Woosnam Savage’s lecture about the recent research on Richard’s remains. Bob being a consummate professional would not reveal what he knew but intimated to us that further exciting work was taking place. So you could say that you (almost) heard about it at the Yorkshire Archaeological Society Medieval Section lecture first!
Early Medieval battle reenactment. Image courtesy of Ian Uzzell and Vikingasaga
It is not so long ago that a Time Team reappraisal of the topography at Battle revealed a better candidate for the site of the battle of Hastings than the traditional (English Heritage) site. This should come as no surprise to members of the Medieval Section because a number of our lectures this last year have focused on Medieval battles (Fulford, Chester and Bosworth – the lecture summary for this should be available shortly) and in all of them the site of the battlefield has proved to be debatable or subject to revision in the light of new evidence.
I am grateful to Medieval section Treasurer, Jo Heron, for sending a link to an animated presentation of the Bayeux tapestry by PotionGraphics. Jo says she loves the sound effects and asks if it is worth putting on the website?
The tapestry is only partly animated but it really does bring it alive to see people swinging axes to chop down trees or to see the wheels revolving on a cart that’s being pulled along. The action scenes are well done with a compulsory beheading scene which isn’t too shocking and won’t give the children nightmares.
But don’t take my word for it. Watch it for yourselves and let me know what you think. I’ll post comments for other members of Medieval Section to read, gladly.
On the subject of medieval battles, if it is not obsessing on the topic, Medieval Section member Rita Wood has suggested running a medieval Battles in Yorkshire dayschool this autumn. May I take a quick straw poll to find out what the members think? If positive, do you have any suggestions for presentations and speakers?
This, the first lecture in the new-look programme for the Medieval Section for 2013, by Pam Judkins of Wakefield Council Arts Museums and Heritage, gave an account of the remarkable commemorative retracing of the route of the funerary procession from Pontefract to Fotheringhay for Richard Duke of York of July 1476, which was organised by Wakefield Historical Society in July 2010.
Bar where Richard of York’s head was displayed
Pam described the historical context for Richard’s death, which occurred near Sandal Castle, in December 1460 during the Wars of the Roses. The Duke’s frustration with the lacklustre rule of Henry VI had led him to press his own slightly stronger claim to the English throne, which directly threatened the right to succession of the son of Henry and his queen, Margaret of Anjou. In the fight at Sandal the Duke appears to have fallen into an ambush and his head, decorated with a paper crown, and that of his son Edmund, Duke of Rutland, were displayed above Micklegate Bar in York. The battle was one of the smaller engagements of the Wars of the Roses. It looked as though the Yorkist cause was dead but another son, Edward, having won a battle of his own in Wales, returned and on Palm Sunday 1461, with the help of his father’s old ally Warwick, defeated the Lancastrians at Towton. This may well be the largest and bloodiest battle ever to have taken place on English soil. Edward became Edward IV.
Once secure on the English throne, Edward made plans to give his father a decent funeral which involved taking the body in a formal procession from Pontefract in West Yorkshire to the favoured residence of the family at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire. It is not clear why it took quite so long -16 years – to bring this about but the unsettled politics of the time and the reglazing of Fotheringhay Chuch may have had something to do with it. The route would take in many towns along the great north road that had been pillaged by Lancastrians after the Battle of Sandal. At each of a number of overnight stops the body lay on a funeral bier in a church. Four hundred poor men were paid to follow the procession. Anyone who turned up to join the procession received a penny and pregnant women received 2d. Richly clothed wooden effigies of the Duke and his son Edmund lay on the coffins. The event was carefully planned and choreographed lest there be any repetition of the unedifying scenes at the funeral of Charles VI of France when clergy and members of his household had squabbled over the funeral pall and clothing.
Having exhumed the bodies of the Duke and his son Edmund at Pontefract, the procession set out from Pontefract on 22nd July, staying in Doncaster on 22nd-23rd July, Blyth on 23rd-24th July, Tuxford on 24th-25th July, Newark on 25th-26th July, Grantham on 26th-27th July, Stamford on 27th-29th July (an extra day was allowed because this was a Sunday), and finally reaching Fotheringhay on 30th July 1476.
Wakefield Historical Society hoped to commemorate the procession but unfortunately an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund failed, and the organizers threw themselves on the mercy of churches and local societies along the route. In hindsight this was not an entirely disastrous outcome because it did result in local people being involved on a more voluntary and ad hoc basis. Wakefield Historical Society decided not to re-enact the procession but to follow the route on the dates when the procession had taken place, staying at the same locations overnight where the body of Richard had rested. They were helped in this by the fact that the Richard III Society had published contemporary accounts of the procession [see Anne F.Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs with P.W.Hammond (1996) ‘The Reburial of Richard Duke of York 21-30 July 1476’ The Ricardian, the Journal of the Richard III Society, vol. X, no.127, December 1994]. Some stretches of the route had long since disappeared because of later development and changes to the modern road lay-out but the participants did walk the route where they could. Our speaker described this as quite an emotional experience and said that being there was important. Due to changes in the road lay-out some places that had been thriving historically were now quiet backwaters. The present day tranquil bridge at Wentbridge, for instance, had been widened three times, reflecting the importance of the river crossing when this was the main north-south road for travellers and a route for herds of animals being taken to London for slaughter. The participants also visited other Medieval places of interest along the route that would have been there in the late 15th century.
At Doncaster the Duke’s body lay overnight in Greyfriars’ Franciscan Friary. What the connection was with the Franciscans was, is not known but Edward’s sister, Margaret of York was also a patron of the order. Much of the Medieval Doncaster has been lost through development so the participants visited the site of an important Medieval shrine to the Virgin Mary, recently revived by the Roman Catholic Church. A Vespers service was held at this and each of the subsequent overnight stops. It is probably no accident that a number of towns along the route had been granted charters by Edward IV in the years before the funeral procession. Perhaps this was in recognition of, and to make amends for, the widespread looting of places along the route by Lancastrians after their victory at Sandal.
The next section of the route to Blyth has been destroyed by extensive mining but the participants called at Conisborough Castle where Richard was born and Roche Abbey, which was close enough to send a party of monks to join the funeral procession. The body rested at Tickhill were there was a Benedictine Priory, a daughter-house of Rouen. There the participants saw a Doom painting which had survived the Reformation. Blyth appears to have been more important historically but now that the route of the A1 has shifted, it is quiet backwater.
Gainsborough Old Hall
On 24th July the party travelled to Tuxford. The participants walked a quiet stretch of what is very likely to have been the main north-south road with a local guide and society. They diverted to Gainsborough Old Hall which was owned by the Yorkist de Burgh family and which was said to have been destroyed by Lancastrians. However, tree-ring dates taken from timbers suggests many of the trees were felled in the 1460s so perhaps the devastation was overstated. The Medieval kitchen is particularly well-preserved there. The party also visited Laxton where strip farming is still practised and where court leet meetings are still held to manage disputes. At Tuxford the party squeezed into the small church for Vespers. Again the presence of large inn betrayed the fact that the town had been far busier in the past.
From Tuxford they travelled to Newark. The body of the Duke lay at St Mary Magdalene in Newark. The money for the church came from wool. Newark retains its open marketplace and a number of buildings around it give a real sense of what it was like in the Middle Ages. The procession may have doubled the size of the population the night that the funerary procession spent there.
From Newark the party went to Grantham, another town that benefited from a charter from Edward IV. Again the body stayed overnight at the Greyfriars even though there was an impressive church there. The facade of a 15th century hotel still survives at Newark.
From Newark the party travelled to Stamford. They saw Elis Manor with its wall paintings dating from about 1500 depicting woodland scenes. Tickencote and Losecote, nearby, was the site of another battle during the Wars of the Roses. The body lay for two nights at Greyfriars in Stamford as the following day was a Sunday. The George Inn at Stamford is an early courtyard inn.
The next day, Monday, the party travelled to Fotheringhay, stopping at Longthorpe Tower near Peterborough to see some 14th century wall-paintings. Apethorpe Hall was built about 1500 and is so close to Fotheringhay it may have been linked to the House of York.
On 29th July the body arrived at Fotheringhay. Little remains of the castle save for a mound and ditch. A procession led by Edward IV came to meet the funerary procession. The body was guarded overnight by men who had served with the Duke. The funeral took place on Tuesday 29th July. Requiem masses were sung by and a sermon preached by the Bishop of Lincoln. A black war horse was ridden into the church. There were 400 lights on the hearse. In 2010 the Deputy Lord Lieutenant, the Duke of Gloucester, came for the final event. A plaque was presented to the church as at each of the previous overnight stops. In 1476 some 1500 people were served food and drink in tents but perhaps 5000 may have attended. £311 17s 1d was spent on 8000 gallons of beer, 48 beef, 210 sheep, and large quantities of fish and poultry. Cooks were brought up from London to provide the catering.
Our speaker finished her talk by saying that she felt the Wakefield Historical Society had made a real contribution to making members of the general public more aware of their history, especially in stopping off points along the route of the procession, as well as linking historical events at the local and national level.
Lecture summary by Bryan Sitch, Hon Secretary, Medieval Section. For any errors the writer is responsible.
Fulford is arguably the battle that made the Norman Conquest possible, although it has largely been overshadowed by the battles of Stamford Bridge and Hastings. Over the last years a considerable amount of work has been done to try and identify the site of the battle. On Saturday 21st September Medieval Section members visited Fulford for a tour of what is very probably the site of the 1066 battle. Our guide, Chas Jones, is careful to point out that it is the evidence that points to Fulford as the site of the battle, not him, and English Heritage are unambiguous in saying that this is the likely location.
Scandinavian fleet (from Chas Jones The Forgotten Battle of 1066 Fulford)
The historical context for the battle is as follows. In the summer of 1065 the Northumbrians rebelled against the unpopular rule of Tostig. Having lost control of northern England Tostig appealed to his brother Harold Godwinson of England to reinstate him but when Harold refused, Tostig sought help from abroad. In September 1066 whilst Harold was waiting for the Normans to land on the south coast, Tostig and Harald Hadrada of Norway landed in East Yorkshire and sacked Scarborough. They sailed up the Humber with a large fleet, exploiting high tides to land at Riccall about 3.5 miles from Fulford. Tidal rises of between 7 and 11m have been recorded which would have helped the Scandinavians. In the Domesday Survey Tostig is recorded as the owner of the manor and 25(?) hides at Fouleforde, and so he must have been familiar with the phenomenon of high tides at this time of year. Earls Morcar and Edwin moved their forces to cover the likely invasion routes on the rivers Wharfe and Ouse. The Northumbrian army marched out from York to meet the invaders. Chas points out that all of the experts who have looked at the evidence (e.g. the English Heritage Battlefields Panel) say that Germany Beck is the’ probable/most likely place’ for the battle. A plaque in the playing field commemorates what an earlier generation of researchers thought to be the site, very close to where Chas and other reserachers also believe the battle took place.
Commemorative plaque for the battle of Fulford
Sources for the battle are sketchy at best but Chas has drawn on material from Scandinavian sagas and related it to the topography at Fulford. Though written down in the 13th century there are grounds to suppose that the composer was concerned to record historical information accurately.
Chas Jones
Having set out the historical context for the battle, Chas explained the topography at Fulford, which is crucial to understanding the battle. The glacial moraine on which the village now stands is key. It overlooks low-lying swampy ground and there are steep slopes on either side, so that the defending force would have its flanks protected. In addition the watercourse, Germany Beck, would have served as a moat, protecting the approach to York from the south along the moraine.
the slope down to the Germany Beck
Chas drew on the Icelandic Saga written by Snorri Sturluson after 1220 to give us an account of the battle. An excerpt appears in Joan Pickering and Irene Briddon’s A History of Fulford, a copy of which can be found in the Yorkshire Archaeological Society library at Claremont:-
Harold (Hadrada) began to array his men. One wing stood upon the river bank, and the other higher up, near ditch, which was deep and broad and full of water. The jarls (Jorvik men) let their arrays go down along the river and most of their men in line. The standard of Harald was near the river, there the ranks were thick, but they were thickest at the ditch, and least to be depended upon. Thither Morkere came down with his standard. The wing of the Northmen by the ditch retreated, and the English followed them, thinking they were going to flee, but when Harald saw that his men retired along the ditch, he ordered a war-blast to be blown and urged them on. He had the standard ‘Landwaster’ carried forward, and made so hard an attack that all were driven back. There was great slaughter in the Jarl’s host. Walthof (Morkere’s brother) had had his standard brought along the river, downward against the army of Harald, but when the king hardened the attack, the Jarl and his men fled along the river upward. Only those who followed him escaped, but so many had fallen that large streams of blood in many places flowed over the plain. When the Jarl had fled, Harald surround Morkere and the men who had advanced along the ditch with him. The English fell by hundreds. Many jumped into the ditch and the slain lay there so thick that the Norsemen walked across it with dry feet on human bodies. there Morkere perished.
What seems to have happened is that Tostig’s forces tried to cross the Germany Beck but were thrown back by Morcar and the Northumbrians. However, the Northumbrians were then taken in flank by Hadrada’s Scandinavians who, having pushed back Edwin’s men along the river bank, had been waiting for their moment in low-lying ‘dead’ ground close to the River Ouse. Perhaps the falling tide allowed them to cross the Germany Beck which had earlier proved too great an obstacle. A scene in the Fulford Tapestry sewn in the style of the Bayeux tapestry shows the battle. The Northumbrians fled along the Germany Beck to escape encirclement and Chas told us about archaeological work in the area immediately north of the battlefield which has revealed hearths and furnace bottoms where broken arms and armour were recycled. Chas showed us the centre of the battlefield on the moraine, the Germany Beck and the ‘dead’ ground near the river from which the Scandinavians attacked. Walking back to the village it was striking just how steep the edge of the moraine is.
edge of moraine
Over a number of years Chas has sampled various areas of the battlefield looking for evidence. He thinks he may well have this confirmatory evidence but unfortunately he couldn’t show us any military finds when we visited because the objects are in the York conservation lab. However, he did say that iron nails and furnace bottoms found along the supposed line of the Northumbrian retreat have excited considerable interest amongst Scandinavian archaeologists.
A short time after the battle King Harold arrived, having marched the length of England at great speed. He caught Hadrada, Tostig and part of their army by surprise at Stamford Bridge on 25th September. Orders were sent back to the fleet at Riccall for reinforcements but the Scandinavians suffered heavy casualties. It was said that only a small fraction of the original invasion fleet returned to Norway. Having learnt that William of Normandy had landed, Harold returned south. His men were tired after their epic march and not all of the reinforcements had arrived. At Hastings on 14th October Harold was killed with many of his closest supporters and William I became king of England.
Sadly the site of the battlefield is threatened by development – a housing estate and a road – surprisingly located on low-lying ground liable to flooding. Chas has challenged the development in the courts but the battlefield is still under threat. For trowelling opportunties in advance of development see http://www.medieval.yas.org.uk/bl0g/?p=218
One of the suggestions that came out of this our first meeting of the new Medieval Section programme for 2013-14 was that we hold a dayschool looking at Yorkshire and Yorkshire related Medieval battlefield archaeology. Chas’ talk at Fulford certainly gets us off to a good start if this is something members would seriously like the Committee to explore. Any thoughts?
Medieval Section of the Yorkshire Archaeological and Historical Society 