Bosworth BattlefieldThere was an excellent article by Glenn Foard in the May/June issue of British Archaeology, which detailed the recent investigation to find out exactly where the battle took place.
It took three and a half years to find the site and another year to define its extent. Michael Jones' location near Atherstone (which I liked) was rejected, after a thorough examination of all the written records of the battle. But Peter Foss' location was considered feasible and influenced the initial location of the research. He was nearly right - the battlefield lies a kilometre to the west of his site, and three kilometres from Ambion Hill, straddling the Roman road.
It was vital to find the marsh, referred to by Vergil. He wrote about Henry's army skirting a marsh to protect his right flank. This is at Fen Hole, suggested by a local farmer, and it was here that the best find was discovered - a silver-gilt boar!
Apparently there is a ballad which refers to the Duke of Norfolk being killed near a windmill, and a silver-gilt fifteenth century badge of a bird was found near Dadlington windmill.
There is still research to do, as no mass graves have been found. But thirty lead munitions have been found, far more than from all the other medieval battlefields put together.
There's a new exhibition at the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre explaining the new finds and location. This year is the 525th anniversary of the battle and a major re-enactment takes place over the weekend of 21 and 22 August.