TOWTON BATTLEFIELD SOCIETY/COMPANY OF PALM SUNDAY 1461

GUIDED BATTLEFIELD MEMORIAL WALK & BATTLE OF TOWTON LIVING HISTORY COMMEMORATION

GUIDED BATTLEFIELD MEMORIAL WALK & BATTLE OF TOWTON LIVING HISTORY COMMEMORATION

TOWTON HALL, near TADCASTER

ADMISSION £1 PER ADULT; ADDITIONAL DONATIONS WELCOME UNDER 12'S FREE

(Admission includes car parking, programme, guided walk, and access to all shows and displays in the medieval encampment and combat arenas)

In December 1460, Richard of York's catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Wakefield ushered in a new phase of the Wars of the Roses. This culminated at Towton three months later with the biggest, longest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. 90,000 soldiers of the rival royal houses of Lancaster and York engaged in close-quarter combat for ten gruelling hours; and by the end of that dreadful Palm Sunday, more than 30,000 of them lay slain.

As usual, Towton Battlefield Society, with its affiliated re-enactment group Company of Palm Sunday 1461 and their guests, will mark the event with Memorial Walks over the unspoilt battlefield, and an all-day living history commemoration in the grounds of Towton Hall.

Guided walks (approximately 4 miles, stout footwear recommended) start from Towton Hall Barn at 10am. Walks will be followed by a short service behind the Hall, close to where the famous bodies featured in Channel 4's Blood Red Roses were found. Displays, refreshments, information stalls and traders will be on hand throughout the day in the Barn, together with an authentic 15th century encampment in the Hall field. Weather permitting, outdoor entertainment in the afternoon will include falconry, archery and firepower displays, and a demonstration of sword-fighting techniques by the Guild of Medieval Combat. The event will conclude with a pole-arms drill and melee involving all re-enactor participants.

Towton Battlefield Society is a registered charity, and all proceeds from admission charges, sales and donations will be used to support its important research and educational activities.

Provisional Programme (timings may vary depending on weather conditions):

10.00 - 10.45: Guided Public Walks depart from The Barn. Falconry displays and living history camp on the Hall field. Refreshments, traders and information stands in The Barn.
12.45: Memorial service with prayers and wreath laying behind Towton Hall
1.00 - 3.00: Arming of the Knight; Falconry Show; Medieval Combat Demonstrations; Archery and Fire Power Display; Fashion Show; Bill Drill and Closing Melee.

For further information please contact Press Co-ordinator Helen Cox on 01924 253454;
email helen@raecox.freeserve.co.uk

Alternatively, you can email info@towton.org.uk, or see our websites http://www.towton.org.uk and http://palmsunday1461.co.uk