Posted on 09/12/2006 2:45:57 PM PDT by blam
Skeletons of bloodiest day
By Nadia Jefferson-Brown
SKELETONS bearing marks of horrendous sword injuries have been unearthed beneath a North Yorkshire hall.
The victims of a medieval battle were discovered beneath the floor of the dining room of Towton Hall, between Tadcaster and Sherburn-in- Elmet, dating from the Battle of Towton in 1461.
The discovery was made as part of a ten-year investigation into the archaeological evidence of the longest and bloodiest battle ever fought in England.
Taking place on Palm Sunday, March 29, 1461, the Lancastrian army was handed an enormous blow with its leader, King Henry VI, forced to flee. He was defeated by the self-proclaimed Edward IV.
continued... After ten hours of combat at the battle, near Tadcaster, 28,000 men lay dead. The latest find was instigated following the unearthing of a mass grave at the hall in 1996, which contained 37 battle victims.
The latest evidence and gruesome accounts of the War Of The Roses clash, and its victims will be presented at a one-day conference on Wednesday, October 4, at 9.30am at the Yorkshire Museum in York. Tickets are £19.50.
The Battle of Towton took place in a snowstorm, between the villages of Towton and Saxton, about two miles south of Tadcaster.
The Towton Battlefield Archaeological Survey, directed by Tim Sutherland, of the University of Bradford, has reassessed evidence of the battle through large-scale investigations across the battlefield landscape and has re-evaluated the documents.
The project, the first multidisciplinary investigation of a medieval battlefield in this country, has also discovered large numbers of arrowheads and further mass graves, making it possible to accurately locate the site of the battle. Further work in the area of Towton Hall has also led to the unearthing of several single graves of combatants.
The most recent excavation, funded by the Royal Armouries, Leeds, under the dining room of Towton Hall revealed a further multiple grave containing soldiers with battle injuries.
It is possible these are the remains of high-ranking combatants buried on what was later to become the site of King Richard III's chantry chapel built to commemorate the conflict.
Wow! Asked and answered in the same post.
I didn't feel like I answered the question. I'm rather curious about what fraction of skeletons are preserved and for how long, and what happens to the ones that don't last.
It depends much on the Ph of the area. Alkaline soils preserves while acidic deteoriates. If you'll notice most of the oldest skeletons are found in the most alkaline areas. This irks me because archaeologists formulate theories based 'only' on the preserved skeletons found in alkaline areas and ignore the acidic areas.
The area I live in is very acidic and people buried as recent as the 1850's are completely gone...not one bone, hair or tooth is left underground...just a tombstone.
"After ten hours of combat at the battle, near Tadcaster, 28,000 men lay dead"
depressing. very depressing. 28,000 people dead and so many hearts broken. All just so a lancasterian or a Yorkist can be King. It probably would have made no difference to the lives of the people in the grave who was King. Such a senseless waste.
Yup. My sentiments exactly...for what?
What happened to the women and childern of this many fallen warriors...their lives must have been hell.
This guy is deeply saddened by the whole affair...
i think the 28,000 figure is probably inflated. it was a really tough battle, but i think i'll check out the casualty figure.
"What transpired at Towton on a snowy Palm Sunday, March 29th, 1461, has ever since been something of a mystery, despite the battle being one of the largest and bloodiest ever fought on English soil. Historically, the battle marked a turning point in the Wars of the Roses that confirmed the Yorkist Edward IV's accession to the throne of England. During the battle and ensuing rout of the Lancastrians, an estimated 28,000 men lost their lives. The application of forensic anthropological techniques for identifying and recording injuries has allowed us to confirm that the individuals from the pit were casualties of an extremely violent encounter. Moreover, they provide a unique glimpse of the personal consequences of battle for some who took part."
"While exact numbers are contentious, the author argues that about 45,000 troops from both sides fought in the battle and about 13,000 were killed in the space of a 6-hour battle, making Towton a very bloody day indeed."
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most on-line sources give a 20,000-28,000 estimate. Ency. Brit. doesn't give an actual number.
none of the sources on the internet seem to say how they got the 28,000 figure.
the "mass grave" that is discussed in the article contained 37 skeletons. it would take a lot of these mass graves to add up to 28,000.
the battle of the bulge lasted three days. note the number of American dead:
"The coldest, snowiest weather “in memory” in the Ardennes Forest on the German/Belgium border.
· Over a million men, 500,000 Germans, 600,000 Americans (more than fought at Gettysburg) and 55,000 British.
· 3 German armies, 10 corps, the equivalent of 29 divisions.
· 3 American armies, 6 corps, the equivalent of 31 divisions.
· The equivalent of 3 British divisions as well as contingents of Belgian, Canadian and French troops.
· 100,000 German casualties, killed, wounded or captured.
· 81,000 American casualties, including 23,554 captured and 19,000 killed.
· 1,400 British casualties 200 killed.
· 800 tanks lost on each side, 1,000 German aircraft."
Gallows humor aside, there's almost always something bestial about civil wars.
In brief, you probably would not have wanted to meet any of these guys in a dark alley somewhere.
The only way Towton could have reached 28,000 dead is if the two armies fought all day with one finally getting trapped by a natural barrier or cavalry and then getting routed at close quarters.
Possible, but unlikely. Then again, the mutilation of the dead would indicate something of the ferocity with which the battle was fought.
everything i have ever read about Towton reports that it was a horrible battle. if the lancastrians were routed, then tried to escape, their armor and the snow storm would have slowed them down, and the attacking cavalry would have killed thousands. trying to run away in a snow storm wearing armor, with cavalry attacking you, would lead to lots of deaths.
i have no agenda of playing down the horror of this battle--one of my ancestors fought in the battle and was knighted by the Yorkists, so i am very proud of this.
however, i would like to see some objective evidence before i would be willing to accept the 28,000 dead figure.
i really don't know if the 28,000 is based on objective evidence (e.g. skeletons), which is unlikely; historical writings, which are likely to be inaccurate; or just on somebody's say-so.
"On the other hand, for Lee, who was massively outnumbered as usual (65,000 men to Grant's 123,000),"
Forces Engaged: 162,920 total (US 101,895; CS 61,025)
Catton, Grant Takes Command 2,265 (killed) this is the highest estimate for Union soldiers killed in this multiday battle that ended with the woods catching fire and the wounded soldiers being burned to death--which seems comparable to the snow at Towton.
but note the low number of deaths compared to the number engaged.
sorry---the above numbers are from the very nasy battle of the wilderness.
Yeah. The Little Ice Age began about 1300 and lasted until about 1850.
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