Devizes burial pit mystery [ Battle of Roundway's Bloody Ditch, July 13 1643 ]

Wiltshire Gazette and Herald ^ | Friday 1st January 2010 | Lewis Cowen

[SunkenCiv]

Devizes pensioner Phil Hancock... is convinced that the 600 Parliamentarian troops, many of them cavalry, who died in the Bloody Ditch on July 13 1643, are buried in an ancient chalk pit close to the site of the battle. Mr Hancock, 85, from Park View, Devizes, has been investigating the mystery of the whereabouts of the bodies for nearly three years. He said: "I read in the Wiltshire Archaeological Society magazine an article dated June 1950 by Mr J M Prest, who said that bones had been found in a chalk pit on the slopes of Roundway. "But no further research has been done on this, so it whetted my curiosity." ...Mr Hancock discovered that the bones were found at a chalk pit owned at the time of the battle by William Gaby. The Battle of Roundway was won by the Royalists under Sir Ralph Hopton. The chalk pit is at Bagdon Hill, close to the battlefield which is bounded by Roundway Hill, Morgan's Hill, King's Play Hill and Roughridge Hill. Despite attacking up the hill, the Cavaliers (Royalists) soon had the Roundheads (Parliamentarians) in full flight. They pursued them for three miles across the open down towards the semi-precipitous drop of 300ft at Bloody Ditch. Sir John Byron reported that many of them broke their own and their horses' necks... "One mound is 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. There are some 60 yew trees planted. Some mark the graves." Yew trees are frequently evidence of mourning.

[SunkenCiv]

Pensioner Phil Hancock wants a reminder installed on Roundway Hill so people remember where 600 troops died on the hill in 1643

[SunkenCiv]

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[JoeProBono]

[Pontiac]

There are some 60 yew trees planted. Some mark the graves." Yew trees are frequently evidence of mourning.

Yew trees are believed to be able to live 1000 years. These trees could easily have been planted over the graves.

[SunkenCiv]

I think yew are right.