SEARCHING FOR THE BATTLE OF MORTIMER’S CROSS (1461)
Join us for an open day at Kingsland Church, Herefordshire, on Saturday 30 August 2025 for an update on this battlefield project.
Famous for the sighting of three suns in the sky (a “parhelion”) this Wars of the Roses battle changed World history for ever. Every British monarch since Henry VII is directly related to the two rival commanders who met at this fateful battle on a cold, icy winter's day, in early February 1461.
Edward Earl of March, the Yorkist heir, defeated Owen Tudor who was supporting the Lancastrian King Henry VI, somewhere in this Valley of the River Lugg. While Edward would soon become King Edward IV, Owen Tudor was captured and soon thereafter executed in Hereford City Centre.
While the entire Yorkist Dynasty would last just 24 years, Owen Tudor had founded a future Royal House: the Tudors would emerge triumphant when Henry Tudor’s army overcame the Yorkist forces and killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in August 1485.
Come and join members of the project’s Steering Group and those archaeologists who oversaw this six-year project to try and unearth where in the valley this important battle was fought.
All day there will be exhibits, displays and presentations by the steering group, as well as the chance to look at arms and armour of the period. There will also be the unveiling of the Battlefields Trust Panels at the Luctonians Rugby Club and in the grounds of Kingsland Church, scheduled as below. The timetable is as follows:
10.00 Unveiling at the Luctonians Rugby Club.
10.45 Kingsland Church Doors open to the public
11.00 – 13.00
Presentations by members of the Archaeological Project:
Dr. Tracy Partida talks on the landscape of The Lugg Valley, home to the site of Mortimer’s Cross:
Dr. Glenn Foard talks on the search for Mortimers Cross and the techniques of battlefield archaeology.
13.00 – 13.45 Lunch Break
14.00 Unveiling of the Kingsland Church Battlefields Trust Panel
14.30 – 15.45
Adrian Durkin – Arms & Amour in the Wars of the Roses.
The event closes at 16.00
The event is free to attend, but any donations no matter how small to the Battlefields Trust are always welcome. There is no need to book, just turn up on the day and light refreshments will be available for the duration.
We look forward to seeing you on the day.
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