Bloody Palm Sunday Field: Saxton and Battle of Towton

Richard Hardy

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Imagine the scene: it is the morning of March 29th 1461, Palm Sunday, it is bitterly cold and snow is blowing in from the south. Young Edward Plantagenet, the Earl of March, stirs as his army stirs around him. Today they will face the army of the King, Henry VI (though led by the Duke of Somerset). Edward knows he must lead his smaller army to victory in the snow and the cold or else his head could end up on a spike above York's Micklegate Bar, next to those of his father Richard, Duke of York and younger brother Edmund, Earl of Rutland.

Let's follow the course of the battle by walking through the beautiful Yorkshire (tautology though that may be) countryside from the lovely village of Saxton and see how it ends for Edward - a victory, or a defeat and a Micklegate Bar spike.

This is another walk to which I hope in time to attach a downloadable MP3 file.

England - North England - Yorkshire - Countryside

Features

Ancient Monument, Church, Flowers, Pub, Public Transport, Woodland

11/17/2018 - Mark Clegg

Did this walk today sat 16/11/2018. It took just over 4 hours steady walking. Lovely walk

10/6/2018 - Brian Smith

Did this walk today and thoroughly enjoyed it. The description is clear, precise and very easy to follow, so easy that we only occasionally referred to our map just for confirmation. The paths are good and the views remarkable for such a low-level walk. The information boards along the route about the battle add to this already enjoyable walk.

7/23/2013 - Richard Hardy