Fulford battlefied under threat

Battle of Fulford - 20 September 1066

20 September 2008

The 942nd anniversary of the battle.

There will be 2 walks round the site, conducted by Chas Jones.

The first walk is aimed at a younger audience and is suitable for pushchairs and wheel chairs. The walk will start at 11am.

The second walk will start at 3pm. It has been wet so please wear walking boots. This walk will last a little over 2 hours

The meeting place for both walks is the playing field opposite Fulford cemetery. (map) There is plenty of parking. If you come to the park & ride at the Designer Centre, it is about a 15 minute walk.

There is no charge - but you will get a chance to buy a copy of the book about Fulford from the author.

If you want to understand a bit about the insane rules under which planning operates then read my recent letter published in the press. It describes two incidents when the inspector ignored reality because it was contrary to the official view.

Walking to Waltham Abbey

A bit of practical historic research. To see how ancient clothing worked and how long it would take to get the news of the defeat at Fulford to Harold at Waltham Abbey. Hear a bit about it on the BBC Making History programme.

Sad news about planning decision

The Minister has determined that the battlefield will provide the access road to this housing development. There is a news release. Efforts must now be devoted to ensuring that the rest of the site as well as the exciting finds we have made are properly investigated before the site is destroyed.

In parallel with this, the complaints that were made to the minister about the bias and intrinsic unfairness of the inquiry process immediately after the public inquiry closed, will now be pursued. Letters to the Secretary of State after the Inquiry

A great activity day took place on Sunday & Monday 18/19 February 2007 to sort the ferrous collection.

	We believe we have 3 metal working sites identified on the Norse side of the battlefield. It appears that metal from the battle was being reworked, presumably after the battle. Interpretation, New finds, Arrowhead
	Analysis of the finds will continue. We have now sorted through 2/3 of the finds.
	Metal working tools. There are some similar items to those we have found in the city museum in Northampton. See what you think. Museum, Finds, X-ray
	The various floods have tested the evidence to the old course of Germany Beck that was revealed during soil survey work. The results are encouraging. We are now confident that we know where the beck flowed in 1066.

If you would like to be kept updated then register you interest. We will be publishing our report, selling prints of the tapestry and other products to help with the fund-raising to keep the projects going. More

Evidence Assessed Some articles Battle sequence Soil survey Landscape archaeology Literature Finds Maps

The public inquiry into the fate of Germany Beck opened on 13 June 2006 and continued until late July. The inspector will be reporting to the Secretary of State in the Autumn. The minister has decided to approve the development and has not even required that relevant archaeological investigation is undertaken.

Hardback

Now available in paperback

Chas Jones has written a book which explains the events of 1066 leading to the battle of Fulford. The book challenges much of the received wisdom about the events of 1066.

	The role of earl Tostig as the choreographer of the two invasions of 1066 is explored as is the routing of duke William's southern invasion by king Harold's navy.
	Drawing on the research that has been carried out around the site at Fulford, the course of the battle is interpreted for the first time.
	Was king Harold confident that duke William has already been defeated in an unreported sea battle before heading north?

On 20 September 1066 a battle of the size and duration of the clash a few weeks later at Hastings led to the defeat of the Northumbrian army.

Click on the cover to go to Amazon to purchase the book.

Published by Tempus, Hardback, June 2006 - 0752438107

Paperback edition has now been published. About the book

Contact me and I will sell you a signed copy. Very special price of £12.85 including postage in Europe (Please add an extra $ for overseas delivery)

Dramatised version of the battle

Battlefield Trust site This is a wonderful, new resource for those who want to know about the battlefields of England and Wales.

Can you help? One author has donated copies of their books for us to sell.

The embroiderers are making exceptional progress with the tapestry.

The Yorkshire 'Bayeux' Design A full sized, coloured print of our tapestry is due to be displayed for the first time at the battle of Hastings commemoration 13/15 October 2006

You can look at a black & white image of the 5 metre tapestry split into sections.

Coloured-in design: Panel 1 panel 2 panel 3 panel 4 panel 5 panel 6

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Work in progress

Using the landscape analysis it has been possible to reconstruct the landscape on which the battle was fought. A table-top model has been built.

Understanding the way the land looked in 1066 makes military sense and fits the literature very well. More

The Tapestry is unveiled on Radio!

Hunter Davies, Georgy Evans, Brenda Bleythyn, Chas Jones and the presenter, Libby Purves after the BBC Midweek broadcast 11 October 2006.

Background to the Battle of Fulford

The Battle of Fulford, on the outskirts of York, has been overshadowed by the other great battles of 1066 at Stamford Bridge and Hastings.

	20 September 1066 Fulford
	25 September 1066 Stamford Bridge
	14 October 1066 Hastings

The sequence of events that flowed from the defeat of the Northern Earls at Fulford led, a few weeks later, to the Norman Conquest of Britain.

Study the six map sequence that speculates on the fateful course of the battle.

To convey an impression of the importance of this battle, the size of the Hastings battle site has been imposed on the Fulford map for comparison. Fulford looks bigger!

THE BATTLE OF FULFORD DESTINED TO BECOME AN ACCESS ROAD FOR A NEW ESTATE

Evidence section

A study of the landscape helps reveal the setting for the battle.

A paper on the methodology adopted has been added.

Some interesting pottery

The pattern of finds is analysed and a new chart is added most months

Maps index - Including 3D, geological and ancient maps.

Views from battle of Hastings re-enactment 14 October 2006

What the experts say

"The site of the battle that followed is still miraculously clear of urban development which has halted a few hundred yards north of the battlefield. The area is a challenge to the civil conscience as a site for permanent presentation - An eternal reminder of an interesting fragment of Yorkshire history." Edwin Tetlow 'The Enigma of Hastings' pp 103 (Peter Owen 1974)

Walking to Waltham Abbey

The underlying geology is key to placing the battlefield.

There have been 2 pieces of work to confirm the assumptions:

Could Fulford have been a bigger battle than Hastings? No prizes for guessing the right answer. Look at the evidence

Other theories

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History Today.com

History Today has kindly given permission for the article about the Battle of Fulford to be reproduced on the site.

Published in October 1966, its title is "The Third Battle of 1066".

It makes very interesting reading...

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The site was updated 14 September 2008