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A BIT of a Au/Areness of the Events of the Battle and Promote the Sites As an Integrated Educational Resource

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A BIT of a Au/Areness of the Events of the Battle and Promote the Sites As an Integrated Educational Resource OUR AIMS U/orking u/ith the owners of the manij sites associated u/ith the Battle of Teu/kesburif. the Socretq aim to raise public A BIT OF A au/areness of the events of the battle and promote the sites as an integrated educational resource. U/e aim to encourage tourism and leisure activitq bq SLAP advertising, interpretation and presentation in connection u/ith the sites. U/e aim also to collate research into the battle, and to encourage further research, making the results available to the public through a varietu, of media. (n pursuing our objects, u/e hope to be working alongside a varietq of organisations, in Teu/kesburq and throughout the u/orld. U/e u/ill be proposing schemes and advocating projects, including fundraising for them and project managing if appropriate. U/e aim to become the Authority on the battle and battlesfte OUR OBJECTS To promote the permanent preservation of the battlefield and other sites associated u/ith the Battle of Teu/kesburq, 1471, as sites of historic interest, to the benefit of the public generaHq. To promote the educational and tourism possibilities of the ntw&Cttter vftfit battlefield and associated sites, particularity in relation to medieval historq. To promote, for public benefit, research into matters associated u/ith the sites, and to publish the useful results of such research. ISSUC 10: 2005 Free to members, otheru/ise £2.00 The First Word I have to confess that I was beginning to think that this edition of the 'Slap' First Word 2 would never appear in print. I hope that it was worth waiting for, and that there is at least a little in it of interest. Some of the stories are now a little Plaque l/nveiling 3 elderly, but this is a history society, so does it matter? Holm Hill, development threat 4 Inevitably, in putting together this publication, there has to be a certain For Sale 6 amount of thinking and navel gazing. Foremost among the thoughts are those about readership, if anyone bothers; relevance, if anything is interesting; Nicholas Harpsfield 7 and the point of it all. Our reader's letters page is never full, and there isn't a lot of sparkling debate about the matters of the day (May 41471). The The Statues 8 Committee meet regularly to debate the issues which seem important, agree to the Society's presence at local events, to 'fly the flag', and approve a ForSaIeCpart2) 9 small programme of Society outings. Inevitably, the manning of the Society Tewkesbury Mummers do Giostra 1O stall falls to the same small group again and again, and the outings attract the same little group, who invariably enjoy the experience. Public talks were Mysteries of Medieval London 11 a feature of the calendar, but these didn't attract more than a handful of people, and the range of topics is limited, if they are not to stray into the The Battle of Fulford 12 territories which the Tewkesbury Historical Society and the Civic Society have staked out as their own. The Curse of Lord Wenlock 14 We have a small but loyal membership, half of whom live so far from The Curse of Saint Edmund 14 Tewkesbury that the events programme is an irrelevance. The subscription The fallen mighty 15 isn't large, and despite the spasmodic nature of communications ft isn't bad value for money. People don't judge their association with organisations such The Final eclipse of the Lancastrians 17 as this in the same way as they would look at a ticket to a concert or the price of a pint, though, and I guess that if we surveyed the membership (God Mitred Abbots 19 forbid) we would probably find that the principle motive for membership was akin to insurance; the Battlefield has once been threatened, and a support Poetry Comer 2O network is needed in case it happens again. With luck, there is also a feeling of wanting to be associated with the Tewkesbury Battlefield, and indirectly 1971: The fall of the Red Rose of Tewkesbury 21 with the events which are also associated, the battle re-enactment being the Calendar of Patent Rolls 24 chief among them. The Bosworth survey 26 This isn't a rant, or a moan about life. All organisations have the same profile. Most members are there to show their support, and happy to leave Sir John Fastolf 28 the active bits to a few. Most members are probably the active components of other organisations, and have no time to do more. And that seems to be A Couple of Castles 3O all there is to say about the subject. Subscriptions buy a Battlefield Walk programme 2OO6 32 monitoring service, irregular newsletters and journals such as this containing what we hope is information worth having and articles worth reacting, the Book reviews 33 opportunity to join in Society activities both supporting the Society's objectives and simply for enjoyment, access to the knowledge of other members, and (for the seriously canny) a £5 discount on membership of the Battlefields Trust, which effectively makes the membership free! A Bit of a Slop No. 10 A Bit of a Slop No. 10 2 We'd appreciate more help, but it isn't a condition of membership. However, Here we go again— if this editorial strikes a chord with any members who would like to play a more active part in Society activities, we would love to hear from you. One Once more, there is a threat of development hanging over the part of the always fears that the Committee will be viewed as an exclusive cabal who so battlefield. enjoy each other's company that they dont want anyone else to join in with and a very detailed report events. Enjoy each other's company we certainly do, but there is always In 1975, the Borough Council built published (Bristol and new offices at Holm Hill. This hill room for new faces, so please don't be shy. Nor is a deep grounding in Gloucestershire Archaeological had long been believed to be the medieval history a qualification for participation; a successful Society needs Society Transactions, Vol CV, site of the manor house of the de a wide range of backgrounds and skills - and historians are notoriously in 1997). The archaeologist, Alan need of organising by those with a more practical bent! Clare Earls of Gloucester, Hannan, said: abandoned following the death of Gilbert de Clare at Bannockburn, The eventual outcome, a and the transfer of the manor to precipitate salvage investigation in 1971 PLftQUE UNUEIUNC the Despencers, who built a new early 1975, reflected the approach house on what is now Tewkesbury prevalent nationally and locally to Park. archaeological management at the time. ..A decision by the council to John Leyland described the ruins proceed with construction was of 'Holm Castle': followed within several weeks by A little above the bridge Avon the implementation of the building breaketh into two arms... the right contract. Construction was arm cometh into Severn within a preceded by the landscaping of flight shot of the bridge ....The the hill with bulldozer and box other arm cometh down by the scraper. At the beginning of the side of the town and abbey construction period investigation leaving it to the east, and so and recording were carried out passing there hard by Holm Castle with the aid of a JOB and ditching goeth into Severn'. He also says bucket, in the last stage features that the location is dose to where exposed during the repeated the Swilgate enters the Avon, and sweeps of a box scraper were There has been in time of mind recorded Within the area of the hill some parts of the castle standing. partly excavated in 1974, as well Now some ruins of the bottoms of as immediately around it, all the walls appear. Now it is called archaeological remains were We came across this picture recently, which dates from the five hundredth Holm Hill'. destroyed by April 1975 anniversary celebrations, and shows a new 'plaque' being fixed to the Lincoln Green Lane fence of the Bloody Meadow. Who the people are has not There can be no real dispute This state of affairs led the been researched, so any clues would be welcome. about the location of the 'castle', Borough Council to claim that as though John Bennett described it they had destroyed the site of the The plaque looks new, but it must be replacing an earlier one, as I am sure as being on the Vineyards, which battle (They were then proposing that there are photographs predating this showing a similar plaque. led to the erection of the very the 'Byrne' version, based around misleading plaque at that location. Holm Hill) there was really little point in protecting the Gastons, This particular one has disappeared. It went sometime in the eighties, Before the Council offices were presumably removed by the Borough Council. Does anyone know? which may or may not have been built, there was an archaeological pivotal in the battle. investigation of the site. It was far from satisfactory, although a large Tewkesbury Borough Council now number of artefacts were found, have new plans, and look as if A Bit of a Slap No. 10 A Bit of a Slop No. 10 they intend to inflict collateral In appraising the Holm Hill site, the destruction of the manor, and damage on what remains of Holm consultants say: almost certainly predated the Hill in pursuing them. The Society has a whole range of This site lies outside the battle.
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