Bosworth (ePub)
The Archaeology of the Battlefield
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
File Size: 37.2 MB (.epub)
Illustrations: 80 colour & 30 black and white illustrations
ISBN: 9781399010535
Published: 30th November 2021
| Other formats available - Buy the Hardback and get the eBook for £1.99! | Price |
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| Bosworth Hardback Add to Basket | £25.00 |
The Wars of the Roses came to a bloody climax at the Battle of Bosworth on 22 August 1485. In a few hours, on a stretch of otherwise unremarkable fields in Leicestershire, Richard III, Henry Tudor and their Yorkist and Lancastrian supporters clashed. This decisive moment in English history ought to be clearly recorded and understood, yet controversy has confused our understanding of where and how the battle was fought. That is why Richard Mackinder’s highly illustrated and personal account of the search for evidence of the battle is such absorbing reading. He shows how archaeological evidence, discovered by painstaking work on the ground, has put this historic battle into the modern landscape.
Using the results of the latest research, he takes the reader through each phase of the battle, from the camp sites of the opposing armies on the night before, through the movements of thousands of men across the battlefield during the fight and the major individual episodes such as the death of the Duke of Norfolk, the intervention of Sir William Stanley and the death of Richard III.
At each stage he recounts what happened, where it happened and what physical evidence has survived. A vivid impression of the battle emerges from his narrative which is closely linked to the landscape that was fought over on that fateful day.
Mackinder’s presentation of the evidence is certainly thought-provoking, and his battlefield guide will undoubtedly be valuable for researchers on the ground.
Beating Tsundoku
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Richard Mackinder uses the latest archaeological research to take readers step-by-step through the Battle of Bosworth (1485) that began the early modern era.
NetGalley, Annette Lamb
Take-aways: Use this fascinating work to help youth better understanding the role of physical evidence and archaeology in understanding key historical events.
Review as featured in
Leicestershire Historian 2022
Highlight: 'This is an intriguing addition to the history of Bosworth battlefield, clearly based on painstaking research, and beautifully illustrated throughout.'
"This book is a useful addition to
The Ricardian Bulletin, June 2022
our understanding of the battle.
I recommend Ricardians to
have a good look at it."
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Lional Jones
A very good historical book on the battle of bosworth and what the outcome of the battle meant to the victors and the losers. Very well researched facts are brought to life. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good historical read.
The book is however well illustrated and offers an excellent guide to walking the battle and related sites, which would I feel be useful both to a regular visitor and somebody who was there for the first time. There's a mass of tables, graphs etc relating to the various finds.
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
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This book is an interesting mix of accessible reading for the history buff and armchair archaeologists, detailing the discoveries and lists findings made during the archaeological surveys conducted over the course of several years.
NetGalley, Kate Wallace
While it helps bring to life the difficulties of King Richard III’s final battle and the logistics of it from all sides, one of the greatest things I think this book does, is to remind the reader that while history has happened, we are constantly making new discoveries about it.
The well written and interesting self guided walking tour provided within, helps remind us that history is still all around us.
A good read for Ricardian enthusiasts and those interested in battlefield archaeology.
The book includes a self tour of the site, and provides a walking trail with key elements highlighted on route. I think that is worth the price of the book in and of itself if you are interested in the period and walking the battlefield.
Medieval Sword School
Said to be one of the key battles in English history, this book does go a long way to explain the battle and its current battlefield archaeology.
This could also be useful for any wargammers looking to recreate the battle or parts of the battle.
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Pen and Sword seem to have a really great track record in publishing very well- written and thoroughly researched historical books. This was no exception. A fascinating study of a fascinating historical event.
NetGalley, Sue Burnside
An interesting account of new discoveries of metal detectorists going over the area long thought to have been the location of the Battle of Bosworth. This book is an interesting mix of accessible reading for the history buff and armchair archaeologists and detailed discoveries and lists of findings made during the archaeological surveys conducted over the course of several years. While it helps bring to life the difficulties of Richard’s final battle and the logistics of it from all sides, one of the greatest things I think this book does, is to remind the reader that while history has happened, we are constantly making new discoveries about it. Just because people thought they knew the story of the Battle of Bosworth thirty years ago doesn't mean they were right, doesn’t mean we should stop asking questions, or developing newer and better technology to answer those questions, and doesn’t mean that we should ever be satisfied we know the answers. The well written and interesting self guided walking tour provided here helps remind us that history is still all around us, even as it makes way today for cars and daily modern life.
NetGalley, Anne Morgan
A good read for Ricardian enthusiasts and those interested in battlefield archaeology especially.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Wyn Lewis
The Battle of Bosworth has captured the imagination ever since that fateful day in 1485 when King Richard III was killed and Henry Tudor assumed the throne as King Henry VII.
The precise location and nature of the battle has long been the subject of debate. Richard Mackinder’s book takes a forensic look at each stage of the battle and how it ties into the landscape of Leicestershire through archaeological finds, contemporary writings and maps. Mackinder reassess the available evidence, as well as newly discovered facts, with no preconceived ideas, to reach a plausible and rigurously researched conclusion about Bosworth that may well be definitive.
The book is fully illustrated with maps, drawings and photographs of archaeological findings from the area. Concise, lucid and eminently readable, Richard Mackinder puts the reader right in the thick of the battle with absolutely no waffle, and his book is an important addition to our knowledge of this landmark battle.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
NetGalley, Michelle Coates
A well researched and fascinating read!
Those of us who conduct clients around various battlefields are always aware, if we are conscientious and serious about our craft, that history is fact and interpretation is uncertain. Our biggest concern is “am I communicating the best available information or am I simply repeating something I read in a book, or worse still, repeating perceived history”.
Michael McCarthy
The author has clearly shared the common need to test interpretations and to drive towards a balanced view based on the best source material and not simply repeat the shibboleths of past historians no matter how respected. This book succeeds in every respect and is not in any way a dry academic analysis. His experience of working on the Bosworth battlefield and his research using modern techniques has produced a masterpiece of analysis, and from that, alternative and compelling insights into the battle. I thoroughly recommend this excellent book.
Michael McCarthy. Battlefield Guide
About Richard Mackinder
Richard Mackinder worked at Bosworth Battlefield between 1991 and 2015. In 2001 he set up a team of volunteers called the Ambion Historical & Archaeological Research Group which aimed to find evidence of the 1485 battle and to explore human impact on the local landscape. In 2005 he became the onsite co-ordinator for the Lottery-funded project led jointly by the Battlefield Trust and Leicestershire County Council which in 2010 proved where at least part of the battle was fought. He has been guiding visitors around the battlefield for thirty years.
On this day 1485 - Battle of Bosworth Field
22nd August 1485
Henry Tudor's forces defeat English King Richard III during last battle in the Wars of the Roses. Richard is killed, the last English monarch to die in battle.
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