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Description: | Iron large armour piercing crossbow square sectioned quarrel probably relating to the Battle of Towton in 1461 AD which is the find site. Crossbowmen often formed part of a kings bodyguard and were often more highly regarded than knights. The length is 65mm, width of blade 22mm, thickness is 10mm wide. The Battle of Towton took place on a snowy 29 March 1461 on a plateau between the villages of Towton and Saxton in Yorkshire (about 12 miles (19 km) southwest of York and about 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Tadcaster. The battle was part of the Wars of the Roses, fought between the Houses of York and Lancaster for control of the English throne. The battle was a decisive victory for the Yorkists. The Lancastrian army suffered heavy losses and ceased to exist as an effective fighting force. Towton was the largest battle fought in Britain. It is estimated that between 50,000 and 80,000 soldiers fought in the battle, including 28 lords (almost half the peerage at that time), mainly on the Lancastrian side. One of the most commonly quoted figures is 42,000 for the Lancastrians and 36,000 for the Yorkists. All estimates for the battle agree that the Lancastrians started the battle with the larger force. It is also regarded as the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil. Exact losses are a matter of continuing debate, and are extremely difficult to assess with any accuracy, however estimates of about 28,000(perhaps more) casualties are frequently cited: such a figure would represent roughly 1% of the entire English population at the time.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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