Battlefields

Abstract

Whilst historic landscapes as a whole have risen in popularity over the last few years, it is perhaps battlefields that have most captured the public imagination. In this issue four leading experts on battlefield archaeology offer some of the latest findings, and review the development of battlefield tourism and conservation. Glenn Foard explains how the application of landscape archaeology can transform our understanding of military history; he explores in depth the course of the Battle of Sedgemoor of 1685, using previously unpublished contemporary plans drawn up by one of the combatants. T.L. Sutherland and A. Schmidt reveal the findings of the integrated, forensic archaeology survey that has followed the widely reported discovery of a mass grave at the site of the Battle of Towton. Using evidence from battles such as Manassus, Gettysburg and Culloden, Tony Pollard explores how battlefield sites have come to be valued in the United States and Britain. Mark Newman's final essay offers assessment of why battlefields matter, how we define them and how conservation might be effectively implemented.