In this series I have followed the
progress of Henry and Jasper Tudor from Pembroke Castle to their long exile in
Brittany and return with an army to Wales. Their long march, covering as much
as twenty-six miles a day, ended when they encountered King Richard’s army
camped at Ambion Hill, close to Sutton Cheyney.
The Battle of Bosworth is poorly documented, with no
first-hand accounts surviving. Anything we read about the battle therefore has to
be looked at closely to see who wrote it and when.
I visited the at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre for
the special anniversary weekend events, which now attract visitors to the area
from all over the world. As well as a re-creation of the march to Bosworth,
there was a full scale re-enactment of the battle, complete with the hundreds
of archers and the artillery of the Wars of The Roses Society.
It was also fascinating to visit the ‘living history’
encampment and see the soldiers preparing for battle. I spoke to several of
them and they take great pride in achieving historical accuracy – even to the
extent of sleeping in their flimsy canvas tents overnight, despite the strong
winds.
There was a poignant moment as we all held a one-minute
silence in memory of the men who died at Bosworth Field. I’d be interested to know what Henry Tudor
would have to say if he knew the battle was still being re-enacted so many centuries after his amazing victory.
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