Most medieval battlefields are notoriously difficult to investigate. They can rarely be located with precision, due to the lack of detailed contemporary narratives, and can be lost to the intrusion of the built environment over centuries. But Evesham’s battle landscape of 1265 is different: the fighting took place within a relatively confined area and its events can be precisely located. Evesham thus offers rich opportunities for research. This talk looks at the state of the field of medieval battlefield investigation – highlighting key sources, cutting edge research, and some startling findings – and asks where Evesham could fit in.

Dr Sophie Ambler is Reader in Medieval History, Director of the Centre for War and Diplomacy (CWD), and a Research Fellow at The Ruskin. She works on the history of war in medieval Britain c.1100-1400, investigating the experiences of low-status combatants and war-torn populations, and shifting patterns of thought concerning personal responsibility in conflict. Here and through the CWD, she is interested in combining insights from other disciplines and historical periods. This builds on her previous research on the ethics and practice of war, politics, rebellion and revolution in medieval Britain. Sophie holds a Philip Leverhulme Prize in History (2020) and in Michaelmas 2022 was a Visiting Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. Sophie enjoys writing for and speaking to a broad public audience through TV, radio and print.

In the Department of History at Lancaster, Sophie is Deputy Head of Department and Director of Education and Curriculum Transformation.

Why does the Second Barons’ War, and the Evesham campaign in particular, provide such rich material for fiction? What sort of aperture does it provide for visions of 13th century England, and the complex and often bloody world of practical chivalry, knightly combat and noble ambition?

In this talk I’ll be discussing my two most recent novels, ‘Battle Song’ and ‘War Cry’, and my attempts to bring the story of Lewes, Evesham and the revolt of Simon de Montfort to life through the medium of fiction. I’m a novelist rather than a historian, but I try to place my fictions as close as possible to the historical record; what are the challenges, the possibilities, and the potential pitfalls of using fictionalised narrative to create a detailed reconstruction of complex past events and personalities?

Ian Ross was born in England, and studied painting before turning to writing fiction. His interests combine an obsessive regard for accuracy and detail with a devotion to the craft of storytelling.

His six-book ‘Twilight of Empire’ series, set in the Roman Empire of the 4th Century AD, was published in the UK between 2015 and 2019. More recently he has turned his attentions to the medieval period, and to the tumultuous world of 13th Century England.

‘Battle Song’, the first book of his new trilogy about the Second Barons’ War, was published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton in March 2023. The sequel, ‘War Cry’, covering the Evesham campaign, was published in December. The concluding novel, ‘King’s Enemy’, will be published on September the 12th 2024.

The presence at Evesham of pilgrim sites associated with the death of Simon de Montfort in 1265 has been known for centuries. The general whereabouts of the Evesham battlefield, of the Battle well and its associated chapel, and of Montfort’s grave in the abbey church are not in doubt. But uncertainties remain about the precise topography of those sites. This talk reviews what has been discovered to date and suggests some possible directions for further research.

David Cox Until retirement Dr David Cox was editor of the Victoria History of Shropshire and a lecturer in history at Keele University. Over many years his personal research and publications have centred on medieval Evesham. His latest book is Saint Simon de Montfort: The Miracles, Laments, Prayers and Hymns (Boydell & Brewer, 2024).