Brilliant Bosworth

Year 4’s study of the Tudor period in history once again got off to an exciting and interactive start on a visit to the area where it all began. In 1485, at Bosworth in Leicestershire, Richard III was defeated in battle by Henry Tudor, who then ascended the throne as King Henry VII.

A tour of the fantastic Bosworth Heritage Centre exhibition and a session with the Master at Arms gave an opportunity to really get a feel for the battle and the challenges faced by knights and soldiers of the time. The boys were able to try on armour and chain mail, get to grips with examples of weaponry, discover the strength required to fire a longbow, listen to further accounts of the battle and learn about the forensic archaeology which has provided so much of the evidence before them.

Later, with some wonderfully knowledgeable guides, there was a walk through the nearby countryside in which we were given a fascinating account of the events leading up to and during the battle and how archaeological evidence has been able to place its precise site more accurately. The boys learned not only about the complexities of mediaeval political rivalries among the nobility, but also how the poor yeoman at the heart of the battle fared.

After a battle lasting little longer than a football match, English history was changed forever. The boys of Year 4 now have an enduring link to these momentous events having stood on the very ground over which the armies marched.