Fulford Battlefield Research Website

 


 Recording the events of September 1066
tanged arrow from Fulford
yorks releif map

The Fulford Tapestry Website

York City Planning documents online

Maps

YouTube videos

 

The Final Report

Finding Fulford cover

Kindle edition of Finding Fulford is now available

The Fulford Tapestry

 

Visiting Fulford

Map York

 

10 reasons why the battle of Fulford should be saved

  1. Heritage is about those part of our inheritance that have significance. Heritage is something that you cannot manufacture or replace which is why we have some rules to protect and save it
  2. Economic costs and benefits can be assigned to our heritage. The battle site is currently accessible to the public and would be a valuable addition to the income-earning heritage assets of the city of York. Yet such an assessment has been omitted by the planning system adopted for the site. The site is a valuable economic resource for the city
  3. Wildlife uses Germany Beck as a conduit between the river Ouse and the extensive hinterland including Heslington Common. Direct and indirect evidence for water voles, field mice, otters and several species of bat has been observed, notified to the planners; but then ignored or worse.
  4. Green belt designation was overturned by the planners, even after previous reviews specifically excluded the key section that is so vital to the local ecology (see above). Is it right that planners can ignore the rules?
  5. Public consultation is supposed to be a significant, planning event: But for Germany Beck public debate has been minimal. If the public is going to grant the right to makes such a change, it must be properly consulted.
  6. Flooding is persistent. The present plant is not based in reality. Is it sensible to provide a single access along a road that is regularly flooded?
  7. Ecological targets might not be popular - But does it really make sense to build a 600+ houses that depend on the motor car. Does the public really want homes for commuters or, with the expanding university alongside the planned housing, why not build some genuinely affordable properties for those working at the University?
  8. Tranquillity cannot be assigned a monetary value but do we really want a road to be elevated so that it will disturb the adjacent large cemetery?
  9. Justice requires that the planning process gives those opposing should have similar rights to those proposing but that does not happen in the planning system.
  10. Unique-ness can easily be overstated but it is probable that this is the only battlesite where evidence of post-battle recycling will be found because Stamford Bridge wiped out the invaders providing a 'Pompey moment' for Fulford. Archaeology still needs to be done that is relevant to techniques which have been developed to study battlesites before the site is disturbed. In a sensible world, this would would have been done before any decision were taken - This was pointed out to all of the planners, many times!

Put the other way round - Can anybody come up with a sensible reason to build the access road along Germany Beck? There are better plans for this landscape that will balance the needs for housing and heritage, in a way that will benefit the economy and the ecology.

The site is fully accessible on public land and from footpaths, so go and see for yourself.

 

The Physical Evidential Trail

  • We believe we have at least 3 metal working sites identified on the Norse side of the battlefield. It appears that metal from the battle was being reworked, presumably after the battle. Interpretation, Finds, Arrowhead
  • Metal working tools. There are some similar items to those we have found in the city museum in Northampton. See what you think. Museum, Finds, X-ray, and now XRF analysis.
  • The various floods have tested the evidence to the old course of Germany Beck that was revealed during soil survey work. The results are encouraging. We are now confident that we know where the beck flowed in 1066.

All of these details have been published in 'Finding Fulford' and presented at several conferences.

BUT

We didn't find bodies!

And there were no weapons

Find out why not.

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The author of the content is Charles Jones - fulfordthing@gmail.com   Last updated April 2015

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