The woman took another sip from her chilled pint of lager as I sat, transfixed, my burger and fries getting cold in front of me. She was giving me directions to Bloody Meadow, the legendary last stand of the Lancastrian soldiers in 1471, at the Battle of Tewkesbury. She told me how the battlefield is now surrounded by houses, not like when she was little, when she was four years old and would pick up arrows after re-enactments, and it was all fields behind other fields. She's lived in Tewkesbury all her life, she's telling me, as I steal a still-hot chip from my plate and dab it in ketchup. Oh, and there are tunnels, too. From the abbey to the old pub we're sitting in.

Turns out, the battlefield site isn't very far from the town centre. After a 15-minute stroll, we found a detour into a field that promised a battlefield walk, and a few more minutes' down the road, Bloody Meadow itself. 

It was here that witnessed the most intense fighting of the Battle of Tewkesbury. With Henry VI now locked up in the Tower of London and the Earl of Warwick dead after the Battle of Barnet, Edward faced the remnants of Lancastrian resistance to his rule, under Henry VI's queen, Margaret of Anjou. 

Margaret entered Tewkesbury at around 4pm on Friday 3 May, 1471. Her troops were commanded by the Duke of Somerset, and central to its hopes was the young prince - her son, Edward of Lancaster. Early on the Saturday morning, the 4th May, the armies clashed with the supporters of the House of York and the ruling king. Here, the three York brothers fought once again, having recently been fractured in their loyalties: George, Duke of Clarence; Richard, Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) and Edward IV himself. Richard, who was then 19 years old, would be especially noted after the battle for his heroism and skill on the field, ordering a rain of arrows on the Lancastrians and drawing Somerset's men out from their sheltered position. 

The Yorkists gained the upper hand and Lancastrian forces tried to disband and run away, however many ended up drowned in the nearby river 'at a mill in the meadow fast by the town', likely to have been a mill owned by the abbey. It's been estimated that around three thousand Lancastrian soldiers died in these fields near Tewkesbury on that day. Among them were Thomas Courtenay Earl of Devonshire, Lord John Beaufort, Lord Wenlock, Sir William Vaux and Sir Thomas Seymour.

Walking back from Bloody Meadow you get a beautiful view of nearby Tewkesbury Abbey, and it is here that some of the soldiers fled to seek sanctuary and the protection of the church. Among them was the Duke of Somerset, and, it was said, fourteen other men. Still in armour, and what would have been a short ride on horseback (if not an angry trudge through a field), Edward chased them to the abbey door but was stopped by the priest, reminded of the rules of sanctuary and urged to consider pardoning the men inside. Edward, for now, left the men to heal their wounds. 

Towards the end of fighting, Edward of Lancaster was captured and brought to Edward. The king asked the teenager 'how he dared to invade his dominions'. The prince's reply, that he had come to recover his father's liberty and the crown that Edward had in fact usurped, did not win him any patience and Edward slapped him across his cheek, still wearing his gauntlet. The men nearby set upon the young boy, stabbing him with their daggers. Some historians believe that the prince was in fact killed in battle or tracked down trying to flee the scene. However he died, he was later taken to be buried in Tewkesbury Abbey, to spend eternity underneath a ceiling painted with Edward's own emblem of sparkling, radiant suns. 

After visiting the abbey church to give thanks for his victory, Edward demanded Somerset and the other men leave their sanctuary and face justice in a trial. Some believe Edward had the men forcibly removed, leading to the need for the abbey church to be reconsecrated. Unsurprisingly, as enemies, they were sentenced to death and beheaded in the marketplace of Tewkesbury on 6 May. Margaret of Anjou was also discovered, in a 'poor religious house' in the town and taken to London with strict instructions to be kept separately from her husband. She was later ransomed to France. Edward marched into London to occupy his throne and ruled for another decade before dying in 1483 of a short illness.

Even today legends surround Bloody Meadow. Among the hauntings and sightings is one apparition that appears at the Black Bear pub, thought to be a Lancastrian soldier seeking relief from the battle. There is an eerieness to the field - something my friend once described on a different occasion as 'soul soup', although it's difficult to know whether I'm just reading into the significance of the historical events that surround it. Either way, it's worth a visit as such an important landmark in the Wars of the Roses, a memorial to those who were killed and a trace of all three York brothers who, in a rare moment of solidarity, worked together in defending the crown on that early May morning in 1471.

You might also like The Women of Warwick Castle, The Queens of the Wars of the Roses and Historic Pubs: The Old Black Bear of Tewkesbury.

Source: 

James Bennett, History of Tewkesbury. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green. London 1830

Isabel Neville, daughter of Richard Earl of Warwick ('The Kingmaker') and his wife Anne Beauchamp,  lived during one of the most turbulent periods in medieval in England: The Wars of the Roses. The Warwick sisters, well-known and sought-after young women, were both promised in politically-advantageous marriages by their father. Isabel's sister, Anne, was married very briefly to Edward of Lancaster, Prince of Wales, the son of Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou in a bid to cement the new partnership between the families to smooth Henry VI's return to the throne in 1470. Likewise, Isabel Neville and George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence were married for the same consideration, with the duke and earl having both defected to the Lancastrian cause to fight against Edward IV, Clarence's older brother. 

As Duchess of Clarence, Isabel managed her own household which included ladies in waiting and servants as well as administrators and religious advisors. In December 1476 she gave birth at Tewkesbury to a son named Richard and, having returned to Warwick to recuperate, fell ill and died there. Rumours immediately swirled of poison. Isabel had died young, in a paranoid and suspicious age, although medics at the time had little to no understanding of viral or bacterial infections. Although her death was almost certainly caused by illness, the grieving Clarence accused one of the duchess' ladies, a Somerset grandmother named Ankarette Twynhoe, of poisoning her. She was tried, by a jury fearful of Clarence's icy glare, at Warwick in 1477 and hanged soon afterwards. Ankarette was later pardoned of any crime following a petition brought forward by her grandson.

In the winter of 1477 Isabel's body was brought from Warwick to Tewkesbury. The abbott, Lord John Strensham, headed the solemnities while the duchess' coffin was placed in the middle of the choir of the abbey. Clarence's own dean and chaplains performed solemn religious services, while Isabel was watched overnight, as per the medieval custom. Her body remained in the choir for thirty-five days before being buried in a vault under the floor. James Bennett, writing in 1830, refers to a source (the Abbey Chronicle) which states that the site of the burial was 'in a vault behind the high altar, before the door of the Virgin Mary's chapel, and opposite the door of St Edmund the Martyr's chapel.'

Today, the vault can be glimpsed through a metal grille in the floor of the abbey. Underneath there are, says Bennett, eight stone steps which lead down to the arched vault. The year after Isabel's burial, George Duke of Clarence was charged with treason against his brother Edward IV. He was executed on 18 February 1478 - according to legend, drowned in a barrel of Malmsey wine in the Tower of London - and his body laid alongside Isabel's at Tewkesbury.

While Isabel's funeral is well documented, there is limited evidence for the burial of her husband. Bennett thought that this might have been quietly and quickly done in private, bearing in mind the tense political atmosphere surrounding his death as a traitor. 

In 1826 the vault was opened. Medieval ornamentation and carving was noted, along with a cross laid in the floor. However in the north-west corner of the vault there were two skulls and other bones left uncovered. Bennett wondered if the vault had been disturbed for relics or valuables in the sixteenth century during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the bones set to one side of the vault. Three years later, in 1829, the bones (identified as a male and a female) were placed in coffins and, to avoid further disturbance, a large stone placed on top of them.  A sign nearby commemorates the couple along with a photograph of the vault, which is not open to the public.

During a weekend trip to Tewkesbury I decided to seek out its oldest pub, and at the end of the High Street we found it: The Olde Black Bear. 

The V&A is one of my favourite places to visit. I can easily spend a day wandering about the galleries completely forgetting the outside world and just being in awe of the sculpture, paintings and artefacts from over a thousand years of history. 

But what if you're a Tudor fan? What is there to see then? Actually, lots. 

Head over to the casts gallery to see a life-size replica of Michelangelo's David, but also a Victorian cast of the effigy of Henry VII. Unlike the one at Westminster Abbey, you can see this one close up and get a feel for how he once would have looked. While you're there, pop over to see casts of the effigies of Ralph and Elizabeth Fitzherbert, a couple I researched for my book Forgotten Women of the Wars of the Roses. Ralph was a supporter of Henry's enemy at Bosworth, Richard III, and has been depicted wearing the famous boar badge on his armour. 

The Jewellery gallery is another one you'll want to see, with examples of jewels from the Tudor period. From rings to pendants, there are even medieval garter pendants that used to hang from the waist of women's skirts. Some have been crafted with tiny books or other ornaments on. These belongings would have been treasured during their wearer's lifetime, and it is incredible that they have survived for us to look at today, particularly as medieval and Tudor jewellery was often reworked or even lost. Look out too, for the Heneage Jewel, a locket with the profile of Elizabeth I.

Head out of Jewellery and into Miniatures, where you can see some of Nicholas Hilliard's tiny portraits of Elizabeth I, along with other work depicting other people from the Tudor court. Again, these were mostly created in watercolour paint, so are sensitive to light. Linger at a cabinet and a light will softly turn on automatically so you can view it better.

Bust of Henry VII, V&A Museum, South Kensington

The main area of interest however as a Tudor fan will be the gallery dealing with Britain in the sixteenth century. There's an original watercolour of Henry VIII's now lost palace of Nonsuch - it's in a cabinet you have to open, due to its sensitivity to light. Remember to close it when you're done! There's also a bust of Henry VII, Henry VIII's writing desk and Elizabeth I's virginals. Look closely and you'll spot the royal arms painted on, as well as Anne Boleyn's falcon emblem, making it very likely that these were once owned and used by Elizabeth.

Look out too for artefacts in other areas of the museum - exhibits change often and it's worth walking around to find books, pottery, tableware and other items from the Tudor age. Staff are very helpful and the museum is also very well signposted. You can also grab a half-time coffee from the café inside the museum or the patisserie at the entrance. It's also worth looking out for any special Tudor-focused exhibitions which the V&A run often. Sign up on their website to keep updated.

All correct at the time of my trip in February 2025, exhibitions, opening times and access are all subject to change. Do check and do your own research before travelling. The V&A is roughly opposite the Science Museum on Exhibition Rd in London, or you can enter via the tunnel leading from South Kensington tube station.

Liked this? You might also like 10 Everyday Objects from Tudor Times and Dressing Up as a Tudor with After Elizabeth 

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