![]() ![]() The remaining bones were all small and may have been discarded or missed by the grave diggers. The skeletons were re-interred in Saxton churchyard. It is thought that the pit is a mass grave, which was cleared in 1483 following the orders of a grant by Richard III. On the battlefield itself, a sample evaluation of a large pit revealed over three hundred human bone fragments. The other skeleton was a mature male, exhibiting evidence for joint degeneration, muscular trauma, a blade injury to the hand and a blunt force injury to the skull, which was probably fatal. One of the skeletons, which had to remain in situ, was a middle aged man suffering from rickets. These were formally laid out in a Christian manner, unlike the individuals from the mass grave, who were interred in different orientations and positions. Two single graves were found in the vicinity of the mass grave. It was possible to match some of the remains with skeletons excavated in 1996. Parts of three individual skeletons were retrieved, as well as numerous disarticulated bones. Human remains were recovered from a previously inaccessible part of a mass grave at Towton Hall, which had been excavated in 1996. York Osteoarchaeology Ltd was commissioned by the Towton Battlefield Society to carry out the osteological analysis of disarticulated and articulated human remains recovered from different phases of excavation at Towton, North Yorkshire (SE 48444 3956 SE 479 382). Osteological Analysis Towton Hall & Towton Battlefield Tadcaster Castle Osteological Report Download Advanced stages of wear on the chewing surfaces of most teeth may be evidence of her mature years, habitual tooth grinding or repetitive use of the teeth as tools. Two externally draining dental abscesses would have caused her discomfort. The woman had suffered from numerous large dental cavities, possibly brought on as a result of a high sugar diet as attested by the moderate calculus deposits on her teeth. The skeleton also exhibited a mild congenital defect, an additional sacral (tail bone) vertebra. She appears to have suffered from moderate osteoarthritis in her upper and mid spine, with mild degenerative joint disease affecting her left shoulder. The woman was around 173.5cm tall, making her above the average female height for all periods in history. Osteological analysis revealed that the skeleton was a mature adult female, aged at least 46 years old when she died. In 2010 York Osteoarchaeology was commissioned by the Towton Battlefield Society to complete the full osteological analysis of a single inhumation recovered during excavations at Tadcaster Castle, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire (NGR SE 485 436). It might, however, have transported a work force to and from local settlements such as Towton, Stutton and Tadcaster. The former presence of important stone quarries near to this crossing point of the River Cock could provide a reason why a track or road might have traversed this location although the steepness of its southern route would suggest this was not used to transport stone. The excavation has shown that at least one formal road lies in this location but no definitive evidence for a date Current evidence still suggests that it is at least medieval in date. The small archaeologically investigated sample of this road did not provide evidence that this was a Roman Road. This suggests that it existed prior to the construction of any road or track otherwise it would have impeded access along it. ![]() A silted up ditch was found below the hollow feature which was seen to cross the linear direction of the road. Below this was a fill of a hollow feature, a potential hollow way, although no road surface was located associated with this feature. The area of investigation of the road lies several hundred metres to the northwest of the village of Towton, North Yorkshire.Ī buried road with a metalled surface was uncovered just below the surface, which was presumed to date to approximately the early eighteenth century due to map-related evidence. It is considered possible that it might be either early medieval or Roman in date. If anyone has any appropriate information they would like to contribute to this page, then we would be glad to hear from you.īetween 23rd and 26th June 2016 an archaeological excavation and geophysical survey were carried out across a section of Old London Road in an attempt to assess the period of its construction. The following documents have been collated over the years, and in line with our aims to encourage learning and interest, these documents are provided on an open source basis. Whilst many of our members have conducted extensive studies, there is always new information to be uncovered. Towton Battlefield Society wishes to promote study and research for this period. ![]()
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