Michael Barnard's
sketch of the site of the historical Battle of Evesham which marks its
739th anniversary
Mr Barnard turned the clock back some 60 years to
recall that Prince Henry's Grammar School cross country final was one of
tremendous excitement. The route was very seldom changed and the
whole school turned out to see the runners off.
Form mates assembled near the
stile by the end of Common Road alongside the track from under the railway
bridge at the eastern end of Inches Lane where in schoolboy pride and
enthusiasm they leapt the stile down to the meadow pathway that sloped
down to the river.
"As we ran alongside the river's
withy trees," he said, "our little groups began to thin out by the time we
reached the Oxstalls and by the time we got to the electricity sub-station
we were mostly on our own. After passing the humming pylons we came
on to Blayney's Lane and at this point if only our three champion runners
were in front of me I felt there was a chance I would not let my school
House down. Well out of sight were Jim Cox, Little Emms and Ken
Longmore, all of Lichfield House. I stall had enough breath to
answer Mr Bill Beckley's call 'You are doing well Barnard - make it a
clean sweep.' We did do it several years running all four Lichfield
lads home first. Such was our Battle Royal of Blayney's Lane over 60
years ago."
Mr Barnard said that on Saturday,
July 31st 2004, another Battle of Blayney's Lane would be remembered when
the Simon de Montfort Society commemorated the 739th anniversary.
Members and friends will, after the Abbey Park ceremony, be invited to
join the battlefield walk led by Tony Spicer of the Battlefield Trust.
In 1265, Mr Barnard said,
Blayney's Lane was known as Offenham Lane and was the last stretch of
track before the river ford crossing at Offenham. "This was part of
the main Worcester to London Road in those days and Blayney's Lane, as we
know it today played, I feel, a greater part in the Battle of Evesham than
was first thought", he said.
"Often in Evesham folk lore the
Siveldeston stone is mentioned and the site of this stone is near this all
important thoroughfare marking the old northern boundary of Evesham
borough. The stone was named after an Anglo-Saxon woman Siflaed.
The stone was removed in 1804 but was without doubt in place at the time
of the battle".
Mr Barnard's sketch shows members
of the Simon de Montfort Society looking towards the modern Simon de
Montfort Bridge at the end of Blayney's Lane and he asked: "Did this old
Salt Street witness more of the Battle of Evesham than has been recorded
in history books? Were the initial clashes here on this side of
Greenhill? Whatever the answer is, our school House clashes were
determined here up Blayney's Lane. The whole school greeted us on
our return, we had fought the last breath, our Chariots of Fire had
proudly won through."
