Stand on Greenhill and imagine a Summer's day: August 4th 1265,
interrupted by a heavy thunderstorm as Simon de Montfort, Earl of
Leicester and his men rode up to meet the overwhelming strength of
Prince Edward's army. Simon had captured Henry III and his son Prince
Edward at the Battle of Lewes in 1264 and governed England in the king's
name for a year. Edward however had escaped and now allied with loyal
barons led a formidable army determined to bring down his uncle Simon.
Earl Simon had camped on the night of August 3rd at the Abbey in
Evesham to rest and feed his army. His lookout had seen Edward
approaching from the north and Simon decided to attack without delay
although knowing he was heavily outnumbered. Here now began a massacre
for Edward's vengeance was terrible.
Simon was surrounded and unhorsed by Edward's men yet he continued
fighting bravely on foot before being killed (according to legend) by
Roger de Mortimer and his men. His body was cruelly dismembered. The
dead and wounded lay everywhere and blood ran through the Abbey Church
and stained the Monk's Choir. The Abbey and the town were pillaged.
Robert of Gloucester described it as "a murder of Evesham for battle it
was none”. Simon's remains and the bodies of his son Henry and that of
Hugh le Despenser were carried away by the monks and buried near the
High Altar of the Abbey.
Soon after this stories of miracles began to circulate and many
people made pilgrimages to the Abbey and to the Battlewell, said to be a
source of healing. These were forcibly stopped and the stories
suppressed. At some time a small chapel was built over the remains of
the dead soldiers, called the Chapel of the Battlewell, a place of
pilgrimage.
This is a self guided Trail around Battlewell, climax of the Battle of
Evesham, clearly signed by way marked posts, which takes you over the
general area where the battle was fought. It simply attempts to show
you the lie of the land and leaves you to envisage for yourself what
happened here on August 4th 1265. Besides exploring the scene
of the battle, we hope this walk will help you to enjoy the beauty of
this typical Vale countryside with its extensive orchards, a very
important part of Evesham's later history. There are glorious views to
Bredon Hill and (on a clear day) the Malverns and the Black Mountains
beyond.
The Battlewell Field is tenanted by the Society and is being actively
managed as part of a Natural England stewardship scheme, with particular
emphasis on conserving the flora.
