SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE NEWS: TRAVEL NEWS: THE NEW HS2 HIGH SPEED RAIL LINK FACES ANOTHER DELAY AS WELL AS THE CONTINUALLY INCREASING COSTS. DURING THE BATTLE OF EDGCOTE IN 1469 AS MANY AS 5,000 SOLDIERS FROM WALES, INCLUDING MORE THAN 180 KNIGHTS AND NOBLEMEN LIE BURIED SOMEWHERE IN FARMLAND JUST NORTH OF BANBURY OXFORDSHIRE. IN THE CENTURIES AFTER THEY WERE CUT DOWN AT THE BATTLE WHICH WAS ONE OF THE BLOODIEST CLASHES OF THE WARS OF THE ROSES, THE PRECISE LOCATION WAS FORGOTTEN. BUT HISTORIANS AND HERITAGE CAMPAIGNERS FEAR THAT THE PROPOSED HS2 RAILWAY LINE COULD PIERCE ITS HEART AND POTENTIALLY PLOUGH THROUGH MASS GRAVES. UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE POSITION OF THE BATTLE SITE CALLS INTO QUESTION ASSURANCES OFFERED BY HIGH SPEED TWO- A KEY REQUIREMENT OF THE FORMAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED IN DETAIL, BY THE COMPANY. THE FIRST PHASE OF THE HS2 SCHEME, LONDON TO BIRMINGHAM, PASSES THROUGH OR ALONGSIDE SEVERAL HISTORICALLY SENSITIVE SITES. DOZENS OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS LISTED AND UNLISTED, ARE ALSO AT RISK. LAST MONTH THE LINES SECOND PHASE WAS ANNOUNCED, WITH ROUTES NORTH FROM BIRMINGHAM TO MANCHESTER AND LEEDS. THE BATTLE THAT WAS FOUGHT IN JULY 1469, (BEFORE I WAS BORN) PITTED WELSH FORCES UNDER THE EARL OF PEMBROKE AGAINST REBELS FROM THE NORTH OF ENGLAND TRYING TO DISPOSE THE YORKIST KING. EDWARD 1V, IN FAVOUR OF THE EARL OF WARWICK, THE KINGMAKER (HE WAS A GOOD OLD BOY ACTUALLY I REMEMBER HIM FROM A PREVIOUS LIFE.....UHH YEAH).........A FEROCIOUS STRUGGLE INVOLVING AS MANY AS 40,000 TROOPS, THE BATTLE CLAIMED THE LIVES OF THE FLOWER OF WELSH SOCIETY. IT WAS THE LARGEST LOSS OF WELSH TROOPS ON A SINGLE DAY UNTILL THE FIRST WORLD WAR, AND HAS BEEN DUBBED THE WELSH FLODDEN, THE BATTLE OF 1513 IN WHICH ENGLAND CRUSHED SCOTTISH MILITARY POWER AND ITS RULING ELITE. EDGCOTE IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT SITE FOR WELSH CULTURE AND TRADITIONS, BUT ITS STUDY IS NEGLECTED, ACCORDING DOCTOR BARRY LEWIS OF THE CENTRE FOR ADVANCED WELSH AND CELTIC STUDIES. ABERYSTWYTH. EDGCOTE WAS REMEMBERED FOR 100 YEARS AFTERWARDS WHEN WELSH PEOPLE WERE STILL TALKING ABOUT REVENGE FOR THE BATTLE. WE DONT WANT DEVELOPMENT GOING THROUGH ANY BATTLEFIELDS, SAID BARRY. THE LOSS OF LIFE WAS ESPECIALLY BITTER FOR WALES AS ITS FORCES WERE APPARENTLY LEFT UNDEFENDED BY ENGLISH ARCHERS, FOLLOWING A ROW ON THE EVE OF BATTLE BETWEEN THE ARCHERS COMMANDER, THE EARL OF DEVON, AND PEMBROKE. SOME CHRONICLES BLAME THIS FATAL FALLING OUT ON A DISPUTE OVER LODGINGS, BUT ONE SUGGESTS THEY LOCKED HORNS OVER AN INN KEEPERS DAUGHTER. (MIGHT OF KNOWN A WOMAN WAS INVOLVED SOMEWHERE LOL) LEWIS HAS STUDIED THE WORK OF WELSH POETS, WRITING IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE DISASTER. THEY RECORD BETRAYEL BY THE ENGLISH AT THE BATTLE THEY CALL BANBURY. ONE POET MOURNS: THE MIGHTIEST BATTLE OF CHRISTENDOM AND THROUGH A FAULT IT WAS LOST. AT BANBURY THE VENGEANCE WAS EXACTED UPON FAIR WALES, AND THE GREAT FINE. EDGCOTE BATTLEFIELD IS NOT INCLUDED ON ENGLISH HERITAGES BATTLEFIELDS REGISTER, A LIST THAT COULD HELP BOOST HELP BOOST PROTECTION. THE AGENCY IS CONSIDERING AN APPLICATION TO PLACE IT ON THE LIST. THE EDGCOTE BATTLEFIELD IS ONE OF A POSSIBLY LARGE NUMBER OF UNDESIGNATED HERITAGE SITES THAT HS2 HAS YET TO WORK ON TO ESTABLISH WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS AN IMPACT, AND IF SO HOW IT MIGHT BE MITIGATED. THE ADVICE TO HS2 HAS BEEN THAT THEY DO NOT NEED TO HAVE DONE THIS TO INFORM THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT. HIGH SPEED TWO DENIES THAT THE BATTLEFIELD WILL BE DAMAGED BY THE RAIL SCHEME AND SAYS THAT THE ROUTE HAS BEEN AMENDED TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF HISTORICALLY SENSITIVE SITES. CHANGES INCLUDED MOVING THE ROUTE AWAY FROM A CLUSTER OF IMPORTANT HERITAGE SITES AROUND EDGCOTE. THIS REALIGNMENT FARTHER AWAY FROM EDGCOTE HOUSE AND ITS GROUNDS AVOIDS THE SITE OF A ROMAN VILLA AND THE POSSIBLE LOCATION OF THE HISTORIC EDGCOTE MOOR BATTLEFIELD. BUT CAMPAIGNERS ARE HIGHLY SCEPTICAL ABOUT HIGH SPEED TWOS ASSURANCES AND SAY THAT MENTION OF THE BATTLEFIELD WAS OMMITTED ALTOGETHER FROM INITIAL DRAFTS OF THE HS2 ROUTE. THEY SAY: WE ARE ALL AWARE OF THE GENERAL AREA OF THE BATTLEFIELD BUT NOBODY CAN BE 100% SURE UNTILL IT HAS BEEN PROPERLY SURVEYED. ANYONE WHO CLAIMS THE CONTRARY IS TALKING NONSENSE. WE ARE HOPING THAT BAN AMENDMENT TO THE ROUTE IN 2012 WILL MITIGATE THE WROST IMPACT OF THIS, BUT UNTILL A DETAILED SURVEY HAS BEEN CARRIED OUT WE CANNOT BE SURE AMAZINGLY, THE AREA HAS NEVER BEEN INVESTIGATED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS! (Hmmm.............sounds rather intriguing!)
Posted on: Sat, 09 Nov 2013 23:38:11 +0000
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