Each side toured the country to raise
support for their army. By May, the
King’s army had reached Lewes where
he intended to halt for a while to allow
reinforcements to reach him but his
son Prince Edward took the cavalry to
Lewes Castle. De Montfort approached
the King requesting a truce. The King
rejected the negotiations and de Montfort
moved his men to Offham Hill, in a night
march that would surprise Henry and his
forces. The Barons ordered their men to
wear white crosses to distinguish them
from the others and the bloody Battle
began.
The Baronial forces commenced the
engagement with the surprise attack.
The King made his move but after much
battlement blood and death and with
the town ablaze, many of the King’s
supporters fled and it was time to accept
de Montfort’s renewed negotiations.
After the battle thousands of soldiers lay
Each side toured
the country to raise
support for their army.
dead and local people apparently buried
them and it is believed that there are still
hundreds, perhaps thousands still buried
beneath the town.
place. It is known that the skull had been
hacked with a sword. It all sounds very
grim but you can find out so much more
about this if you’re interested.
The King was forced to sign the socalled Mise of Lewes. Prince Edward
(later King Edward I) remained hostage
to the Barons. De Montfort was in a
position of ultimate power until Prince
Edward’s escape and de Montfort’s
subsequent defeat at the Battle of
Evesham in August 1265.
Now is the time to learn and jo in in as
there will be many organised themed
events including a reenactment by the
various Bonfire Societies - they are
hoping the main part will take place on
Landport Bottom, moving down into
the town towards the Castle with small
vignettes being enacted on the way.
There will no doubt be skirmish on the
battlefield finishing with a firework finale.
Small set-piece demonstrations and
many other events will also mark the
anniversary.
Of course there is so much to learn
about this Battle, I have merely tried
to whet your appetite so that hopefully
you will look into this battle in depth
and realise how interesting and how
important this was not only to Lewes
but to Britain itself. From a political
standpoint the Battle of Lewes is one of
the most important battles ever fought
in Britain because after de Montfort
defeated Henry III here in Lewes he
called a representative parliament to
govern our country for the first time ever.
Ancient bones that were found under
a local school could belong to that of a
solider killed during the Battle of Lewes
and the remains are now with experts
who will hopefully confirm he was indeed
involved in this battle. The skull was
found near Lewes Prison which is close
to where the most brutal fighting took
I am sure all the people organising the
different events are hoping we will all get
involved and let’s hope it awakens the
spirt and ghosts of Henry III and Simon
de Montfort and the rest of the Barons
and soldiers who fought long and hard.
I hope I have given you an insight and
that you are eager to find out more
about the commanders, leaders and
belligerents of this battle. There is much
to learn and it all makes exciting and
interesting reading - trust me because
I really enjoyed it myself, it was an eyeopener and I will certainly be joining in
the celebrations.
By Vivien Barker
19