For several years now the Battlefields Trust have been trying to resolve the debate on exactly where the confrontation between the Royalist Army gathered up by Sir Jacob Astley, and the Parliamentarian Army under the control of Colonel Morgan, actually took place on 21st March 1646.

A previous survey by the Battlefields Trust and the Society in 2015 drew a complete blank, both at the site where the monument is situated near the village of Donnington, and on a large open field further south.  The battlefield experts have long maintained that the monument site is too small for armies of that size, and too far from Stow Square for the retreating Royalists to have reached it without being cut down by the cavalry. 

  

A further survey in June 2018 concentrated on a location much nearer Stow and quickly began locating lead bullets of 17th century origin.  Most were less than musket size from smaller calibre weapons, which indicated that the area possibly featured during the retreat.  During the survey the conditions were cold and mostly wet and the team only managed to survey one large field during the weekend. 

Another survey was conducted in early 2019 funded by another generous donation, this time from a local landowner, which focused on ground adjacent to that surveyed in 2018.  This provided additional information but did not settle the question as to whether the 2018 finds represented part of the rout or the initial stand of royalist forces.  There is also an outside possibility that the finds represent a skirmish fought at Stow at another point in the War.  More work is planned to understand the extent of the fighting that the archaeology so far discovered represents and to try and answer these questions. Further exploration is needed to determine the route of the armies as they approached Stow and to establish the core battlefield, but the finds are a very encouraging sign.  It is hoped that a further survey can be undertaken, depending on land usage.

  

We have kindly been permitted by the landowner to retain most of the finds and some of these will be displayed in the cabinet in the library foyer.