Free Battle of Shrewsbury lecture hosted by University Centre

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The venue, Rowley’s House, and lecturer, Dr Philip Morgan.

The question of what happened to the bodies after the Battle of Shrewsbury will be explored by a medieval warfare expert at a free lecture hosted by the town’s University Centre this month.

Dr Philip Morgan will present the talk at Rowley’s House in Shrewsbury town centre on Wednesday 27 January 2016. People are invited to hear the lecture and put questions to Dr Morgan from 1pm to 2.15pm.

The talk on “The Battle of Shrewsbury, 1403; What Happened to the Bodies?” is one of a series of lunchtime lectures at Rowley’s House on military history. These are part of a wider programme of public events run by University Centre Shrewsbury (UCS).

Admission to the lecture at Rowley’s House, Barker Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 1QH, is free. However, booking is essential as places are limited.

The Battle of Shrewsbury was one of the most important and bloodiest battles in Britain, having a significant impact on the course of English and French history.

The conflict took place on Sunday 21 July 1403, between an army led by the Lancastrian king, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry “Harry Hotspur” Percy from Northumberland.

Dr Morgan is a senior lecturer in history at Keele University who specialises in the history of medieval warfare. He was recently involved in the celebrations of the anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt, and his most recent publications are on battlefield memorials.

Dr Morgan said:

“The aftermath of any battle, whether in our own time or in the past, raises the question of ‘how shall we deal with the dead?’

“The excavation of Richard III’s corpse and the pit at Towton are recent examples of finding battle victims. But what do we know of the aftermath of Shrewsbury with persistent local traditions of bones separated from the rest of their skeletons in local churches, the dying allegedly resting in Featherbed Lane, or the apparent inability of recent archaeology to find the great pit of the dead which we know to have been dug?

“The answers to these questions take us into surprising territories including the punishment of sin, prophecy and the movement of comets.”

To book places email communications@ucshrewsbury.ac.uk or call 01743 297185.

Alternatively, people can visit Rowley’s House or Guildhall in Frankwell Quay. The helpdesk at Rowley’s House is open 11am to 2pm Monday to Thursday. The information point at Guildhall is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Fridays.

For further details on UCS events go to www.ucshrewsbury.ac.uk/public-events.

For more information about Dr Morgan go to www.keele.ac.uk/history/people/philipmorgan.