News

Cornish battlefields registered by English Heritage

24 July 2013

 

HISTORIC CORNISH BATTLEFIELDS REGISTERED BY ENGLISH HERITAGE

 

Following an application made by the Battlefields Trust in 2012, English Heritage has decided to register two battles fought around Lostwithiel in Cornwall in
August 1644.  It has added them to its National Heritage List, increasing the number of registered battlefield in England from 43 to 45.

 

The battles, which saw the worst parliamentarian defeat during the Civil War and secured the south-west for King Charles I, have been selected for their
military significance and the well preserved nature of the landscape, which permits good understanding of the battles. They are also  judged to have significant archaeological potential. 

 

Frank Baldwin Chairman of the Trust said: 'these are the first battlefields to be registered in England since 1995 and shows that the Register is a living document.  We have asked English Heritage to look at registering other battlefields, including the Wars of the Roses site at Edgcote.  We hope English Heritage resolves these requests in the same positive way.'

 

Registration of battlefields does not mean they have statutory protection, but does require that their status is considered in the planning process.
The government's National Planning Policy Framework says that development of historic battlefields should be 'wholly exceptional'.

 

Battlefields Trust Development Officer Julian Humphrys is clear that registration alone will not preserve battlefields:  'development and unsystematic metal detecting without professional archaeological input are the main threats to battlefields in the UK.  But designation offers no absolute protection from either.  Battlefields are ultimately  local issues and having people who who own or live near battlefields interested in them is the best form of protection and that's what the Battlefields Trust is all about'.