Saxton, North Yorkshire: The ripple effect that is still felt today
Palm Sunday 1461 left an imprint on Saxton perhaps as great as any single day has had on any Yorkshire village. On flat farmland just north of the 'Settlement of Saxons', four miles south of Tadcaster, having spent the night camped in and around the village Yorkist Edward converged in snow blizzard conditions on Lancastrian supporters of Henry VI, in the decisive battle of the War of the Roses which would determine the English monarchy.
Historian John Leland, who visited the area in the 1540s, stated the Battle of Towton 'was as much fought in Saxton paroch as in Towton, yet it berith the name of Towton'.
Part of the battlefield, which saw the biggest, longest and bloodiest battle on English soil and can be visited on a number of walks, is known as Bloody Meadow and to the west the Cock Beck.
Historians say when fleeing troops tried to cross the brook "a great number were drenched and drowned, in so much that the common people there afirm, that men alive passed the river upon dead carcasses, and that the great river of Wharfe, which is the great sewer of the brook, and of all the water coming from Towton, was coloured with blood". Crossing the stream west of Saxton, alone in a field with bumps and furrows of earthworks indicating the site of a medieval manor house, stands St Mary's Church.
It has been known as the Ramblers' Church since being rescued from dereliction by a group of walkers in 1931. The 14th century stone chapel, near the Crooked Billet pub which is known for its three-course Yorkshire pudding challenge, is just 18 foot long and has a simple interior, with medieval pews.
In 2022 the grade II listed redundant Anglican chapel, which is managed by the Churches Conservation Trust, was vandalised by a group who left behind a dubious apology note and wristbands from a festival they had been attending. It was used as a filming location for the 2016 ITV period drama Dark Angel, which starred Joanne Froggatt as the Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. Despite 664 years having passed since the battle, its legacy continues to feature significantly in village life. At the start of each month the "incredibly active" Towton Battlefield Society holds a meeting at the pebbledash-clad village hall, while the Palm Sunday Archers regularly meet to practise using longbows. There's even a tapestry group crafting an artwork featuring key moments from the battle. Many mass grave pits were dug on the battlefield and some killed in the battle were buried at All Saint's Church in Saxton. Historian John Leland was told some of the bones of men killed 'at Palmesunday feld' 'lay afore in five pittes, yet appering half a mile of by north in Saxton feldes'.
On the north side of All Saints' Church lays a chest tomb created from Craven limestone and featuring weathered coats of arms to its sides and ends to Lancastrian nobleman Ralph, Lord Dacre of Gillesland, who died in the battle. Excavations in the 19th century unearthed horse vertebrae extending into the grave, appearing to confirm claims he was buried in an upright position with his horse under him.
To the 11th century church's east side is a medieval limestone ashlar cross shaft while a large manicured lawned area of the churchyard is overlooked by The Greyhound pub, which has operated in a former farmhouse-cum-teasel barn facing Main Street for 154 years.
The pub is listed in CAMRA’s National Inventory for pubs with outstanding interiors for its low ceilinged flagged corridor leading to a tiny bar, horse brasses and commemorative plates. The listing states: "A rare treat for those who love old country pubs."
The village features many limestone properties, some modern and numerous others of significant age, such as the early 19th century School Farm, which has 30-pane Yorkshire sashes to ground floor and a pre-Victorian pigeoncote to the north of the property. Unusually for a main thoroughfare in a village, Main Street has a large undeveloped field to its east. It has been protected as an scheduled ancient monument, the remains of a 12th century motte and bailey and a medieval manor house which superseded the castle as the residence of the local lord.
The 40-metre wide earthen mound motte is well preserved and heritage officials say the close association of the moat and bailey with the later manor house makes Saxton Castle "important evidence" for the study of the continued development of the feudal system from its imposition after the Norman Conquest until the end of the Middle Ages. The motte lies in a rectangular bailey, spanning some 180 metres by 150 metres, with ramparts visible on the eastern side as a slight bank 20m wide, running from Fircroft to Manor Farm, while to the west the limits of the bailey follow the line of Main Street. The manor house, once the residence of the Hungate family, was demolished in the early 19th century, but its foundations survive immediately to the south of Manor Farm. A hollow way, a disused trackway leading to the manor house, runs diagonally across the bailey of the castle.
Withstanding the absence of a central village green, Saxton is particularly picturesque. Off the staggered crossroads at the heart of Saxton there is a K6 telephone kiosk that has been given protected status due to its proximity to the grade I listed church and other buildings.
Also near the church is Saxton Church of England Primary School, which Ofsted judged as good in all areas last year. It ranks among Yorkshire's smallest schools, with just 41 pupils, but despite the challenges that creates recently landed the York Community Pride School of the Year title as well as an Arts Council award for pupil development.
Saxton, the parish of which has a population of about 600, also has a cricket club on Coldhill Lane with a membership that belies the village's size, and boasts a smart pavilion and a pitch bordered by mature trees. It is believed cricket has been played at Saxton since at least the 1830s, but participation has mushroomed since the club created a juniors development plan in 1999.