Towton /ˈtaʊtən/ is a small village and civil parish in the Selby District of North Yorkshire, England. It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974.[3]

Towton
The Rockingham Arms, Towton
Towton Location within North Yorkshire
Population	226 (2011 census)[1]
OS grid reference	SE485395
Civil parish	Towton[2]
District	Selby
Shire county	North Yorkshire
Region	Yorkshire and the Humber
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TADCASTER
Postcode district	LS24
Police	North Yorkshire
Fire	North Yorkshire
Ambulance	Yorkshire
List of places UK England Yorkshire 53.849925°N 1.2634889°W / 53.849925; -1.2634889

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Towton like this:

''TOWTON, a township in Saxton parish, W. R. Yorkshire; 2½ miles S of Tadcaster. Acres, 1,360. Real property, £1,167. Pop., 101. Houses, 24. A very sanguinary battle, between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists, was fought here on 29 March, 1461.''

History

In 2010 and 2011 a pair of gold torcs dating to the Iron Age were discovered by metal detectorists. The 'Towton torcs' were acquired by the Yorkshire Museum in 2013.[4]

The village is best known for the Battle of Towton, fought on Palm Sunday, 29 March 1461, during the Wars of the Roses. It was at this battle that Sir David Ap Mathew saved the life of Edward IV. Once King, Edward granted Sir David Ap Mathew permission to use 'Towton' on the Mathew family crest.[5]

The battle has been described as "probably the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil."[6]

References

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