Registered Historic Battlefields

Historic England maintain a Register of Historic Battlefields that identifies 46 important English battlefields. Its purpose is to offer them protection and to promote a better understanding of their significance.

There is one Registered Historic Battlefield within the boundary of Newcastle upon Tyne which marks the site of the 1640 Battle of Newburn Ford.

Battlefields are significant in four ways:

• As turning points in English history, for example the Norman Conquest which followed the Battle of Hastings in 1066, or the turmoil of the Civil Wars in the seventeenth century which changed the roles of monarchy and parliament.  The reputations of great political and military leaders were frequently built on battlefield success.
• Tactics and skills of war still relevant to the defence of the country evolved on historic battlefields
• Battlefields are the final resting place for thousands of unknown soldiers, nobles and commoners alike, whose lives were sacrificed in the making of the history of England
• Where they survive, battlefields may contain important topographical and archaeological evidence which can increase our understanding of the momentous events of history which took place on their soil

The Newburn Battlefield Strategic Research document can be used as a planning tool and research document. It has been produced to better understand the various elements of this important battlefield site.

The Battlefields Trust has created a number of education resource packs for use in schools, colleges and youth groups.

Our interactive map of the Historic Environment and Conservation in Newcastle. You'll see the battlefield site in the South West area of the city boundary.

• You can zoom in and out to get a closer look of the area you're interested in.  Click-and-drag or use the arrow keys to move the move around.   Click a site on the map to display a pop-up box with more information on it, including a link to Historic England's webpage.  There is an option in the top right corner of the map to switch the aerial photography on and off, and to choose which layers to switch on and off.