“Lord Towton I just adore your house and that sculpture.” The American tourist pointed to the large chain mail upside down helmet.
“Thats a memorial to the downed men of Towton Battle. Come see the dining room.” They entered a large room. A beautiful carved oak table seating thirty overwhelmed the room but all eyes went to the deep holes excavated in the floor. “Towton Battlefield. Won the War of the Roses for Edward IV. Seventy five thousand dead. Probably most reluctant. Right on top of the battlefield we are. We’re never short for a conversation topic during dinner.”
Thank you to our host for Friday fictioneers Rochelle Wisoff-Fields and thank you also for providing the photo prompt to Douglas M MacIlroy.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
About Irene Waters 19 Writer Memoirist
I began my working career as a reluctant potato peeler whilst waiting to commence my training as a student nurse. On completion I worked mainly in intensive care/coronary care; finishing my hospital career as clinical nurse educator in intensive care. A life changing period as a resort owner/manager on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu was followed by recovery time as a farmer at Bucca Wauka. Having discovered I was no farmer and vowing never again to own an animal bigger than myself I took on the Barrington General Store. Here we also ran a five star restaurant. Working the shop of a day 7am - 6pm followed by the restaurant until late was surprisingly more stressful than Tanna. On the sale we decided to retire and renovate our house with the help of a builder friend. Now believing we knew everything about building we set to constructing our own house. Just finished a coal mine decided to set up in our backyard. Definitely time to retire we moved to Queensland. I had been writing a manuscript for some time. In the desire to complete this I enrolled in a post grad certificate in creative Industries which I completed 2013. I followed this by doing a Master of Arts by research graduating in 2017. Now I live to write and write to live.
Reflections and Nightmares- Irene A Waters (writer and memoirist) 
Lord Towton might be just a wee bit obsessive
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m guessing but I imagine the archaeologists paid him well to dig up his dining room.
LikeLike
Jings, Irene, this is a bit bloody, you killed off more folk today than I have in 5 years!
Good story, and interesting topic for dinner, hmm.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. The official count was around 22,000 but historians have upped that to 75,000 based on what they found at Towton. Thanks.
LikeLike
That subject would kill the conversation for me! Good story. I could “see” the carvings and the holes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. Glad you could see them.
LikeLike
Eek! I think I’d be a bit worried about living in a house built over a battlefield, but I suppose Lord Towton is happy if it draws in the tourists! Great story, Irene.
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Susan. I think Towton has hit the tourist jackpot.
LikeLike
Wow! Seventy-five thousand, with blades and axes. Quite the memorial!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes it is hard to conceive. 10% of Britain’s entire males that were capable of fighting. Bloody and horrific.
LikeLike
Dear Irene,
It’s already interesting to see where this prompt is taking people. Quite a story. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Rochelle.
LikeLike
A historical hyperbole. Interesting take.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, the Battle of Towton – supposedly the bloodiest battle on English soil. A chilling moment in history and a fitting tribute here, Irene
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lynn. Yes I believe it was and I read how Towton 25 died and if most met his fate it wouldn’t have been a pretty sight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A grim moment in the nation’s history. My pleasure Irene
LikeLiked by 1 person
A grisly dinner!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes I’m sure the host probably has battle stories down pat.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The sad thing is that we often glibly discuss the loss of life as we consume a delicious meal. War is, has always been, always will be, a topic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It would be a wonderful world if we could all be at peace. We are horrified at acts that happen today and yet we too have had our time at barbary.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Bible says in Jeremiah 17:9 that the human heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. There will be barbarian behavior until Jesus reigns. Then there will be peace on earth.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I look forward to the peace.
LikeLiked by 1 person
History and dinner, all rolled into one. As long as the guests don’t add to the list of the dead!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Now that would be quite the dinner party – a murder night.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s an original take on the prompt! Quite a nightmarish vision you’ve conjured up!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought the thing at the forefront of the picture looked like a mediaeval chain mail headress such as women used to wear – how it got to Britain’s bloodiest battle I don’t know except that it was around the same time.
LikeLike
Inspirational take on the prompt, Irene. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you Sandra.
LikeLike
Dinner parties there must be a laugh a minute.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. I’m sure there are probably a lot of grisly stories – might make you overlook the meat if it too is grisly.
LikeLike
Oh! Don’t invite me to dinner but I would like a short tour. Now, off to read more about Towton.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL. An interesting history.
LikeLike
I really liked your take on this, Irene. Very entertaining.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Robbie. Glad you enjoyed it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a man!
Thanks for the heads-up. I would just feign sickness if they ever send a dinner invitation.
Great story, Irene.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Moon.
LikeLike
Great story and I learned some history here too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Lisa. It always makes me stop and think that we are horrified by some of the acts of war that happen in the Middle East but we were just as horrific going back a bit. We are just at different points in time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
75000 souls coming up to sit and chat whenever they felt like it might be a bit overwhelming for the guests, as well as the hosts 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Put like that – a seating arrangement nightmare for the hostess.
LikeLike
Well written and alarmingly informative, I had no knowledge of this
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you very much Michael. If the documentaries I see are anything to go by they are uncovering more information daily on this time of English history. Staggering the barbarity and the numbers slaughtered.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A history lovers decor!
LikeLiked by 1 person
True.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Now that is a dinner conversation I could do without… the number of teh slain is staggering. Great take, Irene, I knew nothing about this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Britain had a fairly bloody past.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ouch.. eating on top of a graveyard I feel
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL Yes . It probably was fine when they didn’t know, now it must be a bit confronting having the floor dug up around you.
LikeLike
Towton has such a greta voice – matter-of-fact, pompous, privileged. The thought of eating dinner above all those graves and having something to talk about is priceless.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike
Not sure I would want to eat there. Well done.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks. You could probably drink a bit as the surroundings would be a bit sobering.
LikeLike