“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.
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
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I’m guessing but I imagine the archaeologists paid him well to dig up his dining room.
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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.
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LOL. The official count was around 22,000 but historians have upped that to 75,000 based on what they found at Towton. Thanks.
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That subject would kill the conversation for me! Good story. I could “see” the carvings and the holes.
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Thanks. Glad you could see them.
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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
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Thanks Susan. I think Towton has hit the tourist jackpot.
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Wow! Seventy-five thousand, with blades and axes. Quite the memorial!
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Yes it is hard to conceive. 10% of Britain’s entire males that were capable of fighting. Bloody and horrific.
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Dear Irene,
It’s already interesting to see where this prompt is taking people. Quite a story. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you Rochelle.
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A historical hyperbole. Interesting take.
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Thank you.
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Oh, the Battle of Towton – supposedly the bloodiest battle on English soil. A chilling moment in history and a fitting tribute here, Irene
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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.
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A grim moment in the nation’s history. My pleasure Irene
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A grisly dinner!
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Yes I’m sure the host probably has battle stories down pat.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I look forward to the peace.
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History and dinner, all rolled into one. As long as the guests don’t add to the list of the dead!
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Now that would be quite the dinner party – a murder night.
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Indeed!
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That’s an original take on the prompt! Quite a nightmarish vision you’ve conjured up!
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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.
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Inspirational take on the prompt, Irene. Well done.
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Thank you Sandra.
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Dinner parties there must be a laugh a minute.
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LOL. I’m sure there are probably a lot of grisly stories – might make you overlook the meat if it too is grisly.
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Oh! Don’t invite me to dinner but I would like a short tour. Now, off to read more about Towton.
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LOL. An interesting history.
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I really liked your take on this, Irene. Very entertaining.
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Thanks Robbie. Glad you enjoyed it.
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What a man!
Thanks for the heads-up. I would just feign sickness if they ever send a dinner invitation.
Great story, Irene.
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Thanks Moon.
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Great story and I learned some history here too.
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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.
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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 🙂
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Put like that – a seating arrangement nightmare for the hostess.
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Well written and alarmingly informative, I had no knowledge of this
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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.
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A history lovers decor!
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True.
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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.
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Britain had a fairly bloody past.
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Ouch.. eating on top of a graveyard I feel
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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.
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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.
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Thank you.
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Not sure I would want to eat there. Well done.
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Thanks. You could probably drink a bit as the surroundings would be a bit sobering.
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