The spectacularly successful English Civil War re-enactment staged in Newport Pagnell in 2016 will have a lasting legacy for years to come.
The NP Civil War Weekend, organised by local volunteers over the August Bank Holiday, generated a surplus which has been gifted to those who look after the town’s Bury Field Common.
The £2,224 will go towards a scientific survey of the site which played a significant role in the real Civil War and 350 years later hosted the battle event and living history show by 550 members of the English Civil War Society, and seen by around 8,000 visitors free of charge.
Newport Pagnell Commoner’s Association, which is responsible with Milton Keynes Council and Countryside Stewardship for preserving the common, is to have an archaeological survey carried out. This could include a Time Team style ‘geophys’ examination to trace what remains of the Civil War defences, walls, ditches and ramparts underground. During the Civil War the town was garrisoned by Oliver Cromwell’s troops.
The gift was proposed by Richard Meredith the former chair of the NP CWW committee. He said: “The archaeological survey will provide a very worthy memorial to our highly successful efforts in the summer of 2016.”
Raising awareness of the defence works was one of the original objectives of the Civil War Weekend said committee member Geoff Morris. “This survey will allow the Commoners to complete that work on our behalf.”
It is hoped the gifted surplus will be matched by other sources and that the survey findings will be made available to schools and on interpretation boards for visitors to the Common.
A small number of professionally produced Hi-Definition DVDs of the Civil War Weekend event are available to purchase from the Newport Pagnell Historical Society.
Major sponsors of the re-enactment event included the Heritage Lottery Fund, Newport Pagnell Town Council and the MK Community Foundation.
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