Flodden

TillVAS was a Stakeholder in the Flodden 1513 and Flodden 500 archaeology projects which ended in December 2016. The project aimed to bring together communities of the Scottish and Northumbrian border areas in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Flodden 1513. The project spanned over four years ensuring that a legacy was created beyond the commemoration events in 2013. It had been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in the sum of £887, 300.

The battle led to the deaths of 15,000 Scottish and English soldiers, 100 Scottish nobles and the Scottish King, James IV. The result of the battle and the tragic loss of life were to have a long-lasting influence on the course of Scottish and English history and it is surprising that the battle has been relatively unknown in England and Scotland compared with other historical events.

The Flodden 1513 Ecomuseum is an open museum which links over 40 sites from across north Northumberland, the Scottish Borders and Edinburgh which have a connection with the story of Flodden. They all have a connection with the battle through history, folklore or legend. The sites include churches, castles, bridges, museums and the battlefield site itself.

The Flodden 500 archaeology project covered a number of headings and although TillVAS had an interest in all of these, the Society's particular interest was in practical archaeology. The HLF enabled additional money to be made available for archaeological work on the battlefield and associated sites. This included funding for scientific work such as geophysical surveys and carbon dating of finds which are such expensive areas of archaeology.