ON this day 752 years ago in 1265 Prince Edward’s forces killed Simon de Montfort in the Battle of Evesham.
Just one year prior to his death in 1264 de Montfort, the Earl of Leicester, successfully led a rebellion against King Henry III and as a result became the de facto ruler of England.
However, after a rule of just one year, in which de Montfort was considered to have formed the first parliament to give democratic rights, Prince Edward escaped captivity and lead the royalists into battle again, defeating and killing de Montfort in battle in Evesham.
De Montfort’s remains remains were then scattered around different parts of the country.
The monks of Evesham Abbey gathered de Montfort’s remains and at first buried them in the chancel of the Abbey.
But after King Henry III heard of how pilgrims were visiting de Montfort’s burial site, the monarch ordered his remains to be hidden within the Abbey.
As the Observer has previously reported, historian Dr David Cox believes the sixth Earl of Leicester’s skeleton could have been reburied in a tomb in the crypt of the Abbey.
His findings, which he is due to publish in 2018, claims to have revealed the location of the remains within the site of the Abbey.
