There are three main aspects to the study of battlefields. First is the understanding of the events themselves, that is the battle, siege or skirmish. Second is the investigation of the historic terrain, the landscape as it was when the action took place. The third is to recover and carefully map the location of battle related finds through a systematic battlefield metal detecting archaeological survey. A range of scholars including Hutton in 1788, Brooke in 1857, Burne in 1950 and Newman in 1978 have made a major contribution to the methodology of battlefield investigation. But, in order to advance our understanding further, what is required is a multidisciplinary approach in which the skills of the military historian are complemented by those of the landscape historian and archaeologist.

The following pages provide limited guidance and information on ways in which to pursue further research. They also provide a brief explanation as to how the resources on this website have been prepared.