The first phase of development of the Battlefields Hub, began in June 2002 and ran until the end of 2004-5, with grant aid from the HLF and the Hartnett Trust for the development of a Resource Centre on English battlefields. Forty eight of the most important and best preserved of English battlefields were visited and researched. 

The information was drawn from a wide range of sources. Much was taken from secondary works, such as published battlefield guides and military histories. However a significant amount of original research was also undertaken, including documentary study of the historic landscape and field visits to the battlefields and to related sites.

Work began in late 2004, in collaboration with Historic Scotland, on the enhancement of the Trust's UK Fields of Conflict database and to conduct a 'resource assessment' to assist Historic Scotlandinthe management of the many important sites in Scotland. The battles researched  for this project were added to the Battlefield Hub in 2005.  Since then the Battlefields Trust has added other sites of conflict, mainly in England.