A BLOODTHIRSTY battle is due to rage in North Yorkshire tonight.

A relatively small-scale staging of the Wars of the Roses conflict at Towton is to take place, marking the 550th anniversary of Britain’s most costly battle.

Members of Towton Battlefield Society will re-create the clash in the Methodist church hall in Portholme Road, Selby, at 7.30pm.

About 28,000 men died in a single day of fighting between the Lancastrians and the Yorkists. It was a decisive victory for the Yorkists, as the Lancastrian army suffered heavy losses and ceased to exist as an effective fighting force after the fighting on Palm Sunday, 1461, on a plateau between Towton and Saxton, south of Tadcaster.

Eileen Fenteman, one of the organisers of the event, said: “We have never had anyone performing before, it should be quite exciting. It was the most important battle of the Wars of the Roses because of all the bloodshed that took place.”

The event will cost £2 for members and £4 for non-members including tea, coffee and biscuits.

Meanwhile, a number of other events to commemorate the battle are planned around York one weekend next month. On Saturday, April 9, Terry Deary, the famous children’s author and expert on the battle, will appear at DIG from 10.30am to 12.30pm to sign books and chat with fans An exhibition on the battle is being held from 10am until 4pm at the Micklegate Bar Museum on the same day. On Sunday, April 10, an historical talk will be held at the Mansion House, led by historians George Goodwin and Tim Sutherland. To book a place, phone 01904 615505.

Further details about events will follow in The Press.