A retired Wiltshire GP claims he has discovered a mass grave dating back to a historic battle.

The Battle of Roundway Down, north of Devizes, took place in 1643 and it is believed up to 600 soldiers died in the clash between Parliamentarian and Royalist troops.

While the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre have made multiple finds on the battlefield, it is not known where the bodies of those killed in the fighting were buried, with the area still “undeveloped”.

But Dr Norman Beale, a retired Calne GP who now lives at the foot of Roundway Down, has published a new study claiming to have solved the centuries-old mystery.

Dr Beale is now calling for an archaeological dig on the battlefield to confirm if his theory, based on archive records, aerial photography, and laser images, is correct.

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Dr Norman BealeDr Norman Beale (Image: Huw Beale) He said: “Finding and exploring this mass grave would uncover fascinating finds and reduce the gaps in our understanding of this pivotal point in England’s early modern history.  

“And it would be possible, at last, to erect an appropriate monument.”

The brutal clash saw 5,000 Parliamentary troops defeated by 3,000 Royalists approaching from the east.

Dr Beale suggests those killed were buried in a trench along the western edge of the down.

“In understanding the dispersal of the forces using modern maps and photos, I believe I’ve identified where the bulk of the casualties lie”, he said.

“It’s reasonable to suppose the dead and fatally wounded were hastily buried close to where they fell, as it would’ve been impractical to move them all. 

“They’re very likely deposited in a long trench that shows up on the aerial images where the previous skeletons were found, dug near the top of the very steep hillside at the western end of the Down.”  

Dr Beale says the mass grave would have been shallow due to the terrain.

He added: “Early in the battle this cliff-edge proved fatal for the fleeing Parliamentary cavalry - they fell, headlong, to the bottom and many were killed in their flight – hence the local name of the stream at the bottom, the ‘Bloody Ditch.’ 

“Later, the defeated Parliamentary infantry used the same steep drop to try to save themselves from the swords and hooves of the Royalist cavalry.

“Those who were cut down before they could reach the slopes were the hundreds probably thrown into a trench dug in this area on top of the Down.

“It would’ve been a shallow trench as the chalk subsoil is so hard.”