The small broken badge shows a bird, probably an eagle. It has been dated by the British Museum to the late 15th or early 16th century – exactly the right date to be associated with the Battle of Bosworth (1485).
It was found by a volunteer working with Leicestershire County Council’s survey to find the true location of the battlefield, which has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
"We believe this is a heraldic badge identifying the wearer as a retainer of a particular nobleman," said Richard Knox of Bosworth Battlefield Centre. "Unfortunately, it is broken so we cannot identify whose badge it is. It is just the sort of thing likely to be lost in a battle."
"We are undertaking a systematic survey of the area to locate the battlefield and this represents another piece in the jigsaw. The survey has another year to run and we hope to have come to a conclusion by the time we have finished.’
The badge will be acquired by Leicestershire County Council and will go on display in the Bosworth Battlefield Centre.
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