Intangible Heritage at Historic Battlefields: Interpreting Non-Built Cultural Sites
Justin Sikora, Gerard Corsane, Peter Davis
International Centre for Cultural and Heritage Studies
Newcastle University
Historic battlefields are sites of momentous events which represent a strong sense of place and
national identity, yet they have been largely marginalised in heritage studies; possibly due to their
association with ‘dark heritage’. Historic battlefields have not been granted the same status as other
heritage sites; there are no battlefields on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and in the United Kingdom
(UK) they are not protected by legislation. The primary issue for a lack of recognition has been the
ambiguity of battlefields as a heritage resource. Archaeological finds are rare, subsequently making it
difficult to define tangible boundaries. With few material remains and the distance of these conflicts
out of living memory, the visitor experience is wholly different at historic battlefields than at modern
sites of conflict. Nevertheless, there are millions of ‘dark’ tourists to historic battlefields worldwide,
which are frequently equated to ‘pilgrimages’. Despite the paucity of tangible evidence, millions have
been spent on high-tech visitor centres, including sites where the exact location has been disputed,
such as Bosworth and Bannockburn. On-site interpretation is crucial for visitors to visualise these
non-built heritage spaces, and can be reinforced by live interpretation and re-enactments – which
can portray the disastrous consequences of war – as well as providing the performative space for
commemoration. This intangible heritage has provided an important mechanism for visitors and
locals to participate in memorial ceremonies recognising the victors and the vanquished who fought
within that space, and to negotiate ‘dark narratives’. One such battle is Flodden in Northumberland,
UK which is the main site linking a new, cross-border ecomuseum with twelve sites in England and
Scotland. There is also a strong intangible heritage link with the yearly ‘common riding’ festivals in
the region, which commemorate the soldiers who rode into battle from both the English and Scottish
sides. Drawing on fieldwork from Flodden and other UK battlefields, this paper aims to address the
gap in the heritage literature on historic battlefields, to consider their intangible heritage values, how
memory lingers in non-built heritage spaces, and if historic battlefields can be framed as ‘dark
heritage’ sites.