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Dig identifies site of Battle of Bosworth

MARKET BOSWORTH, England, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- An archaeologist said guns and ammunition have helped him pin down the site of a turning point in English history -- the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

The battle was won by Henry Tudor, who became King Henry VII. It ended the life and reign of King Richard III and is considered the conclusion of the Middle Ages in England.

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Glenn Foard, who has been leading the dig at Bosworth in Leicestershire for four years, announced his conclusion Wednesday on the slopes of Ambion Hill, traditionally the site of Richard's initial charge against the enemy, The Times of London reported. He pointed to an area of flat farm fields about 2 miles away.

Foard is trying to keep the site a closely held secret for fear of luring treasure-seekers.

The excavation has also changed views on warfare in the late medieval period. Foard's finds include ammunition for cannon and muskets, suggesting that armies were using mobile artillery more than 10 years earlier than previously thought.

Henry went on to marry Elizabeth of York, Richard's niece, and to become the father of Henry VIII and grandfather of Queen Elizabeth I.

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