{{Short description|Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}} {{Use British English|date=January 2020}} {{Infobox UK place | country = England | static_image = The Rockingham Arms , Towton on a damp December evening. - geograph.org.uk - 293007.jpg | static_image_caption = The Rockingham Arms, Towton | coordinates = {{coord|53.849925|-1.2634889|display=inline,title}} | official_name = Towton | civil_parish = Towton<ref>{{cite web |title=Towton Parish Council Website |url=http://www.towtonpc.org.uk/ |website =Towton Parish Council |access-date=27 July 2022}}</ref> | population = 226 | population_ref = (2011 census)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11129806&c=LS24+9BF&d=16&e=62&g=6455656&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1439733323236&enc=1|title=Parish population 2011|access-date=16 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117040516/http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11129806&c=LS24+9BF&d=16&e=62&g=6455656&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1439733323236&enc=1|archive-date=17 November 2015}}</ref> | unitary_england = North Yorkshire | lieutenancy_england = North Yorkshire | region = Yorkshire and the Humber | constituency_westminster = | post_town = TADCASTER | postcode_district = LS24 | postcode_area = LS | dial_code = | os_grid_reference = SE485395 }} '''Towton''' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|aʊ|t|ən}} is a small village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England.
It was historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire until 1974.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History of Towton, in Selby and West Riding {{!}} Map and description|url=https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/14395|access-date=2020-11-25|website=www.visionofbritain.org.uk}}</ref> From 1974 to 2023 it was part of the Selby District, it is now administered by the unitary North Yorkshire Council.
==History== In 2010 and 2011 a pair of gold torcs dating to the Iron Age were discovered by metal detectorists. The 'Towton torcs' were acquired by the Yorkshire Museum in 2013.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-25123492 |title=Yorkshire Museum buys second Towton bracelet |work=BBC News |date=28 November 2013 |access-date=20 January 2021}}</ref>
The name Towton derives from the Old Norse personal name ''Tofi'' and the Old English ''tūn'', meaning 'settlement'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kepn.nottingham.ac.uk/map/place/Yorkshire%20WR/Towton|title=Towton |website=Key to English Place-Names |publisher=The Institute for Name-Studies |access-date=29 October 2025}}</ref>
The village is best known for the Battle of Towton, fought on Palm Sunday, 29 March 1461, during the Wars of the Roses. It was at this battle that Sir David Ap Mathew saved the life of Edward IV. Once King, Edward granted Sir David Ap Mathew permission to use 'Towton' on the Mathew family crest.<ref>{{cite book |last=Gravett |first=Christopher |authorlink=Christopher Gravett |title=Towton 1461—England's Bloodiest Battle |series=Campaign |volume=120 |year=2003 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford, United Kingdom |isbn=1-84176-513-9 |page=44 }}</ref>
The battle has been described as "probably the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil."{{Sfn|Gravett|2003|p=7}}
==See also== *Listed buildings in Towton
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Commons category|Towton}}
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Category:Civil parishes in North Yorkshire Category:Villages in North Yorkshire
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