A MYSTERY which has captured the imagination of Worcester historians for hundreds of years has proved too big even for Tony Robinson and his Time Team crew.

The question of where the bodies of the thousands killed in the Battle of Worcester – the final battle of the English Civil War – are buried has long been a fascination for history experts.

Chairman of the Battle of Worcester Society, Grant Simmonds, said the group’s patron Lord Faulkner recently came up with a cunning plan to invite the former Blackadder actor and his Time Team crew to the city to investigate.

“There’s so much we don’t know about the Battle of Worcester. One of the greatest mysteries is where the bodies were buried.

“We know that about 3,000 Scots and hundreds on the parliamentary side died and they must be buried somewhere.

“Some people think it was in the Cathedral green and others in Fort Royal Hill.

“Other people have said they might be in the car park behind Sidbury which is due to become the arts quarter.”

Mr Simmonds said he had emailed Mr Robinson suggesting one of the forthcoming Time Team specials should look into the mystery.

But the actor-turned-history expert replied saying the project was interesting but would not be feasible within the programme’s three-day restriction.

“He was very polite and extremely sympathetic,” Mr Simmonds said.

“But he said the programme only has three days to film and really, where would they start?

“Also, digging into the ring road probably wouldn’t go down very well with the people of Worcester.”

The battle, on September 3, 1651, saw Oliver Cromwell and the parliamentarians defeat King Charles II’s royalist forces after they captured Fort Royal.

But he said the organisation would continue to investigate the mystery and hoped one day to know the truth about where those that died were laid to rest.

“It would raise the profile of the battle – if it hadn’t ended the way it did our whole history would be different,” he said. 

“It’s something for the future.”

For more information on the Battle of Worcester Society visit thebattleofworcestersociety.org.uk.