[Area NY 937695] Heaven Fields. Site of Battle [GT] (AD 635) (1)

In the last weeks of 633, (a) Oswald, son of Aethelfrith, defeated and killed Cadwallon near Rowley Burn, south of Hexham. Oswald was immediately accepted as King in Deira and Bernicia, the two fundamental divisions of Northumbria. (2)

The battle between Oswald and Cadwalla took place at Hefenfelth, interpreted by Bede as the heavenly plain. Nothing is known of the details of the battle, but Cadwalla, defeated, flew southward and was slain at Deniseburn, now Rowley Water, a tributary of the Devil's Water, about seven miles from the site of the battle. (3)

[Area NY 938 692] Mould's Close is a field on the opposite side of the road from St Oswald's chapel. Here, according to local tradition, the fight was at its hottest, and skulls and hilts of swords have been ploughed up. (4)

At 'A' NY 9365 6940, by the roadside, is a large wooden cross about 4m high. At its base is a stone slab (almost horizontal) inscribed:-
'Heavenfield, where King Oswald, being about to engage in battle, erected the sign of the Holy Cross and, on his knees, prayed to God and obtained the victory as his Faith deserved. AD 635 LAUS DEO'.
The cross was erected in 1927, and replaced a stone commemorative cross which had stood here up to 1807, and which had a Roman altar as its base stone. The altar is now in St Oswald's Church (NY 96 NW 37). There are no surface indications of antiquity at the battle site which is undulating pasture on the southern slope of a ridge. (5)

The battle of Heavenfield is widely assumed to have taken place just north of Hadrian's Wall, at a place commemorted at least from the later Middle Ages by a chapel, and by an annual procession of canons from Hexham Abbey. Re-examination of the available sources shows that Heavenfield and the battle were in different places, and that almost all commentators have been wrong about the location of the initial encounter. Heavenfield, north of the Wall, was the site of Oswald's camp before the battle, not the battle itself. The battle concluded with the death of Cadwallon at Denisesburn, south of the Tyne (probably today's Rowley Water).
However, it is unclear where the battle began. A clue provided by Leland says: 'that Oswald won the betelle at Halydene, a two miles est from St Oswalde's asche.' Halydene has been identified with Hallington, north of the Wall, but is discounted here. The suggestion is made that Oswald was at Heavenfield and Cadwallon was in the vicinity of Onnum/Halton, that Cadwallon fled through Corbridge, but was caught at the far side of the Tyne. The attack seems to have taken place at night, with Oswald attacking Cadwallon's camp, which was near Dere Street. Cadwallon and his army fled back down the Roman road, but were caught just after crossing the Tyne bridge at Corbridge. The rout took place at Denisesburn which flows into the Tyne at the bridge crossing.
The suggested path of events still leaves questions: there is nothing in the Roman or later road pattern to suggest why an army in flight would be anywhere near the Rowley Burn as we know it today, whilst if Cadwallon's forces had broken, the greater bottleneck would have been at the Tyne crossing. Perhaps there is a key piece of the Roman or medieval road system missing? If the battle was fought near Corbridge why was it not called the battle of Corbridge; or if fought near Halton why not name it after the fort Onnum or Halton? Perhaps the devotional background provides part of the answer since Heavenfield was where Oswald and his army prayed for victory, may be Bede considered this the site of victory even though physical events occurred elsewhere? (6)

It has been suggested that the site of Oswald's cross, that was set up before the battle with Caedwalla, is indicated by a hole cut through the floor of Turret 25b (HER 8544), as seen in the excavations by C C Woodfield in the 1960s. By the later seventh century the cross was acknowledged as a cult object with healing propoerties. (7)

This is a possible site of the Battle of Heavenfield which is located in Heaven Fields in Northumbria. The Battle is also know as the Battle of Hefenfelth, the Battle of Heaven Fields, the Battle of Heavenly Plain and the Battle of Denisesburn. The battle was fought in 635 AD and is the only documented battle to have involved Hadrian's Wall.
The battle was fought between Oswald of Northumbria and King Cadwallon of Wales. After a victory at Heathfield in 633 AD Oswald gained supremacy over Northumbria. The Welsh attacked from the north and Cadwallon was killed and the force defeated.
An 18th century memorial church was built and dedicated to St Oswald and it is assumed that the fields around the building mark the site of the battle. (8a)

The National Grid Reference for this possible location of the battle area is: NY937695 (8b)

Heavenfield and the battle were in different places. The name of the battle in at least two different sources is 'Catscaul', which means the battle within the wall, which suggests it took place south of the wall. Heavenfield lies to the north of the wall appears to have been the site of Oswald's camp the night before the battle. According to Bede and Adomnan, Oswald moved from here to launch a dawn attack on Caedwalla's camp. The Tudor writer Leland may provide a clue "there is fame that Oswald won the betelle at Halydene, a 2 miles est from St Oswalde's asche". This is likely to be Halton or the adjacent fort of Onnum. (8c)

General association with HER 8578 (Church of St Oswalds), HER 31499 (Roman altar), HER 22374 (churchyard wall). (8)