The life and legacy of England’s greatest warrior King: Monuments from the time of Henry V

There are, so far as we know, at least three churches in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust with a connection to Henry V. Monuments in two of these churches link to his legacy and the way he was remembered and reconstructed as a character in popular culture following his death. The third church is a monument in itself and is closely linked to what historian Dan Jones refers to as “a turning point in Henry’s life”: the Battle of Shrewsbury. We shall begin our brief journey through the life and times of Henry V, largely based on the research of historians Dan Jones and Victoria Jenner, at this very church, which is fittingly called St. Mary Magdalene, Battlefield.

St. Mary Magdalene, Battlefield, was built from 1606 – 1608 to commemorate the Battle of Shrewsbury, which took place near this site in 1603. This battle was the first major battle of Henry IV’s reign, where royal forces faced and defeated the rebel army of Henry “Hotspur” Percy. The battle itself took place on 21st July, which explains the churches’ dedication to Mary Magdalene, whose feast day is the 22nd of July. This dedication also places an emphasis on reconciliation after a battle where English soldiers shed the blood of their own countrymen, with Mary Magdalene being the patron saint of penitence. 

In his 2025 Annual Lecture on behalf of the Churches Conservation Trust “The Astonishing Rise of England’s Greatest Warrior King, Henry V”, Dan Jones captivatingly recounted how the bitter and bloody Battle of Shrewsbury nearly claimed the life of Henry IV’s heir, the future Henry V. What made this a battle with a particularly high number of casualties, was the fact that both sides were Anglo-Welsh and were therefore using longbows, a medieval super-weapon which decided many battles in favour of the English. According to Dan Jones, Prince Henry opened his visor or removed his helmet at some point during the battle, perhaps to wipe his face or drink some water, and was shot in the face by an arrow, which penetrated his skull just below the eye. Miraculously, Henry survived, thanks to the exceptional skill of the royal surgeon, John Bradmore. This narrow escape and astounding recovery filled Henry with great piety, and a firm believe that God was on his side for the remainder of his life and it might have inspired Henry IV to build the church at Battlefield to give thanks for the unexpected survival of his son. St. Mary Magdalene was built over the original burial ground for the fallen of the Battle of Shrewsbury and became the prototype for the Lancastrian “memorial church”. Henry V would later commission similar churches to commemorate his victorious battles and in the words of historian Victoria Jenner “transform royal victory into divine approval”.

If you would like to learn more about Henry V, his life, reign and the connection between piety and warfare in medieval England, you can still watch a recording of our 2025 Annual Lecture on CCTDigital until February 2026. For an even more in-depth insight into Henry’s “astonishing” rise to kingship, you might want to turn to Dan Jones’ book “Henry V”.

While St. Mary’s, Battlefield, might be one of the most magnificent memorials to the Lancastrian dynasty, there are two other memorials in CCT churches that show how Henry V’s legacy and image entered aristocratic and popular culture following his death. These memorials are the 15th Century alabaster tomb of Sir William Gascoigne at All Saints, Harewood and the tomb of John Barton at St. Michael’s and All Angels in Thornton.

According to Dan Jones, the tomb of John Barton is an excellent example of how Henry V was remembered, emulated and invoked by members of the aristocracy shortly after his death. John Barton was a local knight, who died in 1437, about 15 years after Henry V. The haircut of Barton’s effigy echoes Henry V’s, and his depiction is that of an ideal 15th Century knight, combining piety, represented by hands clasped in prayer, and violence, represented by a sword at his side, without conflict. To understand this absence of tension between piety and violence, one has to approach faith from the point of view of a medieval knight, who, as Dan Jones pointed out in his 2025 Annual Lecture on behalf of CCT, would have grown up in a culture that had been through some “serious theological acrobatics” to align faith and warfare. Dan Jones therefore describes John Barton’s tomb as “a snapshot of the culture Henry fostered during his short but astonishing nine-year reign”.

The tomb of Sir William Gascoigne on the other hand is linked to the version of Henry V that emerged in popular culture in the 16th Century and has been cemented there by William Shakespeare. A version of Henry V, that has a mesmerising dramatic effect, but is largely incongruous with historical sources, which describe Henry as so pious that talking to him felt more like engaging with a monk, rather than a King. 

In Shakespeare’s Henry V, the young Prince Henry is thrown into jail for his riotous behaviour by a judge called Gascoigne. The real Sir William Gascoigne might have very well served as an inspiration for this character; however, the real Henry V was never arrested in his youth and was never known for partying or street-fighting. However, historical records show that two of Henry’s younger brothers, the future Dukes of Clarence and Bedford, were indeed picked up and thrown in jail for brawling as teenagers and had to be bailed out by their father, the King. 

Sir William Gascoigne had no involvement in this particular incident, but he was a judge in the service of the Lancastrian’s and was appointed Chief Justice after Henry IV came to power in 1399. Like Shakespeare’s character, the real Gascoigne seems to have been a man of principle, standing, as Dan Jones put it for “probity, integrity, adherence to the law”. In 1405, when Henry IV executed the Archbishop of York, Richard Scrope, following a rebellion, Gascoigne argued that he had no jurisdiction over a clergyman of Scrope’s rank and refused to pass sentence. He was removed from office a week after Henry V ascended the throne, indicating that the two might have had opposing views. 

Gascoignes final resting place, All Saints Church in Harewood, North Yorkshire, was constructed during Henry V’s reign. The founders - Sir William Redman and his wife Elizabeth Aldburgh - were members of the northern gentry who prospered under the early Lancastrian kings. According to historian Victoria Jenner “the building therefore stands within the same political and religious climate that produced Henry V’s combination of chivalry, penitence, and architectural magnificence.”