SPRING sunshine sends fingers of light through the trees, illuminating the lush undergrowth beneath our feet. In the distance, a woodpecker's laughing cackle reverberates through the treetops.

However, this is no bird-spotting expedition, for our determined band of explorers are keeping their eyes firmly fixed on the ground. Today is about solving mysteries We have just entered a small copse that surrounds a water-filled depression. And this just could - and it has to be said that it's a big could' - be one of the burial pits from the Battle of Worcester.

The Worcester News recently carried a feature about Warndon man Andy Roberts and his conviction that the casualties from the 1651 battle were interred not far from the river Teme weir.

This story caused quite a stir across the Faithful City and attracted the attention of the Battle of Worcester Society. But they have very different theories about the last resting places of the slain.

Led by Worcester historian Dilip Sarkar, our small party - society stalwarts Bob Jenkins, Brian Bullock and Ken Potts - has reached the southern bank of the Teme at a place known as the Stinkhole.

"It's always been known as that," says Bob. "Don't ask me why."

"That's right," says Dilip. When we were fishing here as kids, we always called this part of the river the Stinkhole."

The ground beneath the trees is covered with nettles, hogweed and ground ivy. These nitrogen-loving plants provide vital clues to human activity. The party agrees that this, together with a deep depression on the edge of the copse, could point to the area being one of two burial pits referred to by Worcestershire writer J Willis-Bund more than a century ago in a book he wrote about the battle. Dilip takes up the story.

"Mass burials reputedly took place on these fields after the 1651 battle, but where exactly is not known and, more importantly, those brave men have no marker.

"Little or no archaeological work of any significance has ever been conducted so far as the Battle of Worcester has been concerned - any work that has taken place was many years ago and both records and finds have largely been lost. I have lived in or near Worcester my whole life and have long been puzzled as to why the Battle of Worcester should not be more appropriately commemorated.

"It has always seemed to me that the story of the battle, being as dramatic as it is, could not have been better scripted by Hollywood, so why is so little interest, especially locally?" Ken Potts nods his approval. He's a world-famous sculptor, former senior designer at Royal Worcester, and creator of Worcester's statue of Sir Edward Elgar and other innovative pieces around CrownGate Shopping Centre.

Bob Jenkins has also long been concerned about the lack of commemoration and local knowledge about the battle. So in 2003, the men formed the Battle of Worcester Society.

Councillor Aubrey Tarbuck, who was then mayor of Worcester, became chairman of the steering committee, which also includes representatives from the city and county councils and other parties.

"The Battle of Worcester in 1651 was a defining and yet forgotten moment in English history," said Dilip. It marked the end of the Royalist cause and final victory for Parliament, a story which even inspired America's Founding Fathers when they came to write the Declaration of Independence."

Dilip would now like to see a structured archaeological survey conducted on the Hams between Powick and at the confluence of the Teme and Severn, where Cromwell built his bridge of boats. The Stinkhole site would be a definite contender for investigation.

"Once the burial pits have been located, I would like to see them become consecrated ground. Willis-Bund mentions two hollows in the ground near Powick and also talks about some difficulty in dealing with the dead.' He said some were buried in the cathedral churchyard.

"However, although the dead were highly respected in those days, it has to be remembered that the defeated side was a Scottish papist army and little care may have been taken with these people."

Meanwhile, back in this sun-dappled Worcestershire copse, my mind is working overtime. Could I really be standing on the last resting place of long-dead Scottish soldiers, whose mortal remains might be a mere couple of feet below my feet in the soft river silt of this water meadow?

At the moment, we just don't know. But at some stage, the Hams will indeed reveal their secrets and brave men will, at long last, be able to rest in peace.

Bringing the history to life

THE Battle of Worcester Society wants to see the city make more use of its unique battlefield heritage. Its aims include:

* A comprehensive and extensive archaeological survey of the whole site.

* A suitable and substantial memorial to the Battle of Worcester.

* The setting up of sculpted relief panels depicting scenes from that 1651 battle at the actual places where they happened. This will form the basis of a new Battlefield Trail that will start from the Commandery in Sidbury.

* A purpose-built and dedicated battlefield centre, possibly at the site of the now disused view point on the A38, near Carrington Bridge over the river Severn and within sight of much of the remaining battlefield.

* Suitable signage on local arterial routes, such as the M5 and Worcester bypass, indicating the battlefield.

* Inclusion of the Battle of Worcester as a major tourist priority by local government agencies.