The spiral path to the top of Bury Mount is inset with fifteen rough hewn sandstone engravings with text relating to historic events and people of Towcester. The photograph shows an example.

The Camlin Lonsdale "Concept design" for the Bury Mount reshaping (Ref 1) suggested that any historic interpretation information be given at ground level, rather than on conventional interpretation boards, in order to avoid upsetting the profile of the mount. This was discussed at various meetings in spring 2008. However the Moat Lane Master Plan dated 26th June 2008 did not mention any historic interpretation for Bury Mount.

In spite of this, by July 2008 Camlin Lonsdale were developing plans for a historic timeline to be incorporated in the spiral path, and the Towcester and District local History Society was asked "to compile a schedule of key dates and events that can feature on the timeline".

We immediately picked 35 key dates and events in Towcester from the 78 themes mentioned on our "Towcester Time Line" display boards. Consultations with members of the Towcester and District Local History Society during August and September 2008 eventually led to a short list of 15 themes, of which eight were agreed unanimously:

• Iron Age Towcester,
• Roman Towcester,
• The Battle of Towcester,
• The erection of Bury Mount,
• Archdeacon Sponne,
• Richard Empson,
• The Civil War and
• Coaching Inns.

The final choice was made by the developers, Urban Delivery, to represent "the varied history of Towcester and to appeal to local and national/international visitors".

It was agreed in August 2008 that the Towcester and District local History society should provide the text for a leaflet that would expand the rather cryptic inscriptions on the ground. This text is given on the next page.