Sri Lanka 628-8 dec beat England 265 & 148 by an innings and 215 runs Sri Lanka completed victory by an innings and 215 runs as England were bowled out for 148 on day four.
Muttiah Muralitharan took 4-63, including three in a burst as England lost four wickets for two runs.
Dilhara Fernando bowled Ashley Giles for 13 after the tailender put on 40 - the biggest partnership of the innings - with Andrew Flintoff (30).
The tourists began their innings 363 runs in arrears after Sri Lanka declared on 628-8.
1038: Muralitharan puts an end to England's misery, beating Kirtley with a perfect off-spinner that the tail-ender has little idea about.
England 148 all out (Kirtley 12)
1034: Anderson cuts Vaas into the hands of Jayawardene at first slip, but he cannot hold on.
1028: Sri Lanka appeal unsuccessfully as Muralitharan hits Kirtley on the back leg without a shot being offered.
Kirtley responds with a swept six against the spin - England's first of the innings.
1025: Kirtley falls over another Fernando yorker, but the bowler has over-stepped for a no ball.
1020: Flintoff's defiant knock comes to an end as Fernando finds the edge and Sangakkara takes a good catch.
England 137-9 (Flintoff 30)
1015: Fernando's slower ball is spotted by Flintoff, who chips over wide mid-on for his sixth boundary.
1008: Flintoff is determined to go down with all guns blazing and lofts Muralitharan over mid-on for four.
1004: Giles has no answer as a superb inswinging yorker by Fernando hits the off stump.
England 124-8 (Giles 13)
0952: Chandana sends down a long hop and Flintoff gives it what it deserves by pulling ferociously for four.
0945: Flintoff lifts the Barmy Army's spirits with two fours over mid-wicket off Muralitharan.
0938: England's total reaches three figures as Flintoff collects four with a square drive off Muralitharan.
0930: Sri Lanka call up Fernando, their quickest bowler, to try and bring the game to a swift conclusion.
Latest action (all times GMT):
Tea: England 93-7 (51 overs)
0901: Giles strokes Muralitharan through midwicket for four but it is not enough even to raise a smile.
0857: Flintoff is caught off pad and bat but umpire Bucknor fails to see the latter.
0855: After watching wickets tumble at the other end, Flintoff gets off the mark with a single to mid-wicket.
0851: Read is beaten all ends up by Jayasuriya's quicker ball and there is no doubt about the lbw verdict.
England 84-7 (Read 0)
0846: The collapse continues as Jayasuriya produces a superb delivery which defeats Butcher's back foot defensive stroke and hits middle stump.
England 84-6 (Butcher 37)
0833: Flintoff faces the hat-trick ball from Muralitharan, but the ball only strikes pad as he pushes forward.
0826: Things go from bad to worse as Sangakkara appeals for another stumping and Batty is given out first ball by the TV umpire. England 82-5 (Batty 0)
0823: Thorpe surrenders his wicket by advancing down the wicket to Muralitharan - the ball spins back between bat and pad and Sangakkara completes an easy stumping.
England 82-4 (Thorpe 19)
0809: Butcher is concentrating well and picking the right balls to attack - he does so again with an off-drive for four off Chandana.
0757: A poor ball from Chandana gives Thorpe plenty of time to pull for four.
0752: Butcher uses his feet well to reach the pitch of the ball as he clips Chandana through mid-wicket for four.
0734: Muralitharan gives the ball plenty of air, allowing Butcher time to pick his spot as he puts it away through the cover field.
0730: England reach 50 as Thorpe pulls a short delivery from Vaas away for four.
0718: Muralitharan claims a vital scalp as his wrong 'un proves too much for Hussain and Sangakkara snaps up a thin edge. England 44-3 (Hussain 11)
0715: A glorious extra cover drive brings Hussain four runs from an angled half volley by Vaas.
0710: Butcher has to dive full length to avoid being run out as he calls for a single and is sent back by Hussain.
Lunch: 39-2 (15 overs)
0626: Butcher adds four more to the total with a well controlled stroke through mid-wicket off Muralitharan.
0619: Sri Lanka's chief weapon, Muralitharan, is given the ball for the first time but concedes four runs as Hussain drives through the covers.
0614: Fernando is too full in length, allowing Butcher to punch the ball pleasantly past mid-on for a boundary.
0610: England almost lose their third wicket as Chandana finds the inside edge of Butcher's bat and the ball just misses leg stump.
0606: Hussain suffers a painful start to his innings as a Fernando bouncer hits him on the shoulder.
0602: Fernando deceives Vaughan with a slower ball which the England captain drives straight to Jayasuriya at cover.
England 22-2 (Vaughan 14)
0559: Muralitharan is give a run down towards the long-on boundary as Butcher forces down the ground for two runs.
0556: Vaughan deals comfortably with a short ball from Vaas, pulling it away behind square for four runs.
0548: Butcher, batting despite a bruised hand, collects four with an outside edge which finds a gap in the Sri Lankan slip cordon.
0547: Vaughan is hurried into evasive action as Fernando bangs in a rapid and well-directed bouncer.
0538: Fernando's first over ends with a boundary as Vaughan strokes effortlessly through extra cover.
0531: England make a disastrous start as Trescothick spars at a ball in Vaas' opening over and is comfortably caught at gully - although TV replays suggest it was a no-ball. England 0-1 (Trescothick 0)
0517: Muralitharan aims squarer but the result is the same as he hits the second six of the over, prompting Tillkaratne to declare with a lead of 363.
0515: Giles' figures suffer a further dent as Muralitharan clears the ropes at mid-wicket to add six to the total.
0514: Muralitharan's unorthodox technique serves him well as an ungainly one-handed sweep brings him four.
0507: More success for England as Chandana slices a drive off Kirtley and Vaughan plucks out a good catch at cover.
Sri Lanka 606-8 (Chandana 76)
0503: England pick up a fortuitous wicket as Giles deflects a drive from Chandana into the stumps at the bowler's end to run out Vaas. Sri Lanka 605-7 (Vaas 9)
0500: Sri Lanka's 600 arrives in style as Vaas hammers a half volley from Kirtley for four past the mid-on fielder.
0451: Kirtley drops short and the ball is clubbed over mid-wicket for six by Chandana, who whips the following ball to square leg for a single to retain the strike.
0444: Dilshan is bowled by Giles as he charges down the wicket after being frustrated by the spinner's leg stump line.
Sri Lanka 582-6 (Dilshan 83)
0441: Kirtley sends down a couple of full tosses as he strives to find yorker length, but the widespread field saves him from conceding boundaries as his second over costs seven runs.
0434: Giles opens up from the other end for England, his 61st over of the Sri Lankan innings.
0430: Sri Lanka register a boundary from Kirtley's second ball of the day as Chandana leg glances. Flintoff (groin) and Butcher (hand) are not on the field.
Sri Lanka: S Jayasuriya, M Atapattu, K Sangakkara (wkt), M Jayawardene, T Dilshan, H Tillakaratne (capt), T Samaraweera, U Chandana, C Vaas, Dilhara Fernando, M Muralitharan.
England: M Vaughan (capt), M Trescothick, M Butcher, N Hussain, G Thorpe, A Flintoff, C Read (wkt), G Batty, A Giles, J Kirtley, J Anderson.