Issue 41 June
1972-2012
The Ermine Street Guard
The Tudors At Temple Newsam The Site Temple Newsam is a 1,500 acre estate three miles east of Leeds city centre. It has a magnificent Tudor-Jacobean mansion, Stable Courtyard with café and toilets, a 17th century farm with rare breeds from Vaynol to Irish Moiled, a Capability Brown designed parkland and acres of woodlands and formal gardens. “The Tudors at Temple Newsam” is an all-day educational re-enactment designed for up to 30 Key Stage 2 children and is led by the Education officer and Education Providers in character. The year is 1565. The Earl and Countess of Lennox own Temple Newsam. Margaret Lennox is Henry VIII’s niece. They have two children, Henry and Charles. Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley has just travelled into Scotland to the court of Mary, Queen of Scots, who is also his cousin. Lady Margaret Lennox is hoping that he will marry the Queen! We need servants to attend to Lady Margaret and her house servants, when she arrives from Queen Elizabeth’s court in London later this day. There is grain to be threshed, flour to be ground, bread to be made, herbs to be gathered and fresh herb bags and tussie-mussies to be made; the Barber Surgeon’s Chest has arrived ahead of him and all the contents must be checked; there are always secret papers to be translated, copied and read and if ye do not work hard enough… thou shalt be a vile vagabond and we shall put thee in the stocks! “The Tudors at Temple Newsam” th
Is now in its 12 year and is available from March to July and October to November each year, from Tuesdays to Thursdays. “The Tudors” is a very popular activity and many schools choose to book two or more consecutive dates. “The Tudors at Temple Newsam” Costs £5.50 per child for Leeds schools per day’s activity and £6.50 per child for schools outside Leeds. Accompanying teachers and adult helpers go free. To make your booking, please contact the Education Officer on (0113) 3367559 or write to The Reception Office, Stable Courtyard, Temple Newsam Estate, Leeds, LS15 OAD or email her at Julia.w.thorpe@leeds.gov.uk The Education Officer is always looking for suitably skilled and experienced re-enactors to get involved with The Tudors At Temple Newsam. Initially you would be recruited as a volunteer and may progress to become a paid casual Education provider. The pay may be smalle but the goode ye do would be immense! All posts, including volunteer positions are CRB checked to an enhanced level. We book between 25 and 35 days a year, but may do more with more help! If you are interested, give me a ring on (0113) 3367559 or email me at Julia.w.thorpe@leeds.gov.uk
Greetings All Had anyone else realized that The Ermine Street Guard had been in existence for 40 years-I certainly hadn’t. I would like to wish them an excellent anniversary year and here’s to the next 40! Congratulations to all of the lucky winners of last month’s competitions, there are too many to list here. Only one competition this month but there are 5 books on offer. My thanks to Giles Kristian, and his publishers, for the donation of the books. On The March
The season is in full swing in the UK and Europe with events happening all over the place most weekends from now until October-Do keep me informed of any events that you hear about and I will gladly advertise them in the magazine.
A huge thank you to everyone that has supplied an article for this issue of the magazine and to those who have supplied articles for previous issues. If you have something you would like to see published and sent around the world to 36 different countries please contact me at the email address below.
Onager
Features This Month 1: Barbed arrows or Bodkins? 2: Competition. 3: Interview with Giles Kristian (Author) 4: Waits – Music about Town 5: Book Reviews-The Historical Novel Soc. 6: ‘D’ Troop: Lancashire Hussars 7: Event Listings 8: The Ermine Street Guard. 40yrs old! To receive a copy of this magazine just send your email address to: thereenactor@btinternet.com
I am already starting work on the next 2 or 3 issues and welcome any and all correspondence.
Kindest Regards Editor.
thereenactor@btinternet.com Competitions: All competitions are free to enter Winners will be selected at random on the 24th of each month for the relevant competition. Winners will be notified via email shortly after the draw takes place. No correspondence will be entered into. The editor’s decision is final. The views and opinions expressed in the articles in this ezine are those of the individual authors themselves and not those of the Editor
So did they use Barbed Arrows or Bodkins…. by Kevin Goodman http://bowsbladesandbattles.tripod.com/
A question guaranteed to ignite a heated debate amongst medieval archery re-enactors is always “What kind of war arrows did they use in Medieval times?” Did they use barbed or bodkins? On one Living History website one re-enactor states: “There is also no good evidence to suggest military archers used anything but bodkins for warfare. Swallow-tails and Fowling (crescent) heads are for hunting, not military use.” (http://www.livinghistory.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=26904) While others debate the reliability and validity of the two available typographies, The London Museum (Ward Perkins 1940) and Jessop (1996), forwarding findings from medieval battlefields along with medieval pictures. However, archers weren’t the only group who dealt with arrows. One source, frequently overlooked, that provides a great deal of information about arrows and their forms are the accounts of surgeons and physicians from the past.
The Susruta Samhita, (Bhishagratna 1907), one of the major texts of Ayurvedic medicine (3rd-4th Century BC), divides arrows into two classes, feathered or unfeathered, (i.e. fletched or unfletched), while arrowheads are described as being made in the shape of: trees, leaves, flowers or fruits or being made to resemble the mouths of birds and wild and ferocious animals. The great Byzantine 7th Century physician Paulus Aeginata or Paul of Aegina (c.625– c.690) in his De Re Medica Libri Septem or Medical Compendium in Seven Books describes arrow shafts as being made from wood or reed and arrowheads from: iron; copper; tin; lead; horn; glass; bone; reed and wood. The heads had a variety of appearances: round; triangular; pointed and lance-shaped. Some had three points; some were barbed and some were without barbs. They differed in size from three fingers breadth to the size of one finger. Some arrowheads were attached by a tang and others by a socket. He also noted that some tribes would go to great lengths to make their arrows difficult to remove. He described four such types (Adams 1844): (i) Arrowheads attached loosely to shafts, which separate when extracted, leaving the arrowhead inside the wound (ii) Arrowheads possessing barbs moveable by hinges that would unfold at an attempt to withdraw the arrow. (iii) Some having barbs diverging in opposite directions like forked lightning, so when pulled or pushed they fastened in the wounded person’s flesh. (iv) Composite arrowheads which had small pieces of metal set into grooves at the side of the point which would remain inside the wound when the point was removed.
While no arrowheads corresponding to these descriptions in (ii), (iii) and (iv) have been found, Salazar (2000) observes there are some pyramidal arrowheads in the collections of the British museum which have a small hole, that may not necessarily have served for attaching it to the shaft, but may have held an extra piece of metal. Alternatively, they could have been arrowheads which were disintegrating due to poor manufacture. The 13th Century Bishop and medical writer Theodoric Borgognoni, or Theodoric of Cervia (1205–1298), observed that : “Some [arrows] have large heads; some small, some concave, some blunt, some barbed, some have two angles, some have four, some three” (Campbell and Colton 1955, p.83), while the French surgeon Henri de Mondeville (1260 – 1316), observed that some arrowheads were attached to the wooden shaft with a socket and others with a tang which entered the shaft (Nicaise 1893). The famous illustration of Roger Frugard removing an arrow (below) shows a barbed arrowhead, although it could be argued this is artistic license
A 13th Century illustration of Roger Frugard (c1140 – c.1195) removing a barbed arrow De Mondeville and the Flemish surgeon Jehan Yperman (1320-25) noted that English arrows were notorious for their barbs, (Nicaise 1893; Rosenman 2002c), thus confounding the theory that only barbs were used in Warfare during the medieval period. We even know what kind of arrowhead was embedded in the young Henry V’s face during the Battle of Shrewsbury (1403), the surgeon who removed it, John Bradmore, described it as a “bod” or bodkin (Cole and Lang 2003) The 16th Century surgeons Hieronymous Brunschwig (1450-1512), Giovanni Andrea Della Croce (1509 -1575) and Ambroise Paré (1510-1590) acknowledge the variety of arrow that exist. For example: “Some of them are of wood, others of canes or reeds: some of them have their extremities or heads garnished with iron, tin, lead, brass, horn, glass or of bone…some are round, others angular, others sharp, others barbed, some of them having their points turned backwards and some have it divided into two parts: some are made broad in their heads and cutting like a knife …some of their heads are of three fingers in length; others of smaller size…[some] are simple , having but one point only; others are composed into two or many…some of them have the iron or head inserted within the wood of the arrow, [tanged] and of others the arrow is inserted into the head [socketed]. Some heads are fixed and nailed onto the shaft, and others not...” (Paré 1617).
A variety of arrowheads from Paré 1617 While in the New World, Herman de Soto who explored the Mississippi in 1539 described Native Arrows: “Arrows are made of certain canes, like reeds, very heavy and so stiff that one of them, when sharpened, will pass through a target. Some are pointed with the bone of a fish, sharp and like a chisel; others with some stone like a point of diamond; of such the greater number, when they strike upon armour, break at the place the parts are put together …and will enter a shirt of mail, doing more injury than when armed.”(p.228, Worcester 1945). In the 19th Century surgeons still provide information regarding arrow heads. The U.S. Army Surgeon, Joseph Bill (1862) reported that Indian arrowheads were made of flint, obsidian, agate, wood, iron, horn, antler or glass and were attached to the shaft by wrapping them with animal tendon, while Elliot Coues observed that Apache arrowheads were held in place with gum at the end of a small hardened stick which was set in a hollow arrow shaft, (possibly a reed), (p.90 Broadhead, 1973). Granted, in many cases, few of the arrows so described have been found, but does this render the accounts invalid? I would argue not. Such physicians and surgeons often described arrowheads and their inherent problems in their writings for the benefit of their students, so there would be little benefit from making fraudulent claims, (although it could be argued that those in the illustration from Paré, above, may be subject to a degree of artistic interpretation). This also shows the inherent dangers of sticking too narrowly to a particular subject. By not exploring a wide range of sources a great deal of valuable information that brings new light upon a subject can be overlooked. Author Details: Kevin Goodman aka “Owain Leech – Surgeon” is the Author of the book “Ouch! A History of Arrow Wound Treatment from Prehistory to the Nineteenth Century” available from Amazon Books: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offerlisting/0957137702/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&qid=1331193260&sr=1-1&condition=new
References: Adams F. The Seven books of Paulus Aegineta. Volumes I-III. London: Sydenham Society, 1844. Bhishagratna, K.K.L. (1907) An English Translation Of The Sushruta Samhita (Vols.1-3). Calcutta: J. N. Bose Bill, J.H.(1862) Notes on arrow wounds. American Journal of Medical Science, 44, 365-87. Broadhead, M.J. (1973) Elliot Couse and the Apaches. Journal of Arizona History, 14(2), 8794. Brunschwig, H. (1517) The noble experyence of the vertuous handy warke of surgeri practysyd & compyled by the moost experte mayster Herome of Bruynswyke. EEBO. Campell, E. and Colton. J. (1955) The Surgery of Theodoric (Vol 1 and 2 ). New York: Appleton Century Crofts. Cole H and Lang T. (2003) "The Treating of Prince Henry's Arrow Wound, 1403" in Journal of the Society of Archer Antiquaries , 46, 95-101. Della Croce, G.A. (1573) Chirurgiae. Apud Lordanum Zilettum Jessop, O. (1996) A new artefact typology for the study of medieval arrowheads. Medieval Archaeology, 40, 192-205. Nicaise, E. (1893) The Surgery of Master Henry De Mondeville. Paris: Ancienne Librarie Pare, A. (1617) The Method of Curing Wounds Made by Gun-shot Also by Arrows and Darts. Faithfully done into English by Walter Hammond, Chirurgean. EEBO Books. Rosenman, L. (2002c) The Surgery of Jehan Yperman. Philadelphia: Xlibris. Salazar C.F. (2000) The Treatment of War Wounds in Graeco-Roman Antiquity. Boston: Brill. Ward Perkins, , J. B.(1940) London Museum Medieval Catalogue 7, 65-73(5c). Worcester, D.E. (1945) The Weapons of American Indians. New Mexico Review, 20, 227-38.
“Ouch” A History of Arrow Wound Treatment Surgery IS the child of war. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than in the study of arrow wound treatment. This book reveals how the physicians and surgeons of the past were not quacks or poorly trained butchers, but skilled and educated men who made many innovations in their treatment of arrow wounds. Kevin Goodman is a historical interpreter, who specializes in the medicine and surgery of the past. Much in demand as a speaker and as a presenter in schools, he can also be seen performing around the country as “Owain Leech: Surgeon” at historical festivals. Further details can be found at: http://bowsbladesandbattles.tripod.com Bows, Blades & battles Press ISBN 978-0-9571377-0-7
Competition One England 1642: a nation divided. England is at war with itself. King Charles and Parliament each gather soldiers to their banners. Across the land men prepare to fight for their religious and political ideals. Civil war has begun. A family ripped asunder. The Rivers are landed gentry, and tradition dictates that their allegiance is to the King. Sir Francis’ loyalty to the crown and his desire to protect his family will test them all. As the men march to war, so the women are left to defend their home against a ruthless enemy. Just as Edmund, the eldest of Sir Francis’ sons, will do his duty, so his brother Tom will turn his back on all he once believed in... A war that will change everything. From the raising of the King’s Standard at Nottingham to the butchery and blood of Edgehill, Edmund and Tom Rivers will each learn of honour, sacrifice, hatred and betrayal as they follow their chosen paths through this most savage of wars.
I have 5 copies of this excellent book to give away in this month’s competition. All you have to do is visit: http://www.gileskristian.com/ and answer this simple question: Q: Which Pop Group was Giles the lead singer of during the 1990’s? Send your answer along with your full postal address to the following email address: thereenactor@btinternet.com The competition is open to all readers of the magazine and I will post out the prize to wherever in the world you may live! The competition closes on June 24th 2012
Interview with Giles Kristian First: A brief history! I am married and we have a little girl called Freyja, who is eagerly awaiting the arrival of her brother in June. I’m wondering how much of the current book I can get written before all Hell breaks loose. Sally and I met when I was a singer in a band and she was my publicist. She’s been pulling my strings ever since! We have lived mostly in London, did a three-year stint in NYC and now live in rural Leicestershire, where I grew up. Question 1. After your first, very successful, foray into book writing with the Raven Serieswhy the change of period? I felt the English Civil War to be under represented in fiction. To my knowledge no one was doing full-blooded, action-packed ‘smack you in the privates with a poll-axe’ type novels set in the period. I even asked Bernard Cornwell if he had any leanings towards the era and he said no, it’s all yours. (Phew!) I am drawn to so many different historical periods and what really pulls me in is conflict and the fellowship of fighting men. I was a little concerned that my RAVEN saga readers might find it a bit of a leap period-wise, but I hope they’re willing to march with me into what was, after all, one of the most extraordinary episodes of this nation’s history. Question 2. How did you go about researching the period of history? I’m not going to lie to you; the research for this period is a pain. Many aspects of the environment I’m describing; London, Oxford, the villages, streets, cathedrals and churches are still visible today, meaning I can’t just make it up. But everything has changed to an extent, meaning (obviously) that it’s not as easy as describing them as they are today. For example, take Catte Street in Oxford. I cannot assume that it existed at all in my period. And if it did, I can’t assume it was called Catte Street then. So I have to dig. Turns out it was recorded as Kattestreete in the early 13th century, as Mousecatchers' Lane in 1442, and as Cat Street in the 18th century. In the mid-19th century it became Catherine Street, but there was another street of this name in east Oxford and in 1930 the City Council changed the name to Catte Street, using a 15th-century spelling. All this for one street! And this exercise is repeated twenty to thirty times every day, which slows the writing process right down. But it’s important to try to get the details right. The fashions of the period, the technology that was and was not available in the 1640s, the gear of the different types of soldier, the constitution of military units, the tactics and techniques of war and the intricacies and mechanisms of the various firearms; it all has to be painstakingly researched. The information which the author needs at his or her fingertips is staggering. Then, of course, the secret is to not put it all in the novel. Historical novels in which the author seems determined to show how much they have learnt about their subject tend to be terrible. So yes the research can be tough, but then no one forced me to write historical fiction.
Question 3. Did you set yourself targets each day or week, as in numbers of words to write? If I write a thousand words in a day I am happy. Because so much of my day is spent on research it’s not a question of simply sitting there and letting it pour out. But even then I suspect I’m on the slow side. I take my time over those thousand words and they barely change at all from the day they’re first written. All authors work differently and I’m always fascinated by how others do it, but for myself I don’t do draft after draft. My ‘editing’ process is perhaps unusual as it invariably involves adding words – the seasoning as I call it - not taking words away. Question 4. Do you have a special place you go to, when you write? Yes, I write in a log cabin in a Norwegian forest. But in real life I write in my study surrounded by books. I have begun to be more disciplined and only turn on my email at certain times of the day so as to avoid inevitable distractions. I’m hopeless. I’m always up and down from my chair doing this and that…thinking, grinding coffee beans, playing with my little girl, staring out of the window, procrastinating. But somehow it seems to work and if it ain’t broke… Question 5. What or who inspires you to write? The contract I signed committing me to producing a novel a year! Also the need to feed and clothe my family and enjoy life, for which money comes in handy. Then there’s the constant need to avoid any sort of normal work. Oh yes, and of course the creative drive that makes me who I am. Question 6. Odin’s Wolves being made into a film, what does that feel like? I have not signed a movie deal for any of my books yet. I did however make a short film to celebrate the launch of Odin’s Wolves, the third in the RAVEN saga. It was an incredible experience and not only because I got my own little cameo and had the pleasure of running around in mail with axes and swords for two days. What made it so amazing was working with Philip Stevens, a brilliantly talented director whose vision down to every detail was breathtakingly faithful to the novels, both in visual terms and in spirit and tone. I’d wager that rarely, if ever, happens when the big Hollywood studios adapt a novel for screen, not least because the book’s writer ends up near the bottom of the food chain. Question 7. Did you have much say in the Script for the film? The script for the short film Odin’s Wolves: Prologue was taken directly from the prologue of the book, though we cut out a few lines here and there to make the script a little leaner. Many people tell me that my books read like films. Perhaps I watch too many films!
Question 8. Any thoughts on your other books being made into films? I think my new novel The Bleeding Land lends itself beautifully to some sort of screen adaptation, whether it be a full-length feature or a mini-series. The story being told from three different points of view would translate well, I feel, but also being a family saga it has all the
elements and themes you want in a good drama; Love, loyalty, hatred, revenge, battles, strong female characters etc. Question 9. In the 90’s you were lead singer with Upside Down, with whom you had 4 top 20 hit records. Any thoughts on getting the band back together or going back to singing? I’ve always had a short attention span and a wandering mind. I’m easily distracted. What was the question? Oh yes…when I stopped making music professionally I made the very deliberate decision to concentrate on my writing. After all, song writing and making music is a creative process and I didn’t want to dilute my creative energy by indulging several passions simultaneously. Now though, after three years writing full time I do get urges to make music again. Nothing serious, just the fun of singing in front of a five-piece band and making a racket. The performer in me is still there somewhere and now and then he likes to get out. I’ve recently been doing a little signing with a concert pianist, just to see if the pipes still work. As for getting the boyband back together, you’re joking! I’d prefer to remember my hip thrusts and knee slides as they once were. Question 10. You are in the process of writing your latest series of novels set in the English Civil War, have you plans or ideas for another series of books? I hope so! But as yet I haven’t decided where I’m going after the English Civil War. I would like to write another part of the RAVEN saga at some point as I feel there is still much for my motley crew of Vikings to get up to. I’d like to bring them back north to the cold, dark waters. But there are other eras I’d like to explore too. Ideas on a postcard, please!
You can get in touch with me through my website: www.gileskristian.com and my Facebook page GilesKristian and you can follow me on Twitter: @gileskristian
Don’t forget to also check out The Raven Series by Giles Kristian
Waits – Music about Town:
The 5th International Festival of Town Pipers comes to Colchester 2 nd - 4th June 2012 This year 100 costumed historical musicians from around the world will be visiting Colchester for the 5th International Festival of Town Pipers. During the event, which takes place on 2nd-4th June 2012, a dozen bands of Waits will be performing in and around the town centre. Waits were civic musicians employed by European towns from the Middle Ages until the early 19 th century. They wore colourful livery coats and played loud wind instruments for civic occasions, banquets, processions and public concerts. Colchester employed a band of Waits throughout the late Middle Ages and Renaissance periods and nowadays this band is re-created using reproduction costumes and instruments by the modern Colchester Waits Shawm Band (www.wyldesnoyse.co.uk/colchester). This year the Colchester Waits will play host to the biennial Waits' festival, inviting similar groups from the UK, Netherlands, USA, Sweden, Germany and Spain to visit the town and perform. The Festival is organised by the International Guild of Town Pipers (www.townwaits.org.uk), a registered charity which supports Waits bands and their international counterparts with workshops, repertoire and research. Previous Festivals have been held in 's-Hertogenbosch (NL), York and Lincoln. This will be the first time the event has been held in Colchester, and the dates have been chosen to coincide with the town's annual Medieval Festival (formerly known as the Oyster Fayre) in Lower Castle Park where there will be archery, a historical market and a range of other Medieval entertainments. Events in the Festival will include performances by individual bands and “The Big Blow” where all the musicians perform together. There will also be free Tudor Dance and Waits' Music workshops for the public, to be held at Firstsite, Colchester’s spectacular new Visual Arts Facility. Performances will take place in the Medieval Festival, in Upper Castle Park, and at Firstsite as well as in Lion Walk & Culver Square shopping centres and at CO1 café. Visiting bands include the colourful Stadspijpers van 's-Hertogenbosch, the Charlotte Waits from North Carolina, and the world-renowned York Waits.
For more information please visit: http://www.townwaits.org.uk/
Montfort: The Early Years; The Viceroy; The Revolutionary; The Angel with the Sword BY KATHERINE ASHE
When reading through the ample “historical context” notes that follow each volume of Katherine Ashe’s utterly remarkable tetralogy of novels based on the life of 13th-century warrior-statesman Simon de Montfort, one thing becomes obvious: she could easily have produced the most authoritative English-language biography of her subject ever written. She is consummately familiar with every detail of Montfort’s life: his scandalous marriage, his troubled relationship with King Henry III, his summoning of the first elected parliament; and yet she’s chosen to present that life in four historical novels rather than in a long, footnoted monograph. Surely she herself gives us the reason when, in one of her notes, she mentions that “actual events can be far more odd than one would write in fiction.” These novels are full of actual events—the research is resoundingly complete—but they brim with life as well, as they follow Simon and his family and his beloved from France to England and back; as Simon becomes first close friend and then suspected enemy of King Henry, who becomes a person who can confirm Simon as Earl of Leicester with one hand and hound him out of the country with the other. These are wonderfully assured novels, on every page of which Ashe’s dramatic sense brings the era to vibrant life in a way no history could. A massive achievement, highly recommended. ($12.99, $12.99, $17.99, and $19.99)
For reviews on other historical books check out:
http://www.historicalnovelsociety.org/
The Festival of History Kelmarsh Hall Northamptonshire, UK July 14th & 15th 2012 Visitors immerse themselves in 2000 years of England's past during the Festival of History at Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire, presented by English Heritage. The event features everything from falconry, jousting displays and battle re-enactments to music, dance and ale. The Historical Writers Association will also be there with various talks and meet the author sessions throughout the weekend.
http://www.kelmarsh.com/
Battles of Camlann 28th & 29th July 2012 A 13th Century Re-enactment event to coincide with the British Festival of Archaeology Week, this involves an active dig at the original Medieval village on the site. 11th & 12th August 2012 Early through to mid 15th Century-“Tintagel Style” Open to the public 10am – 5pm daily Camping available on site – Wed before to Wed after for £5 Water, wood, toilets and showers available. Fri-Mon camping & Trader Pitches are FREE 2 Battle daily, morning and afternoon Re-enactor competitions Beer tent, Music, Archery, Story Telling, Rural natural crafts Archaeologists on site for July event On the site of King Arthurs Stone and an actual early medieval battle site! Location: Arthurian Centre on the B3314 half mile from A39 and B3266 junctions. Post code PL32 9TT. Approx. 3 miles from Tintagel. For booking, please email: heburbeck@gmail.com
COSTUME-MAKING SUMMER SCHOOL with Chalemie
The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross (C1461) September 15th & 16th
Oxford 14-19 August 2012 Come and spend a happy week making a period/historical costume under the expert supervision of Ann Susan Brown Other courses available: Baroque Dance, Commedia, Singing and Instrumental Music Fees: £485 for full board and tuition (financial help available, age immaterial) Enquiries and full brochure from Barbara Segal on 020 7700 4293 email: chalemie@thorn.demon.co.uk website: www.chalemie.co.uk
Hampton Court Castle & Gardens, Herefordshire Living History Combat Archery Cannon Traders Row Music Dance Barber Surgeon Beer Tent Bring & Buy sale (Sat eve)
www.mortimerscross.co.uk
‘D’ Troop Lancashire Hussars 1914 -1918 display troop.
Sometimes projects seem right and go at a pace that astounds the organisers; this is one such a project. The Lancashire hussars are a unit that existed in the Liverpool/Wigan area from mid-19th century to the mid-20th century, back in the era when wealthy men had ideas and ran with them, Lord Gerard was one such man. He created the regiment amongst local men as a yeomanry force, with a high percentage of ex professional soldiers in the ranks of his personal Boy Scout troop. A good friend of Winston Churchill (come with me Winnie boy and I will show you sights that will make your hair curl) who was a member for a short time during the Boer war. The main thrust of the project I have undertaken is to discover what happened to the unit between November 1915 and 1918 when elements left these shores to fight in the Middle East and France. I am concentrating on the actions of ‘D’ Squadron as it shipped to France. The unit served as reserve cavalry during the 1916 Battle of the Somme, and eventually amalgamating into the Liverpool Pals as Infantry. Our Aim is to have a laugh and engage the people of the area in local history of the period. We have had a busy few months and have brought on board a wide range of experts in military history of the period. The project has three main directions, the research side, the creation of a portable museum standard display, and most importantly the riding display troop based upon the research carried out independent of the Unit. The troop is pulling together kit wise and we are finally getting onto horses and putting our money where our mouths are. This is year one, and we have a two year expansion plan to put on bigger and better displays aiming to put on a small number of riding displays and parades from mid summers in Lancashire and North of England. And yes although the photos don’t show it we have a few full sets of period horse tack and saddles. And a very small amount of spare uniform and personal equipment, although the emphasis is buying it yourself (albeit we have sourced some brilliant and easily affordable suppliers).
It’s a long way to go, but so far the ride is a blast. Why not see if you fit in. Our contact details are in the group listing but we can also be contacted at: Lancashire_hussars@hotmail.co.uk
if you have any questions.
Whittington Castle
Whittington Castle stands on the English side of the Welsh Border in Shropshire but this was not always the case. In the early medieval period Whittington stood in the March of Wales, which stretched down the border area between England and Wales. This was a ‘frontier’ area and one of the primary roles of the Marcher Lords was the defence of the border against Welsh invaders. This was the situation throughout the 12 th and 13 th centuries but after the defeat of the Welsh princes in the 1280s the March became more peaceful. In 1310 Fulk FitzWarine V1 and his young bride Eleanor de Beauchamp acquired the Castle and set about making it a more comfortable home. The great hall was rebuilt, apartments refitted and a pleasure garden created. A Castle more suited to the noble tastes of Lady Eleanor was created during this time of peace. The Castle still functioned as a manor courthouse until the 19 th century but from the 17 th century, the long decay of the Castle became irreversible. William Lloyd in the early 19 th century funded a restoration programme that left the gatehouse as it stands today. Whittington Castle Preservation Trust was formed in 1998, to protect the site in perpetuity, and develop it as a tourist and educational facility. In 2002 a 99-year lease of the Castle was granted by the Lloyd family to the Trust. The Preservation Trust is a registered charity and has had a varied history from its first settlement in The Ironage right up today and beyond. July 28 th & 29 th 2012 sees the first Multi-Period event at the Castle and any groups interested in taking part are asked to contact the castle directly: Email: info@whittingtoncastle.co.uk or Telephone Sue Ellis: 01691 662500
Event Information June 2nd & 3rd Duncannon Fort Military Re-Enactment, Wexford, Ireland https://www.facebook.com/events/355113937856761/ 2nd & 3rd De Quaeye Werelt, Sterckshof, Belgium http://www.delegendevzw.be/ 3rd – 5th Holkham Hall, Queens Jubilee 1950’2 Celebration Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 9th Boerderij aan de Giessen, Grotewaard 38, Noordeloos, Netherlands http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158081454283009&notif_t=event_invite 12th – 14th Wymondham Abbey, Medieval Educational Workshops Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 15th Stoneham Owl Barns, Medieval Education Day Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 16th The Minstrels Court, St. John’s Church, Chester, UK www.pilgrimsandposies.co.uk 16th Llangan Village Festival, Llangan, Vale Of Glamorgan, United Kingdom, CF35 5DP https://www.facebook.com/events/318028121567941/ 16th & 17th Stoneham Owl Barns, Medieval Entertainment Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 16th & 17th Kedleston Hall Derby War of the Roses Medieval week end. Invited groups only! www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kedleston-hall/ Contact: Tod Booth foxblade4@hotmail.com 16th & 17th Tatton Park Medieval Fair http://www.plantagenet-events.co.uk/ 18th & 19th Waterloo Major European Event Belgium www.2ndfoot.org.uk 22nd – 24th "By Paths of History - Medieval Amieira do Tejo” War of Independence (1383 1385) Castille claim to Portuguese Crown. Details: http://youtu.be/WNZCXz_2jSA 23rd & 24th Wartime Clumber (1940s event), Clumber Park, Notts, UK www.eventplan.co.uk 23rd & 24th The Yorkshire Museum of Farming, Murton Park, Yorkshire, UK www.mitlivinghistory.co.uk
23rd & 24th Peterborough Cathedral, Living History Festival Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 26th Wymondham College, Medieval Education Adventues Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 30th & 1st Laxey, Isle of Man, Victorian Adventures Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 30th &1st Medieval Festival, Harewood House, Yorkshire, UK www.eventplan.co.uk
July 2nd & 3rd Cheriton Battle Display Weekend Hampshire www.2ndfoot.org.uk 7th & 8th The Romans are Coming! Burgh-le-Marsh, Lincolnshire www.eventplan.co.uk 13th – 15th “Sword & Fire” 1012, Ontario, Canada For more details: http://www.scallagrims.com/sword-and-fire 14th Hereford Historical Day Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 14th & 15th The Battle of Tewkesbury, Tewkesbury, UK http://www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org/ 14th & 15th Kedleston Hall, Derby. 1745 Jacobite Rebellion Details at: www.lacewars.co.uk 14th & 15th The Festival of History, Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire, UK http://www.kelmarsh.com/ 21st & 22nd Victorians at Hughenden, Hughenden Manor, Bucks www.eventplan.co.uk 21st & 22nd Anglesey, Costumed interpretations Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 21st & 22nd Berkeley Skirmish, Berkeley castle, Gloucestershire, UK http://www.plantagenet-events.co.uk/ 21st & 22nd The Battle of Azincourt, Azincourt, France. http://www.azincourt-alliance.org.uk/ 21st & 22nd Battle of Clontarf, St Ann's park Dublin https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10150614131419800&id=307994099799
22nd The Battle of Salamanca, 200th anniversary http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=183242878392002&notif_t=event_invite 27th – 30th C13th Event at The Arthurian Centre. Slaughterbridge, Camelford, Cornwall, UK https://www.facebook.com/groups/36242274237/ 28th & 29th Longthorpe Tower, Medieval Painting Workshops Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 28th & 29th Tournement of Walraversijde, Belgium http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=252511704798690&notif_t=event_invite 28th & 29th Multi Period event at Whittington Castle, Shropshire Email: info@whitingtoncastle.co.uk 30th Highclere Castle Battle Prom Berkshire www.2ndfoot.org.uk 31st Priory Maze, Beeston Regis, Norfolk, “Have a Go” Medieval Archery Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/
August 4th & 5th The Second Annual GREAT ROAD ENCAMPMENT 18th Century Encampment 1700-1799, Elliston, VA, USA Contact Henry Bryant at fortvauseoutfitters@gmail.co 10th – 14th Robin Hood Festival, Sherwood Forest, Notts, UK www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk 11th & 12th Castle Rising, Norfolk “ Soldiers Through the Ages” Event Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 11th & 12th Town and castle Budyne nad Ohri, north-western Bohemia, Czech Republic http://bitva-budyne.cz/en/ 11th – 13th The Battle of Camlann, The Arthurian Centre, Slaughterbridge, Cornwall, uk https://www.facebook.com/groups/36242274237/ 14th & 15th Anglesey, Costumed Interpretation Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 18th & 19th Douglas, Isle of Man, WWII Tribute Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 25th – 27th Pensthorpe, Norfolk. The 8th Medieval Spectacular with Jousts Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 26th & 27th Multi-period re-enactments at The Sheffield Fayre, Norfolk Heritage Park, www.eventplan.co.uk
27th – 29th Loseley House Battle Display Weekend (NA) Nr Guildford, Surrey www.2ndfoot.org.uk 31st – 2nd “Borderland 1474”, Poland. Near the border with Ukraine https://www.facebook.com/events/266904843403804
September 1st & 2nd Ayscoughfee Hall, Tudor Weekend medievalcooking@gmail.com 1st & 2nd On the Home Front 1939-45, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Notts, UK www.eventplan.co.uk 1st & 2nd Etal Village Northumberland. Flodden, early 16th century weekend. Contact: Tod Booth foxblade4@hotmail.com Traders: Annie Doebereiner anndoebereiner@aol.com
1st & 2nd Gloucester through the ages, City of Gloucester. Major Roman to WWI www.eventplan.co.uk 8th & 9th EMA weekend at Caldicot Castle, wales http://www.theema.co.uk/ 15th & 16th The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, Leominster, Herefordshire, UK www.mortimerscross.co.uk 22nd & 23rd Wimpole at War (1940s event), The Wimpole Estate, Cambs, UK www.eventplan.co.uk 22nd & 23rd Blasts from the Past multi-period show, Broadlands, Romsey, Hampshire www.blastfromthepast.co.uk 29th The Hundred Years War, A Century of conflict re-evaluated. Tower Of London http://www.royalarmouries.org/events/events-at-tower-of-london 27th – 31st Holkham Hall, Haunted Halloween Horror Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 29th & 30th Sherwood through the Ages multi-period, Sherwood Forest, Nott, UK www.eventplan.co.uk
October 6th & 7th Hughenden’s Wartime Weekend, Hughenden Manor, Bucks, UK www.eventplan.co.uk
November
9th – 11th The Original Re-Enactors Market, Ryton, Near Coventry, UK www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk 24th & 25th Ludlow Castle Medieval Christmas Fair, Ludlow, Shropshire, UK http://www.ludlowcastle.com/
December 1st & 2nd Holkham Hall, A Victorian Christmas Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 8th & 9th Holkham Hall, A Victorian Christmas Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/ 13th – 16th Peterborough Cathedral, Historical Christmas Market & fayre Details: http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/
Throughout the Roman Army, the Twelfth Legion is notorious for its ill fortune. It faces the harshest of postings, the toughest of campaigns, the most vicious of opponents. For one young man, Demalion of Macedon, joining it will be a baptism of fire. And yet, amid all of the violence and savagery of his life as a legionary, he realises he has discovered a vocation – as a soldier and a leader of men. He has come to love the Twelfth and all the bloody-minded, dark-hearted soldiers he calls his brothers. But all that he cares about is ripped from him when, during the brutal Judaean campaign, the Hebrew army inflict a catastrophic defeat upon the legion – not only decimating their ranks, but taking away their soul – the eagle. There is one final chance to save the legion’s honour – to steal back the eagle. To do that, Demalion and his legionnaries must go undercover into the city of Jerusalem, into the very heart of their enemy, where discovery will mean the worst of deaths, if they are to recover their pride. And that, in itself, is a task worthy only of heroes.
MCScott, Author & Chair of the HWA Website: http://www.mcscott.co.uk Blog: http://wordpress.mcscott.co.uk
THE ERMINE STREET GUARD Will Celebrate 40 years of Roman Historical Interpretation
When The Ermine Street Guard proudly marches out in 2012, it will be exactly forty years since the eight founder members of the society first paraded at a historical pageant in the combined Gloucestershire villages of Witcombe and Bentham.
Fired with enthusiasm the original eight members contacted H Russell Robinson, the then Keeper of Armouries at the Tower of London who famously remarked “what a pity it was that such great effort had been put into getting things wrong”! Consequently, with his help and in consultation with leading academics and archaeologists the group embarked on a programme of producing more authentic and accurate armour and equipment. This ideal continues to this day as more archaeological finds and research become available. It has resulted in The Guard being recognised as the oldest, most widely known and respected Roman re-enactment group in the world.
As a registered charity, one of the prime aims of the group is to educate and inform the general public about military life in the second half of the 1st century AD. To this end, the group has displayed at all major Roman sites in Britain and many in Europe since it’s beginnings in 1972. Countless visits have been made to schools, colleges and museums and frequent media participation, in the form of TV programmes, books, websites, DVDs and magazines, is requested from both sides of the Atlantic.
Two of the original eight founder members continue to play a full part in the life of the Guard, including chairman, administrator and centurion, Chris Haines, at whose farm the group has its headquarters. In 2007 Chris was awarded the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to Roman archaeology and re-enactment. A third founder member, Bill Mayes, died in 2005, well into his eighties, still taking a part in Guard activities.
Throughout its forty year history the Guard has prided itself on and set its standards by painstaking and thorough research of development projects. The vast majority of armour, equipment and exhibits is manufactured and maintained by the Guard, thereby offering members the opportunity to use existing skills, learn others and to develop new interests.
After forty years of historical interpretation the Ermine Street Guard has firmly established an international reputation for authenticity, reliability and professionalism. We shall be proud to take the opportunity to celebrate these achievements in 2012.
The Ermine Street Guard, Oakland Farmhouse, Dog Lane, Bentham, Gloucester, GL3 4UG. Telephone: 01452 862235. Email: TheESG@aol.com Website: www.erminestreetguard.co.uk