The Re-enactor issue 19 PDF

The Re-Enactor

Issue 19, July 2010

„C‟ Troop 15th

King‟s Light Dragoons (Hussars). Victoria, Australia

Readership 1054

Just

Just a couple of the pictures taken from

“Landscape of Memory” by Jerry Bird

Features This Month

1: The Battle of San Jacinto

2: Competitions

3: Poets & Lepers by Jerry Bird

4: Book Description: Black Earth

5: The Battle of Mortimer‟s Cross

6: Military and Flying Machines Show

7: Scourge of evil, The Warrior Monks

8: Event Listings

9: Bewl Water Event

10: Ty Mawr Medieval hall

11: Book Review by Chris Poore:

12: The Black Watch and the attack on Fort

Tigonderga, 8th

July 1758

Greetings All

Welcome to the latest issue of the ezine, we

now reach 29 countries worldwide and we

have over 1000 recipients. The number of

groups and traders listed also continues to

grow so if you‟re after a group or looking to

purchase something you are in the right

place.

Congratulations to Michael and Paul who

each won a copy of Turning back The

Clock by John Fitch V.

There are 2 book competitions still running-

not directly linked to re-enactment but both

good reads. The authors give their time and

money to support this ezine so please take

the opportunity to win yourselves a brand

new book. The competitions are totally free

to enter and always very easy!

I also have 3 or 4 more book competitions

lined up for future issues.

I am also after other prizes to give away so

if anyone has something they would like to

donate as a prize in return for lots of free

advertising space please do get in contact

with me.

I am still on the look out for more groups,

traders, event details, stories, articles and

reports. Please contact me at the normal

email address with details!

[email protected]

Competitions:

All competitions are free to enter

Winners will be selected at random on the 15th

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 Battle of San Jacinto By Colonel Jerry Tubbs and Colonel Charlie Yates

When considering the Texas Revolution, most people remember the Alamo and those

brave men that gave their lives for independence from Mexico. Very little thought is given to

Goliad and the massacre of Colonel Fannin‟s command. It seems that even less thought is

given to the pivotal battle that won Texas its independence from Mexico and the despotic rule

of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna.

However, each year in April, at the San Jacinto Battle Ground State Park in La Porte,

Texas, this historic event is paid its due respect. The San Jacinto Volunteers, in conjunction

with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the San Jacinto Monument, recreate that

moment of April 21, 1836 when Sam Houston‟s “rag-tag” volunteer army attacked and

defeated Santa Anna‟s well-disciplined army in only eighteen minutes.

After the fall of the Alamo and Fannin‟s defeat at Goliad in 1836, Sam Houston was

forced to march east from Gonzales where he had started forming his army. Houston was in a

race with time to transform these men, mostly undisciplined civilian volunteers, into a

serviceable fighting force if there was to be any hope for success when they engaged the

largest professional army in North America.

Santa Anna, who fancied himself the “Napoleon of the West”, had just put down a

rebellion in the Mexican state of Zacatecas, where atrocities were committed against the

civilians that were sure to be repeated in Texas. Santa Anna had given notice that all Texian

colonists from the United States were to be forced from their lands or be put to death, which

caused a considerable panic among the civilian population. Their rush to reach the Sabine

River and the safety of the United States would become known as the “Runaway Scrape”.

This mass exodus of mostly women and children only added to Houston‟s problems, as many

of his men left the Texas Army to return to their families in order to aid them in their

departure from Texas.

The Spring of 1836 was extraordinarily cold and wet, which worked to the Texas

Army‟s advantage, slowing the march of the Mexican Army across Texas. Houston was able

to make camp at Jared Groce‟s plantation on the Brazos River with little worry of being

attacked because of the swollen streams that surrounded him. It was on this literal island that

Houston began the grand task of forming his volunteers into a respectable army, aided by

deserters from the United States Army stationed in Louisiana and the arrival of two six-

pounder cannons donated by the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Still not satisfied with the odds against his army, Houston continued to march east. Some

scholars argue that he was retreating to seek aide from General Gaines and the United States

Army forces stationed along the Sabine River. Others argue that Houston was awaiting the

right time to turn and attack Santa Anna, while at the same time forcing the Mexican supply

lines to be stretched to the breaking point. When he reached the fork in the road where one

path led to Nacogdoches and the safety of the United States, and the other to San Jacinto,

Houston stopped his horse and pointed his army toward San Jacinto. Finally, after weeks of

marching east in constant rain, mud and cold, the men of the Texas Army had something to

cheer about. They knew that a fight with the Mexican Army was in the near future.

On April 20th

, Houston marched his army to the little community of Lynchburg to

take control of the ferry across the Buffalo Bayou, and then counter-marched to camp on the

plain of San Jacinto. Santa Anna, who had received word of Houston‟s movements on the

19th

of April, had rushed to take control of the ferry before Houston, but arrived too late. On

April 20th

, Santa Anna left his camp at New Washington for San Jacinto and to face the

Texas Army. In an attempt to determine the strength of Houston's forces, Santa Anna ordered

his only piece of artillery onto the field to fire on the Texians positioned among the trees

along Buffalo Bayou. The Texians brought out their two artillery pieces, now dubbed “The

Twin Sisters”. Disobeying orders from Houston, Sydney Sherman took his cavalry unit onto

the field in hopes of capturing the Mexican cannon, whereupon the Mexican cavalry also

took to the field. A small skirmish took place between the two forces of artillery and cavalry,

the outcome of which was indecisive.

The die was cast. No matter the outcome, the battle of April 21 at San Jacinto would

be the final battle of the Texas Revolution. In order to reach the plain of San Jacinto, both

armies had had to cross Vince‟s Bridge, the only access or escape route. Knowing the

importance of closing all escape routes, Houston ordered the bridge burned. There was no

turning back now. At 4:30 p.m. the order was given to attack, catching the Mexican army

completely by surprise. Three reasons are generally agreed upon for this. First, General Cos‟

500 troops had been force-marched the night before from the town of Richmond to reinforce

Santa Anna‟s contingent and had arrived at 9:00 A.M. As they had no reason to fear an attack

from the Texians so late in the day, Cos‟ exhausted men were told to rest. Secondly, the

original forces that had arrived with Santa Anna had been up all night preparing breastworks

in case the Texians were to attack at dawn, and were now sleeping. Finally, no pickets had

been posted to give warning of the approaching Texians.

With shouts of “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Goliad”, Houston‟s rag-tag

army, made up by now of Anglos, Tejanos and at least one free black, burst upon and routed

Santa Anna‟s isolated detachment. In only eighteen minutes they had secured victory for

Texas, killing 630 Mexicans and taking some 700 prisoners. Santa Anna had escaped, but

was captured the following day dressed as a private. In order to save his life, Santa Anna, by

agreement with Sam Houston, ordered his remaining armies to return to Mexico. By June 15th

lead elements of the retreating Mexican Army had crossed the Rio Grande at Matamoros.

Texas was finally a free and independent Republic.

************************************************************************

Since 1991, the sights and sounds of musket and cannon fire have reverberated over

the San Jacinto Battlegrounds. Hosted by the San Jacinto Volunteers, the recreation of this

important battle in Texas and U.S. history is performed by volunteers from all parts of Texas,

the U.S. and even overseas. Starting out with just a small handful of volunteers and very few

spectators, this event has grown to be the largest reenactment of the Texas Revolution in the

state, this year hosting more than 220 volunteers and 33,000 spectators. Although the

numbers of combatants from each side is far from the actual numbers which participated in

the battle, the public enjoys the unique opportunity to learn from visiting the various camps

and to watch an historically accurate account of what transpired on April 20 – 22, 1836.

Three camps are set up to represent the Texas Army, the Mexican Army and the

Runaway Scrape refugees. The visitors to the park are invited to talk to the reenactors and to

ask questions about what life was like in the early days of Texas. Children and adults alike

are taught the art of military drill, using toy muskets. The artillery crews choose visiting boys

and girls to work a simulated cannon drill, an accomplishment that they thoroughly enjoy.

Meanwhile, the lady volunteers are busy cooking 1830‟s style food. In the Mexican camp this

means that lots of frijoles, tortillas and picadillo are to be found while in the Runaway Scrape

camp it is sweet potato mash, turnip greens with ham hocks and cornbread that are cooking

over an open fire. This food, which takes most of the day to prepare, is served to the

volunteers at a large banquet in the late evening as a way to say “thank you” for all of their

hard work.

Around 2:00 P.M. the camps are closed to the public to prepare for battle. A professional

pyrotechnic team volunteers their time to come out and add special effects to the

reenactment. Charges are strategically placed near the Mexican cannon and in the Texian

camp to simulate cannon balls skipping along the ground and exploding amongst tree limbs.

More charges are used to represent the killing of the Mexican cannon crew and the

destruction of a tent in the Mexican camp just before the Texians reach the breast works, all

adding a sense of realism to the event.

In order that the viewing public have a better understanding of what they are

witnessing, a narration of the various events of April 20th

and 21st is read over a large public

address system by Dr. Carl Hacker. This gives the public a clearer understanding of the

events they are witnessing. Once the first shot from the Texian cannon is fired at the sleeping

soldados, the narration stops and the public has an opportunity to witness the events that

history tells us happened that fateful day in 1836. The Texians charge across the field, the

Mexican Army soldados are routed, and the prisoners are taken back to the Texian camp as

the narration resumes. Santa Anna is then brought into camp disguised as a private. He is

recognized by his troops with shouts of “El Presidente” and is then brought before the

wounded Sam Houston to discuss the terms of surrender. The day‟s reenactment ends with a

prayer, led by members of the San Jacinto Volunteers in both English and Spanish, for the

fallen heroes of both sides. A wreath is then placed on the battlefield to honor both armies.

If you are interested in volunteering to be a part of the reenactment of the Battle of

San Jacinto, please contact Colonel Jerry Tubbs at [email protected]. This is a juried

event; so new volunteers are required to send in a picture of themselves in costume and a

brief résumé of their experience with black powder.

Jerry Tubbs and Charlie Yates are commissioned Colonels in the modern day Texas Army.

For more information, articles and a calendar of events on the Texas Revolution, visit

www.texianlegacy.com on the web. A special note of Thanks goes to Elizabeth Glidden for

her most able assistance with this article.

Here are some of the pictures taken at the Battle of San Jacinto. This is an annual event to

recreate the battle that won Texas her independence from Mexico. There were just over

300 re-enactors on the field included women and children with 30,000+ visitors to witness

the re-enactment.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandyjames/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e06158/4550843747/in/set-72157623800894773/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.texianlegacy.com/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandyjames/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/e06158/4550843747/in/set-72157623800894773/

Competition One

Black Earth, End of the innocence

David N. Alderman

Copyright © 2009 by David N. Alderman

To be in with a chance of winning this book by David Alderman, just check out his website

and answer this simple question:

Q. What is the name of the upcoming sequel to Black Earth: End of the Innocence?

Website: http://www.davidnalderman.com

Just email me with your answer and full postal address before July 15th

and you will be

entered into the draw to receive a signed/dedicated copy of this book.

Note: There is an extract from this book within The Re-Enactor this month!

Competition Two

A brand new competition to win a signed copy of “Landscape of Memory” (Living Folklore

in England) by Jerry Bird.

I have printed an entire chapter (courtesy of Jerry) over the next few pages, have a read

through and answer this simple question:

Q: Who introduced William & Dorothy Wordsworth to Culborne?

Email me with your answer and full postal address before August 15th

2010 and you‟ll be

entered into the draw.

I would like to extend my gratitude to both Jerry Bird and David Alderman for their

support of this ezine and the offer of the books.

Note: In last month’s competition to win a copy of the book by John Fitch V, John very

kindly donated 2 signed books as prizes which he will be sending to the 2 lucky winners

shortly!

http://www.davidnalderman.com/

POETS AND LEPERS

If you‟re ever in the vicinity of Porlock on the Exmoor coast in Somerset, the

invigoratingly steep walk through the dense ancient woodland from sea level at Porlock Weir

to Culbone Church, about 400ft above is well worth the effort. The path follows the coast for

a short distance and then turns inland to join part of the spectacular toll road up through

Worthy Wood that follows the fast-flowing stream. A short tunnel behind the toll house leads

to the pathway to Culbone through Yearnor Wood. The path was once the packhorse road

from Porlock to Lynton and clings perilously to a ledge on the steep wooded hillside; the roar

of the sea hundreds of feet below a constant companion for the walker.

The woods here were once the site of a major charcoal burning industry. The original

burners were reputed to be a colony of lepers who were forbidden from crossing to the

Porlock side of Culbone Water. Stony ruins marking the site of the burners‟ huts and sawpits

can still be seen and a network of paths connects them to the main track through the woods. It

is a very atmospheric place, full of the ghosts of past travellers and inhabitants. Perhaps it is

no coincidence that in 1797 while Samuel Taylor Coleridge was staying at Ash Farm, a little

higher up the valley, he received (with the aid of a few grains of opium) the inspiration for

his great poem Kubla Kahn. Could this perhaps be the place “where Alph the sacred river ran

through caverns measureless to man down to a sunlit sea”? Certainly, the following lines

from the poem could well refer to this dramatic and picturesque landscape:

But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted

Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!

A savage place! as holy and enchanted

As e'er beneath a waning moon was haunted

By woman wailing for her demon-lover

(Kubla Kahn, Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1798)

Coleridge introduced William and Dorothy Wordsworth to Culbone at around this time,

taking them on the path from Porlock climbing up through the woodland which abounded in

“wild deer, foxes, badgers and martin cats”. They spent a great deal of time wandering

around coastal Exmoor, and it is during this period that Coleridge wrote The Rime of the

Ancient Mariner, and it is thought that he imagined the hermit character‟s cell to have been in

the woodland around Culbone, which does seem to have inspired a good deal of his poetry at

this period:

The hanging woods, that touched by Autumn seem'd

As they were blossoming hues of fire and gold,

The hanging woods, most lovely in decay,

The many clouds, the sea, the rock, the sands,

Lay in the silent moonshine - and the owl,

(Strange, very strange!) the Scritch-owl only wak'd,

Sole voice, sole eye of all that world of beauty!

(Osorio, Samuel Taylor Coleridge 1797)

The tiny, picturesque church is dedicated to St. Beuno, or Kil Beun, which is the derivation

of the current name for the settlement. The saint was the son of a sixth century Welsh

princess. He established a monastery at Clynnog on the Lleyn penninsula where he was

buried in 640CE. It is likely that St Bueno arrived from Wales as a missionary to convert the

inhabitants of Exmoor, the remnants of the Dumnonian tribes of pre-Roman Britain who at

the time had remained stubbornly pagan and probably still spoke the Celtic language, having

largely held their own against the Saxon invaders, who did not gain control until 938CE. A

form of the Celtic language was still spoken on Exmoor as late as the eighteenth century. In

legend he performed a miracle by saving his niece, Saint Winifred after her head was cut off

by a furious King Caradog when she rejected his advances. Saints Beuno and Winifred

have many sacred wells dedicated to them in their native Wales.

A little pamphlet is available in the church which indicates many points of interest: ancient

oak pews, the Saxon windows including a strange impish face akin to, but not quite the same

as a green man, the nineteenth century slate-covered deal spire and thirteenth century porch.

The Domesday Book (in which it appears as Chetnore) and the Guinness Book of Records

both make mention of this quaint building, which is regarded as the smallest parish church in

England, as well as being the smallest complete medieval church in Britain, being just thirty

five feet in its overall length. One amusing piece of folklore has it that the spire was

originally the upper part of the strangely truncated spire at St Dubricius in Porlock which was

blown off in a gale and transported here by the wind. According to legend, Dubricius was a

close friend and advisor of King Arthur, and he officiated at the wedding between Arthur and

Guinevere. Some historians are of the opinion that the spire at Porlock is so shaped because it

was used as a lighthouse in medieval times. Further west along the coast in Cornwall St

Nectan‟s Kieve, a tiny medieval monastic sanctuary once fulfilled a similar role in an almost

identical setting to that of Culbone.

Many of the tombstones in the churchyard at Culbone bear the surname Red, a variation on

Ridd of R.D. Blackmore‟s Lorna Doone fame; the village of Oare, where the epic romantic

novel is set lies within the same parish, just over the high ridge of the moors to the south

west. It was apparently a custom in the late eighteenth century for unmarried women to

scatter hempseed in the churchyard here at midsummer.

Also buried here is the American writer and Christian mystic Joan d‟Arcy Cooper who

lived in the hamlet for some years and played the church harmonium. She was of the opinion

that the church window with the decorated mullion on the north side of the church was carved

out of a single slab of stone which pre-dated the church and may have had pre-Christian

religious significance. She certainly believed that the site was once of ancient spiritual

importance and in her rather fanciful book Culbone - a Spiritual History, she claims that it

had once been the home of an ancient Sumerian sage to whom wise men travelled from long

distances to receive his wisdom. She considered Culbone to have been a “spiritual sanctuary”

built on the “etheric plane” long before the arrival of Christianity. She also claims that Christ

came to Culbone on the occasion of his legendary visit to Glastonbury.

It would appear that its past history was not always as peaceful as the present. In the Assize

rolls of 1280 it is recorded that Thomas, the local chaplain was indicted “for that he had

struck Albert of Esshe [or Ash, the name of a prominent local family] on the head with a

hatchet, and so killed him”. By the sixteenth century the church and the local settlement (at

that time known as Kytnore, and later, Kitnor) had been abandoned, but were re-established

by a colony of lepers who lived by charcoal burning and trading in timber and the skins of

feral goats, which still lived in the forest until very recently. Some of these goods were taken

to the port at nearby Porlock Weir for export.

The community died out in 1622 upon which the site was abandoned once again until,

according to Joan Cooper, a sort of commune was established in 1715 by a group of families

from Somerset, who rebuilt some of the old stone dwellings which had become ruinous. In

some accounts the settlers were actually a penal colony, dumped here by ship and left to their

own devices, as the area was so remote there was no need to fence them in. They were

eventually succeeded by Indian slaves who were allowed to work as charcoal burners in the

forest for a period of twenty-one years in order to gain their freedom.

The hamlet benefited by being close to the packhorse route from Porlock to Lynton, which

was widened in the 1800s to allow the passage of carts, and for a time in the nineteenth

century there was a small monthly market here and one of the cottages became a public

house, known as the Fox and Hounds. A market cross was erected in the churchyard

(replaced in 1966). According to the historian James Savage, writing in his History of the

Hundred of Carhampton (1830) “A wake, or as it is called in this part of the country, a revel,

used to be held annually in Culbone church-yard; but it has been discontinued many years”.

The church has been abandoned and restored several times over the years, according to the

changing fortunes of the hamlet‟s occupants. The two green man roof bosses in the chancel

ceiling probably date from around 1888, when that part of the roof was last rebuilt. It is

possible they may have replaced earlier, medieval carvings.

According to an old Somerset saying: “Culbone, Oare and Stoke Pero” are “Three

Churches Parsons seldom go”, though the little church still has fortnightly services. Culbone

is now an isolated sleepy place with just a handful of ancient looking dwellings clustered

around the tiny church in a steep cleft of wooded hillside, untroubled except by the

occasional group of ramblers passing through. Many of the latter will be Pagans and earth

mysteries enthusiasts seeking the many stone rows, circles and megaliths which abound in

this area.

High above the church stands the Culbone stone. The information panel on the fence next

to the style reads: "The Culbone Stone is an early medieaval standing stone approximately

one metre in height, which was discovered in 1940. It lies in woodland close to the parish

boundary, and features an incised wheeled cross, the style of which suggests it dates from 7th

to 9th century. The stone is legally protected as a scheduled ancient monument."

I would tend to disagree with this dating. The incised wheel may have had one of its four

spokes lengthened in the medieval period, maybe to Christianize a pagan symbol, or perhaps

merely to provide a direction indicator for the settlement and church in the valley below.

However, a nearby stone row with similar sized stones may indicate a more ancient, pre-

Christian provenance for this small but interesting megalith, which is probably not in its

original location, having been re-erected when it was re-discovered in 1940. There are also

several cairns and barrows close by in the wood.

When I visited it last it certainly had a mysterious, somewhat magical air about it. The

Culbone Stone is situated in a clearing amongst a grove of low-growing trees, stunted by the

prevailing wind, and despite the rain and wind on that occasion, it had an impressive presence

and stillness about it; a place of ancient spirits if ever there was one.

Note: I have removed the various pictures which accompany the book to reduce the size

of the file. The book itself is full of wonderful pictures which help to illustrate the

wonders described within the book.

Book Description: Black Earth, End of the innocence

On the evening of his high school graduation, Nathan Pierce collapses on stage. Plagued with visions

of a strange girl intent on killing herself, he wonders if his mental instability is a consequence of the

deadly car accident he was in days earlier.

Heather Rhodes, wracked with guilt because of the fatal wreck, finds she is unable to forgive herself

and begins to question her own beliefs. While the death of a newborn weighs on her heart, on her

mind is the strange gift she was able to use to protect her and Nathan in the accident…a gift that

Heather wonders may have just been a figment of her imagination.

Cynthia Ruin, aka The Pink Rabbit, decides that her high school graduation night should be used for

partying, not traveling down the football field. At a nightclub in Scottsdale, Cynthia finds more than

she bargains for when a stranger from her past decides to exact his revenge on her for a

prior rejection.

Nathan, Heather, and Cynthia come to realize that their current problems are nothing compared to the

stars falling from the sky. During the global crisis, the President of the United States makes it her

personal mission to keep the country on the right track to becoming a world superpower, while a

hostile entity known only as Absolute threatens her administration.

Meanwhile, word starts to spread that the falling stars may not be stars at all...

The Battle of Mortimer‟s Cross C1461

September 18th & 19th 2010

The Wharf Field, Main A49, Leominster, Herefordshire, UK

An annual recreation of this Wars of The Roses Battle, between the houses of York and

Lancaster.

The Battle of Mortimer‟s Cross was originally fought on February 2nd

1461 in Herefordshire

between the forces of the 18 year old Edward, Earl of March and Owen Tudor.

Owen Tudor had been on route to join the rest of the Lancastrian army when he was stopped

by Edward at Mortimer‟s Cross.

Come and join us:

Battle Re-Enactment including archery in large arena

Living history encampment

Medieval traders

Beer tent

Food stalls

Entertainment including medieval dancing and a barber surgeon!

All authentic groups are welcome, traders too! (reasonable pitch fees)

Check out the website for more details

Separate plastic camp site, water on site, toilets, wood for fires

www.mortimerscross.co.uk

http://www.mortimerscross.co.uk/

Scourge of evil, the Warrior Monk

(or So You Want to be a Templar……?)

Recently there has been a significant increase in the

number of Warrior Monks making the rounds the

festivals, but they still lack the numbers to compete with

the Jack Sparrows, d'Artagnans and Tinker Belles who

inundate the events. It is my goal to shed some light on

the legendary Warrior Monks of the Crusades with this

brief overview. Hopefully this will motivate a few to

pick up their Standards and lead the way, now strap on

that armor, and follow me.

In the beginning (a history behind the Warrior Monk

movement)…

Although the concept of a „righteous war‟ was nothing

new in history, the Crusades brought about a

development that was new to the Christian/Western

world and not thoroughly embraced by the masses: the

Warrior Monk.

Religion played a dominant role in the average medieval person‟s life. For the most part the fear of hell and

damnation directed the actions of everyday life. The teachings of the Church sought to dispel violence and

spread the word of peace. This approach was all well and good but stood in conflict with a growing trend of

armed men seeking station in life by feat of arms. From childhood these men spent their lives learning the finer

arts of warfare, and gaining fame and fortune through the exercise of these hard-won skills.

They say that idle hands are the devil‟s playground, so when there were no conflicts to keep these lads busy,

they tended to seek entertainment and wealth, and to exercise their craft on their neighbors. These fellow

Christians could be anything from another armed camp to a farming village, filled with untrained and poorly

armed peasants.

For some time the Church tried to activate a program called the “Peace of God” in an effort to curtail the

violence being done to the innocent masses. It outlined authorized days for fighting to be allowed during the

week. Unfortunately, this did not have the effect the Church was seeking. Apparently boys who train hard tend

to play hard, and their actions incurred the Clergy‟s wrath. Particularly I regards to the burning of churches to

collect a quick payday from the wealth these facilities were known to keep within their walls.

At about this time, when the Peace of God initiative was being forwarded, the Middle East saw the expansion of

Islam. Until 638, the Holy City of Jerusalem had been intermittently a Christian center. The city fell to Islamic

control during the same period in which the Seljuc Turks were threatening the Eastern Orthodox territory of

Byzantium, especially the city of Constantinople.

A great split had occurred in the Roman Church between the Roman and Eastern Orthodox branches over

doctrinal issues. Until that time the Eastern Orthodox Church seemed to lead the way in developing its

Byzantine society, largely due to its central location on major trade routes, allowing them to share in a variety of

technologies and advancements.

As the seemingly unstoppable armed juggernaut of Islam progressed inexorably westward, the leader of the

Byzantine Empire appealed to his Western brothers for help, since they both claimed to be Christians.

Pope Urban II saw in this request remarkable opportunities to

reunite the Church and liberate the Holy City of Jerusalem.

To do this, he could redirect the warlike efforts of the

European nobility with a cause and reward that would be hard

to resist. All monotheistic religions include the concept of

pilgrimage, a journey to Jerusalem being in the play book of

Christians. Those Christians leaving for the East could check

that block, and exercise their God-given skills with the sword

and other sharp pointy instruments to free the Holy City. To

top it off, while doing this, they would receive

remission/forgiveness of their sins. A warrior couldn‟t ask for

a better deal. The simple math of this is: all armed men in the

Outremer (the general name given to the Crusader states

established after the First Crusade) liberating the Holy City

equals no armed bands roaming the European country side

sacking villages and churches. Talk about a stimulus

package!

The story of the Crusades is rich in many ways: valor,

fortitude, commitment, treachery, and faith to name a few. I

won‟t go into the specifics on the Crusades, because that‟s for the reader to find out. Trust me, you won‟t be

disappointed!

Church’s hammer, a pilgrim’s shield…

Jerusalem was liberated in 1099, and a problem that the Pope hadn‟t figured on was that the vast majority of

Crusaders that went East wanted to return home now. Nobility had holdings they needed to go back and check

on. Peasants and others had completed their pilgrimage and freed Jerusalem, so their sins were forgiven, and

they wished to return to a less hostile, more familiar setting: Europe.

This left the Outremer understaffed, if you will, with people that could maintain possession of sites that were

just recovered. Militant bands of locals ambushed pilgrims on their march in from the sea to Jerusalem. It was

said that one couldn‟t walk the trails without seeing the bleached bones of former pilgrims who had been

attacked and robbed.

Nine volunteers stepped up, offering their skills as warriors and commitment to the Faith, to protect pilgrims on

their way to and from the Holy City. Long story short, with the help of some very influential people connected

with the Church, the concept of the Warrior Monk was developed. Monastic oaths were taken to keep them on

the straight and narrow…hopefully. Much of the rest of the “hardships” that folks tend to think they endured

weren‟t much more than they faced as regular knights on campaign. For some it was probably a boost, for they

were suddenly looked after, fed, and equipped, and not having to struggle to keep up station.

It‟s about here that all the myths of a certain Order start, but I won‟t go into that. I leave that to the audience to

dive into if they so wish. From here I will discuss a few of the major Military Orders of Warrior Monks that

developed and how they appeared in an effort to help fans develop a strong portrayal the next time they step out

and through the gates of the nearest fair/festival.

Leaving the past behind…..

You‟ll want to work off a basic foundation, and here‟s where to start:

For your legs: Hose, with or without leg

wraps will serve you well. An arming cap

made of cotton, linen, or leather for your

head. Period shoes, many can be obtained

from a variety of dealers.

Under the armor or robe/tunic you‟ll

develop, you‟ll want a Padded gambeson.

This serves to protect your body‟s hard

points from chaffing with armor on. Padded

chausses will cover your legs, hose, and

wraps and are a sound investment if you

plan to wear and portray a full serving

Brother of any Order.

Now for the good stuff; armor.

Easily the most recognizable feature of a knight, next to his helmet, Mail, or chain mail as some refer to it, will

serve you well for this time period. (butted, round ring riveted, flat ring riveted, welded) This includes the

second layer of defense for your head, the Mail coif. Although usually part of the mail shirt, in later times of the

Crusades period, it became a separate item.

Front greaves made of plate can be added for shin defense and make for a remarkable appearance.

The third layer of defense for the head and probably the first recognizable feature identifying an individual as a

knight is the Helm. Norman helms with nasal guard, Basic steel cap, steel cap with early face plate

(transitional), Early Kettle Hat or “chapel-de-fer” are recommended.

For your hands, remember they are what make the sword work; leather gloves, or Mail mittens/gauntlets. In a

pinch though, you could serve with bare hands.

Shields: the early “poster boards” of Knightly individuals, and in the case of Warrior Monks, an awesomely

intimidating warning to the enemy with their spiritually significant applied colors and patterns. A 4‟kite shield

for earlier years, along with lower status members of the Order, and the instantly recognizable “Heater” shield

of the later years.

To help deliver the word to the infidel, you‟ll need one or two of some very persuasive tools in the right hands:

warclubs (studded), period maces, period swords (for the Military Orders, these would be simple in appearance),

dagger, two-handed axes, or Frankish ax. Spears/lances round out an awesome portrayal, especially when

equipped with an Order specific pennant. These should be roughly 14‟ in length, but are frowned upon at some

events.

Now that you‟ve got what it takes, it‟s time to chose your colors and represent!

Special Note: For thrifty Brothers, you might choose a long sleeve robe, which can conceal the absence of a

mail shirt, and allow you to make do with a mail coif and hand protection.

Looking for a few good men….

The following are examples of the Military Orders in the time of the Crusades. You must know that when most

people hear of the Crusades they immediately think of the Middle East, but “Crusades” were taking place in a

variety of locations at the same time, all offering the same indulgences for participation. Locations included

Spain, Portugal, Southern France, and Eastern Europe (Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, etc.).

Knights Hospitaller

The Knights Hospitaller are by far the

oldest of the Orders, but not in the

militarization of the organization, which

happened after they started to compete

with the Knights Templar for benefits

and privileges in the Outremer. They

were originally founded by Italian

merchants as an organization to take care

of the sick in the Holy Land. They hired

mercenaries to handle protection duties,

until the Order reached the point of

recognition by the Church to branch out

with military capabilities to mirror that

of the Templars. Their attire was a black

cappa or surcoat and cape, equipped

with a white Maltese cross. To distinguish

between “full serving Brothers” who‟d

taken the monastic oath, and lower station Brothers, the same attire was done in brown for the lower members of

the Order. Later in their evolution, they went to red surcoats that were originally for Full Brothers but later

adopted by all. This Order also had females serving in nursing roles. They later changed their name to the

Knights of Malta or the Knights of St. John.

This Order is still in existence today but in a purely humanitarian role.

Knights Templar

By far the most written about and recognized of the Medieval Military Crusading Orders was the Knights

Templar. Much of their history has been muddied and diluted through all the fictional works that ride their

surcoat strings. It was those original nine volunteers that helped found the Templars, taking their name from the

location of the home in Jerusalem. The Templars started as strictly a Military Order, with the purpose of

providing armed escort for pilgrims in the Holy Land. Many of the other things they are given credit for

developed as a result of having to support this original effort.

At the start, around 1119-20, members of the Order would have been given a plain white cappa or surcoat. The

famous red cross of the Templars wouldn‟t be approved for another 20 years or so. The red cross is also a matter

of speculation. It changes depending on geographical location and the desires of the Grand Master of the time.

Paintings at various churches show the wide variety.

To distinguish between “full serving Brothers” who‟d taken the monastic oath and lower station, or lay/associate

Brothers (Sergeants, Turcopoles), the same attire was done in brown with the red cross for the lower members

of the Order.

The major item for which the Templars were noted was their flag, or Beausant. Here again there is a question as

to exactly what it looked like, but most have at least two colors in common: black and white. Their arrangement

again changes by geographical location, and some include a Templar red cross.

There is still debate as to whether this Order included any female affiliation.

Teutonic Knights

The Teutonic Knights began during the time of the Third Crusade for the care of participating Germans. There

had been some national friction between the French, English, and Germans, and Richard the Lionheart would

reap the rewards of this upon his departure from the Outremer.

While the Teutonic Order had a presence in the Outremer, it could never fully compete with the resources of the

Templars and Hospitallers in that region. They directed most of their focus and efforts to actions in Northern

and Eastern Europe.

The Teutonic Order modeled its military programs after that of the Templars. They are often confused with

Templars due to the use of the white surcoat. It should be noted that they used a black cross on their uniforms,

and lay or associate Brothers (no monastic oath taken), and those of lesser station in the Order, wore a truncated

cross.

This Order also included females who served in support and nursing roles. The Teutonic Order still exists but in

a purely humanitarian role.

Additional Orders during the Crusades

Following are just a few of the other Military Orders developed during the period:

Order of Montjoie-Iberian peninsula

Order of Calatrava-Iberian peninsula

Order of St. Thomas of Canterbury- English detachment of Hospitallers

Schwertzbrüder of Livonia- absorbed by the Teutonic Order after some issues

Orders of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem- An Order made up of lepers; fought in the Holy Land

Order of Montesa-Iberian peninsula

Order of Aviz-Iberian peninsula

Order of the Hatchet- A female Order of Knights in Spain

Hollywood and the Warrior Monks

Generally movie makers take liberties when showing the Orders on the big screen. Excessive armor and

appearances that don‟t meet the Orders‟ statutes are common place. They can however provide you with

motivation and a starting reference to work from. Some characters can serve you well though; the Hospitaller

from Kingdom of Heaven (KoH), and Christopher Lee‟s Templar Grand Master from the 97 Invanhoe show.

Visually, KoH blurred the line between Crusader and the Templar Warrior Monk through the use of one cross to

represent the both. The 1997 BBC series “Ivanhoe” comes close to getting it right, but they take liberties with

the “dress code” of these monks by giving them the long hair of secular knights, something from which they

tried to distance themselves. Hair that touched the ear was the greatest length allowed, with the beard to help

social exchanges with the locals of the Outremer. The movie from Sweden, Arn the Knight Templar, includes

some good images but appears to use the cross of Portuguese Templars. These provide a visual stepping off

point, supported by a good deal of personal research. The result will be rewarding.

In the end…..

No matter which Order you decide to commit yourself to (because it‟s not just a hobby, it‟s a

commitment…lol!), you‟ll find plenty of resources to help you put your image together. I would recommend

authors such as Helen Nicholson, Gordon Napier, Piers Paul Reid, David Nicholle, and series like the OSPREY

Publishing on Crusades topics. They have wonderful color prints that will help set you up for success in putting

together your Warrior Monk kit. Don‟t let the Davinci Code or the Last Templar fool ya!

So next time you see one of these dour fellows roaming the lands of a fair, don‟t be afraid to ask him about it.

He‟ll be more than happy to share his experience. Deus vult!

Event Listings

20th

June until 31st August: Camp Chantier Patrimoine-Chateau fort de Guise.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=119346998088002

22nd

June until 31st August: L‟Archange Saint-Michel, Presence dans L‟Histoire Exhibit, Dol-de-Bretagne (35)


July 2010

1st – 18

th Mercado Medieval de Obidos/Obidos Medieval fair, Obidos


2nd

– 4th

ISCAR Medieval, Valladolid, Spain

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105599409474637&n=

2nd

– 4th

e Valia, Chieri, Italy


2nd

– 4th

Lres 10eme Medievale De Ternand, Ternand, France (69620)


3rd

& 4th

The Knights of Royal England at Linlithgow Palace nr Edinburgh, Scotland

www.knightsroyal.co.uk

3rd

& 4th

Fete Medievale, Briancon Cite Historigue Vieille Ville, France


3rd

& 4th

Chetwynd Medieval Fair. Commemorating an actual historical market and Chetwynd, Shropshire

in1318. The current location is at Shropshire Lavender

http://www.shropshirelavender.co.uk

3rd

&4th

Dorset Medieval Festival, Winterbourne Came, Dorchester, Dorset, UK

http://www.dorsetmedievalfestival.co.uk/




http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=105599409474637&n



http://www.knightsroyal.co.uk/


http://www.shropshirelavender.co.uk/

http://www.dorsetmedievalfestival.co.uk/

3rd

& 4th

Kluszyn 2010, Warsawa


3rd

& 4th

Fete et marcher medieval, Chateau d‟helecine, Belgium


9th

– 11th

Tournoi de Franche-Comte 2010, Moncley (Besancon-25), France


9th

– 11th

Celtival 2010, Villa Wassermann, Giavera del Montello (TV)


9th

– 11th

Tournoi international de chevalerie de Franche-Comté

http://tournoi.franchecomte.free.fr

10th

& 11th

The Knights of Royal England at Linlithgow Palace nr Edinburgh, Scotland


10th

& 11th

Abbey Medieval Tournament, Caboolture, Australia

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=374015126574 10

th & 11

th Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, Tewkesbury, UK

www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org/

10th

& 11th

Indian Festival- Ferme des Bisons – Bisonfarm, La Ferme des Bisons Recogne B6600 Bastogne


10th

& 11th

Fonmon Castle, Fonmon, Rhoose, Barry, Wales


10th

& 11th

Romans Live, Ribchester Roman Re-Enactments, Ribchester, uk


th – 13

th Villimpenta tra Scaligeri e Gonzage, Castello di Villimpenta, Italy


13th

– 18th

Viking Market in Gudvangen

http://www.facebook.com/gudvangen

15th

– 17th

The Battle Tradionaly of Grunwald (1410-2010) at Grunwald, Poland


17th

Enconto de Malucos Medievals, Dentro do Castelo de Obidos,


17th

& 18th

MSS at Royal Gunpowder Mills, UK

For information: http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk

17th

& 18th

2e Historisch Rendez Vous Beekse Bergen, Hilvarenbeek


17th

& 18th

The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK


17th

& 18th

Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire, UK

Multi-Period event

17th

& 18th

Medieval weekend, Magdalen College Museum, UK






http://tournoi.franchecomte.free.fr/



http://www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org/





http://www.facebook.com/gudvangen



http://www.medieval-seige-society.co.uk/




17th

& 18th

Tournoi International de Combat Medieval, Laroque


17th

& 18th

Ealdfaeder at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK

For information contact: [email protected]

23rd

– 24th

The Knights of Royal Engalnd at Hever Castle, Kent, UK


24th

& 25th

700th

Anniversary Event, Chirk castle, Shropshire, UK


24th

& 25th

Berkeley Castle Skirmish, Gloucestershire, UK

www.berkeley-castle.com/reenactments.php

24th

& 25th

Coracles & Castles, Cilgerran Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales


24th

& 25th

Tournoi de L‟Ullywood team, Rozoy Belleval 02


24th

& 25th

The Battle of Azincourt, France

www.azincourt-alliance.org.uk

24th

& 25th

MSS at Appuldurcombe House, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, UK


30th

Valnerina Longobarda. Conferenza “Da Faroaldo ai Franchi”, Ferentillo (TR)


31st & 1

st The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK


31st & 1

st The Tournament of Walraversijde, Oostende, Belgium


31st & 1

st Ealdfaeder at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK


31st & 1

st The Storming of Tyr Mawr-battle of Bosworth 525

th anniversary event, Ty Mawr Medieval hall,

Montgomeryshire, Wales.


23rd

July to 15th

August Zu Ebener Erde und Erster Stock, Burg Liechtenstein.


August 2010

6th

– 8th

The Knights of Royal England at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, UK


7th

& 8th

Midlands History Festival at Stratford Armouries, Stratford, UK

www.mid-fest.co.uk

7th

& 8th

Feathers & Flights, Cilgerran Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales


7th

& 8th

De fer et de feu, Rebecq, Belgium






http://www.berkeley-castle.com/reenactments.php



http://www.azincourt-alliance.org.uk/









http://www.mid-fest.co.uk/



7th

& 8th

Military & Flying Machines Show, Daymns Hall Aerodrome, Upminster, Essex


7th

& 8th

Matrimonio di Re Manfredi, Trani, Italy


14th

Belton House National Trust WW2 RAF event, Lincolnshire, UK


th – 15

th The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, uk


13th

– 15th

Fight Camp 2010, The Grange near Coventry, UK


14th

& 15th

Spetchley Park-Multi-period event, Worcester, UK

www.lhiw.org.uk

14th

& 15th

Lincoln Castle, Lincoln, UK


14th

& 15th

Aarschot 1489 – editie 2010, Domein Elzenhof


14th

& 15th

Ealdfaeder at Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK


14th

& 15th

Barnas Viking Festival, Trondenes/Harstad

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=445461745236&n_=

14th

& 15th

MSS at Bodium Castle, Sussex, UK


20th

Bosworth battle, Bosworth battlefield, Sutton Cheney, England


21st & 22

nd Scotlands Festival of History, The Royal Borough of Lanark, UK

http://www.scotlandsfestivalofhistory.co.uk

21st & 22

nd Roasting Ears of Corn Festival, Museum of Indian Culture, Allentown, PA, USA


21st & 22

nd The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK


22nd

Fete Medievale De L‟Alpe D‟Huez, France


25th

– 29th

Invitational European Championship Horsens 2010, Denmark


th & 28

th The Knights of Royal England at Hever Castle, Kent, UK


27th

– 29th

Fete Medievales D‟Eguilles 2010, Eguilles, France


28th

– 30th

Herstmonceaux Medieval Festival, Herstmonceaux Castle, East Sussex, UK






http://www.lhiw.org.uk/




http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=445461745236&n_



http://www.scotlandsfestivalofhistory.co.uk/







28th

– 30th

Military Odyssy, Kent Show Ground, Detling, Kent, UK.

http://www.military-odyssey.com/

28th

– 30th

Medieval Spectacular at Pensthorpe Park, Fakenham, Norfolk

http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk

29th

& 30th

The Knights of Royal England at Hedingham Castle, Essex, UK


28th

& 29th

Balingup Medieval Carnivale, Balingup, Australia


28th

– 29th

September 10 Jahre mim IG Mensch im Mittelalter e.V (63165 Mulheim am Main)


28th

– 30th

The 6th

Medieval Spectacular Festival, Pensthorpe, Norfolk, UK


September 2010

3rd

– 5th

VI Rol en Vivo, Reinos Olvidados, Hereos del Destino, Monzon (Huesca)


3rd

– 5th

Special effects seminar, Oneail FX Studios, Amesbury, MA, USA


4th

& 5th

Campaign of La Boissiere-Ecole 1815

The village of La Boissiere-Ecole situated 17km west of Rambouillet near Paris

4th

– 6th

Medievales Internaionales De St Colomban Edition 2010, St Colomban, Quebec, Canada


5th

The Knights of Royal England at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, UK


10th

– 12th

V Torneo Internazionale di Castell Arquato di Scherma Medievale Pesante


11th

& 12th

Early Medieval Alliance (EMA) event at Caldicot Castle, Wales, UK

11th

& 12th

Rivivi il Medioevo, Parco del LungoArda, Castell'Arquato, Italy


11th

& 12th

MSS at Battle of Edgecote & Tournament Spectacular, Chipping Warden, Banbury, UK


11th

& 12th

Caldicot 2010, Caldicot Castle, Wales, UK


th & 19

th The Battle of Mortimer‟s Cross (C1461) Main A49 1 Mile North of Leominster, Herefordshire, UK

For information: http://www.mortimerscross.co.uk

18th

& 19th

The Knights of Royal England at Leeds Castle, Kent, UK


25th

Legnano 1176, Liberia Feltrinelli Milano, Italy


http://www.military-odyssey.com/

http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/













http://www.mortimerscross.co.uk/



25th

& 26th

The 17th

International Napoleonic Fair 2010

www.internationalnapoleonicfair.co.uk

October

2nd

& 3rd

Fete Medievale des Vendages, Pierrevert (04860) France


16th

& 17th

The Norfolk Living History Fayre, Mannington Hall, Norfolk, UK


17th

MSS Autumn Clout Shoot, Bodium Castle, Sussex, UK


29th

-31st The Living History Fair, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, UK

http://www.livinghistoryfairs.com/

30th

& 31st Medieval Fair & Market, Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire, UK

Contact: [email protected]

November

27th

& 28th

Ludlow Castle Medieval Christmas fair, Ludlow, Shropshire, UK

Craft fair, medieval traders, combat, have a go archery

http://www.ludlowcastle.com/

December

12th

MSS Christmas Clout Shoot at Bodium Castle, Sussex, UK


Set in the Peak District, in 7th century Anglo-Saxon England, The Whispering Bell is both a gripping thriller and a tender love story. Wynflaed, orphaned by famine, is rescued and raised in a hall of plenty, but the peace and security of her life is soon shattered by Mercia's war with Northumbria. She marries Wulfric, a hero of the battle of Hatfield Heath, but he is lost at Mercia's siege of Bamburgh. Wynflaed is cheated and robbed of everything by her greedy brother-in-law. She is enslaved and made to work for Penda's army as it pursues its enemies across the land. When finally she escapes, only an outlaw can help her.

ISBN 978-1-906836-01-6

www.briansellars.co.uk Email: [email protected]

http://www.internationalnapoleonicfair.co.uk/




http://www.livinghistoryfairs.com/


http://www.ludlowcastle.com/


Ty Mawr medieval hall celebrates 550 years with events and documentary

Ty Mawr near Castle Caereinon, Powys celebrates its 550th anniversary this year with special

weekend events and a television documentary.

The largest restored medieval aisled hall in Wales will open its doors to visitors the first

weekend of every month from June to September with a costumed guided tour and medieval

living history displays in the grounds, including 15th century cooking, crafts and archery.

Open from 11 am to 4 pm the day offers a unique insight into life in medieval Wales and is

supported by the local heritage group „History Matters‟ and reenactors from the „Montgomery

Levy‟ living history society.

June the 5th and 6th sees them host a visit from members of the William Stanley‟s Household,

whose members from throughout the UK will help to transport the visitors back to the life and

times of the mid 15th Century. Free car parking with toilets facilities and light refreshments

available, disabled access on request and tickets are £6 for adults, children £3 and concessions

£4.

Ty Mawr will feature in a documentary as the octogenarian Dr. Peter Smith (formerly of the

Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales) visited Ty Mawr in April

for S4C‟s filming of the „Houses of the Welsh Countryside‟ produced to celebrate the reprinting

of this landmark publication. The first episode is the medieval hall house and features Ty Mawr

described by Dr Smith as his most spectacular discovery. The hall whose timbers date from 1460

was identified in 1972 and restored by Cadw and the Powis estates in 1998 , winning the

prestigious building of the year award in 2000 from the Royal Institution of Chartered

Surveyors. The documentary makers spent two days filming at Ty Mawr, which will be shown

later this year and features interviews with the Chairman of the Royal Commission on the

Ancient and Historic Monuments of Wales Dr Eurwyn Wiliam.

Support History Matters for free when shopping online with over 2000 popular retailers.

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/historymatters

Raise funds for History Matters when you search the Web with easysearch - the best results in one

simple search.

http://historymatters.easysearch.org.uk

http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/historymatters

http://historymatters.easysearch.org.uk/

Step back in time 600 years for the ultimate Medieval experience at Bewl Water!

Where entertainment & education blend seamlessly into one. Located just 10 miles from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, Bewl Water offers tranquil green meadows as well as a stunningly beautiful Lakeside surroundings. On the weekend of August 14th & 15th, 2010, Bewl Water will be transformed into a slice of 15th Century England with the full panoply of medieval life on display. Don't miss challenging Medieval combat in glittering steel armour on foot in a Fight Arena - cheer on your favorite warrior and boo the villains. Fighters wearing Gothic, Milanese and various examples of 15th Century cuirass will be knocking Seven Bells out of one another with a variety of weapons including Medieval Poleaxes, Flails (ball on chains), Flambards - 4ft long swords - bills, glaives and spears The ground will also be thumping and thundering with the beat of 14 medieval warhorses as the armoured Jousters do their best to unseat one another in an afternoon of competition and rivalry. Enjoy the Have-A-Go Archery and take in the sights, sounds and smells of Medieval Living History, cookery, crafts and woodwork. This is an opportunity to Meet The Ancestors - real-live Medieval folk in fully accurate Medieval costumes who can answer all your questions about Life in the Past. There will be coin-minting displays where you can punch out your Medieval pewter coins - plus a chance to poke through the contents of a replica Medieval Toilet - complete with rats and archaeological finds! As you wander through the Medieval Encampment Village don't miss the opportunity to try on some of the vast range of replica body armour we have on display, heft the weapons, look at what they can do - you will be closely supervised so you cannot use them on anybody. You can even spend your modern money shopping at stalls belonging to Historic Traders - 15-20 of the UK's top artisan-traders and dealers in re-enactment artefacts will be here. Beer, food and refreshments will be freely available onsite. Showers & full camping facilities - both authentic and plastic available to all participating re-enators. FIrewood SUPPLIED. Come for the day or stay for the weekend - it's up to you! Altogether you and your family can enjoy a BEWLiful day! Free entry to participating re-enactors. Please arrange this by emailing: [email protected]


Pirates of Barbary: Corsairs, Conquests and Captivity in the 17th

Century

Mediterranean By Adrian Tinniswood

Book Review & Interview with the Author – By Chris Poore

Adrian Tinniswood is a historian and educationalist who regularly lectures in the UK and US

and was for many years consultant to the National Trust on heritage education. He is the

author of eleven books to date including his acclaimed biography of Christopher Wren and

The Verneys which was shortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson prize for Non-Fiction. His

latest work “Pirates of Barbary” explores the rich, colourful and often brutal history of the

Barbary Corsairs.

The book is a patchwork of different stories that spark the imagination, from the life of John

Ward, an English Sailor who became a Privateer for the Pasha of Tunis, making a fortune at

sea preying on all nations shipping including his own and who eventually joined Islam

becoming one of the most notorious pirates of the 17th

Century to the personal stories of those

unfortunate enough to be captured and forced into a life of slavery on the Barbary coast (it is

estimated that over 1.25 million White European Christians were captured and sold as slaves

in the markets of Morocco, Algiers and Tunis). More importantly it gives a good background

to the reasons why, and how, the Barbary pirates become the scourge of the coasts of Europe,

not only raiding all across the Mediterranean but also attacking shipping and villages and

towns along the English coast and as far north as Iceland.

The book‟s research is well laid out and readable detailing the struggle European nations and,

in particular, England had with fighting this problem, probably most fascinating is the

amount of Europeans that joined with the Corsairs to raid their own countries‟ shipping, some

even Turning Turk and joining in a Sea Jihad against the infidel, while of course making a

vast profit at the same time. And the fact that the only way to deal with this was for all the

powers of Europe and the fledgling United States to pay off the Sultans, Pashas and Deys of

Barbary with obscene amounts of money to leave their shipping alone is beyond belief.

In its forward the book also offers some interesting connotations between the modern day

pirates of Somalia and those of the Barbary Coast, showing in some ways that “things never

change”. All in all the book is a very enjoyable and informative read, opening up a period of

history that is all too often forgotten in the western mind!

Recently I had the chance to ask the author some questions

In the beginning of the book you mention your fascination with Barbary started with

your research for your previous book on the Verneys, but what was it about this

particular period of history that gripped your imagination?

I've been fascinated by the 17th century ever since 1978, when the National Trust gave me my

first job, as a researcher at Sudbury Hall, a stunning Restoration country house in

Derbyshire. Since then I've written on Wren, the Great Fire of London, the Verneys and now

the Barbary pirates. Each time I start a project, I realise how much more there is to know

about the period. It is without doubt the richest, most complex, most exciting in the whole of

English history.

In many ways the book is about the struggle that waged between the European

Nations and the pirates and in particular England’s roles in that conflict. Why do you

think the European powers took so long to stamp out this scourge seeing as how it

affected so many nations trade?

Several reasons: 1, there was a risk of annoying the Ottoman Empire. 2, the logistics of

mounting an effective blockade of Algiers or Tunisia was formidable. 3, whenever one

European nation moved into the Mediterranean it worried the others. 4, at different times it

suited England, France, Holland and Spain to have the commerce of smaller Christian

nations harassed and harmed by corsairs.

It’s mentioned that an Elizabethan Act allowed for the setting up of Commissioners

along the English Coast to try and deal with the problem, how effective were these

commissioners and did they act under civil authority or under the Admiralty?

There is still work to be done exploring the role of Commissioners for Piracy. Of the

Jacobean examples I've come across, a distressing number operated in partnership with

pirates.

Do you think that the issue of so many English people enslaved on the Barbary

Coast in the 1640’s (I believe about 30 to 40,000 at any one time) and the angry

reaction of this by those at home played any significant part in the dissatisfaction

Parliament had with Charles I and his ability to put a stop this menace?

This is a really interesting question. William Rainborowe's expedition to free captives at Sale

on the Atlantic Coast of Morocco in 1637 was clearly an attempt by the government to justify

the ship money levy, which was presented as necessary if the navy were to combat the

menace of pirates; and its success was seen as a vindication of the policy. But I think

everyone rather forgot about the problem in the run-up to war, and I don't see Barbary

slavery playing much of a role in Parliament's dissatisfaction with the King. The damage that

pirates were doing to English trade is another matter, and a slightly different point!

Now the book is finished what other projects do you have in mind for the future and do you

think the story of Barbary Corsairs has now been fully told or is there more to come?

Two questions there, and two answers!

I think we're familiar with the European version(s) of the little wars in the Mediterranean now. What I

hope my book does is to point to alternative readings, to show there is more than one side to the story.

I suspect any new material and fresh perspectives will come from Islamic historians.

As for my next book, it's early days yet. But I have a notion to look at one or two of the New England

colonists of the 1630s who came back to fight for Parliament and a new Jerusalem in the 40s. Many

of them had close links with the Levellers and other radical groups - perhaps America contributed

more to our English Revolution than we realise!

That „Glorious though Unfortunate Battle‟ – The Black Watch and the Attack on Fort Ticonderoga, 8th July,

1758

Duncan Campbell was one of those who took part in the disastrous attack ordered by General

James Abercrombie against the defences of Fort Carillon in July 1758. This was one of the

many actions fought in the course of the Seven Years War (1756 – 1763) in the vast arena of

the North American wilderness. Ten days after the fight, Duncan Campbell, serving with the

42nd succumbed to his wounds. Some three years beforehand Campbell is said to have

provided shelter to one who turned out to have been his brother‟s murderer. This was a fine

choice for a highland gentleman; to deny the call of vengeance or the obligations of the host.

A humane man, he spared the assassin and gave him refuge. A little while after his dead

brother appeared to him in a dream in which he promised they would meet again at a place

called Ticonderoga, which at that point and, unsurprsingly, Campbell had never heard of. On

the very afternoon of the day on which the fateful engagement had been played out in New

York State, a ghostly panoply of fighting men appeared in the clouds over Inveraray Castle,

Clan Campbell was thus given notice it would soon mourn many of its lost sons.

The name Ticonderoga derives from the Iroquois expression tekontaro:ken - „at the junction

of two waterways‟, an entirely pragmatic description for the place stands astride the

strategically significant narrow passage of Lake Champlain, where a short traverse cuts

through to the northern flank of Lake George. Thus the fort dominated the busy trade

highway between English-held Lake Hudson and the French-controlled St. Lawrence River.

Such was the importance of its location that four major combats were fought out there within

a mere two decades. When the French began to build in 1755, they named their new work

Fort Carillon, the choice inspired by the almost musical resonance of tumbling falls nearby.

Construction was spread over a period of two years and the ramparts were not completed

until 1757. By then local rivalry between France and England had flared as a wider

consequence of the Seven Years War, Pitt the Elder‟s expansionist triumph that a later

populist leader, Winston Churchill, branded as „The First World War‟. It was from there the

French launched a successful campaign against Fort William Henry, an episode familiar to all

readers of James Fenimore Cooper‟s Last of the Mohicans.

By the following year the British in North America had been substantially reinforced whilst

the French under Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, were forced back onto the defensive. Two

campaigns were planned, General Amherst would lead an attempt on the great French bastion

of Louisbourg, whilst Abercrombie, as C-in-C would assault Fort Carillon. His forces were

considerable, comprising some 7,000 British redcoats and 9,000 colonial militia, well

supported by a formidable artillery train. His regular battalions included the 27th, 44th, 46th,

55th and the 42nd Highland regiment (The Black Watch). For the difficult and dangerous

business of scouting and skirmishing he could count upon over a thousand of light infantry.

Col. Gage, commanding the 80th foot, was a devoted student of that celebrated exponent of

irregular warfare Richard Rogers, whose Rangers had already made a name for themselves as

masters of commando style operations.

Against this formidable deployment Montcalm could muster no more than 3,600 defenders

all told, made up of seven battalions of French regulars, supported by marines, French

colonials and native allies. He knew the blow must fall upon the bastion of Ticonderoga and

thus looked to his defences. The site enjoyed a superb tactical position, pushed out on a spur

that jutted, like a salient against the course of the river, the rushing waters providing

additional cover on three sides. The fourth flank was partly screened by a bog and covered

by a timber outwork, a substantial palisade nine feet high, the timbers soundly buttressed, and

the ground before sown with stakes and other obstacles. The fort itself was a classic star

shaped construction with four corner strengths or bastions, two freestanding works, or

ravelins, guarding the most exposed flanks and the whole built upon a swell of higher ground,

it was altogether a most commanding position.

Any successful assault could only be prepared after the major logistical effort needed to

transport, men, their equipment and supplies, the great guns, ammunition and quantities of

powder had been competently undertaken. The officer responsible was Brigadier Viscount

George Augustus Howe, one of several remarkable brothers, all of whom were destined to

leave their mark on North America. Howe, colonel of the 55th had made a particular study of

the irregular pattern of warfare that so suited the terrain and had spent time with Rogers. The

many lessons learnt he put to good effect, stripping his fellow officers of much of their more

luxurious baggage, lightening the men‟s load, adapting their uniform, weapons and drill. He

went so far as to be seen washing his own linen in rivers, a chore normally undertaken for

officers by the regimental women whom he‟d sent back, this was indeed novel!

In the warm flush of a continental summer, the end of June, Abercrombie‟s task force was

mustering on the banks of Lake George, the ruins of Fort William Henry a potent reminder.

Thanks to Howe‟s efficiency some 800 barges or bateaux, plus 90 whaleboats had been

laboriously hauled overland, each of the boats would carry 22 troops with all their gear and

30 days supply of foodstuffs. On 5th July with commendable discipline and elan the

regiments embarked and the great flotilla of heavily laden craft proceeded sedately down the

length of Lake George. It was indeed a sight of awesome majesty, the might of the

burgeoning British Empire, a rich tableau of scarlet and gold, the deep blue of the colonials,

the latent power of the great guns, lashed to rafts, the silken standards lifting in a gentle

breeze. Around them the sylvan glories of an untouched wilderness; tall stands of pine and

fir, the light glancing from the calm, burnished waters of the lake, hills rising on every side.

By dawn the following day, 6th July, the long passage of Lake George had been

accomplished without mishap and the battalions were approaching the narrows; ahead of

them was the expanse of Lake Champlain but, rising in its headland, reared the great mass of

Fort Ticonderoga, an unconquered citadel. Montcalm, however outnumbered, was still

vigilant and the shoreline was held by a commanded body of skirmishers; fire from the boats

drove these back beneath the shelter of the trees and the attackers disembarked without

further opposition. Once ashore, the men were detailed into marching columns but this terrain

was not the level arena of Flanders, it was rather a dense web of tangled undergrowth, fallen

trees and confusing slopes. Abercrombie‟s guides proved less than competent and the British

were soon in difficulties. In the confusion the right, commanded by Howe, became involved

in a running fight with the French, taking casualties, amongst these was their gallant

commander, one whose loss would be keenly felt. Major-General Strewart writing of the

action some decades after, commented:

The march was continued in the same order [July 7th], but the ground not having been

previously examined, and the guides proving extremely ignorant, the columns came in

contact, and were thrown in confusion. A detachment of the enemy, which got bewildered in

the wood, fell in with the right column, at the head of which was lord Howe. A smart

skirmish ensued, in which the enemy were driven back and scattered with considerable loss.

This petty advantage was dearly purchased by the death of Lord Howe.

Abercrombie, deprived of his subordinate‟s wise counsel, now took a fateful and disastrous

decision. Sensibly, he could have deployed his colonials to interdict communications between

the beleaguered fort and possible reinforcement from Fort St. Frederic (Crown Point). He

could then have begun the laborious process of dragging the guns from their barges to the

eminence of Mount Defiance and, from there commenced a bombardment, which given the

weight of shot he disposed must surely have soon battered the fort into submission. He chose

instead to rely on the distinctly unsound advice of a junior officer of engineers, who opined

the impromptu defences covering the approach were flimsy and could be rushed with the

bayonet. With drums beating and banners unfurled the regular battalions of foot moved into

the attack with purpose and precision, but the defences were far stronger than had been

suggested, the line of the breastwork was held by Montcalm‟s veterans.

A withering hail of fire greeting the leading ranks who were flensed away as their comrades

behind struggled to fight through the lines of obstacles – this was grim, close quarter work,

which presaged the horror of the trenches; the men could make no headway:

Masses of infuriated men could not go forward and would not go back; straining for an

enemy they could not reach, and firing on an enemy they could not see, they were caught in

the entanglement of felled trees. Shooting, yelling and cursing, they were assailed all the

while with bullets, which killed them by scores, stretched them on the ground, or hung them

on jagged branches, in strange attitudes of death.

Thus far the 42nd, with the 55th had been kept in reserve but, as the assault faltered, they

were now sent in. Formed nearly two decades beforehand the 42nd (Lord John Murray‟s

Highlanders – the Black Watch) were proud of their natural elitism – drawn mainly from the

ranks of Clan Campbell, the soldiers were men of quality and some standing. Their elan was

ferocious and they fell upon the defences with gusto. The battle now reached its savage

denouement as the highlanders fought and clawed their way forward, Captain John Campbell

and a handful of his company became the only British forces to gain a lodgment in the enemy

position but, unsupported and disdaining retreat, they were cut down to a man. As the

celebrated historian Francis Parkman wrote:

Then the highland soldiers of the 42nd could endure no longer. Impatient of their position in

the rear, they rushed forward, hewed their way through the obstacles with their broadswords.

Since no ladders had been provided, they made strenuous efforts to carry the breastworks,

partly by mounting on each other‟s shoulders and partly by fixing their feet in holes, which

they had excavated with their swords and bayonets in the face of the work. The defenders

were so well prepared that the instant an assailant reached the top, that instant he was thrown

or shot down.

Losses were frightful, the 42nd, which had suffered most grievously, had lost eight officers,

nine NCO‟s and 297 other ranks killed, 17 officers, ten NCO‟s and 306 men hurt – a total

loss of 647, the regiment was reduced to a mere shell. The attack was a disastrous failure

though, in recognition of its sacrifice the 42nd was awarded by George II with the

designation „Royal‟ – never was such a distinction better merited.

Documents

The Re-enactor issue 19 PDF