The Re-Enactor Issue 50 April 2013
Issue 49 March
The Crabchurch Conspiracy, Weymouth Beach 2013
The walk will take place between April 28th & May 5th
Greetings All The weather in the UK is playing havoc with a few events, The Battle of Towton Commemorative event has just had to be cancelled and even Hastings, which doesn’t happen until October has already been cancelled. I can only hope that it improves. I am due to be at Glastonbury Abbey over the Easter Weekend, but will be keeping an eye on the weather and waiting to hear from the organizers! I would like to say a huge thank you to David Nievas Munoz and Marloes Vissar for their excellent articles in this month’s issue. If you have something you would like to see published please do get in contact. There is no competition this month due to time constraints on my part but if anyone has something they would like to contribute as a prize do get in contact. The events listings are starting to fill up but please do let me know of any others that are happening near you. Parlimentarians at The Crab Church Conspiracy By Marloes Vissar
Features This Month 1: Historical Role Depiction. D. Nievas Munoz 2: Book Review-The Historical Novel Soc. 3: The M.H.S. Spring Conference 4: Book Review by Maureen James 5: Event Information 6: Threekingham L/H Competition 7: The Crabchurch Conspiracy
Please send all correspondence to the following email address:
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
To receive a copy of this magazine just send your email address to: thereenactor@btinternet.com
Note: If you have any questions queries thoughts or ideas for and about the magazine please do feel free to contact me and we can discuss them.
Historical re-enactment and Historical roles depiction by David Nievas Muñoz Introduction Several months ago I wrote an article called “new horizons for the Spanish (and Global) reenactment” which has been translated into two idioms and waits to be in a third, published in on-line magazines of worldwide diffusion as “The Re-Enactor Magazine” or “Middle ages today”. In that article, or more precisely, one of its points, I talked about a concept that, I believe, passes unnoticed in the Spanish re-enactments, and in which I want to insist: the historical role-play, or character depiction. But, what’s historical role-play? Years ago, when I didn’t know about re-enactment world rather than viewing photos, my imagination flew. Maybe because I've been a role player since my teens (I’m proud of that) or maybe because my academic formation as historian and my passion for History itself, in all the depths of this concept (from kings to peasants, from mindsets to political storylines), I believed that re-enactment was something different. Quite different. It felt logic, in fact, that so be it. My thinking was as follows: the re-enactor, when travelling to a particular place, prepares mentally to mark a before and an after. “Tomorrow I’ll get up being Jean de Tassigny, crossbowman of Joan of Arc’s army”. That digression implies much more than just saying this words. It’s about thinking as Jean did, talk like him, eat as he ate, and treat the other re-enactors as a man of the XV century did, regarding his own personality, his tastes, his quirks, his own lights and shadows. In sum, to portray a character in its own complexity, being, at the same time, a reflex of its own time and personality. Humans have a most diverse behaviour, and this must be reflected in historical re-enactment in a way that could be educational for visitors, but also exciting for fellow re-enactors.
In battle, dying could be funny, an a way for interacting with fellow re-enactors The story of Jean de Tassigny As an example to what I wrote, here comes an example. Pierre is a 40 years old programmer that re-enacts as hobby. He likes history, and he’s on a re-enactment group that portrays a French infantry company in the Hundred Years War, specially the early XVth century period. Before buying their clothing and re-enactment equipment, he thought about his character. He decided naming it “Jean de Tassigny”, remembering that French officer who fought in both world wars. The rest of his group mates portrayed knights or heavy infantrymen, so he decided to portray a crossbowman. Then he read about crossbowmen and about many other things: he read about XVth Century, about how the Frenchmen of this age affronted live and dead. When he was youth, Pierre sang in a choral, so he researched about XVth century music and learned several songs.
When Pierre designed Jean’s outfit, obviously he documented himself about how an early XVth century French crossbowman dress, but he wanted to give a personal touch to his attire. Jean, his character, was a man who liked to wear gaudy clothes, as he saw in some paintings and miniatures. He also decided to whore a scapular, because Jean had a devotion for the virgin’s advocation of his hometown (the same in which the grandparents of Pierre lived in real live) because Pierre was very devout and superstitious, and because of that he would bear a rabbit’s foot along with his paternoster. Yet the still the most important subject, to design his character in all its depth. He thought about where he born, who where his parents, how he was enlisted and many other details: he thought about that could be a good idea to portray the son a humble peasants that entered in the mesnie of the landlord. He thought about his personality too, in his speech and his behaviour with others. As he thought earlier, he decided to mean Jean a superstitious man and devout, although simple in treatment and friend to his friends. A man who used to sign songs while burnished his armour, sacked some English corpses or spent his pay in wine and whores. He realized that could be very funny. So, in this way Pierre designed his character, and he will be delighted to portray it. In re-enactment he wanted to role-play Jean de Tassigny as much as he can. Nevertheless, it was his character, and it had been designed at his own taste.
The story of Jean de Tassigny is just an invention of the author, but could be useful for demonstrating what is character creation Why to role-play a character? Passing from “dressing as” to “be as” I think is an essential step to improve the quality of the re-enactment, because leads to the enjoyment of one's re-enactor. Many re-enactors said to me “the re-enactor is not an actor”. And that’s true. So, I’m not pretending that a re-enactor memorizes a script, a dialogue or a set of actions. Nor is it to perform in a histrionic way or using a theatrical language. It’s just about behaving according with his character, without feeling anytime the pressure of memorizing a script. It’s more like some sort on continuous improvisation. This concept could sound strange to re-enactors, but it’s very basic to an r.p.g player. In the r.p.g, it’s all about design and portraying a character, verbally or physically (if it’s a live r.p.g), respecting a set of rules that defines what he could or couldn’t do. This digression is thought as a game, for achieving some interpretation objectives within the framework of a good gaming session around a table, or a live one in a given place. The final objective is to play and get fun with friends, distinguishing at all times the reality from the game’s fantasy. In a re-enactment, the procedure is very similar. In this case, the game is not regulated by a “master”, just by the rules and objectives of the re-enactment itself (the security rules of a battle and the development of it, for example) but making room for the creativity of the reenactor itself. Let the re-enactor, portraying his character and in his interaction with others, generate scenes that could be resolved in the set of the re-enactment itself: for example, saying that this merchant is cheating on you, menacing him and letting the guards come to restore order. This way of re-enacting may be unattractive to some when it’s linked to the word “game”. In fact, was it asks for is for historical accuracy. An accuracy that touches the most diverse subjects, from the general to the particular, always justifying it with an impeccable documentation work and the desire to improve, deepen and renew such documentation. The first step in this documentation work, and the most important, is the own character’s design. In this character design could or may be involved the field specialists, but also his own concerns and personal interests. Variety is the spice. Turning this character’s design in the first challenge that a re-enactor must face, it’s not history that have to justify the outfit, so the outfit becomes a reflex of the character and it’s
time, also of its social status, it’s geographical area and even its own tastes and peculiarities. All of this, of course, strongly documented by historical examples, or following a principle of credibility to the historical period in which the character is framed.
The work of Joaquin Ballesteros in the design of the beggar Bricio is an example of audacity when creating alternate roles
The character’s design As I wrote, the character’s design is which I consider the first step for a re-enactor. Sometimes we face the problem of, when buying some standardized and peach equipment, we realize that the equipment is not adjusted to a certain historical period which we want to re-enact, or it varies depending on a short time frame. This fact has been translated many times in some sort of “studies regarding uniformity” or “basic and usual clothing”. If we mix this tendency with the development of the military re-enactment and the fact that battle dress often primes over civilian or daily clothing (some guys, I think, consider this clothing just as “the thing I wear under the armour”) we realize the fact that a certain sense of “uniforms” exists in certain re-enacting periods. So there’s an “official Saxon battledress” for Hastings or a standardized “13th century knight outfit” with some variants. If we attend to studies about historical clothing or analysis regarding graphic documentation as Menendez Pidal’s book “The 13th century Spain read in images”, we realize the fact that in the vignettes of the “Cantigas” it’s hard to find two characters with the same hat, clothing combinations or its colours. If we add to that the diversity of social classes that we could see in miniatures and paintings, we feel that, in fact and as today, it’s very rare to see two persons disguised in the same way, or in a similar way, if they are not wearing uniform (that doesn’t appear until the second half of the XVII century) or a livery or ordinance outfit (like one of the military orders). Yet so, there are differences between these figures, including figures that represent member of the regular clergy with a given habit. The character’s design must attend to its material particularities, but must never forget that it’s the equipment which is conditional to the character’s story, its background and personality, and not otherwise. For making simpler the character creation we could use a well-known resource of the r.p.g world: the character sheet. This sheet must have a certain number of main fields. I believe a good character sheet must have the following fields: Name or nickname, Apparent age, Real age, Social background (at his birth), Actual social status, Birthplace, Year of birth, Concept or occupation, Appearance and particularities, Psychology and treat with other social groups and, last, Character’s story or background (from his youth to the date). All this fields should relate together in harmony, but there’s always room for surprise and the invention of the re-enactor himself. So, there is many things in which a re-enactor must think when creating a character. There’s a first criteria, essential, that is the own character’s historicity and credibility. In second place, he must decide if he’s going to re-enact a real historical character or just an archetype or an invented one. First thing is harder than the second, although it seems otherwise, because a
real historical character forces the re-enactor to affront the challenge of re-enact it as accurate as possible. In the third place, his character must fulfil a pedagogical function, a transmissive one. For example: “I want that my character reflects how the XVI polish shepherds were”. In fourth and last place, it’s the fact that the character must be something of the re-enactors liking, in which he feels comfortable. This doesn’t mean that the character must be “exactly as I am”, so the character should be thought as a personal and interpretative challenge. It’s not about re-enacting myself 400 years ago, but a man (or woman) that could be radically different from me. Generally speaking, this capacity defines the finest role-players from the average, and that could be applied to also to a fine character designer from a bad one. To apply historical role-play to a re-enactment After the documentation work regarding the character’s design, we have to think how to implement all this work, or any work we could do in the future, in the set a re-enactment. I’ve wrote in this “New horizons” article that the documentation work must extend far beyond from the equipment and the craftsmanship. We must dare to “make a leap” of learning how men and women of a certain epoch talked, thought or behaved. It may seem difficult, and possibly this task is one of the most difficult which a re-enactor may face, but also one of the most satisfying. Nevertheless, history can aid us. From one side, we have the work of historians and art historians, works about this or other subjects that we could find very useful. In other cases, we ourselves, the re-enactors, have to be the ones that must learn to analyze the documentation. This documentation could be graphic (paintings, sculptures, engravings, miniatures…) or written (poetry, literature, administrative documents, chronicles or personal correspondence, etc.). It’s very important we keep in mind that, if we’re not accustomed to manage such documentation, or if we are, we must ask to people that had investigated seriously on the topic, from academics to fellow re-enactors, which could be very useful to us (and usually receptive to cooperation). Although, in any case, we must assume the weight of this challenge as a personal issue, not hoping that anybody could do this word for us, just aiding us in the search or interpretation of the documentation material or historical fonts. Once we have undertaken this effort, we will be taking place proposals on the fly. “I could reenact this black plague flagellant procession that I saw in that book and represented in some Ars Moriendi” and also we can have ideas for new characters: “I could portray a secretary and herald of a noble house”. Possibilities are enormous, because History itself is diverse and rich.
So, that last step is the implementation of all of this in the frame of a re-enactment. We could do it as a central act in the agenda, deploying organizational skills and some ambition, or just introduce it as “little scenes”, spontaneous ones, in the course of the idle time between main acts in the agenda. It all depends on hope, willpower, personal initiatives an that initiatives encourages our fellow re-enactors. Thus, there may be great ideas, and even new reenactments. A group of fellow re-enactors from Toledo could decide, as an initiative of one of it’s member, to organize a new re-enactment called “The court of Alphonso X the wise”. One of them could portray the king, and the others, his family, secretaries, generals, guardsmen or servants. An idea could become a great re-enactment, or a great act embroidered inside another re-enactment. I think we could introduce this new twist in the re-enactor panorama. A change of direction, a change of course. Not always spending more money or buying new equipment, acquiring expensive swords, horses or armour. Spending our time and our intelligence going beyond the brightness of the armour. If we want, we can.
RISE TO GREATNESS: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND AMERICA’S MOST PERILOUS YEAR BY DAVID VON DREHLE
Find & buy on
As our country struggles to define its future and conquer rising debt, we turn hopeful eyes to Abraham Lincoln. Against all odds, that formidable compromiser reunited his country and liberated a people. How did Lincoln do it? Rise to Greatness examines the pivotal year of 1862. Lincoln has yet to find a general who will fight, and victories against the Rebels are rare. The US Treasury is going into debt to finance an unpopular war. The border states are in turmoil, and if they join the rebellion, the war is lost. Von Drehle’s excellent account shows us how Lincoln crafted the Emancipation Proclamation and details the duel between Lincoln and General McClellan. How does that shrewd leader cajole and strong arm Congress into cooperation, and persuade a horrified electorate to support a bloody war to free the slaves? I highly recommend Rise to Greatness to anyone who wishes to learn how Lincoln held a country together and hopes to see our current leaders do the same.
For other great reviews visit: http://historicalnovelsociety.org/
A H ISTORY OF E NGLISH F OOD HOUSE 2011. £25.00, £5.00PP.
BY CLARISSA DICKSON
WRIGHT . RANDOM
This 500 page hard back book by Clarissa Dickson Wright, who with Jennifer Paterson, gained fame as one half of the Two Fat Ladies, takes the reader on a leisurely journey from the mid twelfth century to the present day. Each chapter deals with a different time period and each includes facts, figures and quotes, both culinary and historical. Clarissa has first-hand knowledge of the preparation and the taste of many of the more obscure foods. She has tasted rook, swan and moorhen and even badger, which she described as resembling young wild boar. She has also sampled seal meat - “disgusting but falls within the medieval taste for oily, fishy flavours;” and eaten an Edwardian style Stilton cheese, crawling with maggots to be scraped off - “too pungent.” As you would expect, these culinary delights were available for the rich rather than the poor. The upper classes are a preoccupation with Clarissa, who includes within the narrative, accounts of royal bed-hopping and country house weekends. It is also fascinating to read the origins of Umble Pie which was made from the 'umbles' or offal left over for the huntsmen and beaters, after a deer had been killed. However whilst many of the facts are relevant for a book on food, this reader does not wish to be told about the use of portable urinals by Georgian ladies! There are a number of inaccuracies in this book that grated on me, including the repeating of the puritan criticism that babies were conceived as a result of couples spending time in the woods on May Day, which has been disputed by analysis of the birth records, and the recording of the World War One tobacco ration as 20 ounces per person per day, instead of 2 ounces per week. The book does however include a useful bibliography, index and some fabulous illustrations. There is also lots of information on malting, brewing and generally on alcohol. Clarissa also includes a selection of 18 accessible historical recipes from the periods covered within the text. Sadly, for food historians, this book is not in the same league as Food in England by Dorothy Hartley, which was first published in 1954 and has recently been reprinted by Piatkus in 2009, but if you already have a copy and a birthday coming up then Clarissa could provide a welcome addition to your library. Review by Maureen James www.tellinghistory.co.uk
Event Information April 27th & 28th Grand Historical & Vintage Bazaar, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Nottinghamshire. 5th annual re-enactor bring and buy event, plus multi-period displays by 20+ Roman to 1990s groups. www.eventplan.co.uk or http://www.facebook.com/EventplanUK 28th – 5th The Roman Walk. Ben kane, Anthony Riches & Russell Whitfield walking Hadrian’s Wall in Roman Kit to raise money for charity. http://www.charitygiving.co.uk/benkane
May 4th – 6th Bentley Medieval Festival, Lewes, east Sussex, UK mark@time-productions.com 4th – 6th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Blenheim Palace, , UK http://www.blenheimpalace.com/ 5th & 6th “Rogues & Outlaws” Sherwood Forest, UK Office@Plantagenet-Events.com 10th – 12th British Quarterstaff Association weekend in Gloucestershire, UK. http://quarterstaff.org/events.html 11th The Mortimer History Society Spring Conference, Leominster, UK www.mortimerhistorysociety.org.uk 11th & 12th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Ekenas Castle, Sweden http://www.ekenasslott.se/ May 11th & 12th: A Victorian Celebration, Forge Mill Needle Museum, Redditch. UK www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK May 25th & 26th: Tall Ships ’13, Gloucester Historic Docks. Ships, maritime living history www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK May 26th & 27th: Harewood Medieval Faire, Harewood House, Leeds. 2nd major annual "multi-period medieval" festival with 1066 to 1487 timeline. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK 26th – 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament at Hedingham Castle, UK http://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/
May 28th June 1st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Leeds Castle, UK http://www.leeds-castle.com/land.php
June 1st & 2nd Templecombe Medieval fair, Templecombe, UK https://www.facebook.com/events/300657233387495/ 8th & 9th History Alive. Fort Lytton National Park, Brisbane, Australia www.historyalive.co..au 15th & 16th Gloucester Medieval Play Festival, UK www.glostheatre.co.uk 15th & 16th Tatton Park Old Hall Medieval fayre, UK Office@Plantagenet-Events.com 21st – 23rd Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Cardiff Castle, Wales http://www.cardiffcastle.com/ 21st – 23rd Times & Epochs, Moscow, Russia http://www.facebook.com/historyfest?ref=ts&fref=ts
29th & 30th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Linlithgow Palace, Scotland http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_199&PropName=Linlithgow%20Palace
July 5th – 7th LARP Camp, Huntley Wood, Staffordshire, UK www.larpcamp.co.uk 6th & 7th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Linlithgow Palace, Scotland http://www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/propertyresults/propertyoverview.htm?PropID=PL_199&PropName=Linlithgow%20Palace
13th & 14th The Battle of Tewkesbury, UK http://www.tewkesburymedievalfestival.org/ 13th & 14th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 20th & 21st Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 26th – 28th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/
27th & 28th Berkeley Skirmish, Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire, UK Office@Plantagenet-Events.com 27th & 28th Smugglers Island, Appuldurcombe House, I.O.W. UK Email: ednash.1993@hotmail.co.uk July 27th & 28th: Hughenden’s Victorian Weekend, Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK 27th & 28th Slaughterbridge Camlann Life and Legend, Camelford, Cornwall, UK heburbeck@gmaiI.c0m
August 2nd – 4th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Blenheim Palace, UK http://www.blenheimpalace.com/ 3rd & 4thThe Midlands Festival of History, UK http://www.mid-fest.co.uk 3rd & 4th The Loxwood Joust, Loxwood Meadow, RH14 0AL, UK www.loxwoodjoust.co.uk 9th – 11th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 16th – 18th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 17th & 18th Scotlands Festival of History, Chatelherault, Scotland www.scotlandsfestivalofhistory.co.uk 17th & 18th M5-Multi Period Re-enactment Weekend, Spetchley Park, Worcs UK Website – www.m5show.co.uk 23rd & 24th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hever Castle, UK http://www.hevercastle.co.uk/ 25th & 26th Knights of Royal England jousting Tournament, Hedingham Castle, UK http://www.hedinghamcastle.co.uk/ 25th & 26th The Sheffield Fayre, Norfolk Heritage Park, Sheffield. www.eventplan.co,.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK August 31st & September 1st: On the Home Front 1939-45, Rufford Abbey Country Park, Notts. Annual 1940s show. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK
September 12th & 13th Bexbach 1474 Call To Arms www.1474.eu 14th & 15th The Battle of Mortimer’s Cross, Hampton Court Castle, Herefordshire. www.mortimerscross.co.uk September 21st & 22nd: Wimpole at War, The Wimpole Estate, Cambridgeshire. Annual 1940s event. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK September 28th & 29th: Sherwood through the ages, Sherwood Forest. Annual Ancient to 1980s multi-period event. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK
October October 5th & 6th: Hughenden’s Wartime Weekend, Hughenden Manor, Bucks. Annual 1940s event. www.eventplan.co.uk or www.facebook.com/EventplanUK 12th & 13th International Events of Historical Crafts (EIAH) Portugal Email: artesanatocomhistoria@gmail.com
November 15th-17th The Original Re-Enactors Market, Ryton on Dunsmore, Coventry, UK www.reenactorsmarket.co.uk 16th & 17th The National Living History Fair 23rd & 24th The Ludlow Medieval Christmas Fair, Ludlow Castle, Shropshire http://www.ludlowcastle.com/pages/events.aspx
THREEKINGHAM LIVING HISTORY COMPETITION On Saturday May 11th 2013, Richard and Belle Osborn from 6of1, will once again host the Threekingham Living History Competition to raise funds for their medieval church. So, what is it and how does it work? The idea of this competition is to give re-enactment groups the opportunity to showcase their group to event organizers, local and education authorities, and the public; increasing understanding and awareness of what ‘living history’ is all about. Groups will be appraised by individual assessors each of whom will be responsible for a particular facet of the overall display. What do you need to do to take part? Contact us and tell us you would like to come! Provide us, in advance, with a short, written description of your group and what visitors can expect to see during the event. This will be used in the programme and by the assessors and should be no more than 1 page A5. The following is an extract from last year’s programme provided by the current title holders: FAHNLEIN URI Following the death of the Borgia Pope – Alexander VI, and his successor Julius II (He founded the papal Swiss Guard and commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Sistine Chapel), a Medici Pope was elected – Leo X. Leo needed money and dispatched Cardinal Campeggio to England in 1518. He spent about a year in England on this visit which he shared with Cardinal Wolsey. Campeggio was given the Bishopric of Salisbury in 1524 by Henry VIII and returned to England in 1528 to adjudicate in the King’s divorce. We will be portraying the Travelling Household of Cardinal Campeggio on his visit in 1518. He is travelling to Lincoln, then one of the most important cities in England, on his mission. In his travels, he has fewer servants but still needs a retinue which include his Chaplain, Steward, Cook and Bodyguard. The soldiers are Swiss given to him by the Pope. We are able to portray an accurate and high quality living history scenario and be knowledgeable in giving talks, cookery and other domestic demonstrations including High status Dining for the Cardinal. His Bodyguard will give drill and weapons displays , an opportunity for audience participation and all will be happy to answer questions. Each group will also be expected to provide an arena display; a description of this must also be provided in advance for the programme, eg Join Fahnlein Uri as they present Cardinal Campeggio’s Swiss bodyguard in 1518,who will display drill and weapons with an opportunity for audience participation.
You will also need to provide us with the overall square footage of space required to set up your encampment. How you utilise that space is entirely up to each group, remember that you are trying to create a stand-alone display. What do you get in return?
A chance to showcase your group and to receive feedback from the people you are entertaining.
On-site toilets, water, firewood and beer and a local pub nearby selling good food and great ale.
A social weekend with fellow re-enactors. Although the event is only open to the public for one day, the venue is available for the whole weekend allowing a leisurely pack down anytime on the Sunday, or even Monday.
A £200.00 voucher to spend with 6of1 to the winning group!
Most of all we aim to provide the type of event we would love to participate in – we’re re-enactors too!
So…. If you would like to be involved in this growing event, please contact us at 6of1.biz@googlemail.com
Threekingham is a small but easily accessible village in Lincolnshire, situated 25 miles south of Lincoln and just off both the A15 and A52. (Sat Nav location NG34 0BA).
The Crabchurch Conspiracy; a story of betrayal in the Civil War…… Weymouth, a bitter cold February in 1645…. musket smoke and cannon fire in the streets, cries of the wounded and dying chilling the bones, broken bodies everywhere, raging fires, buildings badly damaged, both sides; Roundheads and Cavaliers fighting for their own cause. The battle of Melcombe Regis and Weymouth was a bloody one. A time of betrayal, of loss, of selfless courage, of countryman against countryman… a time of bloody Civil War.
Weymouth , February 2013…… Once again Roundheads and Cavaliers are roaming the streets of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis, musket shots crack the air, fighting on the beach, salutes to honour the fallen of the English Civil War at Sandsfoot Castle, a weekend to solemnly commemorate the battle of that cold and bloody February so many centuries ago… An episode in history almost forgotten if not for the efforts of a very few…..
The History of Crabchurch…as worded by Mark Vine… “In 1645, several royalist plotters within the twin towns of Weymouth and Melcombe on the Dorset coast conspired to deliver the ports back into the control of King Charles 1. It has been suggested that he needed a safe south coast port at which to land a huge French Catholic army which he hoped would deliver a decisive blow and end the resistance of the Parliamentarians whom he had been fighting for almost three years by that time, losing his capital and in danger also of losing his throne. The conspirator’s plans were almost successful, but their intended victim, Dorset man, Colonel William Sydenham, Commander of the Parliamentary garrison and MP for Melcombe, managed to get most of his force into that town, though he lost a much loved and
respected brother and fellow soldier, Francis, in the initial royalist assault. Soon, a week long internecine bombardment was taking place between the factions. Seeing the damage being wrought to both towns, but especially Melcombe, William Sydenham proposed a ceasefire, but the royalist commander, Sir Lewis Dyve declined saying, “We refuse to parley and will do as we please”. Sydenham decided a lesson was in order and the very same night, sent a small raiding party across the water to Weymouth. They set light to several ships and smaller boats and many quayside buildings, causing great damage to the town. The next day, Dyve ceased his bombardment. William Sydenham, was not a man to be taken lightly. In the third week, what appeared to be the coup de gras arrived in the shape of the archetypal cavalier general, George, Lord Goring and his 6,500 strong army, which meant that Sydenham’s tiny but stubborn garrison of just 1300 souls, were now outnumbered six to one. It would surely only be a matter of time before Melcombe too fell to the King’s Army. But, underestimating Colonel William Sydenham, the eldest son of a local Dorset landowner, was Goring’s first and biggest mistake, for not only did Sydenham succeed in retaking Weymouth, but he also withstood the full might of Goring’s military response, delivering a “miraculous victory” and ending the King’s aspirations of getting the upper hand in Dorset.”
Mark Vine showing Professor Ronald Hutton around Crabchurch Conspiracy Weymouth Photo Mr.b Stonewylde Goring’s final assault on the night of the 27th February 1645, saw almost 500 of his men left slain in the streets of old Weymouth or else, drowned in the ice cold waters of the quay.
The Crabchurch Conspiracy is being firmly put back on the map by historian and author Mark Vine who wrote a book about this intriguing period in Dorset’s history. In collaboration with his friend Steve Booth, they played a big part in the organisation of the Crabchurch Conspiracy commemoration weekend this year and Mark has been involved in organising the commemorations for it since 1994. Re-enactors from all over Dorset and indeed the UK were invited to participate in the re-enactment. Accommodation was arranged for them in The Golden Lion, a pub in the old town of Melcombe Regis and at the Weymouth Old Town Hall, which was at the forefront of the original final battle of Weymouth. On the Saturday evening The Dolmen, a Weymouth based band of international renown, used to gracing the big festival stages of Europe, performed their Crabchurch Conspiracy concert. This critically acclaimed 2009 album sporting the same title as the book, was written and composed by friends Mark Vine and Taloch Jameson the frontman of The Dolmen and the band’s lead guitarist, Josh Elliott. The concert, like the album itself was a combination of historically accurate narrations and music inspired by those momentous events. Professor Ronald Hutton of Bristol University, Kit Berry, writer of the Stonewylde series of books and Cap’n Steve Howl of the Poole Re-enactment Society did a wonderful job narrating the story between the songs and good friend of the band, Diane Narraway, did a fantastic job of compereing the evening. This resulted in a sold out theatre at the Weymouth College and with Professor Hutton giving a masterful talk on the English Civil War before the concert, the evening was a complete success, raising, after expenses, about £1100 for the Weymouth Old Town Hall refurbishment fund. The thunderous applause of the crowd afterwards, paid testament to the performances given.
Review of Professor Ronald Hutton on the Crabchurch Conspiracy Album; Professor of History,Head of Subjects University of Bristol (Leading authority on the history of the British Isles in the 16th & 17th century) "The Crabchurch Conspiracy by The Dolmen presents a foray deep into Civil War country. A wonderful mix of storytelling and song , the album focus moves gracefully between the personal tale and the public knowledge of the period . The jiggery folkery and clever use of spoken word and sound effects combine to draw the listener into a fantastic world of musket smoke and music. At times it manages to sound like it was recorded 'live in 1645.'......This is a CD for musician, historian and campfire beer swillers alike. I hope someone commissions it as TV drama. The pictures it already creates are colourful and dramatic enough to demand this. Well done to all concerned. An Uncivil Civil War Triumph." The profits from the Crabchurch Conspiracy weekend and the concert were donated to the Old Town Hall, a building that has witnessed the battles in 1645 and is still a prominent (proud) reminder of times long past. This building is currently being restored by volunteers, among others Steve Booth. After the tremendous success of this weekend in February plans are being made to make next years Crabchurch Conspiracy weekend an even bigger event with more re-enactors battling in the streets of Weymouth. The intention is to have school educational parcels made to teach the children of their heritage and author Kit Berry is keen to be involved in this. Local businesses and pubs will be involved again and more promotion
will be sought to get people interested in their local culture and history. Nearer the time an announcement will be made in this magazine to invite Civil War groups from all over the country to participate. Written by Marloes Visser and Mark Vine Photos by Marloes Visser, Some interesting links‌.. http://www.crabchurchconspiracy.co.uk/ http://www.thedolmen.com/album2.html
Two of the Crabchurch Conspiracy organisers, Steve Booth & Mark Vine
Showing Kit Berry an original letter signed by William Sydenham
Mark Vine’s book on the Crabchurch Conspiracy is at the moment being re-written , it will be re-published later this year.
Battle on Weymouth beach……
The Crabchurch Conspiracy Concert at the sold out Weymouth College Theatre ;
Writer Kit Berry and Professor Ronald Hutton doing the narrations
Dolmen energy‌. Spectacular threefold drumming
A salute to honour the fallen at Sandsfoot Castle;
Arrival at the Old Town Hall ;
‌..with Steve Howl of Poole Re-enactment Society
Parliamentarians !