Having the time of our lives at Lamport Hall!

To say that The Battle of Naseby at Lamport Hall was EPIC is a bit of an understatement!

This late May Bank Holiday muster in the lush Northamptonshire countryside was the ideal combination of laughter, fun, friendship, and riotous beer tent dancing! A fantastic turnout from the Earl of Manchester’s saw us take to the field to recreate the pivotal Battle of Naseby in 1644, joining hundreds of our friends from the Sealed Knot.

Want a 30-second glimpse of how our weekend went? Check out our video on Tiktok…

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“Are you having fun?” “Yeah!” Don’t believe our new recruits? Then check out what we got up to during our EPIC weekend at the Battle of Naseby – fighting, laughing, dancing, singing, making new friends and having the BEST time! Seriously, this one is going down in the history books as a classic… Want to be part of the action and give it a go? It’s just £10, with your kit provided! By joining our regiment you could: 💥 Fire a cannon! ⚔️ Fire a musket and go into hand-to-hand! 🥁 Be a drummer and lead the regiment! 𓐬 Or block in with our pikeman to take on the enemy! If that’s not your thing then join our living history, where you can learn traditional skills 🔨🪡🍳 Visit our website or email earlofmanchesterspr@gmail.com and discover a brand new hobby you’ll love! #FunNights #Outdoorsy #CampingLife #Outdoors #Camping #Memories #MakingMemories #Friends #Family #Fun #SealedKnot #EarlOfManchestersRegimentOfFoote #Reenactment #HistoricalReenactment #LARP #LARPing #HistoryBuff #HistoryTime #HistoryTok #History #Pike #PikePushing #FYP #ForYouPage cc. @The Sealed Knot

♬ original sound – Earl of Manchester’s Regiment

All brilliantly organised by London Brigade of the Army of Parliament, the weekend began with a chilled day of relaxing on camp and easing our brand new members – Robyn, Kim, Michael, Tom, and Selina – into things. They all joined after seeing us online and wanted to give it a go, and this was the ideal event to start at with the chance to sit and get to know their new comrades.

On the Saturday night of a Bank Holiday weekend we always descend en masse on the Beer Tent, choosing this time to all dress in “full kit”. Of course, some of us – such as Stan, who was celebrating his birthday – chose to interpret that slightly differently to everyone else…

Sunday started early, with a parade in honour of Tony Merchant, former Lord General of the Army of Parliament and holder of the Sealed Knot’s title of ‘Lord Protector’. Some of Tony’s ashes were fired from a cannon as the army held a minute’s silence, with colours dipped.

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💥 Paying Tribute To A Former Lord General 💥 Tony Merchant was @The Sealed Knot’s second Lord General of the Armie of Parliament. He passed away last year at the age of 89 in August and last weekend the army paid tribute to him with a parade. We marched out and then dipped our flags and weapons, with drums sounding a low beat, before some of Tony’s ashes were fired from one of the cannons. Tony was a key figure in our reenactment society and was involved from its early days when he was one of the first ‘Roundheads’ in the Sealed Knot, which had originally only included ‘Cavaliers’. He oversaw the growth and development of the Armie to provide a viable opposition and, in recognition of his service to the Sealed Knot and Armie of Parliament, he received the Sealed Knot title of ‘Lord Protector’. Even as it recreates the past, our society has its own history – and this was a great send off for someone who helped make the Sealed Knot what it is today. #History #HistoryTok #HistoryBuff #LoveHistory #HistoricalReenactment #SealedKnot #Tribute #RIP

♬ original sound – Earl of Manchester’s Regiment

After that there was time for a little drill to get the new recruits into shape (keep an eye out on our social media for more videos!) and back to camp to await battle…

It was so great to see so many of the Mini-Manchester’s at Lamport Hall – all taking part and enjoying themselves – whether it was joining in with the Sealed Knot Apprentices, where they learn drill and take part in their own displays, or marching as part of the regiment on our way to the battlefield.

As we were on the crowdline during the battle on both days, our pike and musket blocks were able to work closely together – and huge thanks to our friends in The Royalist Baggage Trayne for being so much fun to play with. Along with our good friends in Fairfax’s Brigade, our pike got to play at both ‘point’ and ‘push’, while our muskets got plenty of shots and hand-to-hand – and they all look spectacular! (check out the photos below!) Our cannon crew enjoyed themselves behind the lines, blazing away throughout the battle. But none of it would have been possible without the support of our drummers and water carriers, who kept us going and kept us hydrated!

This was proper battling – loads of fun, hard work, and a great show for both us AND the public. Our thanks go out to London Brigade for putting on such a great event. And well done to all our new members, who had a riot and all said they’re keen to return!

Photos by John Beardsworth

Congratulations are in order for Scott, who pass his gun captaincy test and was promoted to Sergeant of the Gun Crew, and Kevin, who transfer his corporal-ship to the gun crew. And let’s not forget our commanding officer, David Frederick, who was promoted by the Lord General of Parliament to the rank of Major! Huzzah!

But once the fighting was done it was time to party! Thanks to a brilliant band in the Beer Tent, we danced the night away with great company!

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When everything builds to that one glorious moment on the Beer Tent dance floor!! 🤘🤘 There’s nothing like it! Proper festival vibes when we’re having amazing nights all dancing together in the @The Sealed Knot Beer Tent – and so many amazing memories still to make this season, with some great events in Cheshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucester. Why not come make memories like this with us? Head to www.earlofmanchesters.co.uk and sign up! #memories #MemoriesAreForever #Dancefloor #Dancing #MoshPit #Pulp #CommonPeople #Music #MemoriesTogether #Friends #friendship #Fun #FunTimes #SealedKnot #Reenactment #HistoricalReenactment #JoinUs #BePartOfIt #Camping #OutDoors #CampingLife #OutdoorsLife #LovingLife

♬ original sound – Earl of Manchester’s Regiment

We can’t believe it’s over, but what a weekend! Thanks to everyone from Manchester’s who made it to Lamport Hall and thanks again to the organisers for putting on such a legendary event!

Enjoyed this post and want to give it a go? You could be taking part for as little as £10, with your kit provided! This hobby has something for everyone and by joining our regiment you could:

Photos by SM Photography