Horrible at History –
re-enacting without a clue!
by Katherine Corr
So… you like the idea of re-enacting, but know nothing about history? Does the idea of being quizzed on battles you know nothing about bring you out in a cold sweat? Or maybe you like the idea of the camping and the camaraderie, but were terrible at history at school? Join the club!
Like quite a few of our re-enactors in the Earl of Manchester’s Regiment, I came to the Sealed Knot with little to no history knowledge. My then-boyfriend/now-husband introduced me to the regiment four years ago. I remember in the weeks leading up to my first muster worrying about the weekend, or being shown up as knowing nothing on the era I am there to re-create! Like that awful dream – would I be at the exam in my underpants? What kind of underpants did they even wear in the 17th Century?! It’s easy to see why people might shy away from something they don’t know much about.
I was never particularly interested in history, and can’t even remember covering the English Civil War in school (apparently I did!). I dropped the subject as soon as I could choosing to take Geography at GSCE level instead (not that I could point to where I was on a map of the UK at any given point – but this is a history blog post, and we haven’t time to go over every subject I am deficient in!). The breadth of my knowledge on the subject ended in a vague cloud of half remembered words: ‘Roundhead’ ‘Cavalier’ ‘King’ ‘Cromwell’….. er…… ‘Pottage’?!
I had these visions of people sitting around the camp fire, debating great battles, charting the course of history; having to stay in your historical persona and talk old English, needing to know the battles of the time in order to re-enact them! My partner assured me it wasn’t the case, and for the most part you turn up, camp, fight, party, chill out and then go home again, no knowledge needed. But deep down I asked myself – if there room in re-enactment for someone who knows nothing about the period we’re re-enacting? What’s the ‘fake-geek-girl’ for the re-enactment set? ‘Bad-Goodwyfe’? ‘Mock-Musketeer’?
Actual footage from English Civil War
I turned up to the August Bank Holiday those years ago and was quickly introduced, tented up and whisked away for a beer and dizzying round of introductions. Not a word was spoken about the period, about the battle we were re-enacting, nor the conflict we were part of (aside from a whistlestop tour of the campground whilst trying to locate our regiment!). The weekend drew on and my new regimental pals were too excited about that evening’s party (a beach party with genuine sand pit!) and having a laugh to talk much history.
Of course there was talk of historical accuracy in the kit we were wearing, the weapons we carried and in the drill we were practising, and people do talk about the period and the battles. I was talked through a brief history of the musket, it’s importance and inaccuracy, as I took my first shot. There are genuine experts in the Knot! Some have published books on the subject, others run businesses reproducing clothing and items of the time to the absolute height of accuracy. Many conduct research, formally and informally. But on the whole we’re a bunch of fools having fun in a field, taking part in re-enactment. Teaching the public about the period, yes, but also doing limbo competitions, competitive cheese sculpting, wacky races, dancing the night away in the beer tent, and trading silly stories around the fire.
I couldn’t even tell you what’s happening here…
Obviously the point of this post is to tell you that no experience is required – and that you can easily turn up, take part and shoot off (so to speak) without a lick of background information. And that is absolutely the case. You can turn up to your first, second, fifteenth or fiftieth muster with nothing but camping gear and basic soldiers attire, and within hours be kitted up, drilled and on a battlefield, huzzah-ing your head off amongst a gang of normal (ish) people! We have members of the regiment who didn’t even know what side they’re on til several months in! The only thing that matters to Manc’s is that you and the people around you are safe and happy and having fun. And have fun we do!
But the great thing about our regiment is that if you want to you can get involved in more of the history when you get round to it – it’s interesting to think about the kit, or how people would get along. It’s fascinating to put the battle in the social perspective. As a regiment we’re doing lots more ‘Living History’ type events this year, where we as a group are having fun working out things that we can do to bring that side alive, by teaching ourselves crafts and skills that we can use to bring to life the realities of living in the seventeenth century. Musketeers David, Debbie and Jo are learning basket weaving, Pikeman Stephen is a barber surgeon and an apothecary; I am learning about spycraft, printing, and propaganda; Musketeers Graham and Scott are learning about leatherwork; the wool trade, our previous CO Julian does period appropriate carpentry; David, Veronica and Rachel all do early modern campsite cookery; Mike makes musket balls and his son portrays a rat catcher! All of this and more are all explored by a bunch of enthusiastic friends who want to learn more to give more to our hobby, and to our audience.
I have long loved making things, and through re-enactment I have found the excuse again to research and make interesting things. I re-taught myself to embroider and make a reproduction frog bag, and period stomacher. I’ve gone back to sewing, a pursuit I loved but rarely made time for anymore, and have since made a lot of my own kit, as do many of our regiment. I’ve gone back to printing, something I was into at Uni and combined this craft with a social history perspective of propaganda and pamphleting.
We seek out research on the subject of costuming to try and make our regiment look as great as possible. We share interesting woodcuts or titbits of information. I’ve shared, and been the recipient of knowledge within and outside of my regiment on how to make buttons, how to make a ruff, how to make a stool. It all adds to the richness of your experience. If it’s not your bag that’s no problem – soldiering is more than enough to suit me most days, but on others I get out my carving knives!.
We’re a bunch of friends trying things out, making their own costumes, whittling their own implements (so to speak). And while I am confident I could have spent the rest of my life turning up and having a laugh, nothing more required. Getting the chance to learn, almost my accident, has been truly wonderful – I promise you, you’ll never regret giving it a go.
(NB – I still know almost nothing about the English Civil War)
There’s so much more to this hobby than just battles! All roles in the regiment are open, regardless of gender, and we welcome anyone looking to get involved and be a part of something different!