Hastings 950 - The Triumphal (if Temporary) Return
It's been a year. One year ago, I'd hopped into a stranger's car among shields, swords, and furs to go away for a weekend with a group who I had gotten a flyer from and looked up on the internet. I re-read that old blog post and looked at the photos before I left for the airport. Funny how things turn out and come full circle. This time, the journey was a bit more impressive than a few hours in a car -nine hours on a plane to come out to 950th anniversary Battle of Hastings.
Sidenote: Since I was in the kit the entire time and therefore unable to touch modern equipment, most of the photos will be from after hours, or collected from other people's cameras. Credit where credit is due.
On Thursday, I'd managed to sit squirming through a midterm and a Canadian literature class but decided to skip the last class and head straight for the airport, hours earlier than really necessary. I was running out to the car. Anyone with whom I have had even the slightest conversation over the last months knows how excited I was to finally be on my way, no more planning, just a very long flight. I was sat next to a very chatty Welshman who kept suggesting we get drinks in London upon arrival, evidently needed to work on his listening skills as I'd explained that I was going to Battle as soon as the plane landed. I did manage to sleep most of the way over, which was helpful considering I wasn't planning on much sleep over the weekend.
Friday:
I met up with Katya and Kyle in the customs line and we maneuvered our way through the airport, dragging bags laden with helmets, chainmail, and weapons to the train station. It'd been over a year and a half since I'd seen Katya and the fact that this was actually and finally happening was amazingly surreal. Kyle had a stop to make in Whistable so Katya and I made our way to Battle. For the weekend we were bouncing back and forth between two groups, Milites de Bec as Normans, and Øst Centingas who were the English (Anglo-Saxon).
The scale of the event was incredible. Walking onto the site, my rolling duffle bag whirring and clicking along the metal pathway as it was dragged behind us, I was taken aback by the difference from last year. The field was littered with white tents and colourful, flying banners, covering almost the entire hill. An additional camp was at the bottom for the traders. On the way to plastics, we ran into Tim and Liam who set us up in the 'thunderdome' tent that was to be the Canadian contingent's headquarters. My bags mysteriously exploded over the majority of the tent but I was able to contain the disaster zone after a bit. Gradually, more and more people were showing up and it was hugs all around for the people I've missed over the summer. Katya, Kyle and I had made up a BINGO sheet with things that were likely to be said or happen over the experience; Monty Python references, various member's 'catch phrases', leather lamellar jokes, American national anthem, someone strokes their beard thoughtfully and more, it was all there. We got quite a nice head start from the beginning- this wasn't going to take long.
We had a walk through the row of traders and I bought some pendant and decorative bits, granted mostly Viking so I couldn't wear them immediately but they'll look nice when I get back home or for earlier period shows. I also bought a pair of authentic shoes from Sarah and a lovely lilac wool dress with a huge skirt from Grace. Tim was laughing at me, saying that as soon as I put on the dress I started 'flouncing about.' As more and more people arrived we set up tents and introduced Katya to everyone. I had made her a set of profiles so that she could connect faces to names and such which helped.
For the evening, Katya and I left with Richard, Cecilia and James for a nice pub dinner (after a quick shower at their BnB, which was glorious). The food was amazing, and it felt cozy to be back in a pub, having a cider with friends. We came back to the abbey, through the old abbey gatehouse and meandered from the campfires of the saxon side, to the public EH tent and over to the Household's tent on the Norman side. The atmosphere was buzzing and it felt so right just to back in England, and being able to show Katya in person what had been such a major part of my life last year.
Saturday:
The weirdest thing happens to me after I travel - I become a temporary morning person. I become the enemy. After waking her up, Katya just squinted at me confused, saying, "who ARE you?" We gathered up most of our stuff to hide in Tim's tent up in the authentic camp and had eggs and bacon with everyone. There was a film crew out from Quebec who had chosen to follow Øst Centingas around for the weekend so I spent my time trying to get into the background of shots. (That also means that I'll eventually have more photos to add to this, so check back).
For the first battle of the weekend, the Canadian crowd mustered with de Bec at the bottom of the field as Normans. We'd had our kite shields painted red and orange, the colours of Kyle's group Les Normands d'Hiver, and marched in columns of twos to our position. Getting reenactors organized at the best of times is like herding cats, with over 500 on each side, there was a good amount of fidgeting around to get everyone sorted. Reenactors had come from all over the world to join in this fight; Australians, Poles, Italians, French and obvious some crazy Canucks had decided to make the trek. English Heritage claimed that there were 1066 fighters on the field, though I rather doubt anyone was doing a head count. In the bright sunlight the field shimmered, the light reflecting off the polished helmets and chainmail of the warriors as we took our places, looking up at the abbey, the crowd, and the line of Saxons wanting to kill us. Kyle and I were so proud of Katya, off to her first show, our little girl all grown up and off to kill Saxons.
As we started up the hill, one of the veterans very audibly muttered "I swear they make this hill steeper every year." Archers attacked first, a good group of them advanced and released a volley, followed up by the calvary. After the horses had thundered their way past us, which was an alarming sight, even though they're technically on our side, we made the long trek up and engaged with the Saxon shield wall. It's always tricky judging time when people are trying to stab you but everything seemed to be over so fast. We'd attack, and then retreat, then attack again. Once while we were being held back I could see Øst Centingas making a suicide charge down to the Norman lines- which ended very badly for them, but it was a valiant last stand which the public loved. After the final attack, just as we were slotting all the Saxons, it started to rain, making the whole event very atmospheric and somber. Harold got his arrow in the eye, the music swelled and our job was done.
The skies let loose with a torrent of rain so the public cleared out quite quickly and the rest of us huddled under tents and started supper. There was a competitive fight going on in the arena but given how rusty armour can get, most people passed. During a break in the rain, we had a chance to do some real fighting just amongst ourselves. Demedts and I had ourselves a combative domestic, Kyle maintains his dominion over Canada, and I was repeatedly bested by Townie but continued to fight anyone who had a weapon within arms reach. We fought until the sky was black, and even then under stadium lights until the rain came once again. Robb, Katya and I had a quick trek into town for a few supplies. Walking through the streets of Battle felt like a very odd version of Halloween, with costumed people walking a long and a few decorations, including a sign reading "Normans go HOME."
Supper that night was a BBQ of burgers and sausages around the fire, and then went for a walk around the abbey ruins. Katya won the game of Brit Bingo, with "Lord of the Rings song is sung," a few people had begun to suspect something was up so it was fun to show what we'd been up to. One of the best perks of reenactment is having free access to all these amazing places, especially at night when there's no public. We walked through the echoing common rooms of the abbey where I sang a few Norse and Latin songs I've learned. A small group of us went up the new stairs and stood in main hall of the abbey, with only the clouds and full moon where the roof should be, and talked the night away. The rain chased us out around midnight, wherein I discovered that my authentic shoes are actually more waterproof than my modern boots.
Sunday:
In the morning, it was raining so loudly it woke me up, which typically takes some doing. The Canadians were in charge of breakfast this morning, which consisted of Kyle making Monte Christo and me and Katya sprinkling cheese on them. While it started off to being quite wet and miserable, by the time the public started filtering through, the sun had come out and it was glorious. I did a few more laps of the traders, realized I should have bought some fabric I was eyeing while I had the chance, the old Polish guy was singing away in his tent and then we went to watch the birds of prey show. It was pretty much word for word of last years, a few lucky audience members get to have the hawk land on their arm, but this year they had a bit of a more modern element. They had a drone, piloted by someone on the ground to behave like a bird and then the hawk got to hunt it down. It was really amazing to be able to actually see a hunting animal in action and the dexterity with which Hydra (think that's what the birds name was) could bring it down.
Today the Canadians allied with the Saxon forces, which worked out wonderfully, cause I wasn't about to be running up that hill again, though knowing how the battle ends, that made us very unwise traitors. While waiting for the whole group to muster, people were continuing to shout for "Godwinson," Vivat Rex! (amended to Vivat Rekt by certain people), or "death to the bastard" (William was known as 'William the Bastard' before claiming the more flattering epithet, no wonder he wanted to conquer something so badly). Other groups got a bit more creative:
"Who are we? - SCUM! What do we kill for? - MONEY! How do we die? - HORRIBLY! How do THEY die? MORE HORRIBLY!"
From the top of Senlac hill, the experience is completely different. You don't see the public, the tents, and the rest, you just see an army of 500 warriors marching towards you. It takes your breath away for a second as the organized troops marched nearer and nearer. Harold rode up and down the ranks shouting a rallying speech but was a little too far away to hear, so Tim substituted Theoden's speech from Return of the King. We were set on the left flank, out of the range of the archers, but close enough to get some action when the cavalry made their pass. I actually got attacked by William's half-brother Odo, who took a few swings with his mace at my shield, made me feel very special. Opposing us were the green and red shields of some German group, so the routine consisted of stabbing them, getting stabbed, falling back, finding an opening, getting back to fighting.
When the final push came, there was barely room to die, war is a very claustrophobic affair, so eventually you're just pushed onto the people already on the ground and you try and get as comfortable as possible with a spear in your back. The PA announcer finished the story of the Battle of Hastings 950, we rose from the dead, and marched back to camp.
Pack up started almost immediately, and it was really sucky to be saying goodbye so quickly after just saying hello. Fortunately, there was a small collection of us sticking around until the morning to avoid the traffic jam of every reenactor in the place trying to leave at the same time. Tony, Tim, both Matts and myself went into town to get some fish and chips and had a quiet night around the fire.
Everyone I told about this trip back home thought I was crazy on some level, or on a bunch of levels, but I wouldn't miss this for the world. I love this group and what we do so much and I feel really blessed to have been able to do this. Vivat Regia Anglorum x