Hail fellow, well met.

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She wore a flowing yellow gown and her long fair hair was dotted with pink and white blooms. She bowed her head. “Hail fellow, well met” she said.

Such was my welcome to England’s largest Medieval Festival.

You would be forgiven for thinking that I spend all my time visiting castles! Certainly several of my local ones have featured in my posts recently, and today’s is no exception, for this amazing event is held annually in a magnificent red brick Tudor castle dating back to 1441 which is just a few miles from my home in the village of Herstmonceux.

Hundreds of medieval enthusiasts come from all over the England and spend three days in authentic encampments in the countryside surrounding the castle. There they live as our ancient ancestors did. Small children play with wooden toys and run around with hoops. Babies slumber in woven baskets whilst their mothers prepare meals in heavy cast iron pots suspended above open fires. Women sit on stools stitching and sewing while most of the men busily go about their trades. Many are involved in the production of armour and weapons, for this was the era of the great medieval battles and the War of the Roses.

The whole experience is one of sights sounds and smells of England in the mid 1400’s.We are treated to displays of falconry, jousting tournaments and archery. We watch on as butchers prepare joints of meat from wild game and cooks tend whole hogs which hang above glowing embers. We taste cakes and sweetmeats and biscuits all washed down with traditionally brewed ale poured from wooden firkins. Musicians wander about playing crude wooden instruments and a small girl runs around blowing into a bull’s horn. Sheets of metal are heated to red hot, then battered and hammered into breast plates and shields. Highly polished helmets and chain mail vests are everywhere to be seen.

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On a nearby hillside the army of the House of Lancaster live in their tented barracks, whilst a mile or so away the House of York prepare for battle, for this was the period when there was fierce rivalry for the throne of England. And today we are to witness a re-enactment of such a battle with hundreds of armour clad soldiers wielding bows and arrows, chains and huge swords.
At three pm the leaders of each of the army meet in the middle of the field close to the castle walls. Neither side agree to yield so a battle is declared. An ear splitting explosion from a war cannon signals the start of the hostilities. Forty minutes or so later, the ground is strewn with the bodies of fallen soldiers from the House of York and true to history, the Lancastrians are victorious once again.

As I left I walked between two rows of girls in yellow gowns with flowers in their hair. As I did so each of them bowed, and bid me “God speed, fare thee well”.

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Monochrome Monday

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The Tiger Inn, nestling in a valley on the South Downs is the latest casualty of the financial crisis sweeping through Englands rural pubs. It closed last month after three centuries of serving the community. I took this picture last year in happier times.

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Click on pic to enlarge. To see more contributions to Monochrome Monday click HERE

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It's only a game

For centuries the game of football was played on the fields of England’s finest schools. In 1823 Rugby School developed a game similar to football, but the players were permitted to pick up the ball and run with it. And so the game known worldwide as Rugby was invented.


In England in 1863 the Football Association was formed and the rules by which football is played today were written. Football (soccer in the US, a name formed from the word association) is the most popular game played worldwide, and the World Cup is the biggest international sporting tournament known to man.


A game similar to tennis was played widely from the 11th century in France. Its popularity spread to England and even King Henry VIII was an enthusiastic player. But in 1625 it was once again the English who laid down the rules by which it is played today. The first annual international tournament began in 1877 at Wimbledon.


Table tennis or Ping Pong was not invented by the Chinese. It was started in England in 1880 and began with Cambridge University students using cigar boxes and champagne corks.


England’s national game is of course cricket. The game as we know it today was originally played by the Marylebone Cricket Club in the 18th century. Today it is played on almost every continent.


So why have I laid out all these facts?


Well, England last won the Football World Cup in 1966.


We have only won the Rugby World cup once and that was in 2003.


Table Tennis? Forget it!


The last Wimbledon Tennis champions we saw were Fred Perry in 1936 and Virginia Wade in 1977.


As for cricket, we did win the Ashes a couple of years ago, but our record in international Test Matches is lamentable.


But there is some good news!


We invented the game of darts in the town of Grimsby way back when, and we are pretty good at that.


The Marquess of Queensbury wrote the rules for boxing in 1865, and we have had a fair few champions at most weights.


Horse racing, both on the flat and steeplechase have their origins at Newmarket in England and we have had our fair share of record beating jockeys.


We are also good at Wellie Wanging, the Pancake Race, Duck Herding, Conkers, Aunt Sally, Barrel Walking and Cheese Rolling.


My favourite English sport? Lawn Mower Racing. It’s great!
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My local Roman Castle

It’s very easy and perfectly natural to take things around you for granted. I often remind myself how lucky I am to live where I do, surrounded as I am by areas of outstanding natural beauty and historic sites of national importance.


Yet almost every day I pass the place which many centuries ago was at the centre of an event that shaped the future of England. And I don’t give it a second thought.


Ask any school child to name a date from history and I promise you 1066 will trip off their tongues. That was the year William the Conqueror crossed the sea from Normandy France and invaded our shores. And the place they came ashore was Pevensey, just along the road from me!
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They immediately laid claim to Pevensey castle which even then was an ancient fortress having been built in 290AD by the Romans. Incredibly, to this day two thirds of the Roman walls are still standing at their full height.
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Centuries later, in 1588 it was further strengthened to defend our coast from the Spanish Armada.


It’s forth life was as a defence post during World War 11 when pill boxes and gun posts where discretely added to stave off the advances of the German army.


Until relatively recently Pevensey castle was a sea defence with the English Channel lapping its walls. Today it lies two miles back from the shore looking out over flat marsh land which was once the sea bed.


What a history! Built by the Romans, captured by the French, it protected us from the Spanish and watched out for the Germans!


I decided to pay the old place a visit yesterday when it was being invaded by a group of Japanese, but instead of carrying weapons they were wielding cameras!


And found myself doing what all visitors to the castle do – touching the ancient stones in the wall knowing that they were put in place by a Roman soldier one thousand six hundred years ago..

To see my photos of Pevensey Castle click HERE

My Christmas Quintet

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In the bleak mid-winter

Frosty wind made moan,

Earth stood hard as iron,

Water like a stone

So wrote Christina Rossetti in 1872 in the opening verse of her poem In The Bleak Midwinter. This emotive piece when sung to the magnificent music of Harold Darke lifts my spirits, and for me sums up the Christmas message in just five short verses.

2. I can’t claim to be a regular church goer, but there is one service which draws me into God’s house each year. It's the Midnight Mass when folk converge on the church from every direction to see in Christmas. There we witness the blessing of the crib, we sing carols, pray and ponder on the magic and mystery of this very special celebration.


3. Christmas day is a series of smells! From the smoky aroma of bacon and sausages which wafts from the kitchen at breakfast time, to the cinnamon scent of mulled wine. The air is filled with the smell of roasting turkey and the sweet bouquet of mince pies and cake.


4. Phone calls from family members in faraway places bring back memories of years ago when as children they unwrapped their gifts at our feet. Innocent times when they had not a care in the world, when we were one happy family gathered around the Christmas tree.


5. Since the early 1400’s the English meal has finished with a Christmas Pudding. This rich desert is thick with raisins, sultanas and currents. It is normally made weeks before the big day, and tradition demands that the children of the house stir the mixture whilst makin a wish. Silver coins are often added to the pudding before it is lowered into a pot of boiling water and cooked for hours and hours. When the pudding is about to be served, the house lights are turned out and the pudding is carried into the dining room enveloped in the purple and red flames of burning brandy. Topped with rich brandy butter, it makes a perfect end to the most important meal of the year.


I would like to end as I started with more words from In The Bleak Midwinter, this time the final verse.

What can I give him

Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him
Give my heart.

A great big thankyou to my special friend Jadey who suggested I write this piece

The odd things we do at Easter

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This week the prompt on Sunday Scribblings is 'I just don't get it'. There are many strange traditions associated with the Easter holiday in England. These are just a few with an explanation of their origins in order to help you to help you 'get it'!
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On Good Friday sailors used to take a hot cross bun to sea as it was thought this would prevent sea sickness throughout the next year. In the early nineteenth century, a sailors mother baked her son a bun, but he was drowned the previous day, so she took it to a pub in Bromley by Bow in the east end of London where it remained. And on each Good Friday since, a new bun has been added to the collection, most of which hang from the ceiling.
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On Easter Saturday the annual Nutter Dance takes place in Lancashire. The 'Nut Dance' is performed by dancers who black their faces to resemble coal miners. Each dancer wears wooden discs or 'nuts' on his hands, knees and belt. During the dance the discs which are made of maple wood are struck together in time to the music. The name Coconuts was given to the discs, probably, since they resembled the coconut shell knee protectors used by miners crawling along narrow seams in the mines.

Their usual accompaniment is the English concertina but for Easter Saturday a silver band is used. The music like the dance steps has been handed down over the years. Every year no matter what the weather they gather at the Travellers Rest Pub on the Rochdale to Bacup road and dance their way through the streets calling at every hostelry on route.

A tradition that has endured is to make Paste Eggs which are named after Pesach or Passover. Eggs are wrapped in onion skin then hard boiled resulting in a colourful pattern appearing on the skin said to signify rebirth or spring.

These eggs are used in villages all over the country in Egg Rolling competition on Easter Sunday when they are rolled down hill. The winner is the contestant whose egg survived the most descents undamaged.

Egg Jarping is still popular. This is a game similar to conkers where your egg is taped against your rival’s egg. The one whose egg cracks drops out and the victor continues until, all the other eggs are broken.

Although having no religious significance, the Monday after Easter is a holiday in England when the first big outdoor events of the year start. One of the most famous is the Hare Pie Scramble and Bottle Kicking which takes place between the villages of Hallaton and Medbourne.


The day starts with the blessing of a hare pie which is then broken up and thrown to the crowd. Then three barrels of ale are given to the two teams and the object is to run with them until all three are in one or other of the villages.
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Up to 2000 people take part in this unruly game which is said to be the inspiration behind the sport of Rugby, after its founder witnessed the spectacle before returning to Rugby School after the Easter holiday.

On the Tuesday after Easter the Hocktide Festival takes place in Hungerford. It dates back to the 14th century when the commoners were granted the right of free grazing and fishing. The town crier blows his horn and calls together the Hocktide Court in the town hall. There, all 'commoners' pay a ‘fine’ to ensure that their rights continue. While the court sits, Tutti-Fruiti men with florally decorated poles are led through the streets by the Orange-Man to collect kisses from all the ladies resident in the High Street. They receive an orange in return.

They are just some of the weird and wonderful things that go on at Eastertide in England. Long may they continue.
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spring

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Leaden lumps of rain pour down from a slate grey sky upon a lake of blackened water. On its surface dance a thousand diamond coronets. Here and there flashes of silver as fish leap, jump, and frolic in the rain.

A swan, head held high, swims serenely twixt reeds and lily pads, unconcerned, seemingly unaware of nature’s fury.

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A shaft of sunlight shoots between the clouds, which scatter, revealing a canvas of lightest purest blue. The trees, minutes ago sombre hunched and dour, salute the sun resplendent in their new coats of glistening glossy green.

Bird song breaks the silence, and a fox ventures from its lair. A cloud of insects tumble in the air and a frantic dragonfly hovers, darts then hovers again.

Spring in England. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
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let me read it to you!
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Everything stops for tea!

The other afternoon I treated myself to cream tea! This light mid-afternoon refreshment is something of a tradition in England, particularly on Summer afternoons when it is often taken in the garden. Villages across the country, and particularly in the South, are renowned for their village tea shops and gardens, each county claiming to provide the best!




Tea, as a meal, takes two forms here. There is High Tea which is a fairly substantial refreshment and usually includes hot food such as poached eggs on spinach , or warm ham and cheese sandwiches. It's name derives from the way in which is normally taken at a high table. Afternoon Tea , or low tea as it sometimes referred, is a light meal of sandwiches and cakes. This is usually eaten at a low table from the comfort of armchairs.

Cream tea is however, the finest way to satisfy a mid-afternoon hunger. A pot of tea, usually Earl Grey, is taken with chunky sweet scones, ( pronounced scons) strawberry jam and thick whipped cream. This is often accompanied by a slab of rich fruit cake. Sussex cream tea is about as good as it gets!

Tea as a drink was first imbibed in France from the 17th century - many years before it reached the British shores. Charles 11 and his Portuguese wife Catherine de Braganze introduced it here in the early 1600's when the started importing it on the trade route from India.

In 1663 the poet Edmund Phoebus wrote an ode to tea which included the lines

The Muse's friend, tea does our fancy aid,

Regress those vapours which the head invade,

And keep the palace of the soul serene,

Fit on her birthday to salute the Queen

By 1700 there were 500 coffee houses in London selling tea, and during the industrial revolution, high was eaten to satisfy the workers after a hard day in the factories of the Midlands and Northern England.

Low Tea became very fashionable during the Victorian era. Queen Victoria's lady in waiting, the Duchess of Bedford was fond of inviting afternoon guests for a stroll in garden after which they would enjoy tea! This upper class pursuit soon spread to all strata's of society, and eating afternoon tea remains an important part of British life to this day.

And long may it remain so!

I've had an idea! I'll send a do-it-yourself cream tea kit to the first two people to email me on my special competition line keith@keithsramblings.net If successful I'll need you to give me an address to send it to.