St
George's Joust & Mediaeval Fayre at Cressing Temple - Review |
This
royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat
of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for
herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men,
this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves
it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the
envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this
England
From Richard II, Act 2 (Shakespeare)
Thousands of happy englishmen were transported back to the days of yore (i.e a long time ago) to be enthralled by the jousting knights of Horses Impossible as they pounded the field and each other in a spectacular display of horsemanship and blunt instruments.
Six brave knights joined the tourney to do battle with each other and to perform feats of skill and daring like running at full tilt at a spinning shield which could easily unhorse them.
Hand to hand combat with swords, flails and a flaming ball and chain were all part of the spectacle including the marvellous trick riding by the intriguing John of Arc and the much abused Sir Geraint who rode two horses standing up.
The grand finale was a joust to the death between Sir Richard of Colchester and Sir Odious of Cressing Temple which ended in head and shoulder wounds for the riders and a brilliant event for the appreciative crowd.
Meanwhile in the Mediaeval Household life was a little more peaceful as the candle maker cooked his dinner and heated his wax in the same fire.
However some of his colleagues were more intent in being trained in how to smash someones face in with a small round shield called a buckler. It takes all sorts.
The Vikings waited patiently while their meat roasted on the spit.They demonstrated the viking way of life, their weapons and their armour.
The 1st 95th Regiment treated us to brightly coloured and very, very loud firing displays of their period rifles. If you can't fight wear a big hat.
The site was crammed with re-enactors, traders, soldiers, craftsmen and entranced members of the public. It was truly a memorable weekend. 21st and 22nd of April 2007.
