It is spring at last (allegedly!) and that means it's time for the Buckingham's Retinue annual Make and Mend weekend! An important part of the behind the scenes work that ensures our events can go ahead.
Just some of the kit to be checked and maintained
Group members converged on Mark’s house to go through all of the group kit and make sure everything is still in good condition after the wet season last year and to carry out general maintenance.
The garage shelves before
New shalfs for bills
Repairing bags
Clothing and accessories being repaired
The garage shelves after
Of particular note this year is the construction of a new set of shelves to keep the garage organised and a new protective sleeve for Gwynifer, our cannon.
Eagle eyed fans of the group will have noticed our Events 2024 page has been updated, however we will be making a separate announcement on this once a few final details have been ironed out.
On the 1st and 2nd July Buckinghams Retinue made the long journey to the Chalke Valley History Festival to take part in one of the largest celebrations of history in the UK.
The festival is held every year in the beautiful Chalke Valley on the edge of Salisbury and the Cranborne Chase AOONB and hosts numerous historians, writers and craftspeople throughout the week, giving talks and demonstrations on a huge range of historical subjects.
Gilded pork being cooked on the spit and then sliced
Watching the jousting
Marchpane subtleties being made
Mark explaining the role of the barber surgeon
Vic and Darren showing the use of the portable bread oven
Rachel discussing food and social status
Salted beef, before and after cooking.
Sewing and armour, a winning combination
Buckinghams Retinue provided a range of living history displays in our camp, including board games, medicine and arms and armour but the big focus was on historical cooking. Rachel went above and beyond to provide a huge range of historical foods, with a particular focus on what an army on the march would have carried and eaten, to fit in with the wider theme of this section of the festival (the end of the Hundred Years War).
Just a part of the fantastic food and cooking display
Group members will be attending the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival on the 8th-9th July but our next full event will be at Skipton Castle, North Yorkshire 15th-16th July for the 15th Century Castle Life event. Please see the Skipton Castle Website for details.
On the 15th and 16th July, Buckingham's Retinue once again returned to Skipton Castle, the historic seat of the powerful Clifford family and guardian of the Yorkshire Dales. Skipton castle is a popular site with both group members and the public alike, as we are allowed to occupy rooms within the castle and bring parts of the historic fortress to life as it would have been in the mid 15th century.
Skipton castle looking moody in the rain
Each day began with the noble ladies dressing in thier finery
Kitchen staff hard at work
Marchpane subtleties in the shape of the Clifford wyvern being prepared
Just part of the large array of wonderful food prepared by the kitchen team.
Despite the persistent rain, we provided a full range of historical performances, with music and dance, mumming plays and a fashion show appearing as timetabled talks along side our living history displays of arms and armour, medicine and crafts
The dragon waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting champions in our mumming play
Rob and Zoe portraying Lord and Lady Clifford
Each day ended with arming of the knight and a brief display of mediaeval combat, taking place inside against the dramatic backdrop of the old chapel.
Our next event will be supporting the Legendary Joust at Eltham Palace, Greenwich, London, on 29th and 30th July. Please see the English Heritage website for tickets and further details Legendary Joust at Eltham Palace | English Heritage (english-heritage.org.uk)
