Shropshire Star

1069 and all that: Welsh and Normans face off at Shrewsbury Castle - with pictures

It's a grudge match nearly 1,000 years in the making – the Welsh and Normans battling it out once again for Shrewsbury Castle.

Published
The re-enactment at Shrewsbury Castle

Crowds gathered to see reenactment groups recreate the bloody battle of 1069, which saw allied forces made up of the men of Chester, the Welsh, Eadric the Wild and "other untameable Englishmen" set fire to the town and besiege the Norman-held stronghold.

The opposing forces were a little smaller for yesterday's rematch – but the war chants and battle cries echoed just as loudly around the castle's grounds.

Families were given the chance to hold reproduction shields while the soldiers themselves set up camp and prepared for their fight.

Welsh soldiers marched through the gates to the castle grounds to demand their town back, leading to a clash of champions.

The two chosen champions fought in the arena, before they were joined by their allies for the battle.

John Lightfoot of the Mercenaries of Mercia recreation group said: "It's amazing fun. I've been doing it for about 12 years now. it's something different.

"This was a significant battle. Eadric the Wild was running amok in Shropshire and the surrounding counties. He was desperately trying to get rid of William the Conqueror, because Shrewsbury was such a strategic point.

"It's great to re-enact in such a great environment."

Welcome

John, 26, from Shrewsbury, said new members would be more than welcome to join them. The team are usually based at Whittington Castle in Oswestry, but members come from all over the county.

"I've always had an interest in history and my dad heard something on the radio advertising a training weekend, so I went to have a look and the rest is history," he said.

"We train every week on Thursdays, but it can take years or months depending on the person.

"We say it's an alternative to the gym. You come here, you're wearing chainmail which can weigh between four and six stone – it's similar to what they would have worn 1,000 years ago."

It's easy to get sucked in, members of the group said, with the more dedicated among them spending hundreds of pounds in the quest to stay authentic.

And while it's possible to make or borrow decent period clothing, Chris Bebb, an IT technician from Shrewsbury, said it is easy to get carried away.

The 32-year-old, who had his sword custom made by an armourer in Scotland, said: "It's a bit like a rabbit hole – once you go down you just don't stop. You end up with lots of stuff.

"It's great fun, and great exercise."

Not everybody who gets involved wants to fight, and a team of onlookers and supporters – in full medieval clothing – shout from the sidelines.

Among them is 62-year-old time-travelling seamstress Sarah Thursfield, who has spent 30 years re-discovering the skills needed to create genuine period clothing.

"Today it's 1069, next week it might 1790," she said.

"We've had a sewing machine for the last 150 years, and it's all been downhill from there. We could make clothes a lot better in the bronze age."

For more information on joining the group, search for Mercenaries of Mercia on Facebook.