history

what history means to us

As a living history group, history is at the heart of everything we do.  We are always trying to further our own knowledge. Historical detail drives the clothing and equipment we wear, the stories we tell and the characters we portray. Not to mention answering questions from the audience! It all supports our goal of portraying the period accurately at each and every event.

We want to get the details right. Immersing ourselves and our audience in history makes it is very important that we are just as authentic up close as we seem from afar. Our aim is that every aspect of our shows can be supported by historical evidence. Be it the setting for a whole show, the background of a  character or the style of a brooch, we strive to make sure it is authentic.

history, up close

To learn how to portray people from the past, we must look differently at every source of information. Deeds of the great and the good stand out. But we often have to look again, to see fine details of every day life a thousand years ago.

What foods did they have available? What recipes did they use? What did they cook them on? What did it taste like, and smell like?

How were shields made? How were the straps arranged? How do you hold them and how heavy are they? What designs were painted on them?

Did Viking women dress differently to their Saxon counterparts? What about Normans? How? What styles of decoration did they use? What colours? What fabrics? Were they comfortable? How did they show off?

These details are easily overlooked today. Perhaps at the time they were mundane. But to us they are key. We can take them out of the text, off the canvas or out of the glass case and turn them into things you can touch, tase, smell and use.

changes

Society, fashion, warfare, politics - all these and more vary from place to place, and changed over the centuries. These changes are an important part of our story. Every event we do targets a specific time and place, and our depiction varies accordingly. Complete accuracy is, of course, an unattainable goal. To get as close as possible, we use every source available to us.

who learns all this?

Anyone! We encourage everyone to learn but do not make a requirement of it. Living History by its very nature immerses you in the period. Just by visiting an event it is hard not to soak it up. In actively participating, learning about the history of the period is a natural, practical part of the process. Everyone does so in their own way, at their own pace - and may not even notice it.