Oct 2013 BEAUFORT HERALD Volume 6, Issue 5 Companye and I hope you For me number one must be would all agree a very the marvelous food prepared by Paul Robinson (thankfully enjoyable season all round. not at every event otherwise would be needing an entire This was written by a captain new wardrobe) of another group but I believe The skyline for the Eltham sums up 2013 very well Palace event with London City centre as a backdrop, totally surreal. Next Event “Yet another brilliant event this Bosworth this year (according International Living weekend (Bolsover) ending an History Fair to Allan) was the closest ever amazing season for me. It's to an event working exactly as 25 th to 27 th October planned possibly been the best season I've NOW COME QUIETLY AND And Warkworth , what a great “COME ON SOLDIERS ! done so far. Massive thanks to site, and we had a fantastic GUARDIANS AND AGENTS OF NO -ONE GETS HURT ! THE SUPREME LAW ! HERE IS A the organisers and all our time. SACRIFICE OF DOGS READY What a difference a (Dry) friends from all the groups we So what were your highlights? FOR YOUR SWORDS ! – summer makes IL-GHAZI ” have fought with and against Jayne E-H this year. You are all stars and In this issue Page 2012 was WET! And 2013 was dry I am proud to be part of such To the beat of the Drum 2 -3 (mainly) except for the start & end, cancelled events (but at least organisers an amazing group of people. Medieval Trade (Pt 3) 4 recognised the need for cancellation) Looking forw ard to next year The Calais Garrison (Pt1) 5 and didn’t it make a real difference to already.” The Percies (Pt 2) 6 events. The year has been another resounding success for the Beaufo rt SIMON LEE (Thos. Stanleys) Firearms development 7-8 Looking ahead to 2014 A Gothic End (Pt 1) 9 Well 2013 is almost over and Also that in these economic Events 2014 10 it’s been a vintage year with times people were becoming Paul Williamson at Badges for 2014 10 good weather (most of the particular over what events to time) great company and attend and that the more Bolsover castle Next issue from my side a good mix of established events such as events. Bosworth, Avoncroft etc… are the events where most people There were a couple of things Christmas 2013 attended. that stood out: Already hard at it organising for 1. The popularity of 2014 and look to have some the murder mystery established sites events style event organised, plus a few new and 2. The way the group is exciting places. But here is your evolving chance where would you like to go and event; tell me and I’ll see 3. Lots of fun & smiles! what I can do. 4. More great kit and Allan creative people within the group Page 2 of10 TO THE BEAT OF THE DRUM The oldest drum known to us is a The battle -tactics of Philip the hollow bison skull, the forehead Good and his son Charles the being tapped by bones in the hands Bold set out in their Ordinances of Cro-Magnon to produce a simple for Burgundian troops seem to musical beat. In almost all have evolved in making the best indigenous tribes the drum appears use of tried-and-tested military ubiquitous, whether it be a hollow tactics; these included front-rank tree-trunk or an animal skin billmen supported by archers i n A reconstructed tabor, the stretched over a simple hoop; the the rear ranks (and vice-versa) progenitor of the military reason for this given by and there is some evidence to drum anthropologists is that such drums show that the tactics set out in are easy to make and play, the the Ordinances were intended to English armies of the latter half variant beat-rhythm easily followed be signalled using drumbeats. of the 15 th century did suffer in by dancers, and emotive in terms Though English and Welsh isolation from several military that the resonance from the drum is archers were previously developments and innovations ‘absorbed’ by the human body. employed by Burgundy, when on the continent (with the Sound has a close psychological English troops crosse d the English reliance on the relationship to armies - a chronicle Channel after 1475 the most longbow, by 1453 they from the Old Testament era states recent military developments on seriously lagged behind the “Portrait images – Paul that the sound of crashing pots and the Continent appear to have French and Burgundians in the Robinson, Andy Howes Jayne shouting by soldiers during an been at least tried by the development of cannons, attack did much to encourage their captains involved. Records Everingham-Harley, and Karen handguns and gunpowder). enemy to break ranks. Some indicate that from around 1450 Hughes Most Continental armies in the musical instruments do lend musicians became a regular latter half of the 15 th century themselves more easily to a military feature of French, Burgundian, seem at least to have been sent application than others; trumpets German, Italian an d Swiss off to sleep ( curfew and later, and drums were both used to armies and by close to the end ‘taps’ ) and also awoken from transmit signals in camp and on the of the century there is evidence slumber ( reveille and ‘muster’) battlefield by the Romans to indicate that troops - by drumbeats. By 1470, it (recreations of these instruments especially the Swiss - had begun seems most Continental have been made today to imitate to march in step to the rhythm captains had grasped that their sound which was largely of the drum. Marching en cadence having a drummer in camp no unknown before 1970) but not a lot meant that with the advent of longer meant they had to is known about late medieval music, accurate maps the duration and transmit orders through their and the best images of medieval direction of marches could be disceniers who would then walk musicians are probably the set of calculated in hours, an important through camp bellowing these stone carvings in Beverley Minster. factor in Italianate medieval th orders at their men - once the Town and city ‘Waits’ in 13 strategy with the advent of soldiers became accustomed to century England were traditionally accurate maps ; Vegetius, the 4 th it, a drum-beat sounding watchmen employed to sound a century author of Epitoma Rei Assembly was to the medieval warning in case of danger or threat Militaris, the standard medieval military mind far more and as such were often trumpeters military manual, laid down that or drummers. There exists a record dignified than bellowing . trained infantry should be able showing that four French fifers to march twenty miles in five mail-clad and wearing steel helmets hours, maintaining a rate of four were paid to accompany an English miles per hour to the beat of the chevauchee in 1355 but Images of drum (for many years pipers, fifers and/or drummers Mediterranean galleys propelled marching at the head of a column by oars had used a drum-beat of soldiers belong solely to system to regulate the speed). continental chronicles of the mid to A modern recreation of a late 15 th and early 16 th century with th similar images of individual mid to late 15 century musicians wearing helmets and military drums. daggers assigned to ‘military’ . Contemporary images show a size-variation and such drums would generally be painted with a variety of coloured designs. Page 3 of10 En cadence was also tactically From 1460, on the continent - there are important on a battlefield as it indications that Swiss pike-blocks may helped infantry step in time have been regularly ‘driven’ into battle within the complex manoeuvres by the noise created by drummers. At involving the best use of what the siege of Murten in June 1476, the became the specialist weapon of Swiss attacked despite being heavily the Swiss, the pike. During the engaged by artillery ; “ … more than one wars of the last quarter of the soldier was shot apart that day and not a few 15 th century Swiss troops built up had their heads shot off …” but despite a firm reputation for this, the Swiss apparen tly continued performance and many went on and drove through the Burgundian into the 16 th century to serve as camp like a steam-roller, killing the mercenaries in continental gunners and capturing the guns before armies. A parade of importance routing the enemy infantry ; three Percussion instruments were used in the within medieval town or castle months later the Swiss made a similar walls without music missed a manoeuvre at the battle of Grandson music of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, great opportunity to both resulting in 12,000 Burg undian particularly in instrumental dance music. impress and intimidate observers casualties. However in England at that Percussion instruments, like many of the early and raise the morale of your own time and for some years after the pike stringed instruments, were non-standardized, troops. Modern recreations of seems almost unknown, though new period military parades in Europe documentation indicates a pike-block and were made from various materials. - especially Switzerland and Italy (and the associated lack of knowledge Pictured are a small skin -head ceramic drum, - generally involve a cadre of as to how to deal with it) may have well-rehearsed drummers using a been instrumental in the de feat of combination of tabor, snare- Richard III at Bosworth - the English drums and large bass drums ; the army using old-fashioned bills that won marching-beats these drummers at Flodden in 1513 against a Scots army hammer out today claim to have armed with pikes is more to do with a heritage in 15 th century the fact that the Scots having been medieval armies - but equipped with this new battlefield unfortunately there are no weapon had not been tra ined how to surviving written records to use the weapon in battle despite the support the claim.