A BIT OF SLAP Cite of £fte Issue 12:2OO8/9 Free to members. One damned thing after another One damned thing after another 2 Ten years ago, we were discussing the commemorative sculpture with the County Highways Department. We'd had our discussions with the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival 3 County Planning Department, the County Landscape Architect and the A Stroll around Flodden 5 County's arts advisor and had arrived at the cold practicalities of safety. The hurdle we had to overcome was the safety audit; 'the 2OO8 Spring tour: In search of the Templars 7 distilled wisdom of a team comprising of a police officer, accident investigator and an engineer'. This was 1998. The audit was duly Bloore Heath 11 completed, tough we were never allowed to see it. The focus drifted (a A Ryght Evil Place 12 word carefully chosen) toward policy. Gloucestershire didn't have any public art on roundabouts and there were a lot of principles to consider. The battle of Tewkesbury: The lost Carry on? 14 The principles were considered, and the proposals pronounced Norway's lost islands 15 acceptable. We moved onto the next set of hurdles. At a meeting in June 2007, we were told that a report could be taken to the Borough New Year resolutions 16 Council in September, but of course the flood delayed that. By fifteen Brigg Fair 17 months to date. And now the County Council have decided to do another assessment. Potting in Australia 18 I sometimes think that we should be in there and complaining loudly, The three Battles 19 but we've long adopted a 'softly softly' policy, not wanting to cause offence that might cause us more problems in the long run. The Banners 2O attitude of the various Councils is hard to comprehend, though. After The march from Chipping Sodbury 21 all, our offer is a no strings attached offer of a valuable asset for the town, one which it couldn't afford on its own and one which seems to The battlefields Trust 22 tick all the boxes about art, heritage and sustainability. No-one seems Money 23 to dispute this; they just lead us along a rambling journey through the nether regions of bureaucracy, with seemingly neither a purpose nor a Battle of Hexham: in its Place 26 conclusion Skirrets 27 All summer, I've been waiting for word that the long awaited report to the Council was finished. It seemed very close. We were even given a date, Bonfire night, at one point. That, of course, came and went. Along with the people we've been dealing with. All of the people referred to in the first paragraph have retired. I think that the Borough Council is on its fifth Chief Executive since we started. It isn't easy to understand what the problem is. The latest news is that the report will be available in the first week of January, Let's hope that it is favourable, and that 2009 will be the year when we finally leave the starting line! TEWKESBURY MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL In 2008, we put on several new events, some of which we'll never do again, some which will work with a bit more tuning and some The Society an4 the Festival are soul mates. Though they have different of which were an instant success. In the final category was a objectives an4 organisation there is g lot of overlap, so it seems appropriate visit by Robert Hardy, who did us proud. Leaving aside the to give the Festival a bitofa plug. rousing rendition of Henry V which opened the fair, he gave a talk on the English Longbow (what else!). This was fully subscribed, and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone able to get 2008 saw the twenty fifth re-enactment, from small beginnings in there. To fit it into a busy weekend schedule it was held on 1984 to what is now a major spectacle, well beyond the Sunday morning and a lot of re-enactors made the effort to community event it was intended to be, though no-one attend, which was good to see. anticipated that it would have been much more than a one-off event. It probably started at just the right time to grow with the This raises the idea of having some sort of 'fringe' of lectures, interest in medieval re-enactment as a hobby and had a drama, exhibitions, presentations and early music associated sufficiently relaxed approach to surrounding itself with rules for it with the festival is something that could be looked at seriously, to be fun for everyone involved. and is maybe something which the Society could get involved with. There are big difficulties; primarily that the indigenous The problem now is maintaining that atmosphere of disorganised Tewkesbury population won't produce enough interested harmony and complying with all the rules which now exist, both people to provide a viable audience and that the festival because new hurdles such as the laws about entertainment and weekend is too short and feature-packed for the re-enactors, the clear necessity to introduce controls simply because of the who probably would be interested, to spare the time. Ideas for size of the event. This raises blood pressure in the stressful run up which might help something develop gently would be to the event, but this is probably more to do with natural appreciated. resentment of imposed rules than any real belief that they are not needed. The big exception to this is the bizarre public For this year, the Festival planning is in the early stages, so it isn't entertainment regulations, but it's best not to go there! possible to say what might be on the agenda, though it will be a great day out for all the family, and for novices or battle buffs The principles underpinning the festival are that it must constantly alike. improve (things that don't get better get worse, and that's the road to ruin) and that the budget for the coming year is based TEWKESBURY MEDIEVAL FESTIVAL on the income from the previous year (which is simple financial prudence). One of the problems is expanding the event in a way that covers its costs, and this means doing things which will either grants or sponsors grants or things which people will want to pay 2009 for in sufficient quantities to cover the costs. Oddly, with so many people attending, the audience is a fickle one. We're confined to a weekend and most of our potential audience are fully 11 & 12 July occupied either as day visitors (the vast majority without a very deep interest in history) or participants with their own objectives - Make a note! for the weekend. A STROLL AROUND FLODDEN English billmen and archers. Characteristically, it was Lord Stanley, Northumberland has enough castles and churches to keep Bernie occupied arriving late on the battlefield with his archers who sealed the English for decades. It also has more than the average number of battlefields, being victory. on the front line for so many centuries. Though Margaret and E4warcl The battle lasted barely two hours. This was the last medieval battle continued their struggle here for several years after Towton, Flodden is fought on English soil; the last battle in which the long bow played a probably the most important site, being the last battle on English soil, the decisive role. last battle in which archery played a significant part and the last pitched The battlefield today is unspoiled by development; the only intrusions battle between the English and Scottish nations. being modern roads and farming practice. The battlefield is not found by the Flodden road, but by going to Branxton. Along a lane beyond the little village church where the dead king of Scotland was laid is a Flodden was a tragedy on every level. It was a battle which should carpark, and the beginning of a marked battlefield trail. There is even never have been fought, and it was a battle after which the Scottish a rack with battle trail leaflets. lament 'Flowers of the Forest' was composed in remembrance of the loss of nine thousand Scots, including the king and almost the entire The battlefield has been marked for many years by a monument, a ruling class of the country. large cross on Piper's Hill, marking the probable centre of the English lines, occupied by the Lord Admiral, son of the Earl of Surrey. From James IV was a good and respected king. He had brought stability and here there is a circular route linking the ridges which formed the prosperity in his twenty five year reign. He married Margaret, daughter centres of the two armies. Thanks to grants from the National Lottery of Henry VII, giving him a close link with the English throne. In 1512 and Northamptonshire County Council, assistance from the Battlefields he renewed the 'auld alliance' with Louis XII, which proved to be his Trust and what is obviously a considerable local input from ?????. undoing. This was a mutual aid alliance, and when Henry VIII planned an invasion of France in 1513 he had no choice but to act. Walking the battlefield using the leaflet is easy. There is an 'inner' route, which spans the centre of both lines, an additional route passing James assembled an army of 40,000 men and invaded England. His through some fairly sensitive wildlife areas, out of bounds whilst birds army didn't go far. It roamed around Northumberland, never more are nesting, and a route around the outer fringes by car.