Battle of Stratton Commemoration Weekend (Battle of Stamford Hill)

The Battle of Stratton Commemoration Weekend - May 15th – 16th 2010

Brother against brother, father against son, a world turned upside down - the English Civil Wars. They split husband from wife and made enemies of friends. For us, over 360 years later, it’s impossible to grasp the sheer emotional impact and the violent sundering of families ties and loyalties that the Wars had.

The Battle of Stratton was the first decisive battle of the Civil Wars, and its re-enactment has featured in local What’s On diaries since 1977.

For two days historic Stratton will again echo to the beat of drums, tramp of feet, crack of muskets, thunder of guns and smell of gunpowder as members of the Sealed Knot muster to re-enact the Battle of Stratton between Royalists and Parliamentarians.

Outline programme details to date (Feb 10) are:

On Saturday and Sunday mornings you will be able to walk around the Living History Camp set-up by members of the Sealed Knot Living History Group.** [** See below]

You will also be able to talk to ‘Wise Woman’ Linda Moran. Linda is a qualified and expert herbalist who will be demonstrating the use herbs still found today, and that would have been used in the 17th Century both for cooking and medicine.

Saturday’s re-enactment will begin at 3.00pm and finish at approximately 4.30pm
Sunday’s re-enactment will begin at 3.30pm and finish at approximately 5.00pm

ALL WHO ATTEND THE AFTERNOON RE-ENACTMENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH DOGS AND CHILDREN, MUST BE AWARE THAT THE CANON FIRE IS REALISTIC SO VERY LOUD.

** The Living History Group to give as accurate a portrayal of this period as possible. However, some things cannot be portrayed; the bad smells and sounds, the screams from the surgeons tent, the lack of latrines and hygiene; these and the like we prefer to leave to the imagination. However, visitors are welcome, indeed encouraged, to converse with the inhabitants of the camp to learn a little of some of the hardships that were endured. It should be understood that the common soldier would have slept in the hedgerows regardless of the weather, therefore the camp portrayed is one of comparative luxury and the status of the individuals would have been quite high in the army.