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Overview
Tillier’s returned to event organising in the south-west with a spectacular success – recreating the 1645 siege of Berkeley Castle by those fiends – the New Model Army. The castle, uniquely owned by the same family for over 90 years, has hosted many re-enactment events over recent years, but nothing on this scale since the late seventies. Said Rachel groom, castle event manager “ the Sealed Knot are the most professional re-enactment group we have had at the castle and the Tillier’s guys are fantastic”.
History
Initially seized for Parliament, Berkeley Castle passed into royalist hands in the late summer of 1643. With the fall of Bristol in 1645 to Fairfax and the New Model Army, Berkeley inevitably came under siege as it was a critical outpost of royalist resistance in the south-west. The garrison, commanded by Sir Charles Lucas held on grimly under siege by Colonel Rainsborough and 1,500 parliamentarian veterans.
Rainsborough arrived at Berkeley on the 23rd September, and at once summoned the garrison to surrender. Sir Charles Lucas replied that he would eat horse-flesh ere he would surrender, and man's flesh when that was done. The Church, standing close to the Castle on the north side, and on the verge of the moat, naturally formed one of the defences of the Castle, and was occupied by the garrison, and here most of the fighting took place. The great west doors still show the perforations made for the musketeers, and are marked in many places by hostile bullets. The Church was carried by storm, the north door under the porch being burst open by a petard, forty men were slain, and ninety taken prisoners. With the besiegers preparing to mount their ordnance on the roof of the Church, which overlooks and commands the Castle, Lucas offered to treat for a surrender.
The Event Weekend
The whole event was designed to transport members of the public right back in time from the minute that they entered the castle confines. The garrison was at the ready, with sentries posted and patrols mounted throughout the day. Drill displays throughout the day demonstrated the authentic use of weapons of the day and gave the audience the chance to really get involved and have a go. Two large authentic camps demonstrated how people lived at the times with both military and civilian occupations on display. The castle rocked to the sounds of cannon and musketry each afternoon as 300 soldiers fought to the death on the lower terraces. Uniquely, the crowd got to choose who won with our own reality TV vote – the dastardly parliamentarians won by 2 votes to 1 over the weekend. At dusk each evening, the castle was stormed in spectacular fashion, demonstrating what would have happened if the royalist garrison had not sensibly surrendered.
Four hundred members of the Sealed Knot delivered a fantastic weekend for local people – over twice the numbers came to the castle this year. We will be back!!!