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I went away with the Sealed Knot for one weekend in August 2005. We left Hampshire early morning on the Saturday and arrived at the campsite in Hatherleigh, Devon in miserable weather. (In the company of PV Green and the Andover militia - ed)
I got changed into my kit (which is worn all weekend) and I was then introduced to the rest of the people in my regiment. I would be fighting for the Tillier’s Regiment (Royalists). (Obviously well briefed on the history by said Andover militia – ed) I was given some coaching on how to handle a pike, (fully trained then!) which is surprisingly hard and in the afternoon when the weather had cleared a little we marched to a nearby field for a battle. I was very pleased to see a beer tent serving real ale and we all got a swift pint in before it started. There was no audience at this time, which was ideal for me, as I’d never done it before. It wasn’t too hard to pick up and was a great laugh. That night everyone went into the village for a pub dinner and plenty of beer. It was a good banter and all the old stories of previous battles came out. The next day was the battle in front of the public. All of the Sealed Knot people lined up in front of the audience to show them what each type of soldier does. Then there was the battle……
It lasted around an hour with Parliament winning in the end. I was bruised and knackered by the end but very satisfied.
Tom Bailey (Temporary)