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By Connor Bardsley-Hodgkiess.
I don’t think any of us expected an Enrichment quite as enriching until the word ‘Kirton’ left Mr.Tadman’s lips. To everyone’s surprise, Adam Kirton’s thrill seeking and potentially fatal pastime seemed rather intriguing to the lower 6th Enrichment class; especially for a first period.
So when I turned up to Enrichment and there was a teenager in a tunic wielding a spear at me, I couldn’t think of anything but to run. The Saxon ‘re-enactor’ would soon tell me that he saved Britain from the barbaric German invaders. This is where violence and history fused and out came some pretty interesting knowledge from Adam.
I would soon be informed that this was nothing like anyone expected, it was far, far more exciting. The ’Regia Anglorum’, meaning Kingdom of English, is a company consisting of Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman and British living historians who re-enact particular historical battles with opposing tribes, be they from different counties or different countries. Now before Adam’s historically enthralling and epic battles he was ready to treat us and maybe terrify us with, he told us his primary reason for joining this organisation; he wants to write a historical book. To show his devotion and passion for this, Adam decided rather than travel back in time centuries in historical textbooks or join Time Team, he’d get himself stuck right in the middle of the archaic blood, gore and action of the battles, getting a firsthand view on what he was actually going to be writing about. Talk about first hand experiences!
If you haven’t already heard, the closest any of us got to violence from Adam’s 9ft spear was a smashed study room light and a rather distressed care-taker. Despite this, and my anxiety of becoming wounded midway through the presentation, Adam took control of his killer instincts and showed the audience the basic contact points where one fellow re-enactor must hit to defeat his opponent, and after a very eager Adam and a very reluctant participant (don’t worry, no one was punctured, wounded or left for the worms), we found it was basically limb and central bodily contact points.
So when I turned up to Enrichment and there was a teenager in a tunic wielding a spear at me, I couldn’t think of anything but to run. The Saxon ‘re-enactor’ would soon tell me that he saved Britain from the barbaric German invaders. This is where violence and history fused and out came some pretty interesting knowledge from Adam.
I would soon be informed that this was nothing like anyone expected, it was far, far more exciting. The ’Regia Anglorum’, meaning Kingdom of English, is a company consisting of Anglo-Saxon, Viking, Norman and British living historians who re-enact particular historical battles with opposing tribes, be they from different counties or different countries. Now before Adam’s historically enthralling and epic battles he was ready to treat us and maybe terrify us with, he told us his primary reason for joining this organisation; he wants to write a historical book. To show his devotion and passion for this, Adam decided rather than travel back in time centuries in historical textbooks or join Time Team, he’d get himself stuck right in the middle of the archaic blood, gore and action of the battles, getting a firsthand view on what he was actually going to be writing about. Talk about first hand experiences!
If you haven’t already heard, the closest any of us got to violence from Adam’s 9ft spear was a smashed study room light and a rather distressed care-taker. Despite this, and my anxiety of becoming wounded midway through the presentation, Adam took control of his killer instincts and showed the audience the basic contact points where one fellow re-enactor must hit to defeat his opponent, and after a very eager Adam and a very reluctant participant (don’t worry, no one was punctured, wounded or left for the worms), we found it was basically limb and central bodily contact points.
This is where it got even more interesting.
Adam once went to battle without a helmet. He didn’t have a helmet. ‘Mad man!’ I hear you cry! Well no Saxon solider from Audenshaw could be defeated, especially from our college. Adam’s war stories are something you’d want to tell your grandchildren. Honestly! Despite blows to the chest, attacks to the head, split formations and one ‘plonker’ destroying Adam’s shield, which we could unfortunately not see, Adam has thankfully made it out of every battle without too many serious injuries ( if you don’t call a near death experience from a staccato of horse hooves hurdling directly towards you too serious.) But naturally the opposition have encountered various situations where they have stared death in face with Adam’s left handed techniques and superb leadership from Paul the Warlord.
Various films and documentaries have been made which have incorporated Adam’s clan of warriors, giving an insight into the soldiers’ techniques, formations and battle cries. And rightly so, a whole community derives from these re-enactments. Members and supporters of the company donate sumptuous amounts of money which provide things such as materials and such to create vast Saxon housing and campsites. The most amazing thing about it is that they build it primarily using the techniques they did way back when, meaning, no cranes! C’est magnifique.
Adam likened the ferocity of the re-enactments to a game of rugby - really he’s correct, battle cries and brutal looking men tackling each other. So if Audenshaw is proud of its rugby, maybe it could begin to be proud of its historical re-enactments, but I think we’ll leave that for Mr.Howard to organise. And before you ask, only five people have died in the past 25 years (and I think you can imagine everyone’s expression on their faces after he revealed that). Let’s just say Adam has earned a great deal of respect after revealing that he participates in such a monstrously ferocious hobby.
Adam has been doing this for 2 years now and is hoping to continue onto his third; he welcomes ALL to join. And after this marvellous presentation, I would seriously consider joining if I wasn’t afraid of men in tunics with spear wielding friends. Even if one is not excited by this, one can watch these exciting displays of historical culture with hundreds of people gathering for a huge re-enactment on the 20th and the 21st of February, where film crews will be filming the whole event. For more information visit the Regia Anglorum website: http://www.regia.org, or as your old friend Adam Kirton!
Adam has been doing this for 2 years now and is hoping to continue onto his third; he welcomes ALL to join. And after this marvellous presentation, I would seriously consider joining if I wasn’t afraid of men in tunics with spear wielding friends. Even if one is not excited by this, one can watch these exciting displays of historical culture with hundreds of people gathering for a huge re-enactment on the 20th and the 21st of February, where film crews will be filming the whole event. For more information visit the Regia Anglorum website: http://www.regia.org, or as your old friend Adam Kirton!
