ROMAN MIDDLEWICH FESTIVAL

[Viventius]

John always changes his helmet after the talk about armour. I think his other one is more comfortable.

Suspect the other riders are wearing hose, not tights.

Yes please Graham - can we see the gladiator pix? They looked fantastic, but I didn't get to see their show

Actually the Middlewich trip wasn't too bad - especially as we got off the M62 and slipped round Manc on the M60/M56. We've definitely had worse journeys, and would certainly go to Middlewich again.

[Chariovalda]

I have sent Robert some of the Gladiator pictures and asked Robert who will "order" Andreas to reduce them for me! :wink:

Graham.

And he did, the dastardly late Roman Chamavian slavedriver! :evil:

[John Conyard]

A big thank you for the photos Graham. Keep them coming, they are much appreciated and I've passed on your thanks to the group.

That was our third cavalry show of the year and I liked the way your photos caught the range of equipment carried by the men and the horses. I appreciate it is dubious to carry plumbata on the front of the saddle, but they are a great weapon. However the bow and the lance are weapons par excellence. The riders are all members of Comitatus, not hired mercenaries. We are interested not only in acquiring the equipment of the late Roman cavalryman, but the skills as well. Six of us have ridden in the different shows this year. It takes a huge commitment in terms of time and money.

I'm new to the Middlewich Festival, but enjoyed the weekend. The organisers and locals were extremely friendly. During the parade through the town I was given an excellent description of the site by the stewards leading the procession. And it was amusing to see ourselves depicted on the information boards around the site! I understand from stewards that the overall number of re-enactors exceeded those during the visits of the ESG, but I cannot be sure. I sadly didn't see much of the other displays. My time was largely spent sorting out horses and tack. But I did really enjoy the target competition on Sunday between Comitatus with an iron framed ballista, and the wooden example from Leg. VIII. It was a closer match than when Arsenal reserves beat the Liverpool 1st team at Anfield last year!

As a group Comitatus is roughly the same size as the ESG. But as the late Roman army, our numbers include women and children. I wouldn't like to rank our shows in importance. But certainly Sewerby Hall has a special place in our affections. We'll be back there on August BH next year. I Hope you can make it.

Best wishes

John

[Chariovalda]

...you will feast on MAN FLESH, part II... :wink:

[John Conyard]

Cheers Robert,

The other guys are wearing very tight footed hose. They have the legs for them.

Yes, the helms are from Cacaius. I normally change helmets part way through a show because my Burgh Castle gives me better visibility, and I really do want to win the horse archery. The competition is fierce, and I need to keep my edge!

I am really interested in other RAT members opinion of the equipment. I want new bridles over the winter, and perhaps some cloth comparisons. This year was a steep learning curve and we have a long way to go.



John

[Robert Vermaat]

I appreciate it is dubious to carry plumbata on the front of the saddle, but they are a great weapon.

Oh yes, extremely dubious, totally no evidence for that. har har. :twisted:
Joking aside though, I appreciate the thought behind it. It's a great weapon - it must be very formidable to throw these at a shield wall when riding alongs the front line!

The other guys are wearing very tight footed hose. They have the legs for them.

VERY tight! hock: I mistook them for something medieval. Yep. Yrs look better. :wink:

Yes, the helms are from Cacaius. I normally change helmets part way through a show because my Burgh Castle gives me better visibility, and I really do want to win the horse archery. The competition is fierce, and I need to keep my edge!

Interesting!
Is that a modern design thing, or would you say the Burgh gives better visibility due to the original model?

[Et tu brute]

I appreciate the thought behind it. It's a great weapon - it must be very formidable to throw these at a shield wall when riding alongs the front line!

I can vouch for that! I've been on the recieving end of the plumbata at Sewerby hall and it can be rather nerve wracking!

[Iceman]

Hi Graham,

I wouldn't mind seeing the Gladiator pictures as I was one of them . (I am the new/current Retiarius for Deva Victrix- Brutus)

Hello Ian.

As I do not know how to reduce my pictures so I can post them I have asked Robert to help out.

Your groups gladiator display was very entertaining. I also have some illustrations I did for an American book on gladiators including one trainer who hopefully looks a bit like Lance, as I had seen him at Prestatyn! Would your group be interested in seeing them too?

Graham.

Glad you enjoyed it, although it wasn't my best display as yet even though I won (luckily.) As for the illustations, then yes, definitely, it would be great to see them even if it is a bit worrying that Lance has a lookalike. :lol:

[John Conyard]

Cheers Robert,

Dave's correct. Plumbata can be delivered quickly on target with great force. I can't resist tying a bucket on the front right triplet straps. An axe hammer sometimes hangs on the left front.

I hang nothing on the rear horns. They take the most pressure. In fact at Middlewich the rear right horn was broken, so riding with the kontos with no reins, relying on the legs, was more exciting than normal.

The strung bow case owes something to Maurice, well after our period. It hangs on my left from a belt with the spatha, while the arrows go on the right. My kontos or a lancea is carried, or hung off the right shoulder.

I'd love to try a lasso.

The kit and the armour does restrict movement.

As for helmets, I hesitate to say anything definite. Both Deurne helms really do offer good protection, with your eye sockets deep in the helmet. They are also heavy. The skulls are very large and they both need a great deal of padding out. There isn't that much of the Burgh to reconstruct, but my version from Tim Noyes, fits me like a glove. I've crash-landed head first in it three times, and it's not even got a dent.

[Salvianus]

I'm pleased to see I had my head down as far as I hoped: we broke another batch of plumbata!

I thought the venue was pretty good (could have done with a veggie food stand, but then, where can't?) and staff were really friendly and helpful and the dignitaries seemed genuinely interested.

It's the re-enactors that make a joint gig for me: The Eighth were great, as always, and between us those ballistae hammered the targets into submission! I met some nice Silures there too and wished the gladiators hadn't had a prior engagement on the Sunday, so I could have seen some more of their action.

My parents were able to see it and thought it was very good. My Dad met an old footballing friend he hadn't seen in 50 years who was a real enthusiast, having 'followed the legions' all through Germany.

Great event!

[Graham Sumner]

Robert wrote:

it must be very formidable to throw these at a shield wall when riding alongs the front line!

Well John was caught out by the commentator (his wife Catherine) riding behind the shield wall, even she said that was cheating!

It was a closer match than when Arsenal reserves beat the Liverpool 1st team at Anfield last year!

Like all defeats for the empire, I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. :evil: :evil:

Sewerby Hall has a special place in our affections. We'll be back there on August BH next year. I Hope you can make it.

Is that somewhere in darkest Yorkshire? If it has a train station nearby it is a possibility.

it was amusing to see ourselves depicted on the information boards around the site!

If you got round to doing the re-enactment of the reconstruction I would be pleased to see any photographic results. The original scene was if you remember enacted out in your back garden! For those who have no idea what we are on about, members of Comitatus posed for a painting I was working on for the Middlewhich Roman trail interpretation panels, one of which showed the Late Roman Army repairing a bridge at Middlewich. I had no idea the Late Romans had the skills to do such things! :wink:

More photos are on the way.
Graham.

[Salvianus]

For various reasons, several of the usual line-up were not present

Especially on the Sunday, once the cavalry had 'used up' a few of the pedes :wink:

Fresh targets, I mean recruits, are always welcomed!

[Salvianus]

More photos are on the way

Much appreciated, Graham: one of the ironies of being out there is that cowering under a shield rather spoils ones view at the time - but I can still hear the hoofbeats! hock:

[Mithras]

Tell me more of 'obliterated targets'. hock: hock:

Which targets were these, then??? :roll: (I made the Comitatus targets you see ...)

On another note, Graham, the numbers John was talking about do sort of follow the Late Roman model! The ESG is all manpower, our Late Roman unit has the same numbers, but of course like all units of the period, is much reduced in fighting capacity. We share barracks with partners, wives and children (or partners OR wives, and children). So in that way, we are a bit more reflective of our time period! Of course we'd love more recruits! THe Late period is not so well known, and has fewer iconic symbols with which to grab potential recruits, however.

[Celt]

Ahhh yes the axe hammer!!!



Glad you enjoyed the weekend John. Sounds like you all had good fun. :lol:

"Plumbata can be delivered quickly on target with great force. I can't resist tying a bucket on the front right triplet straps". well if you take a few plumbata onto the field - my might be able to hit the target at least once :roll: Only joking, see you soon.