This years Battle of Hastings - Kit Standards

[caveman101]

hi all. im a member of a C.14th group whos members have taken part in said dissagreement before as Normans, and i would like to join in with them this year for the day.
i have a few questions about kit. i am able to borrow various bits like shield, saxe and helmet from friends, a spear is easy to sort out but obviously i need to sort out body protection and clothes.
1) are seperate hose acceptable? i would be wearing my long padded hauberk all day which covers the 'gap'.
2) basic medeival turnshoes from phil fraser ok?
3) i have a knee length padded non fancy black hauberk, and a black (i can be a bit of a tart ) riveted mail shirt, down to knees and long sleeved. would these be ok?
4) what patterns should i do my woad in?

i wouldnt want to be the 'braveheart at tewks' equivalent, and i understand that EH and you guys are understandebly strict about these things, as my group is for our period, so i would welcome any helpful advice.

thanks

[knight1066]

what patterns should i do my woad in?

Celtic swirls all over your body (Not just your face) would suffice........

[Hobbitstomper]

I’m not running the event but here are some opinions:

1. Separate hose are normally essential or you’ll have bare legs and look like a sailor. Joined hose are later and trousers are for unfashionable Englis types. Please do not connect your hose to water sprinklers in front of the crowd.
2. Basic medieval turn shoes and low boots are probably okay but if you are a Norman, make sure they do not turn to the left (the sinister side). Saxons can go either way.
3. A hauberk is normally a mail shirt. Hauberk and mail shirt? Take 2 armours in to the battle? Not me, I just want to conquer and rule! Unless the padding is jet black then it will look about the same as an oily natural one. Black mail is okay until it gets sunny and you cook (fat chance of that at Hastings).
4. Wode should be in swirly Celtic patterns for the English and any Scots on the Norman side. Any Scots on the Englis side will be branded as lowlander traitors by their countrymen (who are probably descended from real lowlander English supporters). Wode for Normans should form a cross: between the eyes and nose to forehead.

Or you could look up the Vikings website where they probably have a detailed kit guide.

[caveman101]

lol, by hauberk i meant a padded undergarment design to facilitate the disipation of blunt force trauma against my body. as for the hose, i wasnt sure what the fashion was in the period.

[Malvoisin]

what patterns should i do my woad in?

Celtic swirls all over your body (Not just your face) would suffice........

You bad, bad man.
You know full-well it's right side of face in blue with blue stripe down left cheek.

[pjh73]

While not "running the event", I'm a group AO in the vike, and hobitstomper's basically right.

1. Separate hosen are what all the cool kids are wearing this season
2. Phil Fraser's shoes should be fine (though some pedants might like you to rethread the laces so they go all the way 'round the back to resemble a particular style)
3. An akheton/gambesson is more than acceptable
4. If you come join us on the Breton-left you can also have tartan eyelids

If you want a copy of the Norman kit guide it's no longer on the website AFAIK, but drop me a PM and I'll send you a pdf.

[WorkMonkey]

Why would a black hauberk be fancy? Surely having black armour just means you had to have it oil quenched to stop it rusting since you can't afford a servant to keep it shiney for you?

[Ecce]

personally, as a Scot, I will be decorating my body completely in swirls of woad to summon the triple goddess of witlessness, moronity and silliness. However, since allof thins will be under tunic, gamby and hauberk, no-one will see it. Might as well not bother, really.

[Nigel]

personally I intend to paint my bum blue and have FREEDOM painted on my helmet

Dont forget the white hand print on your shield too very very important as is the tartan blanket cloak

[Sir Thomas Hylton]

Do all that & the Mops will be very confused but very entertained

Heck Its tempting me...to get that chainmail I've been promising myself.

[WorkMonkey]

personally I intend to paint my bum blue and have FREEDOM painted on my helmet

I would have thought it was the Englisc resistance who needed the "freedom" slogon, not the invading half breeds.

[Nigel]

personally I intend to paint my bum blue and have FREEDOM painted on my helmet

I would have thought it was the Englisc resistance who needed the "freedom" slogon, not the invading half breeds.

sorry its a cunning plan as who abolished slavery monkey boy

coming soon to you THE NORMAN EMPIRE

Remember its all MINE

[Brendan C]

the invading half breeds.

Bit like the Englisc, several hundred years earlier

Like it or not, we're here to stay

Brendan C

[Nigel]

the invading half breeds.

Bit like the Englisc, several hundred years earlier

Like it or not, we're here to stay

Brendan C

Not that we ever see this one hes a sort of stealth Norman

[Brendan C]

Not that we ever see this one hes a sort of stealth Norman

Only in tall grass

Brendan C

[Medicus Matt]

Rumour has it he's gone to ground in Portsmouth.....

[Medicus Matt]

sorry its a cunning plan as who abolished slavery monkey boy

Well you don't really need slavery when you subjugate an entire country and enforce serfdom upon instead.

Serf is derived from "servus", a latin word meaning...can you guess?

[Hobbitstomper]

But economic slavery is so much cheaper than real slavery. You aren’t obliged to support feed your economic slaves in a bad winter. System worked fine until the black death.

[Medicus Matt]

But economic slavery is so much cheaper than real slavery. You aren’t obliged to support feed your economic slaves in a bad winter. System worked fine until the black death.

Oh I'm not denying that it's a better system. It's a much 'cleverer' form of slavery.

[Brendan C]

Rumour has it he's gone to ground in Portsmouth.....

Hadn't heard that one

Brendan C

[wurzul]

I'd like to do Hastings too. Do any of the groups offer weekend membership schemes and have time to run the rule over me before said shindig?
Imagine justifying that huge trunk of early medieval kit that has never seen the light of day. Never having to be nagged, 'but you don't use it'. The moral highground alone would allow me to annexe further areas of the spare room for kit storage.
Anyone want an extra spearman who hasn't stood in a shield wall since 1986? My pixie boots still fit me and everything.

[Dingo8MyBaby]

lol, by hauberk i meant a padded undergarment design to facilitate the disipation of blunt force trauma against my body. as for the hose, i wasnt sure what the fashion was in the period.

For some black and blue as they do not wear them as they consider then non authentic.

For others the gamberson matches the hauberk - basic linen, no fancy colours.

[daowin]

Anyone want an extra spearman who hasn't stood in a shield wall since 1986? My pixie boots still fit me and everything.

you might have to re take basic combat before you go onto the feild but they run tests i think at ten on every day of an event. get in touch with dave from the vike he will give you more info. type in the vikings into googel and it will be the premier dark age reenactment society

[Nigel]

Anyone want an extra spearman who hasn't stood in a shield wall since 1986? My pixie boots still fit me and everything.

you might have to re take basic combat before you go onto the feild but they run tests i think at ten on every day of an event. get in touch with dave from the vike he will give you more info. type in the vikings into googel and it will be the premier dark age reenactment society

given he will be with us none of the above will apply

[Sir_John_Thomas]

sorry its a cunning plan as who abolished slavery monkey boy

Well you don't really need slavery when you subjugate an entire country and enforce serfdom upon instead.

Serf is derived from "servus", a latin word meaning...can you guess?

Thats easy, "sevus" is latin for washing machine, it's serfs that do the washing right?

[Medicus Matt]

Anyone want an extra spearman who hasn't stood in a shield wall since 1986? My pixie boots still fit me and everything.

you might have to re take basic combat before you go onto the feild but they run tests i think at ten on every day of an event. get in touch with dave from the vike he will give you more info. type in the vikings into googel and it will be the premier dark age reenactment society

given he will be with us none of the above will apply

Especially as it was last year.

[Nigel]

This year I will mainly be there

[John Waller]

When's the next biggie? I visited the site the other week and got all enthused by the idea of taking part if possible. Top of hill preferred. I'm not as fit as I was!

As an aside I thought the visitor centre was sh1te. Very poor effort EH - 5/10 must try harder.

[Nigel]

2012 archers welcome

it was pretty inspiring watching 120+ of em shoot up hill

less inspiring when we found out the next day they ahd hit nowt

And the blooy Germans who were run by the chap from Chity CHitty Bang Bang

small on this year with c 400 on the pitch

[John Waller]

2012 archers welcome

I can do that. I'll pencil the date in. Plenty of time to make a dress thingy and source some body paint. I'll see if I can track Ralph down and borrow his smurf hat.