LivingHistory.co.uk

So everyone who wears a wool doublet is wrong then and we should all be wearing linen? If you mean wool as in made of wool, then no, I was reading one of teh Company of St George newsletters and they mention the Pastons asking for worsted for doublets. Worsted cloth is made using combed fleece whic...

It's well said that historical re-enactors are the last people who should be relied upon for balanced comment on a historical play/film. At our worst we just sound like a bunch of whinging anoracks. (And I'm guilty as charged in that respect). The main 'problem' is that costume/set designers are mor...

off topic... i have seen a display where the so called ''master bowman'' loosed off about 20 a minute, a 1/4 missed the boss completely, a 1/4 hit and fell out, the other half just hung in and drooped, even less impressive was that was at about 30 foot distance.. dont do the hobby or archery any fa...

This thread arose from a couple of comments made on the arrow baskets discussion - I felt it justified its own topic. My personal interest in this comes from realising that I've had a longbow for some years, but have never really learned to shoot it properly. (Sorry if this raises any hackles but wh...

In the interests of keeping this thread on topic, I've opened a new one on medieval war bow draw weights.

Found this one, which I think is of the Battle of Poitiers. I'll have a look for others.

Thought so Sally, but I reckoned I'd better check to make sure I hadn't missed something obvious. Thanks

Hi Dave

Griff has already disposed of any Heath-Robinson style solution, but what about a pair of leather boots? There are plenty of calf length WoTR examples to choose from.

Yes, many thanks for posting those sources. The ones from Edward IIIs close rolls are especially interesting. The picture sources are too, although they do seem to have a bias for recurve bows. Since these were not generally used further west than Hungary they are not as relevant- although the recur...

This has been discussed before, only the conversation drifted away into a debate on the most commonly used type of arrow head in war. What I'm trying to dig out is evidence for how commonly used the linen covered wicker arrow bag/basket actually was. Those carried by many re-enactors seem a touch un...

Pm'd you Tod.

probably because the overwhelming evidence is thats what they were. I can't think of any surviving ones that are sewn. Tons of riveted ones. Some crimped. So do what the evidence says. Same as points made by lucetting. Any evidence? Extremely rare i think, they are all finger braided from memory if...

Tod wrote:I use the copper wire out of four (solid) core cable. I went down to the electrical supplier and they gave it to me for free. I might still have a bit left how much do you need?

About ten inches worth if you've got it please Tod. Can send you an SAE if you'd like.

I'm intending to use mig wire to rivet the aiglets on to some woven points - i've found this to look considerably better than sewn. Can anyone suggest the correct guage mig wire? i've tried the narrowest and it really is too narrow.

Per the OED:- first written reference for secret as a term for armour appears in 1578, but then refers to a coat of mail hidden under outer clothing skull cap or skoll first turms up in the literature in 1522 Coif as a armour term for a rigid cap rather than mail turns up around 1390 Thank you for ...

I'm thinking of the round skull cap worn as a cheap/starter helmet by some re-enactors. Such helmets are often referred to as a 'secret' - is this actually a medieval term, or does it refer to something more C16/17 in origin?

I've recently seen some re-enactors (C15) wearing metal rings hanging from theior belts by a leather strap. I was wondering what these were for and if they are in fact correct. Possibly a hanger for a sidearm?

Marcus Woodhouse wrote:I think that was my sarky comment, and I did more or less say exactly the same thing. A "real" medieval seige camp would be boring, dangerous and quite vile.

It honestly wasn't you Marcus - someone else entirely and on another thread.

Here's the picture...

For the Op - this is an example of the sort of shelter people have been mentioning. This one belongs to our group carpenter. As for having more soldiers' shelters, yes it would be nice but ultimately I can't see it happening on a wide scale. The re-enactment camp is a mass of compromises at the best...

Thanks for the advice/suggestions guys. Will now arrange to acquire some of this stuff.

Decided to embark on something a little bit different - distillation. I now have one of Mr Newbolt's pottery stills and am looking forward to producing rosewater etc. One thing is lacking. Jim informs me that I need glass vials to attach to the end of the allembic to collect the distillate. I tried ...

What's the construction of these two?

My mother's family being from Co. Wexford, I always had a certain interest in Irish history - especially during the C20. The 1916 Easter Rising remains one of the defining points in Irish political history, despite the fact that it was a total farce that should never have happened. Only the executio...

To add to the worm can collection... We are talking about fine detail of clothing when there are much more glaring inaccuracies - in behaviour. People wandering around in high status kit without the necessary accessories - a bevy of flunkies fawning around. Worse, wandering around in high status ki...

Yesss, I'd say you picked a good 'un for your first post. My first thought is that you must get a balance between saying 'Well, my feelings are ... in this situation, so theirs must have been too' and pure common sense. Projecting C21 western European ideas of modest dress onto our C15 ancestors is ...

Or would it be like matter and anti-matter - total conversion to energy? maybe I should keep my copies of the Sun in Splendour and the Princes in the Tower at opposite ends of the bookshelf... You mean you don't already? Jeez, how've you not had a serious accident? :lol: Wel, they're separated by t...

Jim Smith wrote:Or would it be like matter and anti-matter - total conversion to energy?

maybe I should keep my copies of the Sun in Splendour and the Princes in the Tower at opposite ends of the bookshelf...

Or would it be like matter and anti-matter - total conversion to energy?