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1,000 Schoolchildren Fought A Pitched Battle At Mountfitchet Castle Near Stansted

1987 , Stansted Mountfitchet (Essex)

Cat no. 47230

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Teacher takes class to Normans and Saxons historical re-enactment day.

At Mountfitchet Castle, the reconstructed Norman castle at Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, 1,000 schoolchildren chant a battle cry as they prepare to launch a Saxon attack on William the Conqueror’s Normans in their stronghold. This dramatic day out follows months of classroom research and preparation, as seen in the children’s costumes, helmets, swords and shields. The crowds approach the castle over muddy terrain and begin to fight and take hostages. Teacher Paul Weedon represents the Saxons in a duel which ends in a pool of mud. Afterwards, food is prepared in a huge cauldron hanging from a tripod over a fire. A deer attempts to make off with a sword. A boy is interviewed about the fighting and says there is a lot of bad stuff in it when you go out to fight. A girl is asked about her role nursing the casualties. The reporter was Rebecca Atherstone for this video made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Historical re-enactments; Castles; History lessons; Saxons; Normans; Role play; Living history

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1,000 Schoolchildren Fought A Pitched Battle At Mountfitchet Castle Near Stansted

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