MEDIEVAL knights and their entourages will be descending on Worcestershire from all over Europe this weekend to participate in the sixth Battle of Evesham festival.
An action-packed two days of will kick start with a grand parade from the town centre which organisers promise will be a spectacular display of Medieval pageantry, consisting of up to 700 re-enactors with 20 knights on horseback.
It will muster at 10am this Saturday, August 3 at St Lawrence’s Church, leaving through the church gates, and turning right onto Vine Street, before heading down Bridge Street and into Abbey Park for a commemoration service.
Battle of Evesham was a gruesome end for many in 1265. Picture by Marcus Mingins 3122017MMR6 copyright Bullivant Media
Participants will be wearing meticulously crafted period costumes, embodying the knights, soldiers, and civilians of the 13th Century.
It concludes at Simon de Montfort’s memorial stone at the foot of Evesham Abbey’s altar, where the rebel leader was buried. Participating knights and soldiers will kneel and bow their heads as a service is held to remember the 5,000 men who died in August 1265.
The main festival will be hosted alongside the River Avon on Crown Meadow and will feature an artisan craft fayre with 150 traders, Medieval market, living history camp as well as a large battle area.
This year’s event falls on the date of the original historic battle August 4, 1265.
Organiser Mick Hurst said: “The Battle reenactment is now the largest gathering of thirteenth century knights, soldiers, and medieval living history performers in Europe – perhaps the world – all coming to portray life and war of 1265, when Simon de Montfort’s rebel army was massacred.
“This bloody battle not only restored the monarchy but set the foundations of representative parliament that we call the House of Commons.
“Importantly this year’s festival lands on the exact date of the original battle and will be performed on the Avon river meadows, where many of the soldiers would have fought and died – making this weekend’s activities even more poignant.
Vine Street will be closed for around 30 minutes to allow the reenactors to pass through.
See battleofevesham.co.uk for more details and full schedule.
