How many re-enactors do we have around here?

[Wayland]

I have occasionally done bits of re-enactment work, mostly for museums etc. I also have supplied a lot of re-enactors with the wooden bowls they use when doing living history stuff. I have an interest in seeing things done well in scholarly manner, the cooking at Hampton Court for instance. I find the amateur dramatics side of things not my cup of tea. Interestingly I find that the public do not relate to me as a professional craftsman if I am in costume, they immediately assume this is what I do at the weekend and in the week I am an accountant regardless of how skilled and proficient I look. If I wear 21st century clothes or better still just put a leather apron on then instantly I am recognised as a craftsman.
I can see Gary that you do what you do at a serious professional and scholarly level, do you find the public immediately recognise that or do you get the assumption that you just like dressing up at the weekend?

I come across both sides of it Robin; some, as you say, trivialise the background work that goes into putting on a convincing display or presentation. The flip side is that I also come across teachers that think that a "weekend warrior" type re-enactor that goes to events for the fight and the beer tent, is also going to be able to teach a group of school kids something useful about how people lived in the past rather than just how they killed each other.

For the most part though, people are interested in what you are doing and how you are doing it. It doesn't matter much if it is cooking, leather working or silver smithing, they just want to know how things were different from what they know now.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

would love to be a re-enactor but it would have to be with nelsons navy sort of period group and thats on the british side and probably as an officer considering i can sail dingys and if retaught the basics probably still navigate at sea but wouldnt know were to start to do that

 

[JonathanD]

would love to be a re-enactor but it would have to be with nelsons navy sort of period group and thats on the british side and probably as an officer considering i can sail dingys and if retaught the basics probably still navigate at sea but wouldnt know were to start to do that

Good on ya Drew. Nelson is my all time hero, that would be good fun. Are there any Naval re-enactors from the Napoleonic period?

 

[drewdunnrespect]

jonathon me and you are very simliar cos lord nelson is one of my all time greats as well

 

[drewdunnrespect]

also have you read the book nelson and the hamiltons cos if you like lord nelson that book is fascinating and you can learn alot about him.

 

[JonathanD]

I think I've read just about every book and short paper ever written about Nelson. That includes all the volumes of his own dispatches and personal letters. he was one amazing man that's for sure.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

helll yer he was a fascinating and amazing guy

 

[sam_acw]

I used to be an ACW reenactor, started withe the 1st Tennessee, then 18th Virginia. I was also involved with Lazy Jacks Mess.
I did a couple of Roman events (one 1st century, one 4th/5th) but moved abroad soon after.

 

[robin wood]

Good on ya Drew. Nelson is my all time hero, that would be good fun. Are there any Naval re-enactors from the Napoleonic period?

Contact the Victory folk they certainly have folk doing re-enactment type stuff. I have done turning for them and at an open day they had lots of folk in costume doing various stuff.

 

[forestwalker]

Me too. Been in the SCA for a couple of decades now, I'm one of the odd ones there who does not care one bit about the pomp, ceremonial court stuff, rattan sword battles or getting internal awards (the whole system is so 19th-century). I want to do living history stuff, and the SCA was the best I could find back then (and by now I have too many friends in there to walk away). In the SCA I do viking age and cooking (mostly 14th and 15th century, no viking age cookbooks...), and a bit of this and that (did ren dance until I moved away from the group, getting more and more into the woodwork, etc).

Currently I'm working at Jamtli (http://www.jamtli.com) in Östersund, as a viking age interpreter. Me (and a few others) will be in a temporary viking age camp, trying to show visitors (kids and adults) something about the viking age. Others at Jamtli is doing the same same for a few later periods (18th century and onwards, this is their first early attempt). Limited budget, but a fairly high ambition within that limit. Being a "crafty" person I keep surprising them by saying "oh, I'll just make some bowls, spoons and ladles [tan their goat hides, smoke-dry some meat or fish, etc] in character".

So, to the tune of the Muppets "Treasure Island" theme song; "When you're a professional Viking, you don't have to..."

 

[Wayland]

Me too. Been in the SCA for a couple of decades now, I'm one of the odd ones there who does not care one bit about the pomp, ceremonial court stuff, rattan sword battles or getting internal awards (the whole system is so 19th-century). I want to do living history stuff, and the SCA was the best I could find back then (and by now I have too many friends in there to walk away). In the SCA I do viking age and cooking (mostly 14th and 15th century, no viking age cookbooks...), and a bit of this and that (did ren dance until I moved away from the group, getting more and more into the woodwork, etc).

Currently I'm working at Jamtli (http://www.jamtli.com) in Östersund, as a viking age interpreter. Me (and a few others) will be in a temporary viking age camp, trying to show visitors (kids and adults) something about the viking age. Others at Jamtli is doing the same same for a few later periods (18th century and onwards, this is their first early attempt). Limited budget, but a fairly high ambition within that limit. Being a "crafty" person I keep surprising them by saying "oh, I'll just make some bowls, spoons and ladles [tan their goat hides, smoke-dry some meat or fish, etc] in character".

So, to the tune of the Muppets "Treasure Island" theme song; "When you're a professional Viking, you don't have to..."

Only just spotted this reply, looks like an interesting set up.

 

[_scorpio_]

how do i not know about these things going on in battle! its 10 minutes walk or 2 mins in the car and i work there! would love to come watch or join in!

 

[Robby]

Not been on for a while so missed this one when it went up. I'm Vike. Glasgow Vikings to be precise. have been for 11 years. Joined thanks to Toddy introducing me to some other members. Joined because of always having been fascinated by swords and found out I loved the living history side even more than the fighting. Also found out that swords are pretty and I'm good with one but me and Gertrude (my spear) are a match made in Valhalla. I'm also an archer in the group. I do leather and wood working and was part of the groups school visit team. I do also dabble in the medieval and Jacobite periods as well every now and then.