Naseby Woodland Skirmish February 2024 – The Battle of Crosby’s Lake

Yeah.. it was wet. 

Following the New Years skirmish we were back in the woods once more. It had been raining a LOT in the week up to the event, with standing water in most of the fields. The woodland area acts a a natural sponge, however our usual skirmish area now had some interesting water features to give this session flavour of it’s own… partly due to to tactics, and mainly due to our Marshall deciding to plant the ‘Take and Hold’ objective in the middle of a newly formed lake. Common decency prevents us from writing exactly what we thought of him when we discovered this doing the battle (I didn’t think it was correct anyhow, I’ve met both his parents – Editor) .

Altogether now..

One two three four… Harrington marine corps!!

 

SKIRMISH RESULTS

Scoring was across nine games using the Harrington standard scoring system, with the Bomb Run, Take and Hold, Dispatch Runner  game types being played throughout the day.

GREATEST WARRIOR

Key Performance indicator: Accrued Tactical Points

Rank	Name	Household	Score
1	Tom	Harrington	15
2	David ‘Cardinal Nutcracker’	Harrington Theological College	14
3	Arthur ‘Pink Fizz’	Harrington	11
=4	Dan B	Harrington	10
=4	Oli K.	Harrington	10
=5	Ant	Harrington	8
=5	Alex C	Harrington	8
=5	Cheri S.	Harrington	8

Marshall Matt obtains 9 points for Marshalling, and for being an utter, utter, utter £$%^&*I(O)

DEADLIEST WARRIOR

Key Performance Indicator: Most Kills

Rank	Name	Household	Bodycount
1	David	Harrington	12
2	Tom C	Harrington	6
3	Ant F	Harrington	3
3	Dan B	Harrington	3
3	Alex C	Harrington	3
4	Oli	Harrington	2
5	Arthur	Harrington	1

KILLING SPREE (Most Kills in one game)

David H –  4, during a Take and Hold game type. The Cardinal had a great day..

SURVIVALIST (longest continuous number of games survived)
Cheri S & David H : 5 games. For once, this was not because Cheri got lost in the woods. 

A special shout must go for the the best dispatch run game we’ve had in ages!

Thanks to all those that took part, it was a great day, and in our opinion this stuff is the most difficult and authentic 15th C combat in re-enactment. Any kind of score on any of the Key Performance Indicators is something to be proud of🙂

Onwards to the Clout Archery Shoot!

Banquet 2024 – a newcomer’s review!

By special guest editors Matt and Amy

As Harrington newbies, we were delighted to be able to attend the annual Twelfth Night Banquet this year.

There is something special about being part of a community that is passionate about the past and engages with history in a fun, social and interactive way. So we couldn’t wait to get going.

After navigating the boring bits of modern life, like parking and Google maps, we found the hall set within a beautiful churchyard. As soon as we entered, it was like a sensory trip back in time. First of all the hall is an absolutely stunning example of late medieval architecture with intricate wooden rafters and beautiful gothic windows. It was originally intended for older men to live communally and still contains locker spaces where they would have kept their few personal possessions.

Within the hall, decorations had been set out including flags and livery and the tables were adorned with wreaths, candles and 15th century tableware. Everyone was fully attired in their finest doublets, hose and kirtles and there wasn’t a phone or smart watch in sight.

Aside from the visuals the smoke from the fire and the spices from cooking created a lovely aroma and really added to the atmosphere. And to top this all off, the historical music from Myal Pyper completed the sensory ensemble.

The food itself was very much in keeping with the time period with pea soup, bread, veggie pie and slow cooked pork with apple sauce. The team had clearly worked hard to get all the food ready and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all judging from all the empty plates. Alongside the food we were treated to some beautiful contemporary singing from Steph and the Harrington awards were also announced. A great way to honour the hard work and commitment the members put in across the year.

For us the most enjoyable and chaotic part of the evening was the dancing. We didn’t need any disco cheese however, as Myal Piper provided both the music and the much needed instructions of what everybody needed to do for each dance. What followed was many leaping, prancing, rotating and clapping Harringtons in a form of organised chaos!

Overall it was a fantastic evening and we really enjoyed being part of a warm, welcoming and friendly group of people.

One thing we would advise to any newbies in the future…give yourself more time to get into your medieval kit than you think you might need, especially if you are not used to it! Tying up points and getting into a kirtle isn’t as quick as putting on a pair of jeans and as such we were the last ones to arrive. Lesson learnt.

A massive thanks to the Harringtons and looking forward to 2024!

Thanks both, we loved that you had a great time and here’s to many more! – Editor in Chief