This new event at Kenilworth Castle was managed by Black Knight Historical and may have been our most exciting outing so far. The superb setting of the English Heritage site provided a stupendous backdrop for a wide range of groups, story tellers and artisan traders who provided a variety of activities, talks and shows. There were puppeteers, have a go activities including archery, and the whole event revolved around the year 1377 and the court of John of Gaunt, son of Edward III.

There was a packed and tightly managed timetable of events on both days and a testing quiz for members of the public who wanted to look more deeply into our medieval past. Each afternoon concluded with a grand parade followed by an archery display and melee, and visitors left with the music of the Middle Ages accompanying them out. 

So what did The Guild do in all this? Well, in the year 1377 Barking Abbey in Essex was an important Benedictine Abbey which enjoyed continuing royal patronage. The Guild ladies took it upon themselves to behave in a manner appropriate to their habits and gave an interpretation of what life was like for the normally cloistered nuns who came to Kenilworth to collect their latest recruit.

For the first time we presented our new show about taking the final step from the secular world into the cloister. Complete with tolling bell and incense this interpretation was well received, with members of the public staying behind to ask us about it. We would like to thank members of the Epyngham Retinue who provided a memorable John of Gaunt, Katherine Swynford and entourage, and especially James, who went home bearing the bruises of his disappointment as the rejected suitor who received rough treatment from the men at arms. http://www.erpyngham-retinue.org.uk/  We would also like to thank Morag, from The Household, for her lovely unaccompanied singing in Latin and our other nun, Katherine, as well as  our clergy,J ohn and Gareth, who added male gravitas. We thoroughly enjoyed  both the opportunity of working with other groups and of doing something quite different and would like also to thank English Heritage and Black Knight Historical  http://www.blackknighthistorical.co.uk/index2.htm for a truly memorable weekend. Once the photos have been collected there should be an interesting gallery to view.