Cropredy Bridge, Sealed Knott Re-enactment
The seal not are the largest historical reenactment society in Europe. There are groups all around the country representing regiments from the English Civil War. Parliament and the King are both represented equally. During the summer, they have a number of small local re-enactments, however this was the major event for the year
There was a very large re-enactment camp and the re-enactors with her over the weekend. In total better about 2000 re-enactors. Mainly infantry, Pike, musket, with a few pieces of school artillery, and a total of 20 cavalry. The capital poorly represented in terms of numbers.
Everybody that I met and spoke to were very knowledgeable, very friendly and they all seem to be having a great time. We started with a small skirmish around the actual bridge of Cropredy. This involved cavalry, attacking a small group of Musketeers, called commanded shot. The result of this was the death of the foot.
This was followed by a large action where the same cavalry came across the musketeers from three Regents foot. Although the foot had no pike with them, the firepower was enough to deter the horse..
The final part of the reenactment was the much larger battle itself. The historical battle of property took place over a much large area and was fireball complicated then the reenactors showed. They captured the confusion, fog of war and noise of the action remarkably well.
This was definitely an event which I would look to replicate next year, interestingly there were close to 2000 re-enactors and about 300 members of the public watching. Perhaps because of the lack of commercial opportunity there was only one small coffee vendor one ice cream van and somebody selling fish and chips , which had very quickly a very very long queue.
As the battle was drawing to a conclusion and there was a quarter of a mile walk up the hill to the car park which promised a chaotic entry, I left early to head home.
