We are Company Ecorcheur, a group of medieval re-enactors portraying life in the 15th Century. Originally founded in 1991, focusing on the European martial arts of the time period and demonstrating them on the medieval battlefield during the Wars of the Roses, we have evolved over the years to extend into the daily lives of those people. We are Birmingham based, with members from as far afield as
Plymouth. We travel all over the country to various historical sites, where we set up camp for the weekend and give you a taste of what life was like 500 odd years ago. We portray the Gloucester household, serving Richard, Duke of Gloucester and York, the white rose. As well as various castles being our backdrop, we also take part in the major battles of the time, such as the battle of Tewkesbury. The Wars of the Roses is a fascinating period of history and we try and capture that excitement in our portrayal of the household of a middle status knight in service during the latter half of the 15th Century. We try and show as many aspects of life as possible, using historical buildings if available, and a full range of medieval tents to represent living quarters if not. We live and sleep there and portray the medieval life as authentically as possible. From the kitchen, where the meals are prepared on an open fire observing seasonal and religious constraints, with its dining area representing the social etiqette of the time, to the office with its book keeping, accounts, exchequer, scripting and scrivening. Or the armoury with its full range of weapon types including levy weapons, bills, swords, handguns, bows etc, to the individual living spaces of our members. We also put on displays, although sometimes just living the day can become a display in itself. If you come to see us at an event you can expect to see things such as;
* Cooking the medieval meal - using an open fire, cauldrons and roasting spit. And often featuring a brick oven where we make our fresh bread.
* Medieval Soldiers Drill – includes demonstration of weapons and combat as well as drill
*Knights Table – demonstration of social etiquette including dining
* Manorial Court – using real cases to demonstrate the role of the manorial court and key personnel within the manor (links to marriage, divorce, stamp duty, deed of title to link past to current)
* Arming of the Knight – full English harness used to describe how armour is worn and fought in, and also includes ½ armour to cover man-at-arms and squires in service to the knight.
*Archery Display – Shooting both Longbow and Crossbow describing the role of the archer and the arrow types used in the period.
*The Medieval battle – the knight’s view of an unfolding battle told from a narrative perspective with gore adjusted to the audience
*Gun display – the increasing use of guns on the field of battle is discussed and displayed.
* And many more daily tasks such as spinning and weaving, basketry, music and dancing, mail making, sewing and sometimes even a little gaming and gambling.
