A two-day Royalist occupation of the manor house at Great Chalfield in 1644, will be re-enacted by members of the English Civil War Society’s Marquess of Winchester’s Regiment this month.
The society says, “The Regiment and accompanying civilians will march in at the start of each day and guards will be posted to keep watch. The regiment will drill and fire muskets and cannon during the day.
“In tents in the garden, civilians will show and tell you how people lived in the seventeenth century (Living History).
“A clerk will be set up in the Great Hall to replicate the writing of the accounts of September 1644. The Chaplain, musicians and officers will recreate activities in the adjoining parish church and around the manor.
“During the afternoon, a small Parliamentarian patrol will be driven off in a sharp skirmish in the orchard to the rear of the manor. Any prisoners taken will be tried and then marched off under escort.”
“It’s actually bringing history to life; you can really smell gun powder, hear the noise, and for children it gives them a sense of actually being there and makes history more interesting” (visitor comment 2017)
Admission charges of £5 for adults (16 years and under go free), including National Trust members, will contribute to maintenance and development of the arts & crafts gardens at Great Chalfield.
The event will take place at Great Chalfield Manor, Melksham, SN12 8NH, on Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th August, 10.30am to 5pm, 4.30pm on Sunday. For further details see: www.marquisofwinchesters. co.uk and www.greatchalfield .co.uk
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