Earlier post on the Sealed Knot here
Apparently on Saturday there were some 2,500 people watching the Rhuthun/Ruthin Sealed Knot civil war re-enactment at Cae Ddol. This is good going indeed for a town of about 6,000 people. A high proportion of spectators would therefore be from outside the area and who knows what long-term positive effect this will have on future tourism in Rhuthun/Ruthin.
The Sealed Knotters (is this correct?) themselves came from the four corners of the compass, funded entirely by their own means. We in Rhuthun owe them a debt of gratitude. And, there’s talk of another, perhaps even bigger, re-enactment in 2009.
Thanks are due to each of the re-enactors, those with or taking part in displays, the researcher who choreographed as authentically as possible the Rhuthun battle, those willing to answer questions, the brochure (10/- each) sellers , and to the announcer whose local and general knowledge helped keep us informed as the battle developed.
The Royalists won (the battle, not the war). Their 17th century stronghold in the town held during the six week siege. Of the re-enactment on Cae Ddol, four interesting points emerged from the commentary. One was the band of former convicts whose high stakes stratagem saw them sent ahead to draw Royalist fire. Known aptly as the Forlorn Hope, their reward if successful was promotion. On this occasion, all were killed. A second was the use of drummers to communicate officers’ commands to the troops. The third was that it was preferable to be killed outright from a musket shot as otherwise a wound would invariably lead to a slow, painful death from infection. And the fourth was the execution of the defeated officers, if caught. Who said this was a ‘civil’ war?
Apparently on Saturday there were some 2,500 people watching the Rhuthun/Ruthin Sealed Knot civil war re-enactment at Cae Ddol. This is good going indeed for a town of about 6,000 people. A high proportion of spectators would therefore be from outside the area and who knows what long-term positive effect this will have on future tourism in Rhuthun/Ruthin.
The Sealed Knotters (is this correct?) themselves came from the four corners of the compass, funded entirely by their own means. We in Rhuthun owe them a debt of gratitude. And, there’s talk of another, perhaps even bigger, re-enactment in 2009.
Thanks are due to each of the re-enactors, those with or taking part in displays, the researcher who choreographed as authentically as possible the Rhuthun battle, those willing to answer questions, the brochure (10/- each) sellers , and to the announcer whose local and general knowledge helped keep us informed as the battle developed.
The Royalists won (the battle, not the war). Their 17th century stronghold in the town held during the six week siege. Of the re-enactment on Cae Ddol, four interesting points emerged from the commentary. One was the band of former convicts whose high stakes stratagem saw them sent ahead to draw Royalist fire. Known aptly as the Forlorn Hope, their reward if successful was promotion. On this occasion, all were killed. A second was the use of drummers to communicate officers’ commands to the troops. The third was that it was preferable to be killed outright from a musket shot as otherwise a wound would invariably lead to a slow, painful death from infection. And the fourth was the execution of the defeated officers, if caught. Who said this was a ‘civil’ war?