Black Knight Historical

On April 22nd 2022, the incredible Ian and Molly from Black Knight Historical set up their replicas of Medieval weaponry and clothes for the A Level History students (and a few extra sixth formers who were equally fascinated!) to test out. With three hour-long sessions, it was a brilliant chance to bring the world of the Wars of the Roses (along with Game of Thrones) to life, and gain an insight into the colours, materials, and battle protection of the period.

The first session with Ian involved testing out helmets and gauntlets, feeling the weight of swords and the famous long bow, and - my personal favourite - being crowned ‘Queen Charlotte’ by Mr Rowe, our Head of History and Classics.

Session two was with Molly, a fashion historian, who did a talk on the types of materials and colours used in the Medieval era and the clothes and shoes people wore depending on their social status. This was followed by trying on the headdresses and styling them to show how the pieces were worn by different social classes and during different seasons of the year.

In the third session, Ian and Molly joined forces to provide us with an understanding of the Medieval English currency and economic world. We learnt about how money was counted efficiently (knowing their twelve times-tables inside out was key!) and why casino tables are usually green (spoiler: the counting mats in the Medieval era were green as it is a neutral colour so showed the silver and gold coins clearly and, like many aspects of our modern-day life, is still used today). We saw a child’s ‘sippy cup’ and the extraordinary Medieval receipt system involving wood and some clever cuts.

It has been a highlight of Year 12 so far, and I truly was in my element! It is days like these which truly inspire me and leave me 100% sure I want to study this phenomenal subject further… my essays will also certainly benefit from the much greater contextual knowledge I now have (always a plus!). Thank you to the History department and Black Knight Historical for such an exciting day!

By Charlotte - Year 12.