In 1990, historical battles were revived by the English Civil War Society in Cumbria.
The Cumbria Steam Gathering held in July that year, provided front row seats for the society to put on their own quick-fire demonstration of musketeer warfare.
Among the events staged on Cark Airfield were drills and enactments based on the English Civil War by Thomas Tyldesley’s Regiment of Foote.
The ‘Kings Army’ had set up camp in a field nearby and marched into the showground to the beat of drums to show off their skill with pike and shooting pieces.
Richard Duffy of the Civil War society kept up a running commentary, explaining the background and history of a conflict that tore a nation apart as the crown and parliament struggled against one another for the soul of England.
In a typical skirmish, pikemen used sixteen-foot-long pikes made from the ash tree to protect musketeers in the thirty seconds it would take to reload their weapons.
The average soldier was expected to fire his weapon three times in one minute.
Fairfax’s New Model Army was the first to be put on a professional footing and the group took training very seriously.
Books on drill instructions still survive in the museums and private collections where the Society’s members spend their spare hours researching to make their activities as authentic as possible.
For example, there were at least 20 separate commands from the buff coated Captain as he yelled out the re-loading orders.
Light charges of black powder produced a deafening volley and a great deal of smoke on the battlefield, much to the enjoyment of the crowd.
In the field with Haysham power-station looming through the July haze, Blackwells Norfolks, Rossiters and Lonsford struggled for possession of a row of tents.
Fiona Mason from Leeds, Lynn Adams from Sheffield and Terry Smith from Preston described themselves as ‘associate baggage’.
In real life they work in a transport cafe, the NHS, and the Civil Service.
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