Medieval Mayhem - down-town Sandwich, August 2006

A group of friends in the disguise of peasant spinsters had a very busy two days at August Bank Holiday demonstrating medieval techniques.

 

Anne Evans weaving, Deborah Lorenzen, Wendy Smith and Ann Turner drop-spindle spinning and sometimes weaving.  Anna Murfin flitted from giving drop-spindle lessons as a young peasant maiden to appearing as an apprentice youth pole-lathing with Jules and Peter!!

 

Someone loaned me a medieval spindle wheel from the Sandwich Museum, which used to belong to Mary Turner of Strand Street Weavers of Sandwich.  Late on Saturday a lady said: "If you move to the end of the bale" (which I was sitting on), " you will find the yarn comes of the end of the spindle," and 'magic' so it did, without coming off before I wanted it to.  The lady said she spins on the Great Wheel at Lavenham House. So many thanks to her and just to say, we are always learning.

 

Thank you to the many friends, who came to find us, which I understand was rather difficult as vandals had pulled up most of the signs. But all's well that ends well. The organisers were thrilled with the whole event, so watch this space as this year was only a rehearsal for next year, which will be the anniversary of the sacking of the town and murder of the Mayor by the French!

 

P.S.  Never put on a display in a red marquee.  We had dreadful eye problems and all the lovely dyeing was leached out and looked drab and grey and our faces yellow.  UGH!  But all in all they were a lovely couple of days, a super crowd and maybe you will see us on BBC3 as there was a crew filming Fergus the Forager and us!!  (I did not know who Fergus the Forager was so I rang Marian Winser  and she told me he is a friend of Jamie Oliver, who cooks wild food.)

 

So thank you again to all those who took part and those who supported us and helped to clear up.  Thanks also to Jules, my own bodger, who lugged everything down from the loft and brought it all back again, and without whom I could not do any event. We have been told there were over 5,000 people through the gate - fantastic!.

 

I have also had a wonderful day at the East Kent Ploughing Match.  Over 4,000 (who counted them) school children came, all from local schools, bless them!  It was a lovely day, so tiring but uplifting. Have fun.

 

Marian Winser.