The Victorian Mannequin Challenge

During the Dickensian Festival in Ulverston this past weekend we had a authentic Victorian yard set up. Because we had this unique setting we thought it might be fun to film a Mannequin Challenge. So we did and this is the result:



We hope you enjoyed it and please do share with others!

Iron Shepherds Turns Four!

Another year goes by for us here at Iron Shepherds and what a year it has been! From our very own living history festival to old favourites it has been a jam packed year full of fun and excitement.

The Winter, as it tends to be, was a quiet one. We had no events to attend but we did spend the time planning for our coming season and one of the big things we had planned was a brand new living history festival called Life in the Past. We had the idea of creating a series of events and talks which would cover different periods of local history but be held under the umbrella of a larger festival and we set about making it happen.

We soon managed to organise 6 living history events and 3 fascinating talks by archaeologists and specialists including one by a lecturer at Cambridge University. It was soon time to start the festival, which we did come May...

May 2016

Monks Life | Life in the Past Festival

08.05.16

This was the first in our Life in the Past series of events and it was a return to one of our old favourites: Monks Life.

We set up our display inside the cloister of Furness Abbey where us monks would be based all day discussing our daily life. We also had two visiting nuns on site over in the cemetery gate house, women were seldom allowed into the main Abbey complex in the time of the monks so our nuns had to keep their distance.

Brother Bertram also took two tours of the monastic site to give visitors a better understanding of the abbey and the lives the monks led.

It was a lovely day and a fantastic start to our Life in the Past Festival.

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At the start of the festival, and throughout, we created several videos to introduce and showcase the events. You can watch all these videos here: 

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Prehistoric communities and the changing face of the Furness Peninsula | Life in the Past Festival

10.05.16

As part of Life in the Past we held several talks by local archaeologists and experts and this was the first one by Dr. Craig Appley all about Prehistoric Furness. It was an excellent talk which really brought to life what the area must have looked like at the time.

There were many folk in the audience who all enjoyed the talk and Craig's delivery.

Medieval Law and Order | Life in the Past Festival

21.05.16

The second in our festival event series took place at Dalton Castle and delved into Medieval Law and Order in Furness. We created part of a court room set in the top room of the castle where our law breaker, held in the dungeon, would be put on trial throughout the day. We also had a few crafts on display to show how the locals were living in the 14th Century.

The trials were the highlight of the day giving visitors an idea of how a medieval trial might take place and for what crimes they might be undertaken. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the trials and we were really pleased with it.

June 2016

Holker Garden Festival

03-04.06.16

English Heritage invited us once again to set up alongside them at the Holker Garden Festival. This was our third year of attending the festival and as with every year it was lovely! It was super warm in the big tent but we enjoyed chatting to people, promoting our coming events and displaying some crafts.

We were saddened to hear later in the year that this turned out to be the last ever Holker Garden Festival as they have decided to bring it to an end after 24 years. Sad news for all.

Tudor Dissolver | Life in the Past Festival

05.06.16

Time for another Life in the Past event, this time we changed it up a bit and went Tudor! This event took place at Furness Abbey and took a closer look at the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

We had a small set up in front of the great church at the abbey where we spoke with people throughout the day and also displayed pewter melting and casting to illustrate the melting of the lead roofs of the abbey.

A lovely, hot, day which went really well!

The Development of Medieval Ulverston | Life in the Past Festival

14.06.16

Another fantastic Life in the Past talk, this time by Daniel Elsworth of Greenlane Archaeology. Dan spoke about the Medieval period in Ulverston from the finds that have been found, although few in number, to the place names of the town. 

It was another successful talk with many showing up to watch and listen.

Family Fun Day at Gleaston 

25.06.16

June came and it was that time of year again, time for the Family Fun Day at Gleaston. This was our third time at this lovely event. We set up our Norman camp, displayed crafts and spoke to visitors. It was, as always, a most pleasant day thoroughly enjoyed by all of us. We will be returning to this event again next year so do come along on the 24th June 2017.

July 2016

Victorian Fun & Games

03.07.16

Once again a brand new event for 2016 created by us for our Life in the Past Festival! This time delving into Victorian Furness and the fun and games of the time.

Furness Abbey was our backdrop where we set up numerous tents, lots of bunting and many many exciting games and toys. Families came out in their droves to enjoy the entertainment from the games to the tours to the singing of the Furness Nightingale, a family singing group who are part of the Iron Shepherds.

The day was a huge success and we were are very pleased to say we will be returning to Furness Abbey next year for another day of Victorian Fun & Games on 23rd July! Do come along to experience a truly Victorian day out!

Sea-Kings and Saints: the Furness Peninsula in the Viking Age | Life in the Past Festival

12.07.16

The final of our Life in the Past talks and a fine end it was too! Dr. Fiona Edmonds of University of Cambridge came up to lecture on the Furness Peninsula in the Viking Age. The talk took place at the Forum in Barrow and the room was packed with people all excited to hear what Fiona had to say. The talk was wonderful and was greatly received by all attending.

Victorian Social History | Life in the Past Festival

23.07.16

Another chance to showcase our Victorian living history at another Life in the Past Festival event; Victorian Social History! This time we were at the Dock Museum in Barrow, a new location for us as far as events go, and a brilliant day was had by all.

We were based inside the museum in the main dock hall where we had crafts from the Victorian era on display as well as a few games to play alongside singing from the Furness Nightingales. The idea of this display was to give an idea of the lives and jobs of the varying social classes living in the local area. It was a great, if very warm, day which was a huge success!

August 2016

1920's Workmen | Life in the Past Festival

07.08.16

Ah, 1920's workmen! This was certainly a different event for us but a fantastic one! As part of the Life in the Past Festival we had decided to showcase the incredible work undertaken in the late 1920s by local men to underpin and stabilise large parts of Furness Abbey.

We have always been hugely impressed and inspired by the work done by those every day working men and were keen to share their achievements to others. To do this we dressed in period costume, set up shop in the old ticket office inside the ruins of the abbey and performed 3 tours throughout the day. These tours specifically looked at the work undertaken and showed areas of the site where evidence of their work can be seen, or in many cases can't be seen! We had great responses from this event and were so pleased to have put it on.

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This event was also special for us as it was the final part of our Life in the Past Festival. The whole festival, from inception to completion, was a huge undertaking. There was so much organisation, promotion and creation required. It took a lot of time for us all and when it came to an end we were all so immensely proud and pleased. It had been a success and that was all we ever wished. We hope that anyone who attended any of our events or talks enjoyed them and learnt something from them.

The Life in the Past Festival will return in 2018!

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September 2016

Medieval Fair at Furness Abbey

03.09.16

Back to our normal event schedule and it was time for the annual Medieval Fair at Furness Abbey.

We had worked on a new camp layout and site along with a new Norman invasion weapons display ahead of the event. Friday came and it was time to set up. All was looking great, the camp was the best it has ever looked and we were stoked for the event the next day.

Saturday came and the heavens opened! Heavy rain poured all day long. From about 10 minutes into the event we were already soaked to the skin. As is only right we carried on as usual, or at least as best we could.

Bertram tried to perform on his pole lathe but got absolutely soaked and eventually had to seek shelter. Our Furness Nightingales tried their best to perform from inside one of our large tents and Matilda endeavoured to cook on the open fire while the rain water filled up the stew. It was a real shame. Members of the public didn't want to stop for long and by the time mid afternoon arrived the decision was taken to bring the event to a close. Something or a relief for many of us! It wasn't the most ideal day but hopefully next time it will be fine and sunny...

October 2016

Appley Day

01.10.16

A lovely Norman event to end the year, Apple Day. We attended the Apple Day in Ulverston last year and really enjoyed it, so were delighted when we were invited back this year. We set up our Norman camp and displayed our crafts throughout the day. There was music from Aelswyth, cooking from Matilda and even a spot of bread making!

It was a cool but a nice day too. There were many visitors and we had many lovely chats.

That was it for our fourth year, and what a successful, enjoyable and interesting year it was! But, as they say, no rest for the wicked! We had a Victorian Yard to organise for the Dickensian Festival in Ulverston...


Oh, and also we updated our website during 2016, take a look here - http://ironshepherdslivinghistory.co.uk/

Victorian Industry in Furness | Life in the Past Festival

During the 1800s England saw massive growth in its industry through, what is now known as, the Industrial Revolution. This growth was seen even here in Furness with new industry starting up from steel works to bobbin mills! Industry which was set to shape the area we know today.

At the start of the 1800s Furness was similar to how it had been for centuries with large towns like Ulverston and Dalton generally thriving with the iron mining industry being one of the main employers. But over the course of the coming century things would start to change, dramatically.

Stott Park Bobbin Mill

During the early to mid 1800s lots and lots of bobbin mills were built across the Lake District and into Furness. Places like Spark Bridge, near Greenodd, had large mills and further up near to Newby Bridge was Stott Park Bobbin Mill, now the last remaining mill in the area and, indeed, the country! These mills would produce thousands of wooden bobbins each year for the booming cotton and wool industries over in Lancashire and Yorkshire. So many were needed as they were basically disposable items, used once then thrown on the fire. This meant there was constant orders coming in for more and more of these lovely and functional items. The mills utilised the fast moving water of the Lake District to power their machinery with the use of water wheels and, often, later water turbines. They also utilised the large amounts of coppice woodland in the area.

Example of a coppiced woodland today

Coppocing was another major industry in the area, growing various types of trees, from hazel to birch, which were regularly cut down to their base to encorage new shoots which will grow tall, straight and fast. These would then be cut down again after a 10-15 year period to grow new shoots again. It was an ongoing cycle which created large amounts of much needed wood. This wood was perfect for the production of bobbins!

They would be cut down and taken onto site where they could be cut to size and turned on lathes to produce, you guessed it, bobbins. The bobbin industry was a huge one but sadly in the 1970's, with the reduction of wool and cotton mills and the invention of plastics, wooden bobbins became obsolite. All the bobbin mills closed their doors and many were knocked down, thankfully though one of these mills, Stott Park, was saved and is now open today as a visitor attraction. It is run by English Heritage and can be visited 7 days a week throughout the summer months for guided tours around the inside of the mill
where you can even see some bobbins being made!

It is safe to say that several of the bobbins being made in the Lake District were going a short distance to Backbarrow where there was a large Cotton Mill. As mentioned previously the wool and cotton industries were booming and mills were springing up across the country, especially in Yorkshire and Lancashire. Furness at the time was indeed part of Lancashire and un-surprisingly had its own Cotton Mill. The mill at Backbarrow ran until 1868 when a large fire broke out causing many of the machines to fall through the floors of the mill destroying them! The mill was re-built but never re-opened.

All that remains of the Dolly Blue Factory

A new woolen mill did however open in part of the rebuilt structure in 1880. Sadly though it didn't last past a couple of years but it wasn't the end of the story at Backbarrow. The whole mill site was bought in 1890 by Johannes Eggestorff who opened a brand new factory producing ultramarine blue powder. This saw the birth of the Lancashire Ultramarine Company, a company which became a huge employer in the area and extremely successful. The factory ran until it sadly closed in 1982 after 92 years of production. The Whitewater hotel now stands where the mill building used to be.

One of the biggest changes to the peninsula in the 1800s was the arrival of the railway and the huge expansion of the small fishing village of Barrow!

Furness Train Tracks

It was in 1844 that the Furness Railway Company began life building rail links from the slate quarries at Kirkby-in-Furness and the Iron Ore mines of Lindal to the deep water harbour at Roe Island. These early rail links were solely for the movement of minerals, i.e. slate and iron ore, to the coast where they could be distributed across England. The first links opened in 1846 and soon expanded up to Broughton-in-Furness, a small market town, and later, in 1854, a link was completed to Ulverston (the biggest town in the area at the time). The railway continued to expand with new links to Lancaster and Carnforth, this meant that the Furness peninsula was, for the first time, easily accessible from the rest of the country.

The Furness Railway went on to help in the huge, and swift, development of the areas newest town, Barrow. 

A chimney similar to what once dotted the skyline of Barrow

The Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Buccleugh, Henry Schneider and Sir James Ramsden were the owners and board members of the Furness Railway. They also owned the slate and ore mines in the area, not just content with owning large profitable businesses and the rail links to transport their goods they decided to build a huge new dock at Barrow, rendering Roe Islands port useless. They also opened steelworks at Barrow where the local ore could be processed. All this development meant new jobs and in turn new housing was required, housing which was built in Barrow. This marked a period of rapid growth in the town, swiftly expanding it from a small fishing village with a minimal number of houses to a grand Victorian boom town, often referred to as ‘The Chicago of the North’.

All this growth led to James Ramsden, in 1871, founding the Iron Shipbuilding Company, which would later, in 1897, become Vickers Shipyard and subsequently BAE Systems. This new company was created to build large ships in the port of Barrow using the processed steel from the local steelworks. These ships could then be distributed around the country and later the globe. This industry grew and grew in the area expanding the town further and today the shipyard is still the main employer of this truly Victorian town.

What remains of a Lime Kiln in Scales

Another industry popular at the time was quicklime production. Large kilns known as Lime Kilns were used to fire limestone to upwards of 900°c to produce Calcium oxide, or quicklime as it was commonly known as, a white powder substance which could be used in mortar and agriculturally. You can still see many lime kilns dotting the landscape around Furness, the one pictured here is just outside the village of Scales.

We've only spoken about a few of the vast amount of industries in this area, if we were to go into detail about them all I'm sure we would be here for days! However some of the other industries include - rope works, iron works, jute works, slate mines (Kirkby slate mine is still operational), iron mines, brickworks (Askam brickworks opened in 1845 and is still in use today), charcoal burning, tanneries (leather making) and of course fishing!

You can find a host of evidence across the peninsula of these long lost industries from the massive slag banks at Askam to the street names of Barrow. Be sure to keep an eye out the next time you are about in the area and do take a mintue to remember the truly idustrial past of Furness!

 

How To Make a Thaumatrope (optical illusion toy) | Life in the Past Festival

Optical illusion toys were extremely popular during the Victorian period giving fun and excitement to children and adults alike. In this post we will take a look at how to make one of these toys, the thaumatrope.

The thaumatrope is a simple disc with images on each side which, when the disc is spun around, merge into one image. One of the most popular choices for these toys was a bird in a cage image and this is what we are going to use here.

What You Will Need:

• paper
• card
• scissors
• protractor
• pencil
• glue
• hole punch
• string

Step One:

Take your paper and mark out two circles with a protractor. Following this mark out a slightly bigger circle on your card and cut all out. This will leave you with two paper discs and one of card.

Step Two:

Draw a bird cage (or whatever you like) on one of the paper discs, trying to keep it nice and central. Once you have finished the cage take your other paper disc and draw a bird on it. Be sure to centre it and measure it so it can fit inside the cage.

Step Three:

Take your first disc, with the cage on, and glue it down in the centre of the card disc. Having done this flip the card disc over (the cage will then be upside down on the underside) and stick the bird disc to the centre of the card.

Step Four:

Use a hold punch to create two holes either side of the paper disc, roughly inline across the centre of the circle. This is where we will thread some string.

Step Five:

Cut two equal lengths of string. Fold over to create a loop at one end. Thread this loop through a hole in the disc. Take the other end of the string and thread it through the loop then pull it back on itself to tighten around the edge of the disc. Repeat this process on the other side.

Step Six:

Have a good old play! Hold onto the ends of both stings on either side of the disc, spin it around several times to twist up the strings. Once ready pull outwards and watch the disc. This bird image should appear inside the cage as the disc spins. A simple and wonderful optical illusion!

www.lifeinthepast.co.uk

The Dissolution of the Monasteries | Life in the Past Festival

The dissolution of the monasteries was a major event lasting many years which changed the landscape of British religion forever. The many abbeys and priories of the country were wiped out leaving but ruins of what once was. The lives of monks and nuns were changed in an instant and many abbots and priors lost their lives. A massive change for England brought on by the greed of a king.

Henry VIII became king in 1509 and at this point corruption had become a major issue within religious houses across Europe, and was being attacked from many angles by critics and protestant reformers alike. It seemed that a reformation was fast approaching. Henry was Catholic and was a defender of the Pope in Rome at the start of his reign but as time went on, and the need for a divorce became pressing, Henry started to break away from Rome and the Pope.

In 1534 the Act of Supremacy was passed making Henry the head of the English Church. Up to this point Henry had been excessive with his wars, which were extremely costly. This had used up all of his fathers inheritance so money had become a pressing concern.

It was in 1535 that King Henry VIII commissioned a survey of ‘his’ Church and its wealth, a survey called the Valor Ecclesiasticus (Church Valuation). This was the first time that the net wealth of monasteries had been assessed and here in Furness the Abbey of St Mary was found to have an annual income of £805, making it the second richest of the Cistercian houses in England. In total the religious sites of the country controlled around four million acres, about 16 per cent, of the productive land in England and 12 per cent of the total land area, this equated to a huge amount of wealth.

In 1536 Thomas Cromwell put forward an act of reform, known as the Suppression or Dissolution Act, for the smaller monastic houses earning under £200 a year. Cromwell had declared these houses were “sunk irredeemably in iniquity” and that they had “resisted all attempts at reform for 200 years or more”. He came to the conclusion that they should be shut down and the “idle and dissolute monks and nuns” be distributed amongst the larger, greater abbeys where they could become more disciplined and “mend their ways”. The properties and any riches they held could then be transferred to the King, who, according to the Act, would convert the endowments to better uses. Something that never happened, in fact most of the money went into the government funds.

As one would expect there was a considerable amount of hostility building towards the government, especially here in the north. This led to a rebellion in October 1536 known as the Pilgrimage of Grace. York and Lincoln were seized by rebels for a short time as a protest against the dissolution and various other grievances. The restoration of the suppressed abbeys was one of the highest demands of the rebels.

This uprising didn’t last long, the king waited as the rebels fell out amongst themselves before he crushed them without mercy. A close friend to the king, Robert Radcliffe, was despatched to Lancashire to quell the rebellion and his arrival was marked by a series of executions. Several large abbeys who had been helping the rebellion were now at great danger, one of these being Furness Abbey. Radcliffe suggested to the abbot of Furness at the time, Roger Pyle, that he should surrender the abbey as a ‘voluntary discharge of conscience’ or suffer the consequences and be executed. The abbot took the advise and in April 1537, along with 28 monks and the prior (the abbot’s deputy), signed the deed of surrender. This passed the abbey, its wealth and its lands to the crown. It wasn’t long before Thomas Cromwell’s men arrived to dissolve the monastery…

 

The Timetable of a Monk | Life in the Past Festival

The lot of a medieval monk living in one of the many abbeys across Britain was not an easy one. Men did not become monks for an easy life, they became monks to worship the lord with their work, prayer and devotion. They often perceived themselves as soldiers engaged in a spiritual war against their imperfect, fallen nature. This made for a hard life with each day was a long one, packed full of worship and work.

What follows is the basic timetable for a Cistercian choir monk living in a medieval abbey during the summer months:

2.00am –         A choir monks day would start early with the first of 8 services, Matins. The monks would gather in the church and stand in the choir stalls. Here they would celebrate the night office with singing. Two monks, the precentor and succentor, lead the singing and keep their eyes on the other monks to make sure no one nods off.

2.45am –         Matins ends and the monks can rest in the cloister for a time. Sadly they aren’t allowed back to bed.

3.00am –         Monks return to church for Lauds, the second service of the day. This one is to celebrated daybreak.

3.15am –         Lauds ends and the monks can return to the cloister to read for 45 minutes.

4.00am –         At sunrise it’s time for Prime to mark the first hour of the day. Another short service lasting only 15 minutes.

4.15am –         It is now time for the chapter meeting. Monks would meet in the chapter house daily. They would sit on benches around the walls while they watch and listen to the Abbot as he says a prayer and reads a chapter of the Rule of St Benedict.

Following this all the monks must confess there faults and sins. They would then be punished accordingly often having to lie flat on the ground in front of the others, a practice known as prostration. In some cases some may have to fladulate, in other words whip, themselves.

Announcements follow this and the meeting ends with Psalm 129 and prayers before tasks are given out to all the monks.

4.45am –         The monks leave the chapter house to go about their daily tasks for around 2 and a half hours

7.30am –         Time for the monks to return to the cloister for half an hour of reading.

8.00am –         Terce, the third service of the day. The monks return to the church to take up position in the choir stalls. Mass is this time spoken for the monks to listen too and once a week wine and bread are taken to symbolize the body and blood of Christ.

9.00am –         Monks return to the cloister for further reading although priests stay in church for private mass.

11.00 am –      Church again for the forth service of the day, Sext. The name sext comes from latin for six and it is so called because it was originally celebrated on the sixth hour of the day.

11.30am –       Time for dinner. All the monks gather in the refectory, or frater, where the main meal of the day is served. They stand for blessings before sitting down to eat. Beans covered in vegetable juice is often popular at this time and each monk has a serving of bread for the day, their daily bread. Over the course of the meal a monk stands in a large pulpit and reads from scripture.

12.00pm –       Following dinner the monks join the procession of thanksgiving in the church before being allowed to take a nap in the dormitories or read.

2.00pm  -        Now comes the time for None which involves more singing in the church.

2.30pm –         Following None the monks return to their work, be that in the kitchen, out in the herb gardens or working the land with the lay brother. This last for around 3 and a half hours.

6.00pm –         A return to church for Vespers, the seventh service of the day.

6.30pm -         During the summer months monks are allowed two meals a day and now is the time for the second, although it isn’t as big as the first. They are given vegetables and fruit to eat with whatever is left of their daily bread.

7.15pm –         The collation reading. Monks gather in the north cloister walk and listen to a reading by the reader of the week.

7.30pm –         Back to church for Compline, the last service of the day. At the end of this services the abbot sprinkles the monks with Holy Water.

8.00pm –         Bed time. After a long and tiring day of work, reading and singing the monks are allowed to return to bed for six hours of sleep.  Then it’s time for Vigils again and the start of another day.

As you can see there is a lot for a monk to fit into his day and it certainly isn’t an easy life for them. The days were long with out much rest, meals were scarce and not the most delicious. Nearly every day was spent in the same way never leaving the precinct wall of their monastery. Is it a life you would want to lead?

www.lifeinthepast.co.uk

Life in the Past | Living History Festival | Announcement

Hi there!

We at Iron Shepherds are very pleased to announce a brand new living history festival based in Furness called Life in The Past!

We have been busy creating this festival which will run from May through to August 2016. It will consist of a variety of events at various loctions covering different periods of Furness history from the 13th Century to the 1920s.

Alongside our events there will be a selection of talks by archeologists and a host of online materials. We will also be running a couple of competitions for you to get involved in!

We will be releasing more info soon alongside a brand new website at - http://lifeinthepast.co.uk In the mean time keep an eye out at the Life in the Past Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/LifeinthePast/

We can't wait to share more with you very soon!!

Making History Come to Life | VIDEO

We recently completed a short video promoting ourselves which has been put together with various shots taken throughout 2015. It gives a little taste of what we do and hopefully soon we will have more videos delving a little deeper into what we about.

In the meantime enjoy the video here:

How to have a Medieval Christmas

Christmas today is a time for giving, a time for sharing precious moments with our loved ones and a time for celebration. Back in Medieval times it was a little different, but not much!

The term 'Christmas' came about in England during the 11th century and was an amalgamation of an Old English expression for the Festival of Christ - 'Christes Maesse'.

Christmas at this time followed much older traditions and celebrations which predominantly celebrated the thought of longer days and the warmer, better weather of Spring approaching. They also were a time to think back and celebrate the past year while there was less agricultural work to be done and thus more time. Time for parties!

Festivals like the Scandinavian Yule and Roman Saturnalia had perviously been celebrated at this time of year and are where Christians borrowed the date for Christmas from.

The exact date for the birth of Jesus was never mentioned in the Bible so the Church used the dates of Pagan festivals as the time for their new celebration of Christ. This made sense as everyone was already celebrating at this time but it also could help Christianise the pagan winter festivals. Something desired at the time. The practice of gift giving at Christmas was even banned for a time by the Catholic Church as it was suspected it had pagan origins! Luckily this ban didn't last.

Christmas soon became a time for feasting, drinking, gift giving, singing, dancing and indulging. Similar to today!

So, if you want to inject a bit of Medieval Christmas into your modern celebrations here are a few suggestions that might help:

1. Get Rid of the Tree

People didn't bring trees inside to decorate their homes back then, although trees were important symbols. The Church would decorate outdoor trees with apples on Christmas Eve, a day known as 'Adam and Eve Day' at the time. Seasonal plant foliage was often used as inside decoration; holly, ivy and mistletoe were the most commonly used.

2. Don't Sing Carols in Church

Singing carols is a large part of Christmas in todays society but in Medieval England carols were banned in churches. Many took the word 'carol' too literally it meaning 'to sing and dance in a circle'. This kind of behaviour would ruin Christmas masses so the Church ruled to send carol singers outside the church walls.

3. Eat Rectangular Mince Pies

Mince pies were baked in a rectangular case in Medieval times to symbolise the crib which the baby Jesus lay in. Certain ingredients like nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves were meant to represent the gifts given by the three wise men. Originally these pies actually did include shredded meat alongside fruit and spices. It was also believed to be lucky to eat one a day over the 12 days of Christmas. You can find our more about Mince Pies in a great English Heritage article here. It even has a 1591 recipe for you to try.

4. Call it Xmas

Xmas is not a modern abbreviation, it in fact originates from Medieval times. The X stands for the Greek letter chi. This was the early abbreviation for Christ making Xmas Christmas. The X also symbolises the cross Jesus was crucified on.

5. Don't Eat Turkey

Turkey was not brought to this country until the 15th Century so never graced the tables of Medieval folk for Christmas feasts. Instead goose was the most popular option closely followed by venison. Of course the poor wouldn't get the best cuts of meat but may be lucky enough to be given the offal, or umbles as it was known, from their lords. They would cook this with other ingredients in a pie called 'umble pie'.  This later became 'humble pie' used widely in a common expression today.

6. Give to the Poor

Boxing day was seen as a reversal of fortune, a time where the rich would provide gifts, usually of money, to the poor. Money was gifted in hollow clay pots with a slit in the top called 'piggies', an early version of the piggy bank. These had to be smashed to get to the money.

There you have it, a few ideas to make your Christmas that little bit more Medieval this year.


We hope you've enjoyed this post and maybe learnt a little something new. What ever you get up to this holiday season we hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Iron Shepherds Living History Turns Three!

And yet another year passes for Iron Shepherds Living History and boy has it been a good one! With new displays, events and members 2015 has been our best year yet and we wanted to share what we've done with you here.

January 2015

Our third year started relatively quietly this year, we had done Winter fairs the last two but this time we decided it best to forgo organising such events and concentrate on preparing new things for the coming season. Having said that we did get invited to a photo shoot ...

Photo Shoot with Barrow Digital Photography Club | 13.01.2015

In January the Barrow Digital Photography Club invited us to take part in one of their photo shoots. We accepted the invitation and went along for an evening of photo taking. We must have had hundreds if not thousands of photos snapped of us and it was a great evening! You can check out a video from the night bellow.

May 2015

Holker Garden Festival | 30+31.05.2015

In May we had our first event of the year, Holker Garden Show. We attended in 2014 along side English Heritage and Furness Abbey Fellowship and this year English Heritage asked us to return with them to put on a small display. We were there for two days, the first had Bertram, Brother Orme Tethera and new member Matilda, the basket maker, display to the public. We had may interested passers by and we promoted our brand new up coming event.

June 2015

Life in the Past | Day 1 | 06.06.2015

The 6th of May saw the start of a brand new event created by Iron Shepherds, Life in the Past.

Life in the Past had been planned and worked on throughout the winter and was set to be a two day event showcasing life in the past at and around Furness Abbey. Day one was meet the 12th century peasants to find out what life was like living in Furness and what it was like farming the land on a daily basis to produce food not only for yourself but for the Abbey.

We had two new specially written displays on the day: a farming talk written by one of our members Karen (aka Heather), which showcased farming in the 12th century and how tough yet vital it was, and a mummers play written by Paul (aka Toadflax) which was a type of play common in the time to poke fun at establishments as well as to entertain. Both displays went down well and have become part of our growing repertoire. 

Life in the Past | Day 2 | 07.06.2015

The 7th was the second day of Life in the Past and this time we were 13th Century Monks for the day!

Following the success of last years Monks Life displays we wanted to include monks in our new event so our second day was dedicated to them and how they lived in Furness Abbey in the 13th Century. We had our small display area but also put on a Chapter Meeting, something that the monks had every morning, and two tours of the abbey with Brother Bertram (Stuart). The chapter meeting involved a reading of a chapter from the rules of St. Benedict followed by Brother Earnolf having to flagellate himself as penance for grumbling. People really seemed to like it!

The tours went really well also with many visitors sticking around to go on them. With glorious sunshine all day it really made the day, even if we did get a little warm in our woollen habits!

Take a look at the pictures bellow as well as the advert created to promote the event.

Family Fun Day at Gleaston | 27.06.15

At the end of June we returned to Gleaston for their second family fun day. We set up our camp at the edge of the field and demonstrated through the afternoon. It was a lovely event that we were pleased to have returned to. It was also a very warm summers day, one of but a few we had this summer!

August 2015

Muncaster Living History Week | 25-26.08.15

What a lovely if wet time we had at Muncaster this year. We were back for a third year of Living History week and it was a great one! We arrived on the Monday night before our two day stint to find a very wet, marshy field to set up in. Every other year we had attended the field was nice and dry but due to heavy rain this time the site was saturated. We looked around and set our tents up on the slightly higher, dryer land near where we usually set up. We wanted to stay dry when we slept! Eventually we had our camp, this time in a long line of tents, something we had tried before. It proved to work over the course of the two days but we do prefer our usual set up. We met many people over the two days as we demonstrated various crafts, performed our mummers play and weapons display. As always it was a wonderful event to be part of!

Medieval Fair at Furness Abbey | 05.09.15

Early in September we were back at Furness Abbey for another Medieval Fair, the third in fact! The sun was shining and people came out in their droves to enjoy a day in the ruins and enjoying the entertainment. We could be found inside our camp working on our crafts or in the display arena performing our weapons display. The day was wonderful and we all had a fantastic time chatting to the public and demonstrating. It's always a pleasure to be at Furness Abbey and the sunshine and interested visitors always helps! We even set up a camera to take a time-lapse throughout the day, this can be seen in the video player below. It certainly shows the amount of people who move through our camp during the day and the bright sunshine.

Magna Carta 800, Cartmel | 26+27.09.15

Another new event for us in 2015 was the Magna Carta 800 celebration at Cartmel. It was a two day event to celebrate the 800th year of Magna Carta and it featured ourselves alongside another re-enactment group, Tournee. We showcased daily life and crafts while the they performed large combat displays to the crowds. Together we filled the majority of the display field next to craft stalls and food tents. Over the weekend many thousands of people (possibly 10,000+) visited the village and came to wander our camp and chat to us. We often had large crowds of people around us watching as we demonstrated which put the pressure on but also really made the day special. It was a truly fantastic event and something we are very proud to have been a part of! If this event were to happen again we would be there at the drop of a hat!

Apple Day, Ulverston | 03.10.15

Our first ever October event took place at Ford Park in Ulverston where we were part of Apple Day. We had a small camp set up in part of the  field where we spoke to the public about life in 12th Century Furness. Most of us were peasants but we did have one monk attend to give the religious aspect of the time. There was thick mist throughout the day which gave a certain atmosphere to proceedings and it did make it a little chilly. It was a lovely event and we met many interested people.

Magna Carta Medieval Fayre, Witherslack | 04.10.15

Another October event! This one the day after Apple Day. We were asked to attend a Medieval Fayre in Witherslack to celebrate the Magna Carta. We jumped at the chance and took out kit over for the Sunday event. This event saw us try out another layout for our camp, this time we pitched up in a sort of diamond shape in the centre of the field. This meant people could walk around us with someone always visible to talk to or watch. It worked well. We had a very pleasant and fun day here speaking to various folk about what we do, We even performed our weapons display twice. Something we hadn't done for two events now. It was the perfect event to finish our season off with and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

2015 has been a fantastic year for Iron Shepherds, we feel like we are going from strength to strength and are very excited to see what the future holds! We have many ideas for the coming year and hope we can share these with you in the near future, roll on 2016 lets see what you bring us!

If you would like to keep up to date with what the Iron Shepherds are doing then why not follow us on Facebook or Twitter You can also check out our website to discover what we do and what we have coming up.