Reliving the Past

The past is like a foreign country, things are done differently there … What is it about our history that makes otherwise everyday folk want to dress up, live in some discomfort for a few days, recreating a life lived centuries ago, then return to current normality? It’s certainly escapism and fantasy but also a deeper and creative attempt to better understand the past, experimental archaeology – what better way to get a grasp of history than to live it? Since the late 1960s and the formation of The Sealed Knot, the oldest reenactment society in the UK, every single era in history, and some you wouldn’t think of, has its devotees who spend their leisure time reliving it. Whole medieval villages and Great War trench systems have sprung up, tanks and jeeps race around the countryside and craft skills that have been long lost are reclaimed. In this book, John Sadler and Beverley Palin explore the origins and evolution of the living history movement, detail key moments from the past that are regularly reenacted and provide practical guidance on how to get involved and get the most out of your hobby.