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Journal Issue No. 1 - February 2005 |
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February Source: Thomas Tusser, Five hundreth pointes of good husbandrie, 1586. Candlemas The bleak month of February holds one of the grandest feasts of the Middle Ages and one of only three feasts in the English language verbally denoted by a Mass (Christmas and Michaelmas being the other two), Candlemas, or the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is celebrated on February 2 . This feast commemorates Mary’s visit to the Temple in obedience to the Jewish Law requiring a woman to be ritually purified forty days after bearing a son. Candlemas is so called because legend has it that on this day the aged prophet Simeon saw the infant Jesus and proclaimed him to be "a Light to the gentiles" (Lk. 2.32). Hence the day has always involved a celebration of light. The most famous of these customs -- and the one from which the feast takes its common name -- is the blessing of, and procession with, candles. The Feast's association with light also made it a great day for predicting the weather. According to an old legend, if the sun shines bright for the better part of the day there will be forty more days of winter. From this quaint superstition came Groundhog Day. Finally, Candlemas is the absolute last day for ending the Christmas season. Any Christmas items that had not been taken down on Epiphany were now carefully put away..... before the wood sprites residing in the branches of the evergreens begin making mischief in the house! Mark Griffin of Griffin Historical
(UK)
Mark Griffin - actor, stunt man, event manager, consultant, teacher, weapons choreographer-- and Historic Enterprises customer! How/when did you get involved in history as a hobby? Culinary school seemed like the thing to do at the time (course chosen by sticking a pin in a college prospectus) and may have served to pushed me in the historical direction as much of modern culinary theory is based on late 19th cent French techniques and terms. While at University my friends were making videos, acting, doing a bit of stage combat and other things in the 'media' industry and I got involved as much as I could. During this time I was performing, learning various martial skills and having a go at stunt work & fight choreography of various kinds. I also found the reenactment scene and then a friend asked me to come and help out catering for the White Company at Castle Rising one weekend and it all went from there.
When did your hobby turn into a business? What jobs do you like best? Next a decent live event with plenty of performance is next, I'm lucky that I have done some excellent ones in the last few years especially 'Gloriana' at The Tower of London with simply the best equipment, armour and clothing that money can buy. I worked with Past Pleasures (regular sparring partners) this Christmas at Hampton Court for the Court Revels of James 1st, another special event. I think these events are best because they have a focus and a narrative that runs through the day, it gives the visitor more to think about. We almost doubled the time the visitors were on site, a pretty successful indicator. Oh and I got to wave some swords a bit more, always good. I have always said that an event where everyone has a purpose, focussed on their particular trade or position is what works best. Otherwise you might as well be at any period campsite meandering along. Two events that stand out were the original Guild of Saynte Luke event at The Medieval Merchants House in Southampton and Lord Burgh's Household at Gainsborough Hall in Lincolnshire. Everyone knew what do to, where they stood socially, and worked towards a goal, immensley enjoyable. What jobs do you like least?
Sometimes what looks serious after editing is absolutely hilarious during filming. In one show, I had to simulate an attack on a postern gate behind an audience. It was just me, lots of shouting and banging of swords and a metal gate. All on my own. 'Back you curs! None shall pass! Ha ha! Die you varlet, aaargh I am undone!' It's a crazy business, but I love it! Do you do any historical stuff for fun any more? If
so, what? Photos courtesy Juliette Griffin |
Artisan
Profile
One of the Guild's first projects was building and painting a pavise using the correct techniques and materials. At the time it was probably the first 'properly' constructed pavise in UK 15thc reenactment. Work on this project inspired guild members to set up a working medieval painter's studio. Setting up the shop too took two years of research, examining paintings, illustrations, woodcuts and other imagery as well as guild records and other written texts to formulate an idea of what a medieval painter's workshop might look like. A comprehensive list of items was assembled, ranging from drawings, and easels to tools and pigments. The rest of the guild was populated with a cast of people to represent the wives, sisters and servants of the household as well as Guild customers. The workshop was set up at a 14th century merchant's house in Southampton UK, and proved to be a perfect stage upon which to demonstrate what the members had learned.
Research revealed that block prints were far more common than commonly believed, and that they have a wider range of uses than just religious devotion. Seeing that religious imagery and art was lacking in 15th c reenactment groups, Jorge began reproducing printed items for reenactors to use in camps or in residence. Jorge draws his sources from fifteenth century printed items, either as a faithful reproduction or redrawn in a historically correct and consistent style. "Single cut" prints are used outside of books, and these are the prints Jorge is most interested in reproducing. What he finds especially appealing about single cut prints is the potential for their being used in a correct reenactment context. Book illustration are also an area of interest but Jorge points out that he is careful to explain the correct context for this type of woodcut. Jorge feels book illustrations are more for decorative purposes than living history and does not plan to expand in this direction unless especially commissioned to do so. Jorge draws on the expertise of woodblock historians to select the correct materials and tools for his work. Compromises are kept to a strict minimum, and usually are in the area of tools, when a print shows the use of a tool that cannot be referenced through visual sources. Happily the area of least compromise is the woodblock material itself, and Jorge now uses only indigenous European hardwoods that were either known and thought to be used. All the paper used is conservation grade and made to late medieval paper specifications in terms of weight, paper size and texture. All of the inks Jorge uses are are linseed oil based, as they most closely resemble medieval inks. The Guild of Saynt Luke has evolved into Jorge's historical art business and is entirely independent of any reenactment group. With each new project comes new knowledge, and this new knowledge fuels interest in other aspects of historical art. Although wood block printing is the premier product of the Guild of Saynt Luke, look for an expansion into period painting which started gave rise to the Guild 14 years ago. Like any artist, Jorge is always interested in new work and invites suggestions to expand his range as well as enquiries into custom commissions. Look for Jorge's
woodblock prints on the Historic Enterprises website. http://www.guildofsayntluke.co.uk/ La Cuisine Médiévale Since February hosts Candlemas, one of the biggest feast days of the medieval year, it seems only fitting that we should feature a meat dish. This is one of my very favorites and is absolutely delicious. There is nothing "weird" about it, and it will appeal to even those who swear they "hate medieval food". It also lays to rest the idea that all medieval dishes are drowned in heavy spices such as cloves and cinnamon. These meat rolls are an easy to prepare dish for medieval events or modern football games! ALOSED BEEF Source: Ordinance of Pottage, #61 Take flesh of beef and cut it into slices. Lay them out on a board. Take the fat of mutton or beef, and chop it together with assorted herbs and onions. Sprinkle the mixture on the slices of beef with ground pepper and a little salt, and roll up the slices with the mixture inside. Put each roll on a skewer and grill. If desired, you may endore them (brush with egg to make golden) and make a fancy dish of them. Otherwise, you can braise them in wine, with half as much fresh broth, and put them in a pot with the liquid and whole cloves, mace, herbs and onionc chopped small, with assorted spices, saffron and salt. Mix it up with ginger sauce or galetyn sauce. Stew it together before serving. Have your butcher cut any well marbled cut of meat into cutlets. You can increase the tenderness of the cutlets by pounding them with the back of a knife for mallet to break down the muscle fibres. Chop together any combination of onion, celery, garlic and other herbs of your choice such as rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley, etc with some lard.Sprinkle with the chopped herb mix. Season with salt and pepper. Roll up and spit on a skewer for grilling, or tie with thread for stewing. If grilling, brush each roll with oil or melted lard and grill slowly until done. Do not overcook or the rolls may be dry. If stewing, brown the rolls in lard or oil. When brown, place the rolls
into a stew pot with a mixture of half wine and half beef broth, along
with a bouquet garni tied in cheesecloth of a few whole cloves, mace
blades, and peppercorns. Chop in onion, celery, garlic and any other
herbs or seasonings you desire. Gwen Nowrick How to care for your period clothes The clothing we wear to historical events are often made of linen and wool, which benefits from special care. Here are some tips to keep your wardrobe looking great for many seasons! Whites such as braies, coifs, smocks should be machine washed in warm water on a regular cycle. For extreme dirt such as mud from camping, we have had very good luck with a BIZ presoak in hot water, followed by a regular wash with detergent in warm water. Pre spotting products such as Spray and Wash are very effective on blood and deodorant stains. Don't use chlorine bleach on your linens- linen has a hollow cellular structure much like microscopic bamboo which collects and holds the chlorine. Retained chlorine will make your clothing smell harsh, may cause skin irritation and will cause the fabric to deteriorate prematurely. Never cook linens in the dryer, as over drying will weaken the linen fibre and set wrinkles. Tumble dry only until barely damp and then hang or lay flat to finish drying. Veils, wimples and coifs will have a lovely stiff finish if taken from the washer, shaken, smoothed out and allowed to dry flat. Coloured linens such as chausses, stockings, gowns and tunics may be machine washed on a delicate cycle in cold water. Because colour tends to fade fairly quickly from linen, we recommend a detergent specially formulated to preserve colour, such as Woolite for dark colors. Our customers report good success redying their faded garments in the washer with Dylon or Rit Dyes. Follow package directions for best results! Men's G63 gowns and Women's G39 gowns have a "Dry Clean Only" label but may be washed with extreme care. The fabric in these garments has been pre washed and dried so shrinkage will be minimal; however, the large amount of fabric and seams means they should be handled delicately. Once wet, they weigh a lot and can rip apart in the washer if subjected to prolonged or violent agitation. If you'd rather not dry clean these garments, you can either hand wash in cold or machine wash on a short/delicate cycle with Woolite for dark colours to preserve colour. Tumble dry briefly to fluff but don't dry for too long as the wood buttons may break or chip. Never, ever machine wash a doublet or cotehardie! These garment must be professionally dry cleaned because interlinings you can't see will cause them to shrink and distort if machine washed. Doublets and cotehardies should be spot cleaned as necessary after wearing, brushed thoroughly and allowed to air in a protected spot with good air circulation. A garage, attic or enclosed porch is a great place to do this. If you wear a clean shirt and air garments regularly, your doublets and cotehardies should only need to be dry cleaned once a year or less. Odors such as wood smoke should dissipate naturally after a week or so, and Febreeze can be used for clingy odors such as cigarette smoke. Clothing brushes used to be a household standard but are almost impossible to find any more. We found a "brake brush" in K-Mart's automotive section which makes a wonderful clothing brush. A fantastic addition to your clothing care basket for just $2! Wool and wool blend chausses, tunics, hoods and stockings will shrink
in hot water, so wash these items in cold on a short/delicate cycle. Using
a fabric softener will keep them soft and prevent itchiness. Tumble dry
on low until barely dry and remove to finish drying flat. Don't over dry
wools as they will shrink or get scratchy if left in the dryer too long.
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All contents ©2005 by Gwen Nowrick & Historic Enterprises, all rights reserved. Page created by Jeffrey Hedgecock & modified by Jenn Reed. |
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Any
week will find Mark almost anywhere in the world- shooting a TV series
in Wales, giving a Roman legionary lecture in Colchester, running fight
rehearsals in London, working on a Gladiator show in Italy or acting as
a stunt double in Morocco.
