Friday, April 30, 2021

Conference latest

 
I have some new progress to log with the DBA armies projects - and hopefully a few dates to share as we finalise the 2021 plan ('post-Covid' or 'Covid window', whichever it turns out to be - hopefully the former, but the news from other parts of the world isn't reassuring) ... but a lot of time recently has gone into smoothing out the Battlefields Trust Online Conference for which I am organiser.

The latest update sees me creating a lunch time slot to have a chat with author Dan Moorhouse ..


Dan has a number of interesting projects under his belt and does a lot of education work.  He has also done a lot of work on Towton, and I hope to get some insights on that.

It'll be an informal 20 minutes or so.

What a line-up!  As well as Dan (and me!), we've got Professor Anne Curry, plus Dan Spencer, Sophie Ambler, Thom Richardson, Matt Bennett, and my regular associates, Graham Evans and Mike Ingram.

Of course, many of you will know Thom, Matt and Graham through the Society of Ancients and the enthusiasm they share for wargaming.  Thom, of course, is best know for his senior role with the Royal Armouries, and Matt for his teaching career notably with the Royal Military Acdemy, Sandhurst.

Graham and Mike you know from their work with Northamptonshire Battlefields society and their books on local battlefields - 2 of which, Northampton 1460 and Edgcote 1469, feature in the programme.

(the NBS bookshelf)

Professor Curry is one of Britain's best know medieval military specialists, and was lead on the Agincourt 600 project, Chair of the Battlefields Trust charity etc.

Anne and Mike, of course, have both recently written about Bosworth.  Graham you probably know from his blog Wargaming For Grownups.

Dan Spencer is a specialist in early gunpowder weapons and warfare and has recently published a well-received volume on castles ...

Dr Sophie Ambler teaches at Lancaster University, and specialises on Simon de Montfort and the Barons War.

 
This line up is everything I had hoped it would be when we first suggested the idea to The Battlefield Trust.

Everyone is welcome (you don't need to be a member), and you can still sign up (£25, proceeds go towards battlefield interpretation and  protection) until midnight tonight (30th April) via the link on the Trust Events page.

 

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Online Conference 1st May - The Medieval Battlefield

 

Just sharing the great news of the Battlefields Trust's reconfigured Annual Conference: now online at a fraction of the original, residential, cost - and one day, 10 til 4:30 (£25, any procees from which will go directly towards protecting Britain's endangered battlefields).

Regulars here will be delighted to hear that the high profile speaker list includes several Society of Ancients luminaries ... Thom (Royal Armouries) Richardson, Graham (wargaming4grownups) Evans and Matthew (Sandhurst) Bennett, these days, of course, one of the Society's Life Vice Presidents.

The Conference will be chaired by Professor Anne Curry, and is being organised by me.                         

Click here for Conference Details

Morning:

  • Thom Richardson: mail and plate armour
  • Graham Evans: Edgcote - the Source of the Problems

Afternoon:

  • panel discussion on battlefield numbers (Anne Curry; Matt Bennett; Sophie Ambler; Graham Evans)
  • Dan Spencer: Gunpowder Weapons in the Wars of the Roses
  • Mike Ingram: Northampton 1460 
It is going to be a fascinating day, and I am sure some new stuff is going to emerge.