FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQS
Useful Info
HOW OFTEN DOES COLLEGE OF CHIVALRY MEET?
We meet every fortnight on a Sunday at Black Cat Archery Club. Knight training and sword fighting is held between 10am to 12pm and Archery 12pm to 2pm. In addition to training we attend a number of events throughout the year all across the country.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO DO?
The College of Chivalry does not charge any membership fees for joining or being a member. We do however require all members to possess adequate public liability insurance. This can be purchased through C3 for around £32 for the year. Other groups may charge differently. There is the cost of clothing, we call it soft kit. The cost for this depends on the status you're portraying, the accuracy of the kit, the quality of the items and if you decide to make your own kit or have somebody make it for you. There are also Facebook pages where people may be selling second hand kit. Do not worry if you don’t possess all your own kit at your first event people within the group may have kit that they are willing to lend. Arms and armour can cost £500+ for a full set of armour and weapons. As a minimum all combatants must have the minimum of a Padded Gambeson or Arming Jacket, A Reenactment grade helmet and a pair of steel gauntlets. It is advisable to speak to club members before purchasing anything to make sure what you buy is compliant with safety and quality standards. Reenactment weapons can be expensive due to the strict safety standards as these weapons have to stand up to a lot of abuse. We would recommend speaking to a club member before buying any weapons to make sure they are compliant with safety and quality standards. Some members may have weapons that you can train with prior to investing in your own. If you are looking at an entry level weapon at a low cost that you can use on a battlefield and will serve you well for many years, we would suggest purchasing a spear. Spears are lower cost, very common and a lot of fun to fight with. Yet again we don’t expect you to have everything at your first event and we recommend you don’t buy until after you have clothing, and basic camp equipment. For archers a long bow can be an expensive investment and there are rules regarding poundage of the bow for battlefields. There are some club bows you can train with untill you wish to purchase your own. For the battlefield, archers must have a padded jacket and helmet for safety reasons. Blunt arrows are provided for some events, others you may have to supply your own that will be inspected prior to the battle. If you are in any doubt about if something is right, don’t buy it until after you have spoken to your group officers who will advise you (most groups will have recommended Traders)
HOW OLD DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO JOIN THE SOCIETY?
While there is no age limit on joining the society, under 18's must be accompanied by an adult. There is, however, an age limit on combat. Combatants must be over 16 to take part in Collage of Chivalry displays and most battle field Reenactments require combatants to be 18 or over. Over 14-year-olds may go on the field as various non-combatant rolls.Your children are welcome to come to events with you. Children must be appropriately dressed for the event to be in the living history areas. Living history camps can be hazardous due to weapons, fire and trip hazards, please make sure you supervise your children at all times.
I’M AN ETHNIC MINORITY/ LGBTQ/ FRENCH WOULD THAT AFFECT ME JOINING?
No why would it.The College of Chivalry as with most of the Reenactment community is very diverse and a friendly group of people.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LARP/SCA, REENACTMENT AND BUHURT?
LARP/SCA tends to be more fantasy based using foam weapons with its own rules system. Reenactment is based in historical fact and aims to accurately recreate the past using blunted steel weapons. Buhurt, although based on historical fact and using steel weapons like reenactment, is more geared towards competitive fighting and less towards historical accuracy.
DO YOU REALLY HIT EACH OTHER DURING THE COMBAT?
Yes, and although our weapons are blunt, they are metal and can still hurt so we will teach you to use the weapons safely and to pull blows so as to not to hurt anyone. You will also have to wear protective clothing during any displays that you participate in.
DO I HAVE TO BE A MEMBER TO PARTICIPATE?
We encourage people to come along to a taster session and see if it's for you. After a couple of training sessions we will ask you if you would like to join us and become part of our team. The reason we don't charge membership is because we ask our members to attend as many events in the year as they can.
DO I HAVE TO HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE TO JOIN?
No prior experience is needed. We can teach you to fight with a sword or shoot a bow in a safe and fun way.
DO I HAVE TO TAKE PART IN ALL ACTIVITIES?
Nope. Some of our group only take part in knights training and others only do archery while some like to take part in everything. It's up to you. Even if you're only interested in living history and don't want to do sword fighting or archery there is a place for you in our group.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COLLEGE OF CHIVALRY AND HOUSE OF HUNGERFORD?
College of Chivalry is the name of the club. When we attend living history and Reenactment events we go under the name of House of Hungerford.Training and shows we go under the club name College of Chivalry.
DO I NEED TO JOIN A GROUP NEAR ME?
Although it can help from a social point of view, no. Groups have events taking place all over the country so, although it is not a necessity, it could mean traveling long distances.
I CANNOT SEE CORRECTLY WITHOUT MY GLASSES CAN I STILL BE INVOLVED?
Yes, there is plenty of evidence of glasses in the Medieval period and traders are selling medieval glasses as well as plenty of reenactors who wear contact lenses at events. Yet again, there is a big but, if you are legally registered blind or visually impaired and cannot see correctly even with visual aids you will not be able to take part in medieval combat for safety reasons. This does not prevent you from taking part in non-combatant roles.
I HAVE TATTOOS / PIERCINGS / BRIGHTLY DYED HAIR WILL THIS AFFECT ME?
No, we just ask that during the display times that you cover them up and remove any visible piercings on the face or head, any others should be covered by period clothing.
I WOULD LIKE TO JOIN BUT AM NOT INTERESTED IN FIGHTING OR ARCHERY IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I CAN DO?
Yes, we also do living history encampments where you can display period crafts and skills. This is a a great opertunity to learn new skills and crafts. Within the group we have members with many different skills they can share with you.
I OFTEN HAVE TO WORK WEEKENDS - DO I HAVE TO DO EVERY EVENT?
No you can do as many or as few as you want. We do however ask that if you are a combatant, you attend at least 1 smaller event before attending any large battle events.If you can only attend one day of a weekend event you are more than welcome to come for the day.
WHERE DO I GET INFORMATION ABOUT EVENTS FROM?
All events are discussed by the group to see if it is an event we would like to do and if there are enough people wishing to do it. When we have booked in events these dates will be shared with you. Approximately 2 weeks before an event, “warning orders” will be published with all the relative information for the event.
WHERE DO I GET MY CLOTHES, KIT AND ARMOUR FROM?
Most of our kit is custom made either by professional traders or ourselves and you can buy off the peg kit from many online retailers. Off the peg kit can sometimes be hit and miss due to quality, fit and historical accuracy but in most cases can be a cheaper option.A historical mug, bowl and spoon are a must as these are not items people like to share for hygiene reasons. It is also important that modern equipment isn't on show to the public so having a mug or tankard to drink from saves you having to hide round the back of the tents every time you want a drink of water. You can buy these online and at most Reenactment events you will find traders selling these types of items. Also do not rush into buying kit, the society will help you get it right the first time and save you money in the long term.
DO YOU PROVIDE FOOD AND DRINK?
No people have to provide their own unless stated on warning orders.Big events may have food vendors but it is not guaranteed and small events often do not so it is advisable to bring something even if it is just a pot noodle or a few sausage rolls (Note scotch eggs will be confiscated for testing!). If you are eating modern food it is advisable to transfer it into a historical vessel when eating infront of the public. We don't want to have to explain to the public why our 12th century knight is eating a bag of monster munch. At some events one or two of our members may choose to cook communal meals, I hope you like chilli or stew! When someone offers to cook for camp it is down to their generosity. You are under no obligation to cook or eat what is cooked and if you have dietary requirements or you just think the food looks and smells horrible then you don't have to eat it. It is always welcome to offer to contribute to communal camp food, either bread rolls, cheese, snacks but there is no obligation to do so. If there is a big pot of stew bubbling over the fire we have never turned an empty bowl or empty belly away, just get in there quick as reenacting makes you hungry.
I WANT TO GET COME TO EVENTS BUT I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP IN A TENT, WHAT CAN I DO?
You don't have to stay on site if you don't wish too. Some of our members prefer to travel back and forth from home for some of the closer events and for those a little further away it's perfectly acceptable to stay in BnB's or hotels for the event, just make sure you book early as they tend to get booked up quickly. Word of warning though, don't tell people that sleep in camp how comfortable the beds are in your hotel or how it was nice to have a hot shower, they may throw something at you ;-)
WHAT MODERN KIT DO I NEED TO BRING?
If you are going for your first weekend event you will need to take a tent, sleeping bag, towel, change of clothes and torch as a minimum as unfortunately we do not have a society tent for new members to sleep in. Anything else e.g. roll mats, airbeds, chairs… is up to the individual to decide. It is important to remember that if the new member is traveling via public transport that they will have to carry everything themselves.
THIS LOOKS LIKE FUN AND I HAVE A TON MORE QUESTIONS HOW DO I GET INVOLVED?
Visit our website www.collageofchivelry.co.uk or contact us on Facebook or twitter and we will be glad to answer any of your questions!