Medieval courtly celebration of St Georges day

Knights in shining armour, chivalrous soldiers and even an 8ft tall dragon – all will be joining in the celebrations of St George’s Day at Richmond Castle on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 April as the public are invited to come and watch Medieval Courtly Combat!

“Although the story of St. George as a crusading knight stretches back to the 7th century, it is in the 11th century that stories were first written down about how the knight slayed the dragon,” explains English Heritage’s event manager, Jon Hogan. “During the medieval period, the feast day of St George would have been one of the highlights of the calendar, when work ceased and celebrations started, and it is this celebration that we hope to share with visitors over the weekend!”

At Richmond Castle, visitors will be able to mingle with members of the historical re-enactment group, The Plantagenets, as they prepare for the feast – with plenty of displays and talks by the soldiers and archers from the 12th and 13th centuries. Indeed, visitors will be able to join the archers as they practice from 11.30am, with a have-a-go archery session (a small additional charge applies).

The ladies take over at 12 noon, with demonstrations of their skills with the bow and the etiquette of the hunt – a pastime favoured by kings and queens for many centuries!

Young visitors can find out if they have what it takes to become a knight of the realm at 1.15pm, with a veritable assault course of challenges, from axe, mace and sword training to the ultimate horseback challenge of tilting at the quintain – a kind of target jousting carried out on hobby horses!

From 3.00pm, the adult knights put their own skills into action, with a display of medieval foot combat, in unrehearsed battles where the best man truly will be victorious!

As a final celebration, the Plantagents will recruit actors and actresses young and old from the audience to help them bring to life the famous legend of St George, as he takes on the dragon in mortal combat!

The event runs from 11.30am to 5.00pm, with Richmond Castle itself open from 10.00am to 6.00pm. Admission is £5.50 for adults, £4.50 for concessions and £3.50 for children, or free for English Heritage members. For more details, please contact Richmond Castle on 01748 822493 or visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/richmondcastle

ENDS

Notes to editors: This is the first in a series of events being staged at Richmond Castle this year. Other events include: 29 May - 6 June 2010 Medieval Knight's Trail and dressing up 19-20 June 2010 Heroes & Heroines 31 July - 1 August 2010 Swinging 60s weekend 14-15 August 2010 Medieval falconry and hunting 29-30 August 2010 Soldiers of the Roses

For further media information, a copy of the 2010 English Heritage press pack for Yorkshire, or a free press pass for our events, please contact: Jay Commins PRO – English Heritage Tel: 0113 251 5698 Mob: 07810 546567 Email: jay@fim.org.uk