What we do
Who are the Medieval Combat Society
The society is run by the members for the members who have fun taking part in reenactment shows in the UK and further afield. Members come from all walks of life and enjoy different aspects from living history displays through to fighting with sword, axes and maces, or it may be the archery, dancing or banqueting.
Where to see us
Book the Medieval Combat Society
01
Displays
Archery, combat, dancing, Living history, have-a-go archery, set to a display of living history and medieval tents.
02
Entertaining
More than just a display, we engage with the crowd to have them cheer for their favourite knight or boo the bad.
03
Experience
We practice all the off season and have many years of experience in hundreds of bookings, and tailor each show to its setting.
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Medieval Combat Society
(opens in a new tab)The Medieval Combat Society (MCS) is a 14th Century Re-enactment Group, active since the 1970's. Welcome to the Medieval Combat Society Facebook page.
4 November 1360 Elizabeth de Clare, the 11th Lady of Clare and one of the wealthiest heiresses in England and Wales, passed away. Her immense wealth and lands—spanning across East Anglia, Suffolk, and the Lordship of Usk in Wales—were officially inherited by her granddaughter, Elizabeth de Burgh (Countess of Ulster). This massive territorial shift directly transferred her estates into the hands of the Crown via her granddaughter’s husband, Lionel of Antwerp (Edward III’s second surviving son).www.themcs.org/costume/14th%20century%20Female%20Clothing.htm
4 November 1369 Sir Robert Ufford, the 1st Earl of Suffolk and one of King Edward III’s closest lifelong friends and military commanders, passed away. Ufford had fought brilliantly alongside the King at the Battle of Crécy and the Battle of Poitiers. His passing marked a period of immense personal mourning for the aging king, compounding a historic nationwide agrarian crisis triggered by catastrophic autumn rains and a third wave of the Black Death.www.themcs.org/armour/14th%20century%20armour.htm
3 November 1345 In a complex property and criminal dispute handled alongside an Inquisition post mortem in Somerset, the Crown's escheators cataloged an array of seized weapons from a local manor riot. Among the weapons assessed was a highly polished, custom-smithed falchion (a curved, single-edged sword) which the jury appraised at a premium deodand value of 3 shillings and 4 pence (40 pence).In 14th-century English legal practice, any animal, instrument, or weapon that directly caused a human death was classified as a deodand (from the Latin deo dandum, meaning "to be given to God"). When a homicide, suicide, or fatal accident occurred, the local coroner and an impaneled jury were legally required to appraise the exact monetary value of the offending object. This specialized subset of murder-weapon deodands was known in Middle English as a bane (meaning "destroyer"). Because it was impractical to hand over actual physical items like blood-stained blades, large carts, or millstones, the owner (or the township if the killer fled) was forced to pay the assessed cash value directly to the Crown to be distributed as charity or royal alms.While luxury swords could cost barons and kings immense fortunes (upwards of several pounds), the localized coroners' juries deliberately kept weapon valuations modest. If an accidental death or suicide occurred within a household, or if a town failed to capture a fleeing murderer, the community or family had to pay the deodand fee.To prevent complete financial ruin of local families, juries routinely undervalued items, recording a weapon's raw scrap-metal weight value rather than its actual market replacement cost.Analyzing the 14th-century coroners' rolls reveals clear patterns in how these weapon values reflected the social status, economy, and everyday life of the era:1. The Everyday Knife (Thwytel or Anelace)By far the most common weapon appearing in 14th-century homicide and suicide records was the basic domestic knife, often termed a thwytel (the ancestor of the utility knife).The Value: These were consistently appraised by juries at a standard 1 penny (1d.).The Case Study: At an inquest in York in 1366 investigating the murder of John Barett, the jury officially recorded that the killer used a basic thwytel valued at precisely 1d. Because everyone carried these knives as daily tools for eating and woodwork, they were cheap, utilitarian iron objects.2. DaggersDaggers occupied a middle tier. Unlike utilitarian pocket knives, daggers were purpose-built for personal defense and fighting, making them slightly higher in status and material value.The Value: Juries generally valued everyday daggers anywhere from 2 pence (2d.) to 6 pence (6d.).Context: To put this into perspective, a common longbow archer in the early stages of the Hundred Years' War earned roughly 3d. a day. Paying 6d. for a forfeited dagger represented two days of military wages.3. SwordsSwords were far less common in coroners' reports because they carried immense prestige. Juries rarely encountered them among the lower classes.The Value: A baseline, low-quality or old arming sword used in an urban brawl was typically valued by juries between 1 shilling to 3 shillings (12d. to 36d.).The Weapon Bundles: Coroner records often grouped equipment together when a brawler was fully armed. For example, one 14th-century coroner roll valued a deceased man's entire personal arsenal—consisting of a protective aketon (padded jacket), a sword, and a buckler shield—at a total of 3 shillings and 6 pence (42d.).Jason Kingsley looks at the knights swordwww.youtube.com/watch?v=TmDRQgn_wNswww.themcs.org/armour/14th%20century%20armour.htm
Our next training session will be this coming Sunday November 8th 12-6pm.If you are looking for something new for yourself, family or friends please pop along.Blunsdon village hall
3 November 1383 (The Royal Licence to Crenellate Hever Castle) Two years after the chaos of the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, John de Cobham of Devonshire decided the estate required true defensive fortifications. In 1383 (under Edward III’s grandson, King Richard II), the Crown granted a formal Licence to Crenellate Hever castle. This executive order legally authorized Cobham to construct the protective moat, battlements, and heavy fortifications, officially transforming the domestic farmhouse into a true medieval castle.The gatehouse described in visitor guides and tourism literature as the "oldest working original portcullis in England" (or even Europe). Hever Castle’s oldest structural stone components of the gatehouse walls date back to around 1270. The heavy, functional timber-and-iron portcullis inside it dates back to the 14th century, heavily reinforced during the 1383 fortification campaign. The curators and engineers at the Tower of London have documented a massive timber portcullis located in situ within the fortress walls that has parts dating continuously from the 13th century (alongside later 16th and 17th-century updates). Operated by a heavy windlass gear mechanism, it is considered by structural historians to be the primary contender for the oldest working original portcullis in Europe and the world.Kevin Hicks explores Hever castle www.youtube.com/watch?v=4io2cKtPSJUthemcs.org/events/