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Banquet Subtlety

Banquet

A sumptuous feast…the Abbey Medieval Banquet

Not so Subtle is the banquet Subtlety

In the Middle Ages, a medieval banquet was a feast of epic proportions. The tables were laden with sumptuous and multitudinous dishes, an expression of a nobles wealth on display for all his guests to see.  Every day foods like pies, fruit and stews were accompanied by magnificent animals and birds such as peacock, geese and swans kept for such occasions.

A highlight at any medieval banquet was the presentation of a special sugar sculpture known as sotiltees (or subtleties).  Nobles would compete to have their cook create wonderful sculptures in all sorts of curious forms – castles, ships, animals, birds or scenes from ancient tales. The more spectacular and unexpected the sculpture was the better!  Another form of subtlety more common on the Continent was the ‘entremet’. This was traditionally an elaborate form of entertainment dish and included acted performances. You may recall the nursery rhyme “four and twenty blackbirds, baked in a pie” this was a form of “entremets”.

Abbey Medieval Banquet…food, more food and fun!

At the Abbey Medieval banquet, not only will guests dine on a variety of delicious medieval food and drink, they will also be richly entertained with music from Musica Prima, dance from Shuvani gypsies and other medieval mischief.  Phoenix Entertainment will present a fire display based around the story of St George and the Dragon.  Stories of dragons abound in the Middle Ages, they were often called ‘draco’ and portrayed fierce flying fire-breathing reptiles.  Definitely not trainable… well that is not until the advent of the modern movies!

The dragon theme will be seen throughout the banquet so keep your eyes pealed for our very own fire breathing, but very tame dragon subtlety.

There are still a small number of tickets available for this year’s medieval banquets. Check out our menu , it’s sure to make your mouth water!

Purchase your  banquet tickets now and join in this unique experience of medieval fun and festivities.

 

 

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To Joust another day…

joust

To Joust Another Day…

The trumpets blare and the crowds roar as mounted knights make their way into the arena.  Their armour glints as it is caught by the winter sun and their banners flap in the breeze announcing the colours and heraldry of each rider.

Then, the pageantry and ceremony over,  the knights prepare themselves and their trusty steeds for the first joust of the Abbey Medieval Festival 2017.

The first two knights enter the arena and present themselves to the crowd.

The air is charged with excitement and anticipation, the cry goes up from the herald and the thundering horse charge down the centre list with knight, lances extended before them staring determinately towards their opponent.

 

How does the point system work?

When two knights joust each other, it’s called a “pass”.  At the Abbey joust each knight will generally do three (3) passes against each opponent and the points they score will accumulate over the weekend. At this year’s Abbey Medieval Festival joust there will be ten (10) knights jousting for honour. So there will be plenty of action for visitors to see. The Abbey joust works in a round robin-so every knight has the same chance, and gets the opportunity to joust against all their fellow knights!

So we all want to know – what can a knight hit with their lance to score points?

The shield!!!         Yes!! Best option!

The head?              Nooooo (not at the Abbey joust!)

The torso?              Yes!!!! Second best option-the armour is there for a reason!

Below the belt?   No no no!!

The horse??          Never!!! Knights would rather injure themselves than hurt a horse!

 

Scoring points:

1 point for a touch – the lance hits the target area but didn’t break-marshals will often check the tips of such lances to see if they have deformed or carry paint marks from the shield.

2 points for a break – one piece has broken off the lance.

And every jousters favourite…

3 points for a shatter! The lance has broken into two or more pieces! Stuff flies everywhere and the audience roars!!!

So, what about knocking a knight off their horse? Well, at the Abbey joust- knights don’t really get extra points for that.. as you would imagine it can be quite dangerous and of course we want our knights to joust another day.

On some occasions, you see true chivalry and knightly virtue in action. One knight might offer their opponent a “mercy pass”, this is where a knight will ride down the list (that’s the area where the joust takes place) without their lance and presenting their shield clearly to their opponent… now that is what we call brave!

In addition to an afternoon devoted to jousting at the Friday joust tourney on  7th July, at the Abbey Medieval Festival there will be four jousts on Saturday and four on Sunday at 10.45 am, 12:15 pm, 1:45 pm and 3:15 pm.  Ensure you get to see this sport of kings and purchase your tickets on line or at the Festival.

 

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What happens on jousting-tour, stays on jousting-tour!

A Jousting tale from Ulrich

Jousting Can be Such a Drag!

Many people know the name Ulrich von Liechtenstein from Heath Ledger’s portrayal of a character adopting that name in the 2001 movie A Knight’s Tale. The story of the real Ulrich von Liechtenstein is much more dramatic and bizarre than the Hollywood version. The real Ulrich was born probably in the year 1200 in Styria, Austria, roughly about 150 years before the movie A Knight’s Tale is set.  As in the movie the real Ulrich was a champion jouster and unlike the movie he is actually an accomplished poet.

He appears several times in surviving historical records; his knighting in 1222, the marriage of his son Ulrich II from 1250, his appointment as a judge in 1272 and his death on 26th January, 1275 are all recorded.  However our best details for Ulrich’s life come from his own pen in the form of his two epic semi-autobiographical tales about jousting. The first of these books, The Frauendienst (Service of the Lady), relates the story of his jousting tour from Venice to Vienna to win the love of a high born noblewoman in 10 000 lines of verse and 28 songs!  During this five week  roving challenge, sometimes jousting against as many as eight opponents in a day, he tells us that he broke 301 lances on his opponents and in turn had 271 broken on him. All of these jousts were run with sharp lances and Ulrich was not defeated or unhorsed once.A Jousting Knight HeathLedger

A knight worthy of a tale!

All of this would have been pretty noteworthy in its own right except that he did it dressed as a woman!  In order to honour all woman as well as his beloved Ulrich decided he would undertake the whole venture disguised as the Goddess Venus! All of his preparations were made in secret and challenges were proclaimed along the route in advance. On the appointed days Ulrich/Venus would appear on a white horse, with white saddlery, a white silken dress, long pearl entwined plats appearing below a face concealing veil and  attended by squires, heralds and musicians all in dressed in white and upon white horses. When a joust was imminent Venus would prepare in private and appear with a white silken gown worn over armour and topped by mirror polished great helm, which was complete with the platted tresses hanging out the bottom!

Giving the finger….literally!

In his often very funny tale he encounters many knights to fight, including one dressed as a monk complete with a tonsured wig on his helmet, numerous noble ladies to admire him and throughout insists that his disguise was not seen through once!  In one episode,  after his hand is injured in a joust his beloved sends him a message that she had heard he had lost a finger fighting for her and then later heard that it was “merely” injured.  Ulrich cut off the offending finger and sent it to her!

Years later with a group of companions, this time disguised as King Arthur and his knights, they travel from tournament to tournament, all to honour Ulrich’s new beloved, who like the first was not his wife!  When not jousting, fighting in tournaments and choosing costumes Ulrich played an active role in the tempestuous politics of his age. As well as recording his adventures as King Arthur and Lady Venus he penned poems, songs and a work lamenting the decline of chivalry and courtly love. He is considered one of the greatest Minnesänger poet knights.

Oh……after all that he didn’t get the girl.

 

So if you would like to discuss the escpades of our noble jousters, you will have a wonderful opportunity next month.  So,  book your tickets for the Friday Joust Tourney or the individual jousts over the weekend.

 

 

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Abbey Museum Shoppe

Abbey Museum Shoppe at the festival

Where at the Abbey Medieval Festival can you find mini trebuchets?  How about  beautiful Turkish decorated ceramics or medieval games?  Authentic medieval jewellery, scarves, figurines, carved wooden boxes, small silver jewellery caskets and a myriad of other enticing items?  All at the Abbey Museum Shoppe of course!

 

Museum shoppe

Grab a mini Trebuchet, or a medieval game as you leave the Abbey Medieval Festival 2017.

 

Gifts for all ages and all budgets

Bring your gold coins and other forms of cash (no credit or plastic cards) to purchase from the tempting array of goods that you just won’t be able to decide from.  A gift for a special Lady? We have a variety of items to choose from to suit any budget.

Medieval Souvenirs

Don’t forget a souvenir of your day at the festival – check our samples!  There is sure to be one to suit.  Model soldiers for the student – we have a number of different sets available.  Large models of medieval war engines for the DIY enthusiast – plenty to choose from.  How about a Roman or Egyptian mouse mat – learn your hieroglyphics as you click on your computer!  Have you tried the ball and cup game, a fiendishly difficult medieval toy that will keep the younger ones amused for hours and test the older folk as well.  Bu, by  far our best sellers are pencil sharpeners modelled on the trebuchet; they really work as we are happy to demonstrate for you – I suggest you get yours before they sell out.

There are two specialised stalls as well; one selling medieval hats for all ages and one selling children’s dress-up costumes including swords and shields.  Also, be sure to visit the Abbey Shoppe in the Medieval Market Place which specialises in medieval games, jewellery and other  medieval items for the discerning shopper.

Do make sure you include a visit to the Abbey Museum Shoppe while you are enjoying the wonderful sights, sounds and activities at the Festival – you will be amazed at the range of items we have for you to choose from!

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St. Edith’s Village

 

Walking to battle

 

St. Edith’s Village

This is a a brand new encampment area planned  for the 2017  festival, so we are very excited to bring you St. Edith’s Village – an encampment that depicts a 12-13 century crusader era village from differing geo-locations.  So while it does not depict a village from any one country, it is a generic representation of what a typical crusader era township might have been.  The village includes a chapel, market-place complete with pilgrim shrine and artisan shops, horse stables and more.  The groups found within St. Edith’s Village are:

  • Knights Templar
  • Oltramar
  • Conroi
  • Blackwolf
  • Order of the Horse (Saracens) – This group brings together the past and present and will be participating in the joust arena, along with each of the other groups in St. Edith’s Village,.  The Saracens pre-joust show called ‘Steeds and Steel’ will take place on both Saturday and Sunday  at the 1.45.  The performance will showcase medieval equestrian skill, including horse sword-fighting, and involves practice for war, as it might have been.  And in the spirit of all things experiential, the hall-mark of the Abbey Medieval Festival,  the audience is encouraged to imagine that the joust arena is a real-live courtyard in Chateau Pelerin, South of Haifa, in the Holy Land.

People are getting ready for a pilgrimage, horses are active, worry and excitement is in the air.

This twenty minute performance is your window back in time, to imagine your participation in this pilgrimage, as you see appropriate.

  • Companie of Knights Bachelor
  • Wayward – a most excellent medieval musical group with Hurdy Gurdy, Lute, and Rebec – Never heard of these instruments? – You know where to come then!
  • Order of the Golden Wheel – this is a Persian group of musicians and poets that will perform during the day in the Knights Templar marquee
  • Companie of Northumbria – Artisans including a shoemaker, stained glass maker and more.
  • If you have ever admired and found yourself mesmerised by the  hauntingly eerie sound of a group singing in Latin – that’s Gregorian Chanting.  You have to experience the  Schola Cantorium Latin prayers .  It might be as old as the hills, but somehow this  ‘Earworm’  gets into our heads and we find ourselves drawn to it.  Don’t miss it!
  • Stroll along St. Edith’s Village and you may find yourself gazing into the forlorn eyes of a poor soul locked in the stocks, hands and head bound within one of the most renowned medieval punishments.
  • Or perhaps a little bit of medieval surgery will be more to your taste – you might even help to hold the saws and knives!

St. Edith’s village will not disappoint –  don’t miss it!

 

 

 

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Sponsor Blog: Kids making the most of Abbey Medieval Festival

kids

Enjoying a great day at the Abbey Medieval Festival!

 

A blog by Brisbane Kids: Brisbane Kids

 

Lords and ladies, knights and bishops, merchants and minstrels – the 2017 Abbey Medieval Festival will be opening its gates to the Castle Arena once again this year to transport you all back through history to the Middle Ages. Proudly sponsored by Brisbane Kids, the Abbey Medieval Festival in Moreton Bay Region is a truly unique experience for all. With archery, jousting, medieval dancing, banquets plus much more, the festival has plenty of fun medieval activities and experiences that will be enjoyed by adults and kids alike. For families with young squires and fair maidens, there will be a Kids Dig It! Medieval Family Fun Week prior to the main festival to help you get into the medieval spirit early. So, don your finest medieval armour, gowns, tunics and cloaks and get ready to see the medieval era come back to life this June and July!

We’ve also scribed some of the fantastic medieval experiences and festival details you need to know about below to help you make the most of your kids’ Abbey experience!

The Kids Dig It! Medieval Family Fun Week

The Kids Dig It! Medieval Family Fun Week is the ideal way for kids to get into the medieval spirit early. From June 26 – June 30 2017, the Abbey Museum will have a whole range of fun activities on offer for your young ones to partake in. From 10am – 3pm (gates open at 9:30am), the kids can go on an archaeology dig to search for medieval treasure, create a stained-glass window or a medieval castle, practice their archery or give mask decorating and manuscript writing a try!

For the bigger kids, the Archery Skirmish is a highlight of the week and will be happening on Wednesday 28 June. For an extra $10, this is a great activity for kids 12 years and older.

Look the part!

You can make your kids Abbey experience feel even more authentic by dressing them up in their finest medieval attire each day. Got a historically accurate costume that you’ve been dying to show off? Why not enter into the Costume Competition and go into the draw to win a prize.

If your little ones don’t have shining armour or a medieval tunic and cloak to wear, don’t worry! Medieval dress ups will be taking place at the event each day until 3pm. For $2 the kids can also make themselves a crown or princess hat so they can wander around feeling like a prince or princess for the remainder of the day. If they’d prefer to carry a shield around the grounds instead, take them to along to the event so they can have a go at painting their very own knightly shield for just $4!

Your Kids’ Abbey Medieval Festival Itinerary Sorted

Not sure where to take the kids first? With so many shows and activities to choose from during the Abbey Medieval Festival, we thought we’d help make things easier by giving you a general itinerary guide to help your kids have the most memorable Abbey experience.

Begin both days by taking the kids to the Castle Arena for the Grande Parade which starts at 9:30am. Full of exciting and colourful performances, watching this parade should definitely be on the top of your kids must-do list!

Let the kids spend the remainder of each morning learning how to Medieval dance or do Fingerloop braiding, take them along to participate in Vikings Games, or relax by watching the Birds of Prey and Abbey Medieval Festival House Troupe shows. From midday onwards make sure the kids are at the Joust Arena so they can watch the amazing jousting performances – it is certainly the best place to be and watching the jousting will likely be the highlight of their day!

In the afternoon try some delicious medieval-themed food or visit the Abbey Café with the kids for some afternoon tea to help them re-energise before they finish their day off at Abbey Medieval Festival with some archery.

And this year for tweens and teens, don’t overlook the Archery Skirmish – a definite to get them off the couches and away for their screens.

For more itinerary suggestions and activity times, click here.

Looking for more kid friendly activities in June and July?

Head over to the Brisbane Kids website for your official guide to child-friendly activities in Brisbane.

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Sponsor Blog North harbour – medieval to modern living

North Harbour living

Medieval Cities

Living in the medieval ages, it’s fair to say that the role of the rich, powerful and godly was, unfortunately somewhat egotistical.  Little thought or care was given when the peasants or serfs were involved. This is not only reflected in the literature of the time but even in the way the cities were constructed and planned, or more accurately unplanned.  We have come a long way from thatched rooves and dirt floors.

Most medieval cities were created through impromptu building decisions made on the resources available. Cobbled streets twisted through narrow walkways creating a maze of backstreets filled with the poorest of the poor.

Anyone who has been to European medieval cities will understand the real threat of ending up trapped in the inexplicably tight alley with no room for a u-turn.  The walls covered in strange lines that you eventually realise are the thin strips of rental car paint from now folded inside mirrors.

These tourist traps came about for many reasons – one being only certain areas of medieval cities were planned – predominantly the homes of the aristocrats, clergy or royalty. The other aspect of medieval cities that were not haphazardly thrown together were, of course, the defences – moats, walls, battlements and even the classic spike pit were all planned out.  Another reason that many of these tightly packed streets exist is because cities were not planned for the people; they were created to meet the needs of the people in charge and nothing more. The third and most powerful reason is medieval peasants, building their homes, didn’t care that one day you and your steel dragon wouldn’t fit.

The ideals of city planning, among many other things began to change during the renaissance, becoming more comprehensively inclusive to not only the powerful but also the people.

Renaissance living and city building

Many of the great minds of the renaissance envisaged cities designed from scratch with purpose, sewage, water and ventilation.  Leonardo Da Vinci – one of the great minds of the renaissance, designed cities with specific pathways for people, local marketplaces to reduce travel time and designated freight routes to ease congestion.  Although many of these ideas were not implemented they were the first step towards contemporary town planning and residential standards.

The importance of these ideals was most duly noted on September 2nd, 1666 during the Great Fire of London. The medieval city was a sprawling network of inter-joining alleyways, tightly packed hovels and limited drainage and water sources.  These elements strung together to create one of the biggest metropolitan disasters in the last 500 years.  The fire started on Pudding Lane in a local bakery and from there got very out of hand.

An estimated 70,000 homes were engulfed in flames over the 3 days the fire raged. Firefighters could do nothing to stop the spread as wooden shacks built practically on top of each other created the biggest bonfire the city had ever seen.  The fire was eventually brought under control through the use of black powder, with the Tower of London Guards demolishing entire blocks to create fire breaks.  Not a strategy that many (or any) modern cities would use today.

Living in Australia today

Australian cities were built much later than those in European countries and benefitted from the hindsight of their structural disasters. Because of this knowledge, the importance of town planning had become clear to the Australian leaders and builders.  As society grew, so did the demand for curated suburbs with many aspects being at the forefront of planners minds including  – local amenities, shopping, education centres and entertainment venues.

These responsibilities to society have been adopted both within the government and private sector. For example, our sponsor, North Harbour doesn’t simply build homes but rather understand its ethical obligations to society to create high standards of community living. The creation of communities rather than just homes is what separates contemporary city planning from that of the medieval ages. Homes are built with access to amenities, schools, playing fields and entertainment hubs in order to provide people with the tools they need to live life to the fullest.

The role organisations like North Harbour play in creating an ideal living for not just one family, but an entire community are the building blocks of contemporary city development.

North Harbour is a new development in Burpengary East. North Harbour has a special history and contains the heritage listed “Moray Fields” homestead site, which was the first European settlement in the area and dates from 1861. These remains contain significant areas of cultural heritage, which are proposed to become a publicly accessible interpretive centre. The Abbey Museum is working in partnership with North Harbour to facilitate the creation of this centre.
In return, we are very pleased to welcome North Harbour as a major sponsor of The Abbey Medieval Festival.

To learn more about land for sale at North Harbour please visit www.northharbour.com.au.

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Sponsor Post: North Harbour – Communication from Criers to Fibre Optics

North Harbour communication

In our lifetime, telecommunications have progressed exponentially from indestructible brick-like devices to smart phones that can translate languages. Worldwide nearly 900 million people cannot read or write – but that was normal in the Middle Ages when communication was for the most part oral with only the wealthy aristocrats and nobles taught to read and write. It’s very easy to take for granted the communication tools today such as online cloud storage that seems like magic, but North Harbour makes life easy with fibre optic broadband connectivity for every neighbour.

Hear ye, hear ye!

For the average person to send a message in the Middle Ages, a scribe had to be involved to write the message and more than likely was required on the receiving end in order to read it for the recipient. Written letters were considered formal correspondence mostly between the wealthy, especially taking into account the need for an expensive courier to travel great distances on some occasions. Because of this, town criers became a primary means of communication for public announcements. They often dressed elaborately and used bells to attract attention as they announced royal decrees, local bylaws, market days and adverts. Many say this is where the expression “don’t shoot the messenger” came from as they often delivered bad news on behalf of the monarch and thus required protection. The position of town crier even persisted into the early 19th century, and in some areas criers are still around although only with ceremonially purposes.

Pigeon Post

At the time of the crusades, messenger pigeons became a means of communication that medieval Europe likely adopted from the East considering they were known to be used as far back as ancient Egypt. During the Middle Ages, they were the fastest method of long-distance communication all the way until Samuel Morse invented the telegraph in 1844. However, the use of homing pigeons continues to this day.

Digital Age

These days communication has evolved drastically. 1996 saw the introduction of the World Wide Web that revolutionised communication and kick-started e-commerce. From there it didn’t take long for the world to become what it is today with instant messaging, social media and sites such as reddit becoming a hub for information.

Now fibre optic broadband is the next must-have and is rapidly growing in coverage thanks to the speeds at which it can provide internet access. This is thanks to the use of plastic or glass tubes rather than the traditional copper wiring used in standard broadband connections. While landlines and mobile phones send information through wires and radio waves respectively, fibre optics sends information coded in a beam of light down these glass or plastic pipes.

North Harbour provides the fastest fibre optic broadband in Australia, capable of speeds up to 100mb per second so there is no connection delay. These high speeds allow residents to tackle work with ease or relax with their smart TV completely buffer-free. Free Wi-Fi is also available in the first of two village parks for those that want to stay connected. North Harbour boasts a vibrant village atmosphere with an emphasis on lifestyle to ensure that all those little things in life are made easy especially connectivity.

 

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Sponsor Post: North Harbour – To market, to market

 

North Harbour marketWho doesn’t love a market stall?  The Abbey Medieval Festival is host to a myriad of stores selling medieval wares from all around South East Queensland. Peddlers travel from far and wide via many forms of transport across dangerous countryside littered with bandits and wild wolves.  (Well, not so much the latter,  but that’s the benefit of progress!)

And what progress it has been! The Abbey Medieval Festival is a recreation of the hubble and bubble of medieval life right down to the food vendors and stalls. Many of the amazing rustic wares we see at the festival are sourced locally and created with rustic techniques and ingredients. However, chances are the rustic meal you’re looking forward to was, to some extent, sourced from a grocery or department store.

Roll into town

While contemporary medieval merchants and vendors have the luxury of local shops, their ancient market-counterparts were less lucky.  Medieval towns and cities did have some of their own shops and stalls but the real shopping was done when the merchants rolled into town – literally rolled with wagons.  Merchants would travel the land searching for wares they could sell for a profit – trading spices for silks and chickens for apples. Their wares were limited to their ability to carry them across dangerous countryside littered with bandits and wild wolves – this time it’s for real!  Some medieval merchants had such a dangerous jobs they would hire mercenaries to protect their wares and wagons, to ensure they arrived safely to market.

That was only half the battle if the merchants made it into your local town you had to have something worth trading. Currency, although in circulation through most of Europe during the medieval ages, was not widely available to serfs or peasants. These groups used a barter system to purchase wares. For example, two chickens for half a goat – bargain!

Now as we all know the world has gotten a lot ‘smaller’ since the medieval ages and the chances of you having to go 4 hours to the closest shops are a lot slimmer.

No need to travel great distances for your wares

Within all new high quality housing developments, the growth of localised shopping facilities and services is important and instrumental in creating high standards of living. Localised communities such as North Harbour provide residents with more opportunities to access local market products than ever before.

North Harbour residents have access to shops and local small businesses including bakeries hairdressers, cafes and grocery stores right at their front doors and thankfully no need to bring any chickens to barter with. The growth of local shops is not the only thing contemporary living has to offer but the growth of the shopping centre revolutionised the weekly shop. North Harbour is 10-15 minutes away from a few of the Moreton Bay Regions biggest shopping centres and just 5 minutes from the revamped Burpengary Plaza.

 

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Sponsor Post: North Harbour and the Healthy habits of knights

North Harbour helps you stay healthy

Healthy habits of olden days

As winter approaches, are you finding it difficulty to keep healthy?

With the cooling weather, the countdown to Abbey Medieval Festival is drawing nearer and nearer. By now the jousters and re-enactors are deep in their training in order to be able to wear armour and hold lances in their battles for glory. The members of the Abbey Medieval House Troupe are preparing their abundance of costumes including a plague doctor, along with staged scenes, storytelling and short cycle plays. But the rapidly approaching festival also provides a chance to appreciate just how far society has come since the middle ages. Technology has undeniably made life more convenient but exercise and diet were a demanding priority to the knights of old, and their lives depended on staying fit and healthy.

While often presented as chivalrous and benign, the knights of the middle ages were one of the fiercest fighting cultures of all time. As imagined, medieval peasants did not need to work out as they were engaged in farming and trades while those of higher social class trained by riding, hunting wrestling and even lifting large stones. Knights were the premier fighters of their time having been trained since they were boys and constantly testing themselves in full armour – especially at tournaments. There are no books to accurately explain how knights kept fit and although the training regimes were vastly different, the premise of the training is the same between the fighters of the Middle Ages and today – to stay in peak physical and mental condition. Since general survival is not as demanding, people today are fortunate that exercise is recreational and in a lot of cases are purely aesthetical and for stress relief.

Keeping healthy at North Harbour

Although there is plenty of room for it in the heart of the Northern corridor, jousting is unfortunately not a viable exercise option at North Harbour. However, the featured open spaces of North Harbour which add up to 1000 acres, serve as suitable areas to train. This huge area includes parkland, children’s playgrounds and exercise equipment amongst the proposed six parks (one is already open with another to be opened later this year). Extensive cycling and walking tracks will also be available to utilize for residents to keep up their cardio regime.

Furthermore, plans to build a sports complex with fields for various sports are currently underway. In the meantime, the Narangba Sporting Complex is ten minutes away and the Caboolture Aquatic Centre is only five minutes away. For water lovers, various canoe platforms are proposed in the area as well as a boat ramp within a ten-minute drive. The vision is for North Harbour to become one of the most vibrant recreational marina hubs nationwide and a new marina village is in development to become the social hub of North Harbour boasting world-class facilities as well as shopping centres, public spaces, cafes and much more (subject to government approval). North Harbour offers potential residents a place to feel right at home and over the next fifteen years it will become a social (and physical) hotspot in the Moreton Bay Region.

by MBRIT

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Jouster Blog Series – Lady Eliza Jane

Jouster

 

Name:  Elizabeth Jennings riding as Lady Eliza-Jane

 

Heraldry:   Lady Eliza-Jane’s heraldry is made up of three red poppies to pay tribute to the past, present and future Veterans of War.  The red poppies are  positioned above the “black dog” in the centre of the shield which is representative of depression and/or PTSD.

Jouster

Did you know?  Lady Eliza Jane is new to the world of Medieval Jousting, marking the 2017 Abbey Medieval Festival as her first major tournament. Lady Eliza-Jane is an active member of the Order of the Gryphon led by Sir Luke Binks and trains primarily under the watchful eye of Sir Anthony Hodges. Spending most of her life with horses, Lady Eliza-Jane’s love of horseback adventure begun in the Tasmanian High Country alongside skilled mountain cattleman. She has a diverse background in competitive equestrian pursuits including dressage, showing, eventing, mustering, polocrosse, side-saddle and in 2015 representing the Queensland Mounted Infantry Historical Troop in New Zealand for an Anzac Tent-Pegging Challenge.

 

And there’s more:   Lady Eliza-Jane owns and operates Redgum Walers Equine Facilitated Learning Centre in Calvert Queensland.  Here she  she continues her family tradition of breeding, training and competing Waler horses.  And in addition to horsemanship, team building and empowerment workshops, Lady Eliza-Jane provides  equine therapy based programs to individuals including foster children and veterans suffering from PTSD.

With every hard hit received from a lance, Lady Eliza-Jane will be reminding herself it is just another hit to the “black dog”.

 

To see Lady Eliza-Jane jousting  at the Abbey Medieval Festival 2017, along with our other amazing jousters, book your tickets here.

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Sponsor Blog: ERMS Group taking care of your safety

A Perilous Period for Personal Safety Part 3/3

ERMS Group is taking care of the 2017 Abbey Medieval FestivalBy Leslie Zeder

Hygiene and personal care: surprising Information on Medieval Period

The widely-held belief that cleanliness and hygiene was of no concern to medieval people is not quite true.

Though unsanitary living conditions contributing to disease often originated from lack of plumbing which meant human waste was discarded outside, not too far from one’s home and waste deposited in open street sewers was removed and often dumped into the nearest river (if it was removed at all), personal hygiene was not entirely neglected.

The Roman practice of communal bathing continued into the Medieval Period, along with personal hygiene practices such as cleaning one’s hands and face.

Despite bathing not being as frequently practiced as it is today, Vikings did bathe once a week and most German villages and towns featured communal baths frequented by craftsmen. By the 13th century Paris was home to over 32 bathhouses and Southwark, London was equipped with 18 hot baths!

Fire Safety Information on Medieval Period

Did you know the origins of our modern building codes can be traced back to the Medieval Period?

After the extinguishing of the 2nd Great Fire of London (aka the Great Fire of Suthwark), Mayor Henry Fitz-Ailwin banned thatched roofs. Yet, as timber framing remained popular in construction and city populations grew, housing storeys continued to pile upwards. By the end of the period timber houses overhung tight streets, leading to the 1666 Great Fire of London, an inferno which ravaged 80% of the city 3 decades after the Suthwark blaze. The tragedy prompted the instigation of the London Building Act of 1667 which prescribed using stone in housing construction as a fire-safety precaution in an attempt to curb the chance of another devastating blaze scourging the city.

These new medieval building regulations produced a raft of laws, such as distinguishing between commercial, industrial and residential zones, which to this day remain inherent to our cities. 

How Times have Changed…

Fast forward to the 21st Century and safety is a key watch-word of our times. The Abbey Medieval Festival 2017 brings all the rollicking action and mayhem of the Middle Ages to the modern era with great authenticity, save for one aspect – the lack of safety.

Today, care of public and personal safety is considered enormously important in all aspects of daily living.

Luckily for us modern day festival-goers, ERMS Group have been taking care of our safety on the Abbey site since 2005. Event operations are their forte, so you and your family can enjoy peace of mind when immersing yourselves into the medieval spirit and festival excitement of this unique event.

 

Want to read more?

Click the links below to read parts 1 and 2 on safety in medieval times and see how well we are taken care of at the Abbey Medieval Festival.

ERMS Group – Blog 1/3

ERMS Group – Blog 2/3

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Sponsor Blog: ERMS Group managing health and safety at our festival

A Perilous Period for Personal Safety Part 2/3

ERMS Group keeping managing health and safety

by Leslie Zeder

#5 Childbirth & Life Expectancy –

Safety during childbirth was very perilous during the Medieval Period. What we would now class as risky or unsafe birthing, in medieval times people simply didn’t know and a difficult labour could last several days. Some expectant mothers eventually succumbed to exhaustion, dying during the ordeal. Attempting to birth a baby in breech position often proved fatal to both the infant and mother-to-be. 

When a new mother did survive labour, she still risked a distinct chance of dying from various postnatal infections and complications. 

Infant mortality rates were very high as the immune system was still becoming accustomed to the threats of its disease-riddled environment.  About 20% of would-be mothers and 5% of babies died during childbirth, with an additional 10% to 12% dying during the first month according to statistics information on Medieval Period mother and infant mortality rates.

By the 2nd half of the 14th century, peasants were living 5 to 7 years longer than in the 50 years previous. However, average life expectancy for English ducal families between 1330 and 1479 was usually just 33 years of age for women and 24 for men. Laypeople in late 1420s Florence, Italy, could expect to make it to just 29.5 years (women) and 28.5 years (men)!

However, if a 13th-Century person made it to 30 they had a good chance of making it into their 50s and even 60s.

#6 Violence – and lack of safety

Daily life incurred the omnipresent danger of violence no matter whether you were high born or low born.  Staying safe was a big challenge for both rich and poor alike.

Violence abounded in many forms – from the not uncommon street and tavern brawls, assault, murder, accidental homicide, through to blood feuds, domestic violence, local and regional land disputes, urban unrest, revolts against lords by their vassals, and citizenry uprisings (such as England’s 1381 Peasants’ Revolt), amongst other violent incidents (not to mention warfare violence and larger-scale crusades).

Even trials were not free from violence with combat ordeals often thrust upon the accused to reach a verdict of guilt or innocence.

#7 Heresy

Heaven forbid you disagreed with the Christian Church! Those who held theological or religious opinions/beliefs which didn’t fit the Christian narrative were considered unorthodox – posing a threat to the Christian Church’s stranglehold and a danger to the established status-quo. Any perceived threat to Christendom was ruthlessly dealt with for to deny Christianity was to blaspheme it, and blasphemy was a crime against God.

Heretics/dissenters (Muslims, Jews, Cathar’s, and freethinkers, amongst others) were persecuted and killed, or silenced through threat of death. It was not until the flourishing of humanism during the Renaissance which brought about more temperate conditions in which these voices could begin to be heard. 

#8 Safety while hunting

Hunting was a favoured pastime amongst the aristocracy and royalty of the period, but it came with great risks to personal safety. Accidents such as falls from horseback, friendly fire from arrows, mauling and bear attacks could easily be fatal. 

 

Interested to read more about Safety in Medieval Times? Stay Tuned for Part 3.

Thanks to ERMS Group for their support of the Abbey Medieval Festival 2017.

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Sponsor Blog: ERMS Group – keeping you safe at our festival

A Perilous Period for Personal Safety Part 1/3

ERMS Sponsor keeping people safe

by Leslie Zeder

Unlike the innumerable protocols, laws, rules and regulations and standard practices revolving around ‘safety’ of all kinds which we follow and practice across the globe today, by and large, keeping people safe was of little concern to the people of Medieval Europe and Britain.

On average, a person’s life was lived perpetually on a knife’s edge, regardless of their station and staying safe was not easy. Danger lurked around every corner, risk lay in wait during every waking and sleeping hour, for there was no rest and no reprieve from the many abundant threats and risks which plagued people of these perilous times.  

Information on Medieval Period Threats to Survival, Personal Safety and Health

#1 Famine

Famine was an ever-present risk for peasants. Anything from bad weather to poor harvests could spell disaster for ill-equipped families and even whole populations. Meagre rations could only stretch so far. Malnutrition rendered people more susceptible to disease, and those who did not starve to death often succumbed to the repercussions of famine – the aftermath of tuberculosis, typhoid, sweating sickness, smallpox, dysentery, influenza, mumps and gastrointestinal infection epidemics.

Famine statistics information on Medieval Period points to 15% of European deaths during the early 14th century’s Great Famine.

#2 Staying safe in bad weather

As most medieval people lived rurally, bad weather could kill and poor weather could result in famine. For example, a wet and cold summer could destroy grain crops entirely, and as grain was the period’s main food source, hunger, starvation and disease were all serious and probable eventualities of such a scenario. 

By 1550, there was an expansion of glaciers worldwide as the ice pack grew between the 14th and 16th centuries, bringing with it devastating wetter and colder weather than had ever been experienced by the people of medieval times.

#3 Staying safe during ‘The Plague’ (aka Black Death)

The Plague was one of the biggest killers of the period, arriving in Europe in 1348 it decimated between a third, to half the European population of the 14th and 15th centuries. Caused by bacterium and carried by fleas most often found on rats, the Black Death wiped out thousands – from Italy, France and Germany to Scandinavia, Spain, Russia, England, and Wales, nowhere and no one was safe.

In England, out of every 100 people, about 35 to 40 died from The Plague!

#4 Staying safe while travelling

A warm bed to sleep was often hard to come by for the average person when traveling. In winter, freezing to death was not uncommon, as was the possibility of being robbed, and/or murdered by strangers, or if you were unlucky enough, by fellow travellers.   

Food poisoning caught from unscrupulous inns, monastery or other lodgings was also a possibility, as was becoming unwittingly caught up in regional or local disputes, or even full-blown warfare which could result in injury or prison time (amongst other travel risks).

 

Interested to read more about Safety in Medieval Times? Stay Tuned for Part 2.

Thanks to ERMS Group for their support of the Abbey Medieval Festival 2017.

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Sponsor Blog: Travel with Black & White Cabs

Travel in Medieval Times compared to today

Black & White Cabs LogoMany people wouldn’t think twice about travelling over 50kms for work or for fun things to do on the weekend (like driving from Brisbane CBD to Abbey Museum). But for those in the Middle Ages, travel was an arduous task and only undertaken out of necessity.

So what was it like travelling back then?

It was not unusual for people of all classes to travel in the Middle Ages. The Romans had built a network of roads across their empire, but these were the only roads and by the Middle Ages they were in poor condition and unusable in inclement weather. They were useful for walking – especially for marching soldiers, but the decay of the stone paths made it difficult for wagons pulled by oxen and mules to traverse. Buying these animals was also relatively expensive and it was costly to keep them well fed along with maintaining the carts and wagons too.

How far did people travel?

Because of this even travelling up to 10 kilometres in a day was demanding although on some occasions people were known to have travelled on average 25 kilometres a day and messengers up to 60. However the majority of people at the time were not likely to travel any further than 100 kilometres from their home. With most of the Roman roads being damaged until their eventual repair in the 13th century many messengers and envoys travelled long distances by horse back. Kings travelled frequently as they were required to showcase their power and wealth especially in feudal times they often travelled in order to make their presence known.

Why all the effort?

Aside from royalty and military, most travellers at the time were merchants, messengers, tax collectors and pilgrims. Politics, religion and trade were the main reasons anyone travelled and it was as expensive as it was difficult. Most of the travelling was religious such as pilgrimages and crusades. Along with carts and wagons, saddlebags were commonplace using horses, donkeys or mules to avoid fatigue. Farmers also travelled to markets in the closest villages to sell their products and peasants often undertook pilgrimages to holy places as it was believed praying at these sites meant a greater chance of going to heaven. Nobles often arranged hospitality amongst each other making sure to send messengers to announce their impending arrival while inns became more common for travellers that could afford it.

Grab a lift

Thanks to modern roads and technologies, travelling between locations is more accessible than ever. Travelling to and from Abbey is easy with taxi services like Black & White Cabs to drop you right on the medieval doorstep. Head to their website, app or give the team a call on 133 222 to book your pre and post Abbey Medieval Festival ride.

 

 

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Hans Electrical Services Sponsor Blog: Medieval Ladies and Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships at Hans Electrical Services, Bribie Island

Hans and electrical apprentice Cassie, at Hans Electrical Services, Bribie Island.

Did apprenticeships exist during medieval times?

And if so were apprenticeships they freely available to all?  During times of war and plague all throughout history women have pulled up their socks and kept society trudging along. A common misconception about women’s roles during these times is that they mainly functioned in supportive roles like housekeeping and child rearing – but their roles were more varied than that.

Being a woman in the Middle Ages

Letters, wills, legal documents and consensus records indicate medieval women’s working role mostly focused on domestic needs. Peasant women were expected to take care of housework as well as help with field work and have a general understanding of medicine to care for the children as well. Servanthood was a common means for women to acquire money for their dowries. In the Middle Ages women were generally maids, merchants or engaged in farm work for those living in rural areas. Their main role in society was to take care of their family including noble women having no choice in a marriage that was based on the family gain.

Medieval apprenticeships for women

In any case skilled trade options for women were available but not to the same freedom as men and most jobs involved living situations with their master as was the custom. Most did not place themselves into apprenticeships without the involvement of a relative and the authorization of a male was common. There were at least three levels in the artisan industry consisting of apprentice, journeyman and master and there is little to no evidence of medieval women reaching a master level. Women often worked in haberdasheries and were hat makers, cobblers, tanners and even silk weavers often training under the master’s wife. In fact, most women were able to work with, and sometimes at the same level as their husbands but some cities and towns excluded women from guilds even the widowers that continued their late husband’s trade work.

Changes in medieval society onward…

Historical research shows that women were not the ‘damsels in distress’ of the Middle Ages that many believed often stepping into to fill gaps in the workforce and that continues to today. They provided the core of the workforce in many trades such as clothing and in the late Middle Ages when the Black Death came, women were predominantly the ones to care for people. Researchers argue that the Black Death held women in their social positions while others claim it advantaged women with more job work opportunities and widows prospered bringing fortune into new marriages which established better treatment for them. In times of war, women are often called upon to fill gaps in manual trade in the absence of enlisted men and in most cases were told to leave their jobs when the men returned.

Ladies in Trade

In 21st Century Australia the number of females learning a trade is steadily on the rise. Bribie Island based, Abbey Medieval Festival sponsors, Hans Electrical, are one of many nationwide businesses encouraging today’s youth to forge a career in the various trade industries.

The Hans Electrical wife and husband team of Petra and Hans Krumbholz are proud to have trained and mentored one of many bright and eager, young female Australian tradies who have gone on to become an example to other young women aspiring to pursue trade career goals. 21 year old Cassandra – the ‘2016 Best Electrical Apprentice’ award winner in her year first joined Hans Electrical as a work experience student. Having completed her 4 year apprenticeship, Cassie  now works alongside her mentor Hans with future plans to begin a Master’s degree and travel.

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Volunteering – for your own benefit!

volunteer

Abbey Museum volunteers at The Abbey Medieval Banquet

 

5 ways that volunteering can benefit you!

 

Some people might argue that you dont’ get anything out of volunteering and it’s only for people who have nothing to do!

Well that couldn’t be further from the truth!

Who’s looking for a fun way to add a new layer (yes, like the onion description in  Shrek) to your life, build up resilience and get feel like to you that you really want to feel like.

Get active!  Get alive!   and get that awesome happy Seratonin feeling that you may have been missing for a while for whatever reason.

We have some wonderful volunteers at the Abbey Medieval Festival, some of whom come back to us year after year.  This might explain why!

 

What contributing to your community can do for you!

  • Are you between jobs? – use your time to volunteer and keep your skills up to date.
  • Are you recovering from illness? If you can’t commit to a full time job yet, use your time to volunteer and build up strength and stamina until you are fully fit again
  • Are you new to the area? Consider volunteering to make friends and contacts to help you feel connected with your community
  • Put that  smile on your dial – where it belongs! – There’s nothing like giving to make you feel better
  • Oh and here’s one, if you are fed up on on-line dating……why not give volunteering a go to see if you can meet some ‘real’ people.

 

Volunteering for the  Abbey Medieval Festival is and incredible experience.  It’s not just fun, it’s educational.  Applications are now open – apply here!

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Archery Skirmish! This will get them away from their screens!

Medieval Archery – with a modern twist!

 

archeryArchery has been a tool and skill humans have been using since the Stone Age.  By the Middle Ages it was extremely important for all men to be practiced in archery. This is shown by a Law passed in England in 1252 stating that all men aged between 15 and 60 must have a bow and arrows of their own.  And not only in England, who remembers the story of William Tell!  William Tell

 

While archery may not be the force (pardon the pun) today as it was back then,  what child (big and little) doesn’t want to have a go.   And if I was a betting person I’d wager there may even be  subliminal Physics Class lurking in the background too!     Parents, think of this as hands-on-learning.  Don’t worry, they’ll be safe!

New to this year’s ‘Kids Dig it’ Medieval Family Fun Week.

That is why we are introducing a new element of archery to our ‘Kids Dig It’ Medieval Family Fun Week in 2017.  We are very excited to introduce XFire Games’ Archery Skirmish.  Yes, its Skirmish, but with arrows!!
Archery Skirmish is the latest in XFire Games’ Next Gen sports, lending itself to people who need to “feel” the true sense of a battle.   So in the Spirt of all things experiential, we just had to have it!  Appropriate for children aged from 12 and up, this high-adrenaline sport which helps encourage team work, hand/eye coordination, fitness and achievement is sure to be a winner!  So tell your kids its out with the Sedentary Screen Time and in with the Bows and Arrows!
XFire Games equipment is cutting edge when it comes to Archery Skirmish, the bows are strung to 30 pounds  (no metric when it comes to the laws of Force with archery)  so you know when you’ve been hit.  But, guess what, you wont’ have the bruising like in paintball.  The face masks not only look cool but keep your  face out of reach from those pesky arrows.

And the arrows, with their patent foam patent tip, are able to travel over a 35m distance with precision accuracy… so if you find yourself staring down the stems of an opponent’s arrow, get ready to move quickly!

We know your kids are going to love this event, so book now!

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