Historical Authenticity

We aim to give as authentic a view of life in the period being depicted as we can, commensurate with modern health and safety considerations.

Authenticity is always a challenge, since detailed information about the period is always less than ideal. Members of The Society are always active in researching aspects of life in the period to try and ensure that all key elements of our presentation are correct.

Sources of information include:

• Written records - Some "period" illustations may in fact have been created after the event, reflecting style of the authors period rather than of the event depicted.
• Publications - many publications have their own quirks depending on the original intended audience. Many are too generic in their coverage - distinctions between the lower and ruling class are not normally detailed , and it is generally the case that most examples shown are from the higher social orders, as these tend to be more photogenic. Unattributed "evidence" and artists impressions must be treated with care.
• Archaeological finds - excavation reports often provide details of items which may not be obvious from the more general descriptions in cultural histories etc. Small items such as belt ends, clothing fastenings, and details of shoe construction are not generally covered in standard academic texts.
• Experimental Archeology - the ultimate test - does it all work in practice!

We take the following approach:

• While primary and/or fully attributed documentary evidence is strongly prefered, we are prepared work on "some evidence plus the balance of probability" to fill in any minor holes in available evidence.
• Contrary to what some people may think, our ancestors were not stupid. Their technology was somewhat limited compared to ours, but if we can work out a way of doing things, so could they.
• Most available documentary evidence relates to the higher social orders - little relates to the commoner or man in the street.
• In order to give the correct "feel", we are prepared to make some small compromises. All living history and re-enactment groups do this to some degree (e.g. our swords are not sharp, we do not hand forge our own nails from iron we have smelted, shear our own sheep, weave our own cloth.).
• "Absence of evidence is not necessarily evidence of absence". We're relying on a relatively small base of information and tools and artifacts, and extrapolating from this evidence.