Rosa Mundi
Wedding
Pickering Castle, North Yorkshire
(July 28th, 1996)
Rosa Mundi re-enacted a wedding at Pickering Castle, North Yorkshire, during the weekend of July 26th-27th 1996.
The "groom" was Richard Osborne and the "bride" was Nickie Cook. They were actually married two months later. The "wedding" was conducted (largely in Latin) in the Sarum rite which would have been the common rite in England in 1485.
The photo above shows an overall view of the tented encampment within the outer wall of the castle. The motte of the inner defences is on the right. The wedding took place within the inner part of the castle which is over the bridge which is just visible at the far end of the moat on the right.
The tents are modern copies of actual mediaeval tents. Some are owned by the group but the majority are owned by individual members of the group.
The photograph also shows members of the public looking round the encampment and talking to the re-enactors.
The Saturday was spent preparing for Sunday's wedding. Many flowers were used in preparing the bride pole and for decorating hats and dresses.
Nickie starts her journey to the church. Her two attendants are with her.
The procession of the bride and her "father" and the women of the camp leave for the chapel. They are preceded by children strewing petals before them.
After the betrothal at the church door, the couple process, under the canopy, to the altar steps where they prostrate themselves.
Next, they move forward and are again prayed over and make their marriage vows.
After the wedding and the feast, there is dancing round the Bride Pole.
Life has to carry on as normal in a mediaeval household even when there is a wedding during the weekend.
Spinning is dome both on the Great Wheel (on the left) and, by hand, on drop-spindles. Before it can be spun, it has to be carded (as is being done on the right). The fleeces can be seen behind the spinners.The spinners are wearing clothing which they have made themselves.
This next photograph shows the camp's fully-trained cordwainer. A cordwainer made shoes whereas a cobbler was only able to mend them. As would have happened in the Middle Ages, many people make their own shoes (some better than others) but some prefer to pay a professional to make them. He is able to make accurate and authentic copies of mediaeval shoes and boots and has a collection of remnants of genuine mediaeval shoes.
This page was prepared by Brendan Hodgson.